3 Sources of Food Additives that May Surprise You!

(Originally published on NaturalNews.com. Written by Christy Pooschke.)

“It is commonly known that fast food, frozen pizzas and candy bars are filled with taste enhancers and other food additives. But did you know that  food additives are also lurking in products that would seem at a glance to contain just one ingredient? Ironically, some of these items may even be things you are using to prepare foods from scratch at home in an effort to avoid the dangerous additives in pre-packaged meals. Following are some food items that seem so self-explanatory that you may be purchasing them without even checking the ingredients list.

Tomato Paste

Many varieties of tomato paste contain a surprising number of ingredients. Be especially wary of flavored or seasoned varieties of tomato paste. For example, one popular brand’s “Italian Herb” variety contains all of the following ingredients: “tomato puree (tomato  paste and water), high fructose corn syrup, salt, dried onions, partially  hydrogenated vegetable oil (soybean and/or cottonseed), spices, hydrolyzed corn  gluten, soy & wheat gluten proteins, grated Romano cheese made from cow’s  milk (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), garlic, citric acid, yeast, soy  flour.”

Of course, varieties that are not flavored or seasoned  often contain food additives, as well. “Natural flavor” is one additive that is commonly added to tomato paste, and it can disguise dangerous ingredients like MSG. Manufacturers are not required to reveal the components of their “natural  flavorings” on food labels, so be sure to read carefully and select a brand of tomato paste that contains only, “tomatoes.” (Note: If you prefer to purchase tomato paste contained  in a glass jar, instead of a can, visit a natural food store or shop online for jarred options.)

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is another food that you may logically assume contains just one ingredient – peanuts. Unfortunately, most common  commercial brands also contain health-depleting ingredients like sugar, corn syrup and hydrogenated vegetable oils (i.e., trans fat). Ideally, purchase brands that are unsalted and contain only, “dry roasted peanuts.” Many regular grocers may not carry plain, unsalted peanut butter, so you may need to shop at a natural food  store or shop online for this item. Many regular grocers do carry at least one brand that contains only “peanuts and salt,” though, if you don’t mind the salt but prefer to avoid the corn syrup, trans fat, etc.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar offers an array of health benefits. It eases heartburn, joint pain and joint stiffness, improves skin complexion and bowel function, breaks down fat to aid in weight loss, etc. To  reap these benefits, purchase raw (unpasteurized), organic and unfiltered varieties only. You may need to visit a natural food store or the health section  of your regular grocer because this type of vinegar is usually not sold in the  regular vinegar section. Read apple cider vinegar labels very carefully, as there are varieties that contain additives like coloring and flavoring agents. If you look closely, these  imposters are actually labeled on the front of the bottle as “apple cider flavored vinegar” because they are actually comprised of white vinegar (made from corn, not apples) with artificial flavors and colors added to make them look and taste like apple cider vinegar.”

Sources for this article include:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/trans-fat/CL00032 http://www.naturalnews.com/036308_natural_flavors_MSG_aspartame.html http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/ http://www.globalhealingcenter.com

About the  author:

Christy Pooschke is author of “Eating  Additive-Free” and founder of CompletelyNourishedCommunity.com – a holistic health community featuring hundreds of delicious, natural recipes suited to a variety of dietary restrictions (gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, vegetarian, soy-free, MSPI, etc.). Christy was inspired to help others reduce their reliance on processed foods after resolving her own Fibromyalgia symptoms through diet and lifestyle changes. Want more great tips and recipes for eating an additive-free diet? Subscribe to her natural  foods blog, join her online community of 1,600+ members, and get yourself a copy of her book – “Eating  Additive-Free: Natural Cookbook & Shopping Guide“.

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How to Avoid Hidden Food Additives at the Grocery Store

Are you doing your best to avoid food additives like High Fructose Corn Syrup, hydrogenated oils, MSG, Aspartame, and artificial colors and flavors?

In the video below, learn how the food industry is allowed to hide ingredients on food labels and how it affects your health!

Even if you are spending a lot of time, effort and money to avoid these ingredients, and even if you shop exclusively at natural foods stores, you still may be ingesting these additives without even realizing it!

If you need recipes and grocery shopping guidance to get you started, check out our e-book, “Eating Additive-Free” (a Natural Cookbook & Shopping Guide that includes 160 additive-free recipes).

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The Dangers of GMO Foods: “Genetic Roulette”

Please view the documentary below about the health and environmental dangers posed by the Genetically-Modified Organisms (GMOs) that have been unleashed into our food supply. The film is available for FREE online until 9-22-12 (likely there will be a fee after that)!! It’s definitely worth the time to watch it….and FORWARD it!!!

Evidence is mounting that GMOs cause gastrointestinal damage (leaky gut) leading to FOOD ALLERGIES and a host of other health problems (e.g., excema, asthma, allergies, autoimmune diseases, food intolerances, birth defects, infertility). According to experts in this film, there are even implications for those suffering with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Some of the most common genetically-modified foods include: corn, soy, sugar beets, canola and cottonseed oil, aspartame (artificial sweetener), growth hormones in milk, papaya, and zucchini squash.

