Silvia Nena, FNC, certified

_           This is how it usually starts, “Hey Sil, I’ve got a question for you. Have you ever heard of X?” “X” being a food-related disorder, illness, food, or in this particular case, an ingredient listed on a package. Sometimes I have an immediate answer. Other times, I have to do a little research because who would have ever thought that a precursor to antifreeze could be mixed with alcohol sugar derivatives and be called food, as in the case of Polysorbate 60? Sometimes, I’m shocked that something that I’ve always assumed to be reasonably, even SANELY prepared is actually so disgusting that it surely is frat hazing gone viral. So, this page is dedicated to the questions about what you're eating and how it might affect your health. If you need more reason to cut out processed foods, please read on. Additives can be found by name in alphabetical order. Each week, a new ingredient will be added, so check back often and SEND IN YOUR QUESTIONABLE INGREDIENTS TO BE ADDED TO THE LIST!

           Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle. That’s the sound of burgers cooking on a hot grill. The aroma’s maddening…or maybe that’s just the scent of your GI tract burning. On the bright side, you’re getting a crystal clear internal polish.
          There’s not much that tops a properly cooked, seasoned and well-stacked burger. I like mine with grilled onions, roasted veggies and spinach; hold the Secret Sauce. My thinking is that if you rid something of secrets, you get full transparency, right…as in crystal clear window transparent. There are secrets and then there are highly classified secret ingredients like, Ammonium hydroxide in your beef. You might know it by its common name: Ammonia…the stuff you use to clean windows, table tops and kitchen surfaces. McDonald’s and Taco Bell recently announced that they have stopped using Pink Slime, a common moniker for ammonia-coated beef intended for your and your kids’ digestive tracts. That’s right, if you’ve had a burger, taco, sausage or any other ground beef-based food, you have probably eaten Pink Slime.
         
          What’s crazy is how hard it is to get government information on ammonia treated beef. FDA and USDA records have been damaged and are no longer available or the listings are from the ‘70’s. The best I could get from both these sources is verification that, indeed, Ammonium hydroxide is approved for food use and in the processing of beef carcasses. Part of the problem is that the company that makes the product, Beef Products, Inc. (BPI), was successful in lobbying the FDA to register their use of Ammonium hydroxide as a manufacturing aid, rather than an ingredient. That means that it doesn’t get listed as part of your food. See what I mean: Secret ingredient.

Purpose: To kill harmful pathogens, like salmonella and E. coli before they try to kill you. The meat used in Pink Slime is highly susceptible to pathogens, so it has traditionally been destined for dog food manufacturing plants. BPI’s Director of Food Safety, Craig Letch stated in a Newzar video (below, at 1:12) that every box of product is sampled and released only after it gets the thumbs up from a third-party lab. In fact, they were able to convince the USDA that their treatment renders the product practically free of pathogens. In 2007, the USDA exempted BPI from routine government food-quality tests. However, a New York Times special investigative report found that since 2005, BPI product destined for school cafeterias as part of the Federal School Lunch Program (FSLP) has tested positive for salmonella and E. coli multiple times, including two 27,000 pound batches of ground beef in August 2010 that were caught before being served to students. In spite of those figures, BPI product continues to be part of the FSLP because it is an inexpensive additive that “stretches” burger meat served to your kids.  E. coli and Salmonella are both bacteria that can cause gastric distress for up to several days. Symptoms include: painful cramping, diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, fatigue and may require hospitalization in severe cases. Furthermore, Premier Food Safety, a leader in food safety and handling states that children are especially at risk from E. coli poisoning because it may result in Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), which can lead to kidney failure and even death. Here is the New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/us/31meat.html?pagewanted=all.

Safety: The FDA lists Ammonium hydroxide as a binding and neutralizing food additive (B&N) that is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and permitted as an optional ingredient in standardized food (FS). Somebody needs to rub a little ammonia across their computer screen, so they can get a good look at the Materials Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for Ammonium Hydroxide. My favorite is: “DANGER! Causes eye and skin burns. Causes digestive and respiratory tract burns. Harmful if swallowed.” That’s pretty crystal clear, but wait, there’s more. It’s listed as a hazardous substance under the U.S. Federal Clean Water Act and OSHA lists it as a highly hazardous substance. The state of New Jersey has it on a Special Health Hazards Substance List, which warns that Ammonium hydroxide forms dangerous and highly toxic gas under thermal decomposition or combustion…that would be heat, as in cooking. And you thought heartburn was from eating something spicy.

