Chapter 9 — A Glance At Fad Diets and Food Additives
Since we are interested in total health, particularly prevention of disease and not just the health of a part of the body, it behooves us to be aware of other factors that could be detrimental to good health. This chapter will not deal in great depth with fad diets or food additives, but will give you a smattering of information to enlighten you and increase your awareness. You make your own decisions.
Gluttony is probably the worst dietetic sin. Most people suffer from overeating-eating beyond their digestiv4,~ capacities. They also suffer from the harmful effects of haphazardly dumping in their stomachs an amazing variety of foods and half-foods in abominable combinations that would wreak havoc in the strongest of digestive systems. I'll cover the advantages and rationale of proper food combining in the next chapter.
Prevention magazine, July, 1973, states that "one of the worst things about low cholesterol diets is that they prohibit you almost entirely from eating liver, eggs, milk, cheese, beef, and shellfish, all of which are superlatively nutritious foods. Eliminate these foods from your diet and it is all but impossible to consume the vitamins, minerals and trace elements you need to keep your whole body in good health." This is a typical example of the common misconception most people have that without these foods one cannot live in good health. The fact is that it is the very people who eat these foods who flood the hospitals and doctors' offices with their anemias, arthritis, diabetes, kidney diseases, cancers, so-called allergies, colitis, and an endless list of degenerative diseases. It is not the scope of this chapter to analyze foods in depth, but cheese (if natural, unprocessed, unchemicalized, and unsalted) is probably the most innocuous of the bunch. The others have long-term harmful effects to the body. The ideal source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements comes from the plant kingdom-vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and sprouts in their natural unfired (raw) state where possible-in which the inorganic elements of the soil are converted into living organic material, making all these elements biologically charged. If one is going to eat meat, then the only proper way to obtain all the nutrition is to eat the animal the way a carnivore would eat it-fresh-killed, uncooked, and including blood, bones, organs, and innards. If one cannot eat it this way, he shouldn't eat it at all. After all, where did that hunk of beef come from that is so "rich in protein and blood building elements"? It came from the steer that grazed and ate vegetationthe "greens." The meat-eaters thus get their protein second-hand in the food chain.
The Low Carbohydrate Diet seems to be an unbalanced diet with an overemphasis on protein. Today, people are over-proteinized and this can put a burden on the liver and kidneys.
The Nibbler's Diet-This is for people who think they must be eating all day. (Probably helps neurotics.)
Good Housekeeping Magazine Snacker's Diet-Similar to the Nibbler's Diet. To quote: "The key to this plan is six mini-meals a day so you may eat every few hours and never have time to be hungry." (Must cause problems, as the digestive system and body are never given a rest.) Recommended for the in-between snack meals are such things as jam, crackers, and ice cream which are "especially filling and nutritious." (What can I say about this junk.) Also allowed are pretzel sticks, shrimp in cocktail sauce, small cans of juice, and diet soda. Very little raw, fresh natural food is used. This has got to be a contributing factor in the propagation of disease.
It's In to Be Thin and Dr. Cantor's Longevity Diet Basically same gimmicks as other diets.
Drinking Man's Diet-I think that if you're not an alcoholic before you start, you could have a chance at becoming one by the time you're done.
Eat More to Lose Weight Diet-Same song. Excess protein, etc.
Grape Cure-Foods don't cure!
Eat Your Way to Health-Usual theme. Use of supplements is highly recommended. I like my own idea for a title to this diet: "Digging Your Grave With Your Teeth."
Biochemic Method-The use of unlimited types of chemical compounds for each ailment or desired result. ( Hardly supplies the requisites of life.)
Juice Fasting Diet-Tells of the healing power of juices and what juices are used for specific conditions. Juices have no power to heal, treat, or cure; juices don't act on the body, the body acts on the juices. Technically this is not really fasting because juices are foods and must be handled by the digestive apparatus, but to a lesser degree of expended energy than solid foods.
