3 Hidden Ingredients to Avoid

We have all heard about the various dietary ingredients used in our food that are dangerous. The word carcinogen seems to be a regular part of most people’s vocabularies. This is really too bad, because in many cases medical science has helped to engineer foods that are much healthier than those consumed in the past. We have the technology to get rid of many of the harmful ingredients that we consume, but we eat them nevertheless.

Millions of people die each year because they consume the wrong foods, and many millions more suffer from severe health issues because the food they consume contains harmful ingredients. If you are trying to find ways to protect your children or family from these sorts of ingredients you don’t have to look far. Many of the most common foods that we consume on a daily basis are filled with dangerous ingredients. The most common and dangerous of these that we need to avoid are trans fats, high fructose corn syrup, and food dyes. In a certain sense these ingredients are hidden in many of the foods that we eat, although if you take a good look on the list of ingredients you can usually see them.

The basic problem with trans fats should be fairly obvious. Although all fat can lead to serious health problems, trans fats may lead to quick heart disease and other serious health complications. However, you can’t just assume that everything is fine because your meal does not contain stated trans fats. Other types of fats, such as saturated fats, can be equally harmful. Naturally the other thing you need to watch for with any food that you or a loved one consumes is the total number of calories. Eating lots of foods that do not have trans or saturated fats but which are high in calories can be just as bad and have the same affects on health.

High fructose corn syrup is not all that different than any other form of concentrated sugar. These days kids eat far too much sugar, which affects their moods and their ability to concentrate on their school work. However, the sugar problem is not just an issue for kids, it is also very important for adults who tend to eat far too much sugar. Think about the sheer amount of sugar you consume daily. If you are not factoring in high-fructose corn syrup then you are not including most of your sugar.

Few of us are aware that food dyes such as Blue 1, Green 3, Yellow 5 and Red 40, which can be found in many of our common foods, are said to cause serious behavioral issues in children; there is no reason to assume that they might not do so in adults as well. The problems I am referring to are conditions such as hyperactivity.

These are just a few of the ingredients that you need to watch out for in your diet. Small amounts of them are not necessarily bad things, but most of us eat far too much of them. As we don’t pay attention to the ingredients listed on the items we eat, we tend to unconsciously consume potentially harmful foods. Increased awareness of the foods we consume and their ingredients would lead to much better health and reduced risk of conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.