Food Additives: What You Don't Know May Hurt You

Every day we are bombarded with ads on TV, radio and in magazines and newspapers trying to sell us the latest and greatest processed cuisine and "fake" foods. The ads promote great taste, low fat, added nutrients, attractive appearance and a host of other reasons to choose their product. There are even chemical concoctions marketed as better than real food, such as egg replacer products, nondairy dairy foods, fake meats and cheeses, and butter substitutes. Are these products really good for you? You've undoubtedly heard it before, but it's worth repeating: To determine the healthfulness of any product on the market, you must first read the label. Here are some of the more common ingredients to watch out for.

* Aspartame, also known as Equal, NutraSweet or Spoonful, is an artificial sweetener used in many diet beverages, sugar-free foods, gum, candy, OTC medications, nutritional supplements and certain prescription drugs. Consumption of products containing aspartame has been associated with 92 different adverse reactions, from headaches, dizziness and difficulty breathing to memory loss, seizures and death.

* MSG (monosodium glutamate) is in almost all processed foods and most restaurant meals. It's even in some foods that say "No MSG" or "No Added MSG." Even some restaurants that say they do not use MSG have it in their food, and they may not even be aware of it. MSG can be hidden in a variety of ingredients you wouldn't expect to contain MSG. For example, certain ingredients that always contain MSG include amino acids, autolyzed yeast, calcium caseinate, gelatin, any kind of hydrolyzed protein, textured protein and yeast extract. Some of the ingredients that may contain MSG include barley malt, bouillon, broth, stock, carrageenan, any kind of flavors or flavoring including natural flavors, maltodextrin, any kind of protein such as soy protein, plant protein, pea protein, corn protein, whey protein, anything that is protein fortified, protein concentrates and protein isolates, seasonings, and anything that is ultra-pasteurized.

* Other dangerous ingredients: artificial sweeteners, saccharin, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, artificial colors or FD&C colors, nitrates and nitrites, BHA and BHT, and caffeine. This is only the tip of the iceberg. There are more than 3,000 different chemicals purposefully added to our food, and new ingredients are added every year. Here's a general rule of thumb when checking ingredients on food labels: If the list of ingredients is long, there are probably a lot of chemical additives in the product, and you're risking your health by eating it. If the list of ingredients is short, it may or may not contain harmful additives, so you need to read the label carefully before you purchase it. That's the most important point: Be an informed shopper. Look at what you're buying before you and your family eat it. Your health is that important.

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Quick Facts About Fiber

Our traditional understanding of fiber and its nutritional benefits has been mainly in the area of regularity. Fiber keeps us regular; we know that. Despite this knowledge, however, there has been a huge discrepancy in actual fiber intake in the United States. While the recommended daily intake of fiber is 25-38 grams per day, the vast majority of Americans consume far less. But that trend is changing. Breakthrough research from as early as 1986 in the journal Gastroenterology highlighted the beneficial effects of colonic bacterial fermentation of complex carbohydrates such as fiber. Since then, multiple additional studies by leading researchers in renowned journals such as the British Journal of Nutrition and the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition have provided even more insights into this critical process.

Food manufacturers have obviously responded to consumers' demand for fiber and digestive-health products, and there are now more products with fiber or digestive-health claims in the marketplace. In fact, according to the global new products database, the number of new products in 2006 with a fiber descriptor on the label surpassed the number of new products with more traditional and established claims like "added calcium" or "reduced fat." Even more astounding, the number of new products with digestive-health claims introduced into the marketplace was second only to products with a vitamin fortification claim. In 2007, the term prebiotics was used on at least 54 food and beverage products, a remarkable increase from approximately 23 a year earlier.

The traditional categories for fiber were bakery or cereal products. While these products still are abundant, the discovery of new sources of soluble fibers in particular has enabled food and beverage manufacturers to add fiber to nontraditional products, such as beverages and dairy products. There are now prebiotic fibers in beverages, yogurt and bars. Dietary supplements containing prebiotic fibers also are very common.

Surveys show American consumers are actively looking for products that contain fiber. Over the past five years, the number of consumers increasing their use of fiber has risen steadily. A Health Focus Trend Report showed that in 2006, more than 42 percent of consumers reported they were actively increasing their fiber intake, while 9 percent reported increasing their use of carbohydrates that promote digestive health. And the International Food Information Council's Consumer Attitudes Survey showed that in 2007, consumers ranked fiber as a top 10 functional food, actually rating it higher than green tea. Ask your doctor for more information about the right foods to eat to promote digestive health.

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