Avoid These Ingredients In All Food At All Costs - Check Your Labels!

L-cysteine

If you read the ingredients label on a loaf of bread, you will usually find an ingredient listed there as L-cysteine.
This is a non-essential amino acid added to many baked goods as a dough
conditioner in order to speed industrial processing. It's usually not
added directly to flour intended for home use, but you'll find it
throughout commercial breads such as pizza dough, bread rolls and
pastries.

While some L-cysteine is directly synthesized in laboratories, most of it is extracted from a cheap and abundant natural protein source: human hair.
The hair is dissolved in acid and L-cysteine is isolated through a
chemical process, then packaged and shipped off to commercial bread
producers. Besides human hair, other sources of L-cysteine include
chicken feathers, duck feathers, cow horns and petroleum byproducts.

Most of the hair used to make L-cysteine is gathered from the floors of barbershops and hair salons in China, by the way.



The Food Industry’s A to Z of Toxic Ingredients to Avoid

The year was 1950, and The Magic 8-Ball had just arrived in stores.
It looked like a toy, but it wasn't. It was a future-telling device,
powered by the unknown superpowers that lived inside its cheap plastic
shell. Despite a bit of an attitude—"Don't count on it," "My reply is
no"—it was a huge success. Americans, apparently, want to see their
futures.
A few decades later, Congress passed the Nutrition
Labeling and Education Act that, among other things, turned the 45,000
food products in the average supermarket into fortune-telling devices.
Americans inexplicably yawned. I'm trying to change that. Why? The
nutrition label can predict the future size of your pants and health
care bills.
Unfortunately, these labels aren't as clear and
direct as the Magic 8-Ball. Consider the list of ingredients: The Food
and Drug Administration has approved more than 3,000 additives, most of
which you've never heard of. But the truth is, you don't have to know
them all. You just need to be able to parse out the bad stuff. Do that
and you'll have a pretty good idea how your future will shape up—whether
you'll end up overweight and unhealthy or turn out to be fit, happy,
and energized.
While researching the new Eat This, Not That! 2013: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution,
I identified 8 ingredients you never want to see on the nutrition
label. Should you put down products that contain them? As the Magic
8-Ball would say: Signs point to yes.
BHA

This preservative is used to prevent rancidity in foods that contain oils.
Unfortunately, BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) has been shown to cause
cancer in rats, mice, and hamsters. The reason the FDA hasn’t banned it
is largely technical—the cancers all occurred in the rodents’
forestomachs, an organ that humans don’t have. Nevertheless, the study,
published in the Japanese Journal of Cancer Research, concluded
that BHA was “reasonably anticipated to be a carcinogen,” and as far as
I’m concerned, that’s reason enough to eliminate it from your diet.
You’ll find it in: Fruity Pebbles, Cocoa Pebbles

Parabens

These synthetic preservatives are used to inhibit mold and yeast in food. The
problem is parabens may also disrupt your body’s hormonal balance. A
study in Food Chemical Toxicology found that daily ingestion
decreased sperm and testosterone production in rats, and parabens have
been found present in breast cancer tissues.
You’ll find it in: Baskin-Robbins sundaes
Partially Hydrogenated Oil


I’ve harped on this before, but it bears repeating: Don’t confuse “0 g trans
fat” with being trans fat-free. The FDA allows products to claim zero
grams of trans fat as long as they have less than half a gram per
serving. That means they can have 0.49 grams per serving and still be
labeled a no-trans-fat food. Considering that two grams is the absolute
most you ought to consume in a day, those fractions can quickly add up.
The telltale sign that your snack is soiled with the stuff? Look for
partially hydrogenated oil on the ingredient statement. If it’s anywhere
on there, then you’re ingesting artery-clogging trans fat.
You’ll find it in: Long John Silver’s Popcorn Shrimp, Celeste frozen pizzas
FIGHT
FAT WITH FAT! Some fats, like trans fat, will pad you with extra
pounds, but other types can help you shed unwanted weight. See for
yourself—pick up these 5 Fatty Foods that Make You Skinny today!


Sodium Nitrite

Nitrites and nitrates are used to inhibit botulism-causing bacteria and to
maintain processed meats’ pink hues, which is why the FDA allows their
use. Unfortunately, once ingested, nitrite can fuse with amino acids (of
which meat is a prime source) to form nitrosamines, powerful
carcinogenic compounds. Ascorbic and erythorbic acids—essentially
vitamin C—have been shown to decrease the risk, and most manufacturers
now add one or both to their products, which has helped. Still, the best
way to reduce risk is to limit your intake.
You’ll find it in: Oscar Mayer hot dogs, Hormel bacon

Caramel Coloring


This additive wouldn't be dangerous if you made it the old-fashioned
way—with water and sugar, on top of a stove. But the food industry
follows a different recipe: They treat sugar with ammonia, which can
produce some nasty carcinogens. How carcinogenic are these compounds? A
Center for Science in the Public Interest report asserted that the high
levels of caramel color found in soda account for roughly 15,000 cancers
in the U.S. annually. Another good reason to scrap soft drinks? They’re
among The 20 Worst Drinks in America.
You’ll find it in: Coke/Diet Coke, Pepsi/Diet Pepsi