How to Cut Your Food Budget in Half and Still Get Proper Nutrition-Same story. But the only way to get proper nutrition is to eat hygienically; that is, a variety of vegetarian fare: raw fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouts eaten in proper combination. Of course, if you desire to cut your food budget 100 percent, then fast (but not indefinitely or you'll also cut your earthly existence 100 percent). Most people are in need of a fast to sharpen the power of their digestive systems, thereby allowing the body to properly digest and assimilate ( absorb and utilize) these vital foods which in turn contributes to proper nutrition.
Weight Watchers-How much canned tuna fish can one eat? There are chemical additives in their brand of foods. Fresh fruits and vegetables are used, which is fine. One will lose weight, but there is not much chance of evolving robust health that will continue into later years.
Alpine Team Training Diet for Women-This is a good one for cholesterol freaks, because in addition to black tea or coffee, a few fruits and vegetables, the dieter must consume over 2 dozen eggs a week. Put that in your coronary arteries!
Boston Police Diet-This diet is against bananas, dates, cherries, grapes, plums, pears, apples, rice, potatoes, corn, beets, beans, peas, and carrots. I didn't check to see if this diet was against Boston baked beans.
Ice Cream Diet-Quote: "A fun diet that will startle your friends and associates." I'd like to add on to this: "Of course they'll also be startled when you get your first heart attack."
The Only Diet That Works-I thought perhaps someone had the right idea but it turns out to be composed of the same gimmicks presented in a different way.
Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution-Another unbalanced diet that can be dangerous to your health. It's a low carbohydrate high-fat and high-protein diet. This diet allows an unlimited consumption of saturated fat and is a cholesterol-rich diet.
The Wonder Diet-Lets you eat generously of all the foods you enjoy: bread, certain fruits and vegetables, meat, chicken, fish, jello, coffee, tea, milk, plus all the Scotch, bourbon, rye, gin, vodka, and brandy you desire. You can have a big roast beef sandwich as a snack or a milk shake as often as every hour of the day. This diet is stated to be "medically safe for patients with diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart conditions." Now, you might lose weight from this diet, but how you can develop anything but ill health, eventually, I can't imagine. I can't see how it can be safe for the above-mentioned diseases when one is allowed such generous amounts of poisons as coffee, tea, milk shakes every hour, beef, and booze. The only reason I can see for the name of this Wonder Diet is that it will be a wonder if you don't become very ill and/or succumb eventually.
Macrobiotics-This is primarily a grain and rice diet and is highly acid-forming. Nutritional balance is ignored. Fresh fruits and vegetables are not recommended or used unless in season, which means people in the north have them available only a few months out of the year. There is great importance placed on cooked food. It's cooking that devitalizes food and takes the life out of it.
Stillman Diet-Vitamin supplements are used. It's a low-residue diet, meaning less of the important roughage. This means fewer bowel movements and even sluggish bowel movements. This can predispose to intestinal and colon diseases. But the main ideas are the unlimited consumption of meat, eggs, sea food, etc., and the ingestion of at least eight glasses of water a day (whether your body needs it or not) in addition to the black coffee, tea, and diet soda (all poisons to the human body) you are encouraged to drink. Now, in the latest Stillman ProteinPlus diet, the liquid requirement has been increased to ten glasses of any combination of "permitted drinks." All this liquid causes frequent urination and can result in a mineral depletion from the constant flushing of the system. If there is any history of liver or kidney disease, a high-protein diet can be dangerous. If there is no history of liver or kidney diseases, then could it be quite possible to develop some on a prolonged high-protein diet?
Martinis and Whipped Cream-"Eat as much and as often as you want. Enjoy those two or three martinis before dinner and that brandy after dinner. Enjoy fried foods such as pork sausages, etc., gravies, dressings, ice cream, and whipped cream." This diet is set up so you can lose weight, but I don't see anything but ill health developing from it.
Brand Name Diet-This is probably the worst abomination of all. To quote: "A remarkable new diet based on frozen, packaged, and canned food available in every supermarket." Can you possibly imagine the dangerous cumulative effects from living off of a diet of foodless foods loaded with chemical food additives?