_           Helmet…check. Goggles, gloves, flying suit with cape…check. You stand at the end of a platform, 10 stories above an empty swimming pool where spectators from around the globe have gathered to watch. With a confident wave you stride to end and jump, listening to the satisfying gasp of the crowd. When you hit bottom, you bounce a few times and then stand up, dusting yourself off to thunderous applause. You are Unshatterable the Magnificent.
         Not a bad power to have in exchange for ingesting gobs of an industrial compound called Bisphenol A, or BPA. It’s the stuff that makes polycarbonate plastics shatterproof. Although, it’s not technically an ingredient of food, it leaches into your food from packaging, such as water bottles and other such containers. BPA is also part of the chemical make-up of the epoxy resins used to line the inside of canned goods. Farm-raised salmon and other fish get a daily diet of BPA. It infiltrates their swimming water from the pool linings. Baby bottles, canned foods, plastic storage containers, water supply lines and even the plasticware you bring to picnics, all have BPA. You wouldn’t put sporting or electronic equipment in your mouth, but what about dental fillings and sealants? Yup, it’s in there, too.

Purpose: Food packaging and storage. BPA is the compound that makes plastics sturdy and hard to break, like some of the food storage containers that are probably in your cupboards and refrigerator, or those baby bottles that don’t break even though Junior can fling them like a pitcher with a game riding on his throw. You just know Junior’s gonna go Pro one day. Just keep him away from the canned foods. They can cause serious damage in many ways. The lining that reduces risk of botulism and other food-borne dangers by keeping food from coming into contact with metal contains plenty of BPA.

Safety: Avoid it. The FDA approved its use for food storage and packaging in the 1960’s, right around the time that the obesity epidemic began. Since then, research has shown that it’s an endocrine disruptor that mimics your hormones. Research also shows that super heroes are slaves to their super powers and being Unshatterable the Magnificent is no different. BPA has a serious hold on you by regulating and altering your metabolic function. It messes with weight regulating hormones that dictate fat-cell deposit and sugar uptake, so its association to cardiovascular disease and diabetes is not surprising. Europe has banned its use in baby bottles and formula, and Japan has replaced BPA-laced canned lining with a safer product. While Canada’s regulatory agencies have declared BPA “a toxic chemical” that should be avoided, the FDA recommended no change in usage, pending further testing. This recommendation was issued after its review of the National Toxicology Program’s (NTP/NIH) report that BPA exposure from baby bottles and infant formula may be responsible for "brain, behavior and prostate gland problems" in the young. Here is that report: http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/PublicHealthFocus/ucm197739.htm. Laboratory tests on rodents and primates shows that BPA interferes with memory, learning and mood with continual effects on brain development. If that’s not enough, the director of the National Library of Medicine (NLM/NIH) expressed concern over study findings that adults who eat canned soup have BPA spike levels of 1200 percent when compared to those who eat fresh soup. The levels are cited as ‘among the most extreme [concentrations of BPA] reported in a nonoccupational setting.’ With research estimates that show a mind-shattering 93% of those over the age of 6 with detectable BPA levels, it appears that there’ll be no shortage of future magnificent circus performers.

_           Congratulations! You can scratch “spontaneous human combustion” from your Greatest Fears list and, as a walking pool water purifier; you’ll save hundreds in maintenance fees just by hanging out in the Jacuzzi. Heck, you can charge people for the service!
         Bromine a toxic, liquid corrosive (as in: RUN! It’ll eat your brains!) puts the brakes on combustive reactions, kills waterborne microbes and infuses magic into food by acting as an emulsifier when mixed with vegetable oil . It’s added to Gatorade (Pepsi), Powerade (Coke), Mountain Dew, Fanta (Coke) and Sunkist sodas; just to name a few. Check the label of your favorite soft drink to see if you have acquired any amazing powers you didn’t know about.

