For the next few days, I will be addressing some of the interesting facts I have researched about what's in our foods. I have seen this information in many books and articles online. Much of what is shared today comes from a book called "You Are What You Eat!" by Paul Chek (a nutrition and fitness expert).
One day, I thought it would be interesting to learn about what was really in the food I was eating. Today we will go over what's meant by "artificial flavor". THIS IS WORTH THE READ...trust me!
Have you noticed when you flip over the packaging of the food product you are about to inhale, that many, if not most of the ingredients are things you cannot pronounce, nor have any idea in the world of what it could actually entail. Well, Paul Chek believes it has much to do with why we may have such a hard time flattening our abs. In this article, I believe there is direct correlation to why it is difficult for many of us to see results of "eating right" and exercising. It's also an eye opener as to what we are really putting into these bodies of ours. Let's look a little closer.
"...you may be surprised at the number of multi-syllable words that look more like they should be the ingredients of super glue than of something you're eating. The gigantic and often strange words listed as ingredients (where food items are supposed to be!) are various concoctions use to color, stabilize, emulsify, bleach, texturize, soften, preserve, sweeten, add or cover smells and flavor!...current statistics say that the FDA lists approximately 2800 international food additives and about 3,000 chemicals, which are deliberately added to our food supply. When considering the number of chemicals used in the process of growing and processing food, by the food to the time it reaches our stomach we have consumed between 10,000 and 15,000 chemicals a day! (1)
The book goes on to say that FDA doesn't require food additives to be listed on food labels, but instead, requires the words "artificial flavor" or "artificial coloring" or "natural." It goes on to say "The fact of the matter is food and additive manufacturers, like drug manufacturers, are running the largest study ever run in history - and you are the guinea pigs!"
"To show what is being hidden from us and is right under our nose (literally!), consider these ingredients used in a Burger King strawberry milk shake, but are not disclosed.
Amyl acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate, anethol, anisyl formate, benzyl acetate, benzyl isobutyrate, butyric acid, cinnamyl isobutyrate, cinnamyl valerate, cognac essential oil, diacetyl, dipropyl ketone, ethyl propionate, ethyl valerbate, heliotropin, hydroxypherenyl-2butanone (10% solution in alcohol), a-ionone, isobutyl anthranilate, isobutyl butrate, lemon essential oil, maltol, 4-methylacetophenone, methyl naphthyl ketone, nethyl salicylate, mint essential oil, neroli essential oil, nerolin, neryl isobutyrate, orris butter, phenethyl alcohol, rose rum ether, g-undecalactone, vanillin, and solvent (2)!"
Funny thing is, he shared that these were just the ingredients in the "strawberry flavoring," never-mind the rest of the ingredients for the shake, like the ice cream! He went on again to share that our liver must process all of these things and when the liver is overworked, "these chemicals can end up in our blood stream, with almost unlimited access to the cells of our bodies, as well as placing strain on our detoxification systems!"
This was just a little "taste" (pun intended) of the crap we eat and what we do to ourselves, unknowingly. Well, now that we know little more, we can make a more informed decision on what we are sticking in these bods and be a little more cautious, to make these puppies last a bit longer here on this earth!
References:
1. Dworkin, A. and Kella, W. "Thriving in a Toxic World." Olivenhain, CA: Professional Preference, 1996.
2. Schiosser E. "Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal". New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin, 2001.
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