Psychologists' Eat-Anything Diet-"The foods you crave are the ones you should eat. Foods that merely `beckon' or `look good' should not be eaten because you won't be psychologically satisfied by them." People crave what their jaded appetites desire; so how can these types of people be satisfied with any natural, unadulterated, wholesome food?
The Save Your Life Diet (Dr. David Reuben)-An excellent new book discussing the prevention of colon cancer by the daily intake of roughage (in this case bran is lauded). Dr. Reuben gets the credit, but this is not a new discovery. We, in Natural Hygiene, have been belaboring this subject for many years, but it seems to take a "famous authority" before people will listen. There are other books now out on the same subject. Everyone hops on the bandwagon.
Natural Way to Diet-I.finally thought someone was on the right track, but I should have known better. Some quotes: "Meat and fish are essential to any diet because you must have proper nutrients." ( What is meant by "proper nutrients" in meat and fish? There's no elaboration on it. There are more proper nutrients in food grown from the soil.) Also to quote: "You must have liver since there is no substitute for natural iron." (Pound for pound, there's more iron in sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and soybeans than there is in beef liver.) These diet books are written by so-called authorities and people come to believe everything they say without question
Truth About Weight Control (Dr. Neil Solomon)Here is another "authority" who has influenced vast numbers of people. This diet is basically like others, although it does recommend "moderation and balance as keynotes to good nutrition" and no alcohol or salt, basically no desserts (with some exceptions), and the use of raw vegetables for emergency craving. For dessert, such things as caviar, smoked salmon, squab, and pheasant are recommended by Dr. Solomon. He believes in F.M.S. (fat mobilizing substance) to keep weight off permanently. This F.M.S. is found in the urine of fasting persons. He talks about "starvation" diets, completely unaware of the difference between fasting and starving. There's a section that describes how extremely obese husbands and wives can lose 100 to 150 calories by mastering several types of sex acts which require various vigorous reciprocal motions. Who cares?
For the Yo Yo Test Diet are recommended: bacon (loaded with salt), coffee three times a day (increases fatty acid level of the blood, among other things), white bread, hot dogs, ice cream, margarine (made from hydrogenated oils). These are abominations. My section on "food additives" will clarify many of these things.
Solomon says, "Children, from infancy on, should be taught good eating habits and basic nutrition and . . . eating habits of small children are largely developed in the home environment," yet does not indicate what are good eating habits and basic nutrition.
A strict three-meal-a-day, no-in-between-snacks diet is mentioned, but what is it? Also mentioned is a "well-balanced diet," but what is it?
Dr. Solomon's Easy, No-Risk Diet-Quote: "Imagine being able to eat pretzels, ice cream, or chocolate chip cookies and not feel you're cheating! You will also experience the comfort of knowing you are on a diet that is nutritious, healthy and free of risks to your body . . . ." Dr. Solomon condemns the use of salt, yet allows bacon, green olives, dill pickles, ham, etc., and says that vegetables should be cooked in salted water. Allows "diet" sodas, including colas (contain caffeine), up to 24 ounces ( two bottles) a day. On days when four to six meals are used, the overtaxed digestive system never gets a chance to rest. It is constantly working, so how can optimum digestion and function be expected to continue? Allows all types of meats, including crab, lobster, oysters and clams (which are the lowest forms of protein because they are scavengers that live off of the garbage of the sea, i.e., fecal and other waste matters; they also contain larger amounts of lead, mercury and other poisons), also cold cuts and hot dogs which are most abundantly loaded with meat by-products (snouts, ears, lips, bladders, udders, etc.) and harmful chemical additives. Allows peanut butter, but does not specify homemade, so it must be commercial, which uses sugar, salt, and the hydrogenation process ( as in making margarine and Crisco). Allows many white (chemically bleached) flour products such as bagels, bread, doughnuts, cakes, cookies, waffles, hot dog and hamburger rolls, pop-ups, etc. Allows cooked and dried cereals (which are nutritionally lacking due to commercial processing and exposure to high temperatures), noodles, spaghetti, frozen french fries, rice (doesn't