Which Food Additives Should You Really Avoid?

A question we get asked a lot is which food additives are worth avoiding? 

Louise D’Allura has a list here for you to check!

As Queensland’s Additive Alert Community Talks Presenter, I teach people key lessons from the Australian Best Seller Additive Alert: “Your Guide to Safer Shopping.” This list from Additive Alert includes SOME of the worst additives that most people want to avoid as they are linked to adverse health problems.  If you have asthma or specific health concerns or if you have young children, here are other additives you might need to avoid:

1. Food Colourings:

While natural food colorants that are found in some of the foods we eat like beets, broccoli, etc., many of the food items we find in the groceries are manufactured with food dyes. Sure, artifical food colourings makes our food look appealing but there is no absolute guarantee that it gives nutritional benefits. Most manufacturers opt to use synthetic dyes and are widely used as ingredients in processed foods. In fact, usage of these food colourings deem negative effects in our health that have been linked to allergies, tumors, cancer growth and others.

• 102 (Tartrazine)
• 104 (Quinoline Yellow)
• 110 (Sunset Yellow FCF)
• 122 (Azorubine or Carmosine)
• 123 (Amaranth)
• 124 (Ponceau 4R)
• 127 (Erythrosine)
• 129 (Allura Red AC)
• 132 (Indigotine)
• 133 (Brilliant Blue)
• 142 (Green S)
• 151 (Brilliant Black)
• 153 (Carbon Black)
• 155 (Brown HT)
• 160b (Annatto)
• 173 (Aluminium)
• 174 (Silver)
• 175 (Gold)

2. Preservatives:

Food preservatives are widely used to stop fermentation and acidification of foods. We find these one in sodas, canned goods, canned fruits, fruit juices, energy drinks and many more. However, eating foods rich in preservatives can also deem negative effects on our health. Study shows that food preservatives causes or have been linked to asthma, tumor growth and other illnesses.

• 211 (Sodium Benzoate)
• 212 (Potassium Benzoate)
• 213 (Calcium Benzoate)
• 216 (Propylparaben)
• 218 (Methylparaben)
• 249 (Potassium Nitrite)
• 250 (Sodium Nitrite)
• 251 (Sodium Nitrate)
• 280 (Propionic Acid)
• 281 (Sodium Propionate)
• 282 (Calcium Proprionate)

3. Antioxidants:

There are two kinds of antioxidants, those that we can get naturally from the foods we eat and those that are man-made. In fact, the food ingredients and even skin care products we consume and use have contains significant amount of antioxidants. However, research has not shown antioxidant supplements to be beneficial in preventing diseases.

• 310 (Proply gallate)
• 311 (Octyl gallate)
• 312 (Dodecyl gallate)
• 319 (Tert-Butylhydroquinone TBHQ)
• 320 (Butylated hydroxyanisole BHA)
• 321 (Butylated hydroxytoluene BHT)

Next Page: More food additives info that are worth avoiding