Okay, so...just a warning here, the information that you are about to read is both confronting, eye-opening and could save your life....Here is a list of additives found in everyday packaged foods, and the health problems that they have been linked to: (Numbers are the ones found on the labels in the section stating ingredients)
- 102 - Tartrazine - Linked to Hyperactivity, skin rashes, migraines, behavioural problems, thyroid problems and chromosome damage. Banned in Norway and Austria.
- 123 - Amaranth - Suspected carcinogen, mutagen, linked to hyperactivity, asthma and eczema. Banned in USA (1976), Russia, Austria, Norway and others.
- 133 - Brilliant Blue - Suspected carcinogen, linked to hyperactivity, asthmatics should avoid. Banned in Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria and Norway.
- 150a - Caramel i (Plain Caramel) - Linked to gastro intestinal problems, hypersensitivity. Safety suspect. (150(i) seems the safest)
- 172 - Iron Oxide - Possible Kidney damage. Suspected neurotoxin. Blindness found in dog studies (ps: I don not condone animal testing...just relaying the facts found by Julie's research)
- 222 - Sodium Bisulphite - Asthmatics should avoid, gastric irritation, nausea, nettle rash and swelling, behavioural problems.
- 218 - Methylparaben or methyl-p-hydroxy-benzoate - Allergic reactions possible - skin and mouth
- 235 - Natamycin or Pimaricin - Can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, skin irritation.
- 249 - Potassium Nitrite - Behavioural problems, asthma, breathing difficulties, headaches, dizziness, possible carcinogen. Prohibited in foods for infants and young children.
- 296 - Malic acid - Not suitable for children as unknown if they can digest it fully, allergic reactions, skin irritations.
- 319 - tert-Butylhydroquinone - Linked to cancer, birth defects, can cause nausea, vomiting, delirium, collapse, dermatitis. Dose of 5g is fatal - avoid it
- 320 - Butylated Hydroxyanisole - Serious concerns about carcinogenic and estrogenic effects, asthmatics and aspirin sensitive people should avoid, causes metabolic changes and accumulates in body fat. Banned in Japan in 1958 - Not permitted in foods for infants and young children.
- 338 - Phosphoric acid - Neurotoxicity, eye and skin irritant, large doses can lead to acidosis and hypocalcaemia
- 407a - Processed eucheuma seaweed - Suspected carcinogen, linked to ulcerative colitis, damage to the immune system, concern about birth defects. New to standards - don't give to infants and young children.
- 422 - Glycerin or glycerol - Headaches, high blood sugar levels, eye and skin irritation in sensitive people.
- 507 - Hydrocloric acid - Stomach and mouth irritant - some sources list as possible teratogen
- 508 - Potassium chloride - Associated with gastric ulcers, circulatory collapse, nausea, livery toxicity. Should not be given to children.
These are only a select few from the massive list of additives and their health effects featured in Julie Eady's book 'Additive Alert'. Reading this book opened my eyes to so many naivety's that I have towards packaged foods. For example: I thought the word 'Potassium was always a good word to read. Little did I know that it can have a completely different definition when placed next to another word haha.
It is so scary to know that these harmful chemicals are going into out foods, and are promoted as an essential part of our daily diet! I strongly advise everyone to read this book any way that you can, and spread the word...as you can see in the facts above, it is really a life and death decision that you're making when you are choosing what to eat for your next meal.
Hopefully some of this information helps!
ALSO!!! You don't have to buy a book to find out what goes into your food. If you're curious, the best thing you can do is to grab a packaged food out of your cupboard/fridge/freezer, read the ingredients panel, get onto trusty google and start to research what these big long scientific words and numbers are! Get involved and inspired about your health...it is the one thing that so many people take for granted.
Oh! I forgot to add that you can google any of the additives from above to find out what foods that they appear in...it's really quite interesting :)
Over the last 24hours I have also been documenting the effects that the additive filled foods had on my body from last night.
I noticed the effects straight away, literally! I started to get incredibly irritable and frustrated, also itchy!
I was soooo full all night and found it really hard to get up in the morning! (I guess my body had been working extra hard during the night to try and process the crap!) I craved more additives this morning for breakfast...which I didn't like one bit! I went all day with cravings and stayed on my raw earthy foods. By the afternoon my cravings peaked and all I wanted to do was eat. I couldn't take my mind off crap food! I was thinking of all of the foods I used to eat, and actually started to feel deprived! How ridiculous! I over indulged on earth foods to try to get rid of the cravings. What I SHOULD have done was sit down, let my body know the situation and then done some exercise.
By the evening, I was getting really depressed. I was feeling fat, bloated, pimply and really self loathing. I ate feeling like this. It is such a waste of time and energy...but it seems to be a re occurring issue for me. My old habits in moments like these were simple. Drink lots of water, go to bed, get up early, have a coffee, go for a big run, eat barely anything, drink a coffee instead of eat and run again in the evening.
I can honestly say that I am finding it really difficult to not turn back to my old ways...even tho I know how bad it is for my poor body. I also used to look in the mirror and pick at every single flaw, and then go onto my computer and look at pictures of skinny, perfect looking celebrities and tell myself that I am not good enough or happy enough until that is what I look like.
Tonight has been a definite struggle in that way. I found myself looking at skinny celebrities and comparing myself. If it wasn't for this blog that I am committed to, then I honestly would be waking up tomorrow to a day of full on exercise and only coffee...but I am determined to change my eating habits, and hopefully prove to everyone that sticking to eating foods naturally provided by the earth, that my body will make slow, but permanent changes. (I am used to doing radical diets and exercise programs that give me my goal in a week, but are impossible to maintain. I then get cranky at myself and binge eat and start back at square one)
Here is what I put into my body today:
BREAKFAST: Warm Lemon Water. Meusli with Coconut Oil and a plum
LUNCH: A wierd simple salad of carrot, snow peas, grapes and almonds
SNACK: Grapes, mixed nuts, a caro (hot drink)
DINNER: Cous Cous with mushrooms and lentils. A Chocolate smoothie
DESSERT: Another Chocolate Smoothie, a plum, chocolate balls.
I feel as tho I need to get more green leafy veges into my diet, more exercise and stretching, and more breathing. I need to be more grateful for the things I have and focus on my inner beauty, instead of everything superficial like I have been focusing on today.
Tomorrow I will blog about coffee. This shall be an interesting one!
Sleep tight, be grateful for natural foods from the earth that don't need additives to be delicious!
Love Love Love
xoxoxoxoxox
Thankyou to Julie Eady who has written an AMAZING book called 'Additive Alert'. Here is the link to her website...Additive Alert
Please send her some love :)
No comments:
Post a Comment