specify brown or natural so it must be devitalized white), saltine crackers, pretzels, pizza, potato chips, cheese tidbits, Fritos, and other "foods" loaded with salt. Coffee or tea is on the menu three times a day. Recommends various brand name egg substitutes, but the monoand diglycerides (fats) plus other additives in them are probably more detrimental than the cholesterol in the eggs. Not much emphasis, in the menus, on fresh raw vegetables and fruits. In fact, in some menus they are omitted or negligible or optional. Allows all kinds of ice creams and popsicles (loaded with sugar, chemical flavors, artificial colors, emulsifiers, etc.). Allows sugar, pork sausage links, and jelly. A case history is given of a 16-year-old girl who Dr. Solomon says, "eats such junkfood favorites as pizza, potato chips, pretzels and the more nutritional but still fattening ice cream." These "foods" are classified by Dr. .Solomon, elsewhere in his book, as junk-foods, yet as a part of his various types of No-Risk Diets these same "foods" are included. The Easy, No-Risk Diet has a list of "Ten Tips from Successful Dieters," and number six states: "Banish all junkfoods from the house." This is typical of the many contradictions that appear throughout the book. Are the results of these contradictions going to help evolve longlasting vital health? No way! Solomon refers to soda pop as one example of empty calories and he says, "It is something that all dieters should ruthlessly cut out." Yet in his general instructions for his Easy, No-Risk Diet he allows up to 24 ounces (two bottles) of diet soda daily. Corn oil margarine is recommended as better than butter. That's fine if the corn oil remained as is; however, the process of hydrogenation not only makes it a saturated fat (which is to be avoided in the first place), but it requires various potentially harmful chemicals to add taste and flavor and to color the axle grease-type mess. If Ihad my druthers, I'd druther call it an Easy, High-Risk Diet.
Sexy Pineapple Diet-I didn't research it, because just the name fascinated me. But if I were to have my way with it, I'd take one pineapple, give it to a hula girl and chase her. When I had caught her I'd throw away the pineapple-or is it vice versa? One could conceivably lose weight through all this action.
I haven't scratched the surface of fad diets, but the few I've mentioned should give you some enlightenment. They are all variations on a theme and I believe they all insist an meat. There is no doubt that one can and usually does lose weight with these. That is their prime purpose. But one thing you can be sure of is that none of the fad diets supply all the needs of the body in the proper form or amounts. These are still the same foods that our "sick" populations have been eating all their lives. Only in fad diets, these foods are used in excessive or insufficient amounts (creating imbalances) and in forms not in the best interest of our bodies (not of the highest order). Fad diets are like games, and since they do not teach us how to evolve optimum health, it stands to reason that if these diets are followed for an indefinite period of time, ill health and diseases can be the eventual result.
One of the biggest dangers to health, particularly to those who do not live on a natural diet, is the ingestion of chemical food additives. In order to sell in a competitive market, food manufacturers must process their food, preserve it for long shelf life, color it an attractive ripe color, sweeten it, emulsify it, cure it, stabilize it, salt it, irradiate it, bleach it, blanch it, polish it, de-germ it, de-bran it, gas it, spray it with insecticides, with nematocides, with rodenticides and fungicides-all added to the sex hormones, antibiotics, tranquilizers, disinfectants, anti-spoilants, anti-sprouting agents, desiccants, and sex sterilants that the animal or plant has been given previously.
By the time some of this processed food reaches your mouth, it is loaded with enough chemicals to start a drug store. Many of these chemicals are of proven high toxicity, some of them carcinogenic (tending to cause cancer), and almost all the rest have been insufficiently tested, and their effects are unknown.
There are probably close to 3,000 or more food additives, of which close to 2,000 are synthetic chemicals, most of which have never been tested for carcinogenicity. We must realize that every poison taken into the body, if not immediately excreted, must be detoxified by the body. This puts a severe burden on the liver in particular and other organs in general. This means the liver must steal vitamins, especially B complex and C, which are essential aids in detoxification. This tends to deplete the body of vitamin security.
