It makes me incredibly sad to think that so many people donating to cancer research and participating in money/awareness-raising events like Relay for Life will then sit down to an all-American meal of hot dogs, soda and french fries – all of which may contain preservatives that are known to cause cancer.
Why does our society have such misplaced priorities? Why aren’t we investing more money into prevention and education? Is this yet another case of corporations and governments putting profit over people?
Luckily, it seems as if more and more individuals are looking to lead healthier lifestyles. A first step in the right direction is to avoid processed foods, which contain disease-causing preservatives. Preservatives prevent fungi and bacteria from growing in food and beverages, but there are potential health side effects that may cause you to second-guess your decision to purchase products that contain them. Especially because studies have indicated that many of them, usually when combined with something else, become carcinogenic.
Sodium nitrate is a preservative that prevents the growth of bacteria. It is primarily used to color and flavor processed meats like bacon, lunch meats, and ham. But is the risk of terrible disease really worth it? How tasty is that hot dog, anyway? Christine Gerbstadt, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association said, “Under certain high-temperature cooking conditions such as grilling, [sodium nitrate] transforms into a reactive compound that has been shown to promote cancer.”
Propyl gallate is another preservative used to prevent fats and oils from perishing. But studies show it might also cause cancer. It is used in vegetable oils, french fries, meat products, chicken soup and gum, and is often used with butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Both of these chemicals are used similarly to propyl gallate – to keep fats and oils from going bad. These additives are commonly found in cereals, vegetable oil and potato chips, and some studies to have found them to cause cancer in rats.
Sodium benzoate is a third popular preservative found in various food and drink products like juice, soda, flavored coffee syrups, as well as a variety of condiments. Even some packaged “healthy” foods, like hummus, contain the chemical. Sodium benzoate, when combined with vitamin C (usually called ascorbic acid on food labels) forms a chemical known as benzene.
Benzene is a known carcinogen, which is used in various plastics, synthetic rubber and dyes. Our air may contain low levels of benzene from things like tobacco smoke and exhaust from motor vehicles. Along with damaging DNA, benzene is known to cause cancer in humans and animals. You can read more about this dangerous preservative in this article I wrote specifically about sodium benzoate side effects.
I don’t mean to use scare tactics here. While it is true that there are many cancer-causing agents floating around in the air we breathe, isn’t it a good idea to avoid them in the food and beverages we consume throughout our lifetimes?
Below is an excerpt from the article I linked to above giving you some ideas about how to avoid these potentially dangerous chemical preservatives and additives.
- Make your own foods from scratch. Of course it is easier to buy packaged foods – like hummus. But few people realize it’s incredibly easy to make your own hummus! It tastes better too.
- Stop drinking soda! Oftentimes, it’s loaded with sugar and preservatives and has zero nutritional value. Drink water, instead. Add lemon if you would like.
- If you can’t stand water by itself, and need your daily dose of sweetness, add some liquid stevia (add lemon, and you’ve got a tasty, healthy lemonade). It is a zero calorie, natural herbal sweetener with no sugar. If you buy a small bottle ($6-$12), you only need 3-6 drops of stevia to sweeten your entire drink.
- Worried about your food spoiling if you buy food without preservatives? Buy your food fresh by walking to the grocery store every other day. This is easy exercise, which will also help increase your overall health. It’s a win-win!
- Freeze your food. Don’t want bacteria or fungi growth on your fruits, vegetables, fish or meats? Freeze it until you need to use it.
Please feel free to add you own ideas as well =)
Cross-posted at Daily Kos