Purpose: Brominated Vegetable Oil, or BVO as the food industry affectionately calls it, is used to emulsify fruit-flavored, especially citrus-flavored powders into a liquid. Without the BVO to bind them together, the powder would just float to the surface of your soft drink. The FDA’s Food Additives Status list, indicates that BVO is a stabilizer that has been approved for use at “less than 15 parts per million (>15ppm) in fruit flavored beverages.”

Safety: Iffy. The FDA says it’s safe for “interim” use, as a “petition has been filed and a regulation issued” and a “fully up-to-date toxicology report has been sought.” Huh…the FDA banned its use in medical treatment, but yet it’s safe for human consumption. In the 1970’s Bromine was banned from use as an additive for gasoline and pesticides because it also likes ozone layer brains and was behaving like a zombie with a bad case of the munchies. Studies have shown that when used as a fire-retardant in furniture, it has a nasty tendency to leach into the body. Once inside, it can hang around for a couple of weeks, tweaking your metabolism. This can be a real problem since it has a tendency to build up and research shows that sugar-based drinks are the highest calorie source in America for teens 14-18 years old and in the top 5 for adults. That means you can easily be host to a revolving and constant Bromine invasion. Your supernatural impermeability to fire and community pool diseases may seem like awesome super powers, but any honest super hero will tell you that there’s always a trade off and it usually sucks. Bromine has been banned from use in Europe because too much of it can make you the last of your kind by zapping your fertility. Oh, and don’t be surprised if a lapse in memory makes you forget which side you’re fighting for or by any sudden loss of muscle control or swollen, ulcerated hands. You can always look on the bright side, you won’t burn, right? Here is a detailed piece printed by numerous reputable publications, including Scientific America just last week (Dec ’11): http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=soda-chemical-cloudy-health-history

_          The pilot makes the dreaded call. At 30,000 feet, you’ve run out of fuel and before you know it your angelic self is hovering in a funeral parlor. You take in the scene, plan a few poltergeist pranks for people that aren’t crying hard enough and then make your way over to the casket. This is your last public appearance and the mortician better have made you look good. “Dang!” you think, “Why didn’t I hire this guy to make me over while I was still alive? That embalming fluid worked wonders."
         Mmmm, feeling like flying high or a little preserved after that yummy package of donuts that don’t expire ‘til next year? Oh yeah, the Butylated hydroxytoluene or BHT on the donut ingredients list is also a common ingredient in jet fuel, rubber and petroleum products, and embalming fluid. You’ll find it in margarine, shortening, products that include animal fats, parboiled rice, dry breakfast cereals, and flaked mashed potato product. That would be the scoop of white stuff hiding out under gobs of gravy that you got at the drive-thru. BHT is also found in cosmetics.

Purpose: To extend food’s shelf stability. BHT slows natural fat death; in other words, rancidity. It’s BHT’s anti-oxidant properties that keep the fat from oxidizing and becoming rancid. According to some scientific opinions that I found, there appears to be some treatment benefits; mostly in regards to herpes. However, there is no approved treatment. The FDA allows its use in food, drugs and cosmetics and according to the International Programs on Chemical Safety (IPCM), the “estimate of acceptable daily intake for man is: 0-0.5 mg/kg bw.” Hmmm, I’m no mathematical genius, but that seems to translate to: NONE to almost none per kilogram of body weight.

Safety: The FDA regards BHT as a “generally approved as safe (GRAS)...substance permitted as an optional ingredient in a standardized food...at 0.02%" of fat or oil content in the food. But I’m still stuck on “0mg per kilogram of body weight.” All chemicals come with a Materials Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) and BHT's might scare you to death. Its MSDS includes these warnings: 1-Do NOT let this chemical enter the environment; 2-Ingestion causes abdominal pain, confusion, dizziness, nausea, vomiting; 3-The substance may have effects on the liver. Studies have shown that at high levels, BHT adversely affects the liver, kidneys and the body’s blood clotting abilities. Seeing as blood clotting prevents us all from living a Tarantino-esque gore reality, I think that’s a very important bodily function. But hey, if you’re about to engage in a Samurai sword-fight to your death, go ahead and have another packet of BHT preserved food. I mean, really, why wait ‘til your dead when you can begin your post-mortem preservation early?

