An all too common Nasty - Preservatives

I was just about to bake some yummy pumpkin spice muffins for the kids and while reading the ingredients I came across some scary discoveries including this.....

Food Preservatives...
What are BHA and BHT?

(Do you think it scary that I found this listed under many chemistry/science sites rather than food? And yet we eat it!)

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and the related compound butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are phenolic compounds that are often added to foods to preserve fats.

What foods contain BHA and BHT? BHA is generally used to keep fats from becoming rancid. It is also used as a yeast de-foaming agent. BHA is found in butter, meats, cereals, chewing gum, baked goods, snack foods, dehydrated potatoes, and beer. It is also found in animal feed, food packaging, cosmetics, rubber products, and petroleum products.

BHT also prevents oxidative rancidity of fats. It is used to preserve food odor, color, and flavor. Many packaging materials incorporate BHT. It is also added directly to shortening, cereals, and other foods containing fats and oils.

BHA Characteristics:(the more popular)

• BHA is a mixture of the isomers 3-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole and 2-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole. Also known as BOA, tert-butyl-4-hydroxyanisole, (1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-methoxyphenol, tert-butyl-4-methoxyphenol, antioxyne B, and under various trade names
• Molecular formula C₁₁H₁₆O₂
• White or yellowish waxy solid
• Faint characteristic aromatic odor

BHT Characteristics:

• Also known as 3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxytoluene; methyl-di-tert-butylphenol; 2,6-di-tert-butyl-para-cresol
• Molecular formula C₁₅H₂₄O
• White powder

So did you understand that? Sounds....yummy! NOT!

How do they preserve food? BHA and BHT are antioxidants. Oxygen reacts preferentially with BHA or BHT rather than oxidizing fats or oils, thereby protecting them from spoilage. In addition to being oxidizable, BHA and BHT are fat-soluble. Both molecules are incompatible with ferric salts. In addition to preserving foods, BHA and BHT are also used to preserve fats and oils in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

Are BHA and BHT safe? Both BHA and BHT have undergone the additive application and review process required by the US Food and Drug Administration. However, the same chemical properties which make BHA and BHT excellent preservatives may also be implicated in health effects. The oxidative characteristics and/or metabolites of BHA and BHT may contribute to carcinogenicity or tumorigenicity; however the same reactions may combat oxidative stress. There is evidence that certain persons may have difficulty metabolizing BHA and BHT, resulting in health and behavior changes. BHA and BHT may have antiviral and antimicrobial activities. Research is underway concerning the use of BHT in the treatment of herpes simplex and AIDS.

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"May also be implicated in health effects" and yet it is still used in most foods in your pantry! I love how when asked the question if it is safe, they then state that it has been tested, followed with a "however" response! Wonder what they would say if it had to be yes or no? Thanks for the testing US Food and Drug Administration, just another reason why I now question everything I put in my mouth!

Real Food of the week...

Brussel Sprouts

Eww...not brussel sprouts! I'm sure most people would turn up their nose to the thought of eating these. I bravely introduced these to my boys the other night, with no expectations. Sure Thomas refused to eat them, but Harry was curious as to how a cabbage could be so small! I made a yummy honey ginger stirfry with chicken and loads of veggies...yum! They were slightly crunchy and still beautiful and green, they just looked and tasted so good, even Harry tried it! Plus they are in season which makes them super fresh and cheap.
I grew up hating brussel sprouts, sorry mom, I don't know how you made them taste so bad!
But did you know, these little parcels of power are full of so many wonderful things for you. Just one cup provides....

Brussel sprouts, boiled 1.00 cup 156.00 grams 60.84 calories
Nutrient	Amount	DV (%)	Nutrient Density	World's Healthiest Foods Rating
vitamin K	218.80 mcg	273.5	80.9	excellent
vitamin C	96.72 mg	161.2	47.7	excellent
folate	93.60 mcg	23.4	6.9	very good
vitamin A	1121.64 IU	22.4	6.6	very good
manganese	0.35 mg	17.5	5.2	very good
dietary fiber	4.06 g	16.2	4.8	very good
potassium	494.52 mg	14.1	4.2	very good
vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)	0.28 mg	14.0	4.1	very good
tryptophan	0.04 g	12.5	3.7	very good
vitamin B1 (thiamin)	0.17 mg	11.3	3.4	very good
omega 3 fatty acids	0.26 g	10.8	3.2	good
iron	1.87 mg	10.4	3.1	good
phosphorus	87.36 mg	8.7	2.6	good
protein	3.98 g	8.0	2.4	good
magnesium	31.20 mg	7.8	2.3	good
vitamin B2 (riboflavin)	0.12 mg	7.1	2.1	good
vitamin E	1.33 mg	6.7	2.0	good
copper	0.13 mg	6.5	1.9	good
calcium	56.16 mg	5.6	1.7	good

World's Healthiest Foods Rating	Rule
excellent	DV>=75%	OR	Density>=7.6	AND	DV>=10%
very good	DV>=50%	OR	Density>=3.4	AND	DV>=5%
good	DV>=25%	OR	Density>=1.5	AND	DV>=2.5%

There are so many health benefits in just 3-5 servings a week...