The sad but subtle truth is that since there are usually no immediate reactions to the small amounts ingested, it is the hidden cumulative effects that are responsible for much disease and cancer today. Because these poisons appear in the food in small amounts, don't be fooled that they are safe. These small amounts are still the same poisons, only the effects are insidious. Don't be lulled into a false sense of security. Doctors today cannot seem to conceive the fact that many diseases in their patients are the results of 10, 15, 20, 30 or more years of accumulated build-up of these "small amounts" of food additives and other types of pollutants within the cell substance of their bodies. In addition, however, as if to add insult to injury and because it cannot seem to be prevented, the government allows commercially prepared and processed foods to contain an "accepted" percentage of dirt, debris, and insect parts. So look a bit closer at that next candy bar, or whatever, and you may be able to spot a little bonus in it for you.
These additives are supposed to be added in the food in so-called safe amounts, but the important fact is that the average person eats a wide variety and abundance of these adulterated foods three or more times each day, seven days a week, 52 weeks, 365 days a year. That would be well over 1,000 meals and snacks containing the "small amounts" of poisons which are accumulating in your body.
Panic in the Pantry is a book written by Drs. Elizabeth Whelan and Frederick Stare. They take issue with everyone (doctors, scientists, citizens, etc.) who might be against chemical additives in foods. To quote: "Eat your additives, they're good for you." They tell you that poisonous additives such as BHT, sodium nitrite, artificial colorings and flavorings, etc., are not only completely safe but important additions to our daily diet and contribute to our physical and psychological well-being. The term "faddist" is used continually throughout the book, which is probably the authors' way of trying to downgrade those of us who don't agree with them even though we are sincerely concerned with our own health and the health of our children. The primary objective seems to be to persuade the people that small amounts of poisons in the form of food additives (flavorings, colorings, preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilizers and bleached white sugar) are not only safe but nutritious. In my opinion, the book is rather subversive and replete with misinformation. Admittedly there are several items which can be agreed upon, but there is just enough truth presented to make it believable. Only an aware reader would know what important facts have been omitted. However, take warning: the naive, uninformed public could easily be misled and lulled into a false sense of security.
Former Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz delivered an address before the Institute of Food Technologists in Anaheim, California, June 6, 1976. He said, in part, that "If the world's people are to eat as well, or hopefully even better tomorrow than they do today, then the rule of reason is going to have to prevail in the use of food technology. Innovation must not be hampered on this front. This inevitably means the increased use of chemicals on the farm, and new food manufacturing processes in the food industry, i.e., antibiotics, growth regulators, hormones and what have you." Just what is meant by "what have you"?
Secretary Butz went on further to say that various agents used on the farm and in the food industry will be poisonous and dangerous and that some food additives may cause cancer in laboratory animals. He concluded these thoughts with, "We must constantly ask ourselves whether the benefits from carefully controlled use of such agents outweigh the risks." I look at these statements and wonder where we are headed.
Butz makes several misleading conclusions: He says we must use pesticides in farming; he estimates that 50 million people in America would face starvation if we relied solely on organic farming; foods grown in organic soil and without pesticides cost more; natural fertilizer is not superior and makes for deficient crops; there are health risks in natural fertilizers (he uses Korea as an example, implying that we use human wastes as they do-which we do not).
Dr. Barry Commoner, a noted and respected researcher from Washington University in St. Louis, has found that the price of commercial fertilizers has recently doubled; that farmers using organic methods for years found the fertility of their soil had increased. They found that insect problems decreased when they switched to organic methods. The natural predators of the insects returned and controlled them-no pesticides were used. The New York Times for July 20, 1975, showed the results of laboratory tests of the crops of organic farmers. The crops contained more protein, essential minerals and trace minerals than the commercially raised crops.
Let me list a few food additives, without making a treatise on the subject, and give you some idea of the inherent dangers of these additives:
Coumarin=Used for 75 years in imitation vanilla before it was found to produce liver damage in animals.
Dulcin-Used for 50 years as a sugar substitute before it was found to produce cancer in animals.
Butter Yellow-A coal-tar derivative used as a food coloring. Has been found to produce cancer of the liver in animals. (As a point of information, any coal-tar derivative is carcinogenic and most of the food additives are coal-tar derivatives.)
