12 Ingredients that Are Killing You – And You Don’t Even Know It!
By now, anybody with access to basic media knows that too much of just about any food can be bad for your health. What fewer people know is that for some foods, any amount could be too much. The problem is that Americans get their food recommendations from the Department of Agriculture – a government agency tasked to increase the profits of American agribusinesses. This is different from increasing the health and lifespan of the American population. Would you like to guess who loses when those two points come into conflict?
That’s right. You lose. Especially if your food contains one of these 12 secretly deadly ingredients.
- Propyl Gallate is intended to protect you from eating rancid oils and fats. It acts as a preservative, extending the shelf life of foods like vegetable oil, soup stock, breakfast cereal, candy, chewing gum and potato snacks. Some people are allergic to propyl gallate, meaning it may exacerbate asthma or even cause anaphylactic shock like you see with peanut allergies. In the long term, studies demonstrate a link between propyl gallate and stomach irritation, liver damage and kidney problems. Some research also shows a link to increased chances of cancer.
- Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil is an object lesson in unintended consequences. Back when people thought all fats were bad and all cholesterol was deadly, hydrogenated oils like margarine were thought to protect people from heart disease. Since the 1990s, though, nutrition science understands that hydrogenated oils – also called trans fats – are worse for you than the saturated fats found in butter and red meat. They directly contribute to your risk for heart and circulatory problems like stroke, high blood pressure and heart attack.
- Diacetyl may seem familiar to you after reports in 2007 that it sickened workers at a food processing plant, killing many of them outright. Since then, many food manufacturers have announced removing this butter substitute from products like microwave popcorn. This is good news, right? Seems like it, until you realize that those manufacturers have replaced diacetyl with “diacetyl trimmer” which releases diacetyl in the presence of heat and water – in other words, whenever you cook it.
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