Castoreum

Castoreum is one of the many nebulous “natural ingredients” used to flavor food.
Though it isn’t harmful, it is unsettling. Castoreum is a substance made
from beavers’ castor sacs, or anal scent glands. These glands produce
potent secretions that help the animals mark their territory in the
wild. In the food industry, however, 1,000 pounds of the unsavory
ingredient are used annually to imbue foods—usually vanilla or raspberry
flavored—with a distinctive, musky flavor.
You’ll find it in: Potentially any food containing “natural ingredients”

Food Dyes

Plenty of fruit-flavored candies and sugary cereals don’t contain a single
gram of produce, but instead rely on artificial dyes and flavorings to
suggest a relationship with nature. Not only do these dyes allow
manufacturers to mask the drab colors of heavily processed foods, but
certain hues have been linked to more serious ailments. A Journal of Pediatrics
study linked Yellow 5 to hyperactivity in children, Canadian
researchers found Yellow 6 and Red 40 to be contaminated with known
carcinogens, and Red 3 is known to cause tumors. The bottom line? Avoid
artificial dyes as much as possible.
You’ll find it in: Lucky Charms, Skittles, Jell-O
THE
DOMINO EFFECT: Sugar doesn’t just come in the form of cookies and
candy. Discover the insidious ways it can creep into your diet with 9 Sneaky Sources of Sugar.


Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein

Hydrolyzed vegetable protein, used as a flavor enhancer, is plant protein that has
been chemically broken down into amino acids. One of these acids,
glutamic acid, can release free glutamate. When this glutamate joins
with free sodium in your body, they form monosodium glutamate (MSG), an
additive known to cause adverse reactions—headaches, nausea, and
weakness, among others—in sensitive individuals. When MSG is added to
products directly, the FDA requires manufacturers to disclose its
inclusion on the ingredient statement. But when it occurs as a byproduct
of hydrolyzed protein, the FDA allows it to go unrecognized.

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Another List:

Ever wonder what’s really
in the food sold at grocery stores around the world? People keep
asking, “What ingredients should I avoid?” So here is a short list that
covers all the most toxic and disease-promoting ingredients in the food
supply. These are the substances causing cancer, diabetes, heart disease
and leading to tens of billions of dollars in unnecessary health care
costs across America (and around the world).
If you want to stay healthy and out of the hospital, read ingredients labels and make sure you avoid all these ingredients:

Acrylamides
Toxic, cancer-causing chemicals formed in foods when carbohydrates
are exposed to high heat (baking, frying, grilling). They’re present in
everything from bread crusts to snack chips, and because they aren’t
intentional ingredients, acrylamides do NOT have to be listed on labels.

Aspartame
Chemical sweetener that causes neurological disorders, seizures, blurred vision and migraine headaches.

Autolyzed Proteins

Highly processed form of protein containing free glutamate and used to mimic the taste-enhancer chemical MSG.

BPA (Bisphenol-A)
A hormone mimicking chemical found in nearly all food packaging plastics. Active in just parts per billion,
BPA promotes cancer, infertility and hormone disorders. It also
“feminizes” males, promoting male breast growth and hormone disruption.

Casein

Milk
proteins. Hilariously, this is widely used in “soy cheese” products
that claim to be alternatives to cow’s milk. Nearly all of them are made
with cow’s milk proteins.

Food Colors

FD&C
Red #40, for example, is linked to behavioral disorders in children.
Nearly all artificial food colors are derived from petroleum, and many are contaminated with aluminum.

Genetically Modified Ingredients

Not currently listed on the label because the GMO industry (Monsanto and
DuPont) absolutely does not want people to know which foods contain
GMOs. Nearly all conventionally grown corn, soy and cotton are GMOs.
They’re linked to severe infertility problems and may even cause the
bacteria in your body to produce and release a pesticide in your own gut. If you’re not eating organic corn, you’re definitely eating GMO corn. (http://www.naturalnews.com/026426_G…) Learn more at www.ResponsibleTechnology.org

High Fructose Corn Syrup

A highly processed liquid sugar extracted with the chemical solvent glutaraldehyde and frequently contaminated with mercury.
It’s also linked to diabetes, obesity and mood disorders. Used in
thousands of grocery items, including things you wouldn’t suspect like
pizza sauce and salad dressings.

Homogenized Milk

The fats in the milk are artificially modified to change them into smaller molecules that stay in suspension in the milk liquid (so the milk fat doesn’t separate) .
While it makes milk look better on the shelf, it’s also blamed for
promoting heart disease and may contribute to milk allergies. Raw milk is healthier, which is why the government had outlawed it. Try Soymilk instead.