Mineral Oil-Was once used in salad dressings and as a substitute for food oils, but was found to interfere with digestion and the absorption of vitamins-mainly vitamin A.
Piperonal-An inexpensive substitute for costly vanilla flavoring. It is used industrially to kill lice.
Butyraldehyde-Used for a nutty flavor. Industrially, it is an ingredient in rubber cement and synthetic resins.
Aldehyde C-17-Used for a cherry taste. It is a flammable liquid used industrially in aniline dyes, plastics, and synthetic rubbers.
Ethyl Acetate-Used for a pineapple flavor. The vapor can cause chronic lung, liver, and heart damage. This chemical is used industrially as a solvent for plastics and lacquers.
Methylcellulose-Thickener used in processed cheese. It is used commercially in cosmetics and adhesives.
Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose-Used as a cheese stabilizer and as a thickener in ice cream and whipped topping mixes. It is found in resin emulsion paints and, printing inks. It can cause intestinal obstruction and has produced arterial lesions ( diseases in the arteries) similar to high blood cholesterol.
8-Hydroxyquinoline-A former preservative in cottage cheese. This has been found to cause cancer in mice and is used in contraceptives and rectal suppositories.
Alginic Acid-Used in cheese spreads to give uniformity of color and flavor. It is used industrially in making artificial ivory and celluloid.
Benzoyl Peroxide-Used as a bleach in domestic Gorgonzola, Blue, Provolone, Romano, and Parmesan cheeses. This chemical destroys every trace of vitamin A.
Resinous Glaze-An innocent term for a shellac which gives polish or glaze to candies, such as chocolate covered raisins, etc. There is also another type of resinous glaze which is obtained from certain insect secretions in the West Indies.
PVP (polyvinylpyrrolidone)-Used in beer for clarity and is being tested for use in wines, fruit juices, and jellies. This chemical is also used in aerosol hair sprays.
Coal-Tar Derivative Paraffin-Coats fresh fruits and vegetables to prevent spoilage.
Beta-Naphthylamine-This is used to make two coaltar dyes to color butter and oleomargarine. Has caused blac`er cancer in animals.
Calcium or Sodium Propionate-Retards molding and spoilage in breads; it is a fungicide. I have used this chemical in my practice and have gotten good results in the treatment of athlete's foot.
Chicle-Is a latex rubber used in chewing gum. Chewing gum also contains antioxidants, synthetic flavors, and colors which are coal-tar derivatives.
Calcium Chloride-Used in cheesemaking to set the milk in a semisolid mass, and in canned potatoes, lima beans, tomatoes, etc., to keep them firm or crisp. It is also use`s in the canning of milk to adjust the salt balance and prevent curdling. This chemical is used to melt snow and to oil down dusty roads and can cause metal parts to disintegrate. Can cause stomach irritation and kidney impairment.
Sodium Citrate or Phosphate-This is also used in the canning of milk, but can aggravate an already high blood pressure.
Magnesium Carbonate-Used in bleaching cheese and also to keep the green color in canned vegetables. Other uses are as a powerful laxative, for fireproofing wood, in disinfectants, and in manufacturing cotton fabrics.
Acetic Acid-Used as a dip for shrimp and other fish meats to prevent discoloration. It is -also used in the manufacturing of plastics and dyeing of silks. I have used it in a concentrated form for the removal of warts.
Chlorine Dioxide-A dangerous toxic explosive gas, one good whiff of which will render you non compos mentis. This is used to bleach the flour -which goes into white bread, etc. It destroys vitamin E, among other things.
Brominated Vegetable Oils-Used in soft drinks for uniform distribution of fruity flavors. This has shown evidence of inducing damage in the liver, heart, thyroid, and kidneys of rats and interferes with normal fat metabolism.
Stearic Acid-A white crystalline fatty acid, usually extracted from tallow and other hard fats. Used in making cosmetics, soaps, suppositories, and pill coatings.
Mesityl Oxide-Used for color and flavor. This is a petroleum-based compound found in lubricating oils, insecticides, plastic wrapping material, can linings, adhesives, inks, and varnishes. It has the characteristic odor of the urine of tomcats and is sometimes detected in some of the plastic food wrapping material you might have around the house.