(If the video posted below doesn’t work, please click here to view this documentary.)

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Top 10 GMO Foods to Avoid (from NaturalNews.com)

(This article written by J.D. Heyes was published on NaturalNews.com on 6/1/12.)
Learn more:  http://www.naturalnews.com/036063_GMOs_foods_infographics.html#ixzz240HwuT48 )

“We here at NaturalNews.com pride ourselves in providing our  readers with the most valuable, up-to-date news and information on a wide range  of health-related issues, but we especially like to discuss nutrition because so  much of our health depends on what we put in our bodies – and what we don’t put in them.
See the NaturalNews infographic at:
http://www.naturalnews.com/Infographic-Top-10-GMO-Foods-to-Avoid-Eating.html

Be aware and beware

With that latter thought in mind, we’ve  developed an infographic to highlight the top 10 GMO (genetically modified  organism) foods to avoid, in no particular order:

1. Zucchini: It  goes without saying that many biotech companies say genetically modified foods  are safe for you, but as GMO science expands, reseachers are finding more  evidence that such foods can harm your health. One of those is zucchini. While  not as potentially harmful as other GM foods, zucchini is nonetheless  “engineered” to resist some strains of virus.

2. Cotton:  Considered a food item because its oil can be consumed, cotton – in particular,  genetically modified Bt cotton, common to India and China – has damaging  consequences. According to recent Chinese research, while Bt cotton is capable  of killing bollworms without the use of insecticides, its decreased use has  increased the presence of other crop-harming pests. Also, Bt cotton production  has been linked to drastic depletion of soil nutrients and lower crop yields, as  well as much higher water requirements.

3. Canola: This is  probably one of the most misunderstood, misguided “healthy” food  choices out there right now, but there is little about canola – and similar oils  – that is good for you. Extracted from rapeseed, canola oil and others must be  chemically removed from the seeds, then deodorized and altered, in order to be  utilized in foods. They are  among the most chemically altered foods in our diets.

4. Aspartame: An artificial sweetener found in a number of products,  aspartame – discovered by accident in 1965 by a chemist testing an anti-ulcer  drug – accounts for as many as 75 percent of adverse reactions to food additives  reported to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to some  reports. Some seizures and even some deaths have been blamed on  aspartame.

5. Dairy: A disturbingly high number – as many as  one-fifth – of dairy cows in the U.S. today are given growth hormones to  increase milk production, a figure that has been rising since the FDA approved a  genetically engineered recombinant bovine growth hormone known as rbGH or rbST  for use in dairy cows in 1993. While said to boost production by 5-15 percent,  scientists have expressed concern that the increased levels of IGF-1 (insulin  growth factors-1) from hormone-treated cows may boost the risks of colon and  breast cancer. Since 2008, Hiland Dairy has stopped using milk from dairy  farmers who inject their cows with growth hormone.

6. Corn:  Modified now to create its own insecticide, as many as half of all U.S. farms  growing corn for Monsanto are using genetically modified corn, with tons of it  now being introduced for human consumption, according to the FDA. Doctors at Sherbrooke University Hospital in Quebec recently found Bt toxin from  modified corn in the blood of pregnant women and their babies, as well as in  non-pregnant women.

7. Papayas: Genetically modified papayas have  been grown in Hawaii commercially since 1999, designed to combat the Papaya  Ringspot Virus. Approved for sale and consumption in the U.S. and Canada, GM  papayas cannot be imported or sold in the European Union.

8. Sugar: Sugar from genetically modified sugar beets hit the market in the  U.S. in 2009. They were modified by the Monsanto Corporation to be resistant to  the company’s Roundup herbicide. In 2010 a group of Oregon farmers sued to stop  planting that year of Monsanto’s genetically altered sugar beets over fears the  crops could cross-contaminate other nearby fields.

9. Soy: Like  other foods, soy, too, has been genetically modified to resist herbicides. Soy  is included in soy flour, tofu, soy beverages, soybean oil and scores of other  products, especially baked goods and pastries. According to one report, “[a]fter  feeding hamsters for two years over three generations, those on the GM diet, and  especially the group on the maximum GM soy diet, showed devastating results. By  the third generation, most GM soy-fed hamsters lost the ability to have babies.  They also suffered slower growth, and a high mortality rate among the  pups.”

10. Yellow squash Like zucchini, yellow squash is also a  fast-rising GMO crop in the  U.S., and as such, should cause you concern. If you like squash – and scores of  Americans do – check out a farmer’s market that doesn’t sell GMO squash or grow  your own using non-modified seed.”

Sources for this article  include:
http://www.naturalnews.com/Infographic-Top-10-GMO-Foods-to-Avoid-Eating.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/035734_GMOs_foods_dangers.html
http://www.deccanherald.com
http://www.hilanddairy.com/green/no-artificial-growth-hormones
http://www.huffingtonpost.com
Learn more:  http://www.naturalnews.com/036063_GMOs_foods_infographics.html#ixzz240HZgvcK