Fruits and vegetables containing pesticide residues pose health risks to people of all ages. Studies have shown that exposure to organophosphorus may lead to the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children. According to research by scientists at the University of California, the combination of pesticides and herbicides increases the risk of Parkinson's disease, especially for young people.

Preservatives can increase health risks. Nitrite is a common preservative in processed meat and fish to prevent bacterial growth. Your body converts nitrite into the carcinogen nitrosamine. Consuming more nitrosamines from processed meat increases the risk of gastric cancer.

Artificial pigments increase the attractiveness of consumers, but may also increase your risk of disease. Some reports show that the caramel pigment used in many popular cola soft drinks contains 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole, which can cause lung cancer, liver cancer, thyroid cancer and leukemia. Food pigments such as Yellow No. 5, No. 6 and No. 10 and red No. 40 may increase the risk of ADHD or aggravate ADHD in children.

Finally, industrially produced fats and sweeteners have a great impact on human health. Manufacturers use trans fats in bread, biscuits, margarine and microwave popcorn, which increases your risk of coronary artery disease. High fructose corn syrup increases your risk of obesity and diabetes.

Food does not last. A few days, sometimes a few hours, the bread molds, the apple slices turn brown, and the bacteria reproduce in the mayonnaise. But you can find all these foods on the grocery store shelves. Thanks to the preservatives, I hope they haven't gone bad. But what exactly is a preservative? How do they help keep food edible? Are they safe?

Solution

If you want to be health conscious, you should start by knowing what most of the food you buy is. Ingredient labels may be a quagmire composed of long and unfamiliar words, but a little research can go a long way. Knowing which substances you should avoid is the first step towards purer food and better health.

Crushing system

The Food Additives Amendment of 1958 requires the food and Drug Administration (FDA) to supervise the chemical substances directly added to food and those that eventually enter food as pollutants during production, processing and packaging.

FDA or EU are responsible for ensuring our food safety, but they have no tools or power to complete their work.

In order for everyone to have access to safer food, we must:

End confidentiality: the GRAS vulnerability allows companies to secretly determine the safety of chemicals in our food without FDA review or public knowledge. Congress needs to establish a more streamlined and open procedure for the FDA to make safety decisions and encourage innovation.

Using modern science: when the FDA reviews the use of chemicals in our food, it will make our food supply safer. But the agency needs to use the most modern science to do the best work.

Ensuring the safety of existing chemicals: several decades ago, thousands of chemicals were approved by the FDA. At that time, we knew little about their impact on human health. The FDA needs to reassess their safety. Congress needs to provide the FDA with tools so that the agency can obtain the information it needs to determine priorities and make decisions about the 10000 chemicals in our food.

Read food labels

The ingredients of packaged food must be marked on the packaging box or bag. Look for numbered artificial food pigments and dyes, such as FD & C green No. 3. Other food additives you may see on the label include Di tert butyl hydroxyanisole, MSG and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharin.

Organic removal

Organic crops do not use chemical pesticides or herbicides during their growth, so organic fruits and vegetables will not have chemical residues like ordinary agricultural products.

A balanced diet of fresh produce and whole grain foods can help keep away from additives. Organic packaged food has little or no added synthetic coloring or preservatives.

Select products marked "preservative free".

Beware of labels that claim "no preservatives added". These products may still contain ingredients that have been preserved before they are included in the final product. Almost all lard (used for baking food) is treated with butyl hydroxyanisole or di tert butyl anisole.