_          The super secretive world of international spies is a mysterious place where lab experiments and special concoctions alter genetics to make agents stronger, faster and more lethal than the average man. Valuable skills sets include photographic memory to gather intel without detection and rubberized skin to deflect bullets and other minor inconveniences of the job. Too bad that’s the stuff of sci-fi since the sugary concoction you’ve been drinking, laced with photographic and rubber-making chemicals is a bad guy on California’s “chemicals known to cause cancer” list. A master of disguise, he’s highly protected by his employers. But the truth is about to be leaked…into a crystal clear glass of ice.
          It’s like music to your ears, that raspy fizz of a million bubbles running over frozen ice cubes, followed by the aromatic, synthetic spice of rich dark carbonated sugar. The number one offender in the obesity epidemic, cola amazingly has only a handful of ingredients. It’s “diet” counterpart, which has been linked to increased incidences of stroke and heart attack by University of Miami School of Medicine researchers, also gets no points. A good spy will check a drink twice before downing it for tell-tale signs of poison; the oldest trick in the book, but unless you look at the label, you’d never know that the poison wasn’t added at the elegant dinner party full of lethal, calculating enemies. It was added at the manufacturing plant and labeled innocuously as, Caramel Color! (Insert evil nemesis laughter here.)

          There are four types of high heat process caramel colorings that the food industry uses. Caramel Color I and II are generally regarded as safe (GRAS). However, Caramel Color III (CC-III) and Caramel Color IV (CC-IV) utilize ammonia and sulfite ammonia, respectively in their production. Ammonia—the stuff that warns you to call the poison control center if swallowed because it is a corrosive poison that destroys cells and can cause death. Spies know that enemy mad scientists are genius at making poison undetectable. When sugars are cooked under high heat and high pressure with ammonia and sulfite ammonia, serious toxins form. In the case of CC-III, you get 2-methylimidazole (2-MI) and with CC-IV, 4-methylimidazole (4-MI). These are established carcinogens used in photographic chemicals, rubber-making and found in toxic cigarette smoke streams. Oh yeah, and Caramel Color IV gives your two-colas a day, their rich dark color.

Purpose: Color.The Codex Alimentarius okays Caramel Color IV for use in a long list of foods, found here: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/gsfaonline/additives/details.html?id=94. According to studies by the National Toxicology Program (NTP), a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, 2-MI and 4-MI are carcinogenic. The maximum safe level of 4-MI is 16 micrograms per day, but some sodas have as much as 200 micrograms per 20 oz. bottle. This enemy agent bypasses detection through an innocent sounding alias and being an elusive master. There are no warning labels on sodas. Like an ever-twisting game of espionage, the FDA won’t move to require cola manufacturers to warn consumers of the danger—in spite, of Prop. 65 requirements that products that include ingredients known to cause cancer must carry a warning label.

Safety: The facts and intel expose soda caramel coloring as a dangerous substance, but the FDA continues to allow its usage “in accordance with good manufacturing practices.” The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) along with scientists from the NTP (a US government agency),  petitioned the FDA to ban Caramel Color-III and Caramel Color-IV (Soda Caramel Coloring) without success. Here is a copy of that petition: http://cspinet.org/new/pdf/caramel-coloring-petition.pdf. The NTP research concluded that 2-MI and 4-MI cause cancers of various organs, leukemia, atrophied testes in male mice and rats, impaired coordination mimicking features of cerebral palsy, breathing difficulties and other troubling findings. The heightened concern over Caramel Color in sodas is due to its high dosage use per serving and the average high-quantity consumption per person, especially among teens. As little as one soda a day, regardless of sweetener, can negatively affect metabolic function and trigger cancer formation in susceptible individuals.