Sodium Benzoate-A deadly poison used as a preservative in soda pop, jams, jellies, pickles, and countless other so-called foods. Speaking of soda, caffeine is used in all cola drinks. The concerned parent who forbids the child the ingestion of coffee or tea unknowingly allows the child to consume enormous amounts of caffeine when the unlimited use of cola drinks is permitted. Sodium Benzoate kills or inhibits all living organisms present within the jar or other container. We are living organisms too, but the harmful effects, because of the small doses in food products, don't make themselves evident until years later, except in those cases of frank sensitivity which can result in a severe reaction and/or death. (This applies to any of the myriad of chemical additives.)
Sulfur Dioxide-Used in processing sugar and as a bacterial inhibitor in wines, imitation jelly, beverages, etc. Also used as a bleaching agent for many foods, such as nuts in shells, sliced potatoes used for French fries, figs and other fruits. Additional sulfur dioxide gets into our systems as we breathe it from the air, since it is a major pollutant from factories. It is a proven poison. It has been found to increase uric acid, to produce inflammation of the mucous membranes of the mouth, to cause nausea, anemia, malaise, etc. Sulfur dioxide can produce cancer and interfere with cell function (as most of-these poisons can). Drs. Braverman and Shapiro (biochemists) reported that when a form of sulfur dioxide is applied to a component of nucleic acid, the basic unit of heredity, then the component Uracil is unable to perform its usual function. These findings have raised questions on the long-range possibility of genetic damage.
Polyoxyethylene Compounds-Used as a replacement for natural shortenings and as an emulsifier in breads and reduces the quantity needed of natural ingredients. It increases the volume of foods and is found also in biscuits, cake mixes, ice cream, frozen desserts, pickles, etc. Has also been used in tobacco to retain moisture, but caused bladder stones and tumors in experimental rats and was taken out. It has been found to cause easier absorption of pesticide residues, gastrointestinal irritation, changes in intestinal flora (beneficial bacteria), hives and disturbances in bile secretions.
DES (diethylstilbestrol)-A synthetic female sex hormone which cheaply puts weight, fat, and water on cattle and poultry. This is one of the most dangerous of additives. In human beings, it has produced breast cancer, fibroid tumors of the uterus, excessive menstrual bleeding, sterility--and impotence in men and arrested growth in children. Current research has found evidence of vaginal cancer in the daughters of mothers who had taken DES, also a relationship of cancer of the prostate in male offspring of mothers who had taken DES.
Hydrogenated Oil-Prevents rancidity and deterioration in commercial peanut butters and scores of processed foods and candies. It alters the,biological qualities in food. In this case, the vegetable oil is subjected to an extremely high temperature and in the presence of a metal catalyst such as nickel or platinum, hydrogen gas is bubbled through the oil, causing its saturation or hardening. The result is a smelly, axle grease-like mess that has to be bleached, filtered, and deodorized. All of the essential fatty acids in the original oil are destroyed.
Disodium EDTA-Used to promote color, flavor, and texture retention in canned carbonated soft drinks, distilled alcoholic beverages, vinegar, canned white potatoes, clams, crabmeat, and shrimp. Also in cooked canned mushrooms, various canned beans, pickled cucumbers and cabbage, and in liquid multi-vitamin preparations. It is also used in beer, mayonnaise, margarine, potato salad, and sandwich spreads, etc. In the human body, it inhibits enzymes and blood coagulation, causes gastrointestinal disturbances, muscle cramps, and kidney damage. It can also combine with calcium, iron, and other nutrients and prevent them from being utilized by the body, since it is used for trapping metal impurities in foods. The potential hazards of this food additive, as with others, are the small quantities ingested in a variety of foods and beverages daily over a long period of time.
Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated Hydroxytoluene ( BHT )-These are two of the most widely used antioxidants in foods, which stabilize fats so they don't become rancid due to their loss of natural antioxidants in factory processing. BHA is in almost every processed food that the "average person" eats. I can't begin to list the endless names of the foods. BHT is used in as many foods as BHA. For example: cereals, rice, shortenings, potato flakes, sugar, cured meats, potato chips, etc. These two chemicals are also used in making plastic packaging material, rubber gaskets, milk cartons, wax paper, and lubricants. Both have caused dermatitis (skin disease), severe allergic reactions such as disabling chronic asthmatic attacks, skin blistering, eye hemorrhaging, tingling of face and hands, extreme weakness and fatigue, edema ( swelling ) , chest tightness, and difficulty in breathing.
Propylene Glycol-A stabilizer used in ice cream, candies, synthetic whipped toppings and in almost everything processed that the "average person" eats. This chemical is used in germicides, paint removers and antifreeze substances. Propylene glycol always reminds me of the time, a number of years ago, when my youngest son was admitted to the hospital for a hernia repair. We requested a vegetarian diet for him and argued with the powers-that-be just to get simple unprocessed, uncanned fresh fruits and vegetables. Evidently the entire idea was over their heads and we brought in our own food. The point is that on each tray that was brought at mealtimes was a disposable, individually wrapped germicidal handwipe. One of the ingredients was propylene glycol and, ironically, almost every tray had some type of packaged, processed food product (synthetic or otherwise) which contained propylene glycol as a preservative. We threw it out each time.
Red Dye No. 2 (Amaranth)-One of the many coal tar dyes; but IM has gained universal acceptance. Principal uses have been in beverages, but it is also widely used in candy, confections, pet food, dessert powders, bakery go6'ds, sausages, ice cream, sherbet, dairy products, cereals, snack foods, etc. Allergists have reported cases of Amaranth sensitivity. The Russians have done extensive research on this synthetic food coloring and have found that it not only tends to produce cancer, but could cause malformed and softened fetuses (unborn babies). It was finally banned in 1976; however, it is supposed to be replaced by Red Dye No. 40, which is as bad or worse than Red Dye No. 2.
Sodium Nitrate and Sodium Nitrite-There is probably almost no one who hasn't taken these chemicals into his body and most people ingest them on a daily basis. Used as a preservative and color fixative in cured meats, meat products, and certain cured fish, such as bacon, bologna, hot t dogs, deviled ham, meat spreads, potted meats, -almost all ham, sausages, smoked and cured shad, salmon, tuna fish products, poultry, wild game, pickled corned beef, tongue, pastrami, and a host of cold cuts. Meats, no matter in what stage of decay, are kept a pinkish color, which implies freshness. If most of the meats did not have these two chemicals within, most people would probably not buy the product, since it would resemble a gray, colorless cadaver ( corpse ) . The danger is that sodium nitrite tends to lessen the blood's ability to carry oxygen and if ingested in sufficient quantities can lead to respiratory failure. Recent studies at the Children's Cancer Research Foundation showed that the nitrites can cause cancer, can be mutagenic (causing changes in the form of an individual due to a change in the genes or chromosomes), teratogenic ( causing monstrosities), and generally toxic (poisonous to the entire human system. Sodium nitrate tends"to" neutralize and is antagonistic to vitamin A. It becomes more troublesome when intestinal bacteria convert it to sodium nitrite. A class of compounds termed nitrosamines is one of the most powerful cancer-producing agents known to science according to Drs. Samuel Epstein and William Lijinsky of the Children's Cancer Research Foundation and University of Nebraska's College of Medicine, respectively. Nitrosamines are present in many food materials and have been shown to act throughout the body and produce cancer in a wide range of organs and species. Nitrates and nitrites in some foods can combine in the digestive tract with secondary amines, which are also present in some foods. Under certain circumstances, this combining can produce nitrosamines which are potential cancer-producing compounds.
I hope this brief presentation will open your eyes and your minds and make you more aware of the possible hazards of eating foods other that what grows from the ground in their fresh, unadulterated state. Be wary of any commercially processed foods. The choice is yours. You now have some basic tools with which to make decisions -decisions which can affect the rest of your life and the lives of your children.
There are many books published on food additives which you can obtain to further enhance your knowledge; but the next time you shop in a supermarket, read the labels. Read labels on everything you can and you'll get an education in pharmaceutics.