Hydrochloride

When you see anything hydrochloride, such as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride or Thiamin Hydrochloride, those are chemical forms of B vitamins
that companies add to their products to be able to claim higher RDA
values of vitamins. But these are synthetic, chemical forms of vitamins,
not real vitamins from foods or plants. Nutritionally, they are
near-useless and may actually be bad for you. Also watch out for niacinamide and cyanocobalamin (synthetic vitamin B-12).

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein

A highly processed form of (usually) soy protein that’s processed to
bring out the free glutamate (MSG). Use as a taste enhancer.

Partially Hydrogenated Oils
Oils that are modified using a chemical catalyst to make them stable at room temperature. This creates trans fatty acids and greatly increases the risk of blocked arteries .
It also promotes what I call “sludge blood,” which is thick, viscous
blood that’s hard to pump. This is usually diagnosed by doctors as “high
blood pressure” and (stupidly) treated with blood-thinning medications
that are technically the same chemicals as rat poison (warfarin).

Phosphoric Acid

The acid used in sodas to dissolve the carbon dioxide and add to the
overall fizzy-ness of the soda. Phosphoric acid will eat steel nails.
It’s also used by stone masons to etch rocks. The military uses it to
clean the rust off battleships. In absolutely destroys tooth enamel. Search Google Images for “Mountain Dew Mouth” to see photos of teeth rotted out by phosphoric acid.

Propylene Glycol

A liquid used in the automotive industry to winterize RVs. It’s also used to make the fake blueberries
you see in blueberry muffins, bagels and breads. (Combined with
artificial colors and corn syrup.) See shocking “Fake Blueberries” videos.

Sodium (Salt)

The processed white salt lacking in trace minerals. In the holistic
nutrition industry, we call it “death salt” because it promotes disease
and death. Real salt, on the other hand, such as “dirty” sea salt or
pink Himalayan salt, is loaded with the trace minerals that prevent
disease, such as selenium (cancer), chromium (diabetes) and zinc
(infectious disease). Much like with bread and sugar, white salt
is terrible for your health. And don’t be fooled by claims of “sea
salt” in grocery stores. All salt came from the sea if you go far back
enough in geologic time, so they can slap the “sea salt” claim on ANY
salt!

Sodium Nitrite

A cancer-causing red coloring chemical added to bacon, hot dogs, sausage,
beef jerky, ham, lunch meats, pepperoni and nearly all processed meats.
Strongly linked to brain tumors, pancreatic cancers and colon cancers.
The USDA once tried to ban it from the food supply but was
out-maneuvered by the meat industry, which now dominates USDA
regulations. Sodium nitrite is a complete poison used to make meats look
fresh. Countless children die of cancer each year from sodium
nitrite-induced cancers.

Soy Protein

The No. 1 protein source used in “protein bars,” including many bars widely
consumed by bodybuilders. Soy protein is the “junk protein” of the food
industry. It’s made from genetically modified soybeans (often grown in
China) and then subjected to hexane, a chemical solvent that can literally explode.

Sucralose

An artificial chemical sweetener sold as Splenda. The sucralose molecule contains a chlorine atom. Researchers have repeatedly found that artificial sweeteners make people fat by actually promoting weight gain .

White Sugar

The bleached, nutritionally-deficient byproduct of cane processing. During
sugar cane processing, nearly all the minerals and vitamins end up in
the blackstrap molasses that’s usually fed to farm
animals. (Blackstrap molasses is actually the “good” part of sugar cane
juice.) Molasses is often fed to farm animals because every rancher
knows that farm animals need good nutrition to stay alive. Amazingly,
conventional doctors don’t yet realize this about humans, and they
continue to claim that eating sugar is perfectly fine for you. Sugar
promotes diabetes, obesity, mood disorders and nutritional deficiencies.

Yeast Extract

Hidden form of MSG that contains free glutamate
and is used in many “natural” food products to claim “No MSG!” Yeast
extract contains up to 14% free glutamate. You’ll find it in thousands
of grocery store products, from soups to snack chips. I even once
spotted it used on fresh meat!

Food label tricks

Here’s
a trick food companies frequently used to pack more sugar into their
products without making sugar look like the first ingredient:
Ingredient
labels, you see, must list the most prominent ingredients first, and
some consumers might freak out of they saw a box of cereal that said,
“Sugar, whole grain wheat, corn” and so on. Instead, the company uses 3
or 4 different forms of sugar to distribute them farther down the label,
like this:
“Whole grain wheat, sugar, corn syrup, corn syrup solids…”
This way, the first ingredients looks like “whole grain wheat” when, in reality, the cereal might be over fifty percent sugars!

How to buy honest food

• Shop are your local farmer’s market, food co-op or CSA.
• In the USA, look for the USDA Organic
label on foods. This is a legitimate claim to being certified organic.
It’s one of the few programs run by the USDA that actually has
integrity.
• Read the ingredients labels! If you see names of chemicals you can’t pronounce, don’t buy it.
•
Buy more unprocessed food ingredients and make your own meals rather
than buying ready-to-eat, processed foods, which are almost universally
formulated with disease-promoting ingredients.
• GROW some of your own food! The best food you can ever eat is food from your own garden.