Food Ingredients to Avoid: Trans Fats, High-Fructose Corn Syrup and Food Dyes

There are some very basic ingredients, contained in many foods we eat, which are hazardous to our health. You have probably heard of carcinogens, which cause cancer. However, I’m talking about ingredients within ingredients that you need to be aware of because they are not always listed on the packaging. I’m not talking about foods or ingredients which might make you sick in the short run–there are plenty of ingredients in most of our food that can cause great harm over time. If you cook for your family, spouse or yourself, you need to pay close attention to what is in your food.

Do you which ingredients make up the foods in your daily meals? Do you know how much of certain vitamins and minerals, foods or ingredients should appear in your diet and what the limits are for certain harmful substances? Few of us realize that not paying attention to these numbers could quickly lead to problems such as heart disease, or serious emotional and mood problems.

The hidden, problematic ingredients I am talking about are trans fats, high-fructose corn syrup and food dyes. Most of us have heard of these ingredients but are unaware of the dangers associated with them.

Trans fats are particularly dangerous because they quickly lead to serious problems such as obesity and heart disease. Heart disease is one of the most serious health conditions that people face today. Heart disease kills thousands of people each year and yet many people don’t realize that they have a heart problem until it’s too late. Don’t just assume that you are safe because your foods are free of trans fats. Saturated fats also at issue because they lead to similar heart problems.

Although high-fructose corn syrup is not quite as dangerous as trans fats, it can still lead to some serious health problems. We all know what sugar does to people’s moods and energy levels. Sugar can be especially dangerous for kids because they get hyper active quickly. High-fructose corn syrup is a problem because it is simply a concentrated form of sugar though it is not stated as such. If you suspect that you are already consuming too much sugar, take steps to reduce or eliminate high-fructose corn syrup in your diet.

Various food dyes have been found to cause behavioral problems in some people. Dyes such as Blue 1, Green 3, Yellow 5 and Red 40 have been shown to lead to hyper- activity in many people. Few of us realize that these dyes are ingredients in much of what we eat. Breakfast cereals are a great example. Most people assume that hyper- activity is genetic or caused by some sort of problem in a person’s personal history. However, recent medical science has show that ingredients like food dyes and high-fructose corn syrup can lead to hyper-activity. If you or someone you love is struggling to focus and seems to have too much energy, consider a change of diet.

Although you might not be able to eliminate trans fats, high-fructose corn syrup and food dyes from your diet completely, you can get better control of how much you consume. These ingredients are practically hidden from us because they appear only in small print on food labels. Take the time to carefully review food labels the next time you go to eat something. You could seriously improve your health and your future health by carefully monitoring how much of these substances you consume.