• Cancer Protection from Special Sulfur-Containing Phytonutrients found in Brussels sprouts enhance the activity of the body's natural defense systems to protect against disease, including cancer.

• Also increase production of enzymes involved in detoxification, the cleansing process through which our bodies eliminate harmful compounds.
• For Healthy Skin and Immune Function
• Fiber-rich Brussels Sprouts Support A Healthier Colon
• Cardiovascular Benefits
• Protection against Rheumatoid Arthritis
• A Birth Defect Fighter

For a more indepth study on the above benifits (its pretty amazing) check out

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=10

An all too common Nasty - Hydrogenated oils

You may have heard about the health issues caused by a food ingredient called partially hydrogenated oil (PHO). It is found in many, many foods in your supermarket and in restaurants. Although I knew it was unhealthy, I never really knew why until I did some research for this post.

In a nutshell, PHO’s are created when hydrogen bubbles (yes, hydrogen) are passed through oil that has been heated. This removes the essential fatty acids that do a lot of good for your body, and chemically alters the oil so it becomes a trans fat, also called a saturated fat (bad, bad stuff). McDonalds is one of the better-known trans fat cases because of all the media attention.

So why are PHO’s so bad? They cause cancer, diabetes, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and allergies that can cause arthritis. It also disables your body from properly absorbing good essential fatty acids (necessary to sustain healthy life) found largely in polyunsaturated oils. Instead of being absorbed and providing your body with what it needs to function properly, the essential fatty acids are eventually stored as fat cells, causing you to gain weight.

I’m not a scientist, so I won’t pretend to be. The purpose of this post is to inform you of the ill effects of this ingredient (as well as some others). I’ve included some informative links below for those of you who are interested in a more detailed explanation of PHO’s.

But I will tell you this. Companies use this stuff because it’s a really cheap way to give things like cake, cookies, pancakes, cereal and bread a rich buttery taste WITHOUT adding butter (which is more costly). It also extends the shelf life of the product so it can sit there for months (or years) instead of a few weeks. I guess the almighty dollar is more important than the health of our children.

Now that there’s more awareness, some corporations have changed the name of these trans fatty oils to mono-diglycerides. Don’t be fooled, it’s the same thing. Shame on every company that is trying to trick us. I wonder if the owners and employees feed this crap to their families. Or do they take their profits and shop at Whole Foods?

Hey Kellogg’s, charge me an extra dollar and take that crap out of your Pop Tarts and your cereals. It’s in Froot Loops, Corn Pops and lots of other cereals I can’t think of right now (check the labels).

My question is this: who is going to step up, take responsibility and get rid of this stuff in our food? Will it be a major corporation that will set the precedent, the government, or nobody?

If that’s not enough to keep you up at night, here are a few more bad food ingredients:

Sodium Nitrite: found in bacon, hot dogs and other processed meats kids and parents like to eat. Why is it bad? It causes colon cancer and pancreatic cancer. It has been proven to cause leukemia and brain tumors in children! We eat bacon at least once a week!! At least we used to. I’ll have to check Whole Foods for organic bacon.

Naturalnews.com also lists: MSG, refined white flower, refined white sugar, aspartame, saccharin, artificial colors, chemical preservatives, color fixer chemicals and homogenized dairy fats. Visit their link, or use Google to find out more.

Special thanks to the following links which provided me with this useful information. Pleases visit them for more details:
- Ban Trans Fats
- What’s Wrong with Partially Hydrogenated Oils?
- The latest U.S. health safety distraction ploy: Blame China!
- Recovery Medicine

Related posts:
Healthy Food Tip #1: Decoding PLU Codes For Better Health

And remember, you are not alone…

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Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

• Healthy Food Tip #3: Many Top Food Brands Don’t Care About Your Family’…
• Twinkies: Surprise Ingredients in the Antithesis of a Healthy Food
• All Natural Foods Do Not Include Hydrogenated Oils and Refined Sugars
• Palm Oil: Better Than Trans Fat?

