Choosing organic foods over conventional foods is a must to reduce the ingestion of toxic pesticides, which may be the cause of the rise of cancer and obesity. The United States Department of Agriculture, aka the USDA, found that, in many cases, “…pesticide residues remained on fruits and vegetables even after they were washed and,….peeled” (38).
Packaged foods that do not have the certified organic logo often contain numerous harmful chemicals disguised under the names: flavors and colors. Big companies do this because using chemicals is cheaper than using real food. In other countries that ban some of the chemicals, like petroleum-based dye yellow #5, and red #40, that the industries use, sell similar boxed foods “…overseas with healthier ingredients” like black carrot juice and beta carotene (53-54). Such companies don’t care about people’s health which is why they put chemicals in our food; their only concern is about profits, which is why it’s really important to read ingredient labels.
Carageenan, a common ingredient, is linked to intestinal issues, and cancer. The GRAS, generally recognized as safe, initials, means nothing. “In fact, the FDA has failed to conduct ongoing reviews of GRAS substances, including those that raised concerns over 30 years ago” (61).
If you switched to fake sweeteners to lose weight, like Splenda or NutraSweet, they may cause weight gain, and are typically derived from coal tar and methanol (66). You should care about this if your goal is weight loss because studies with animals fed sugar substitutes had slower metabolisms” (68). People that eat fake sugars crave sweet foods even more, which may cause you to eat even more calories. The artificial sweetener sucralose [is] (tied to leukemia and weight gain (73).
Cellulose, from wood, which is an ingredient in a lot of low-fat products, was researched, and listed in a prestigious science journal, Nature. They found that cellulose, in doses equal to those found in processed foods changed gut bacteria typically consistent with increased inflammation. In addition, cellulose is “linked to serious digestive issues and weight gain” (69). Your stomach issues might not be caused by wheat or gluten; they may be caused, or aggravated, by chemicals in the foods your buy.
Obesogens, are chemicals, including pesticides, and various additives, which, likely cause obesity, diabetes, cancer, larger fat cells and a slower metabolism.
Sugar is correlated with heart disease, skin damage (wrinkles), cognitive decline with age, weakens the immune system, converted into fat, and elevates triglyceride and cancer risks, but we all know to reduce sugar intake; most people only look at sugar, calories, fat, and salt when buying a product (82-83). You cannot trust a manufacturer, a commercial, or the words “natural.”
If you truly want to be healthy, and feel your best, you’ve got to read labels. Since there’s so many ingredients that sound like something from a science class, it’s best to put those items that contain those words back on the shelf. To protect my immune system, I only buy organic fruits, vegetables, poultry, and meat; and only purchase certified organic prepared items.
Source: Hari, Vani. Feeding You Lies. California: Hay House, Inc. 2019. Print.