Thanks DADDY BRAIN BLOG for this amazing article! http://www.daddybrain.wordpress.com

Feingold Diet

Here is a diet that has been recommended to my by other moms of special needs kids. To be honest it is full-on and am not sure if I can implement the whole thing, but I will cut the things previously discussed and will try an elimination diet with the rest of the foods listed. This is an extract from www.everydiet.com

Feingold Diet

The Feingold Diet derives from the program suggested in the book “Why Your Child is Hyperactive“, first published in the 1970s by Dr. Benjamin Feingold, a pediatrician and allergist. He went on to develop and promote his dietary approach to helping children with learning and behavior problems, since categorized as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

The Feingold Diet is based on the premise that allergic reactions or sensitivities to certain types of foods cause or contribute to ADD/ADHD symptoms, such as problems with:

• Behavior (marked hyperactivity, impulsive and compulsive actions, emotional concerns)
• Learning (short attention span, neuro-muscular difficulties, cognitive and perceptual disturbances)
• Health (physical complaints and/or sleep problems)

The full Feingold Program

How it functions

The Feingold Program is more comprehensive than a simple diet, and operates in two stages. Stage 1 eliminates chemical compounds in particular food additives, and salicylate compounds in certain foods (and non-food items such as fragrances – hence the name Program rather than Diet). See below for a list of items for elimination. Stage 2 involves identifying which salicylates (if any) can be tolerated.

Does it work?

Many ADD/ADHD sufferers who follow the Feingold Program have experienced great improvements in focus and behavior. There is a considerable (recent) research to back this up (see more).

Studies in the early nineties show that around 75% of children improve on a diet that restricts additives.

What it does

The Feingold Program eliminates these additives and chemicals:

• Synthetic coloring (are made from petroleum – crude oil)
• Artificial flavoring (combinations of many natural and synthetic chemicals – eg imitation vanilla flavoring or “vanillin” might originate from the waste product of paper mills). There has been little research carried on these chemicals.
• Artificial preservatives (BHA, BHT, and TBHQ, made from petroleum; also termed “anti-oxidants” because they prevent or delay the “oxidization” of fats in foods, which make them rancid)
• Salicylates (a group of chemicals related to aspirin, which are a naturally occurring pesticide in particular food plants – see ‘Food sources of salicylates’ below; also manufactured and used in many products including medicines, perfumes and solvents). Only some are eliminated on the Feingold diet.
• Artificial sweeteners (only aspartame is eliminated)
• Other food additives considered undesirable (such as MSG, sodium benzoate, nitrites, sulfites) – these are not eliminated – but are noted in the food list.

Food Sources of Salicylates

Almonds, Apples, Apricots, Aspirin, Berries, Cherries, Cloves, Coffee, Cucumbers, Currants, Grapes, Nectarines, Oil of wintergreen, Oranges, Peaches, Peppers (bell & chilli), Pickles, Plums, Prunes, Raisins, Rose hips, Tangelos, Tangerines, Tea, Tomatoes

A Staged Dietary Plan

A less rigorous approach than the Feingold Program, given that many studies have shown the sensitivity of some children to dyes, is to start by eliminating only those foods (and vitamins, drugs, and toothpastes) that contain artificial colorings.

If initial dietary changes have little benefit (i.e. excluding only dyes), try the complete Feingold diet. It is important to use a diet diary or journal.

If that doesn’t help, the Feingold Association recommends eliminating:

• corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, and corn sugar (in soft drinks and other sweetened foods)
• MSG (monosodium glutamate) and HVP (hydrolyzed vegetable protein, which contains some glutamate)
• sodium nitrite (in luncheon meats)
• calcium propionate (in baked goods)

After several weeks, if the child’s behavior has improved, every few days restore one eliminated food or ingredient at a time. Repeat that two or three times if a problem occurs, to confirm that the food is really a culprit.

If the child’s behavior did not improve on the Feingold diet, try a “few-foods” diet, which involves more extensive restrictions (see Elimination diets). Studies show that some children are sensitive not just to food additives but also to such foods as:

• wheat
• eggs
• milk and other dairy foods
• chocolate
• soybeans/tofu
• corn products (including corn sugar and syrup)

Eliminate as many of those foods as possible, plus artificial colorings and other additives. Children can eat fresh meat and poultry, any vegetable (except corn and soybeans), fruits and fruit juices (but not citrus fruit/juice and not beverages normally consumed daily), rice, and oats.