_         You’re sitting deep in the woods, enjoying a nice cold one and a bag of microwave popcorn at dusk. (Yes, microwave popcorn…never mind how you were able to achieve that with just some sticks and kindling.) The popcorn’s super buttery, the beer’s icy cold and life is good, ‘til you notice that swarm of mosquitoes coming at you. Oddly, they fly around and past you as if repelled and you wonder if it has something to do with your upcoming lung transplant surgery. Maybe they’re looking for blood that actually contains OXYGEN.
       Mosquito repellent tastes pretty good, huh? Smells good, too. To some people, anyway. The intensely strong, somewhat acidic aroma gets my gag reflex going, so I don’t understand the attraction to the nostril-invading butter scent. Diacetyl is a natural byproduct of fermentation and is also synthetically manufactured. It is a highly flammable, golden liquid known to irritate and outright cause damage to the eyes, skin, gastrointestinal system and lungs. It is used in mosquito repellents and found in microwave popcorn and other snacks, candies, baked goods, as well as a long list of "buttery" foods. And, if you’ve ever wondered what that magic ingredient is that makes Fido and Fluffy lick their bowls clean, Diacetyl is also approved for pet foods. Take a deep breath and read on.

Purpose: To make you think you're eating butter. It's a synthetic butter flavor with a pronounced butter odor. Diacetyl is a natural byproduct of fermentation and so is found in fermented foods, like beer and wine. The problem appears to come from the synthetic flavoring agent that's found in processed foods that require a buttery taste without using the more expensive, real product to achieve it. It’s often invisibly listed under the colloquial ingredients phrase, “natural and artificial flavors.”

Safety: The FDA classifies it as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) “in accordance with good manufacturing practices; or sufficient for purposes; or quantity not greater than required.” Basically, if it doesn’t taste right, just add a little more. What’s it gonna hurt, right? The thing is that I’m a collector of abilities and a real aficionado of the super important ones, like being able to BREATHE. So, when OSHA reported that this stuff causes “serious (permanent) respiratory illness” that includes “persistent dry cough, wheezing, shortness of breath upon exertion and fixed airways obstruction,” I got concerned. But that’s not all. Workers that handle Diacetyl and champion microwave popcorn eaters, alike have presented with Bronchiolitis Obliterans. Take a look at the second part of that diagnosis. It says it all: obliterated lungs that REQUIRE lung transplant. Don’t believe that the FDA would allow a dangerous substance like this to be called food? Grab some popcorn and check what the pesky buzz is all about here:  http://www.osha.gov/dsg/guidance/diacetyl-guidance.html.

_           I gave a Signature Wellness Talk this past week and one of the attendees asked me about Malic Acid, which is found in a lot of sweet products. Since it sounds like some lab chemical that should only be handled with goggles and protective gloves, I’m deconstructing it today.

           Malic Acid is a safe additive. It is an extract from fruits like cherries, apples and pears; and is even found in red grapes and wine. It has a sweet, somewhat tart flavor and is used in confections and beverages. Here’s the caveat, the Malic Acid’s not what’s gonna hurt you. It’s the other ingredients found in the candy and sugary beverages. Most candies are just a conglomeration of sugar and chemical flavorings and extracts. Sugary beverages, which are listed here, under Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO) and Caramel Color are a huge problem because not only do they often contain toxic chemicals, but also High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), which has been linked directly to obesity in numerous studies.

           That brings me to an interesting story about HFCS. Early last year, LiveStrong.com published an article I wrote about how HFCS contributes to abdominal fat. Within days of publication, I was contacted by none other than the president of the Corn Refiners Association. They didn’t feel that my research was extensive enough, even though my sources included such reputable and well-regarded authorities as The New England Journal of Medicine, Princeton Neuroscience Institute and The American Diabetes Association. They also felt that I was picking on them because all sugars can contribute to abdominal fat. True. However, there is evidence that the imbalance between fructose and sucrose levels in HFCS has a profoundly damaging impact on fat distribution in the body with a consequential increase of risk for serious illness. Read the Princeton results here: http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/. The researchers were amazed by the effects of HFCS on abdominal fat and symptoms of a cluster disorder known as Metabolic Syndrome, not present at such levels when compared with high-fat diets. Furthermore, HFCS is the most common sweetener used in sugary beverages, desserts, and  processed and refined baked goods, including bread, crackers and cereals. Whether its impact on metabolism is greater than ordinary sugar is still being played out at the research level, but consider this scientifically-sound fact: If you drink just one soda a day and change nothing else in your lifestyle over a year, you will gain 15 lbs. Sugar and other chemicals in soda, including caffeine also affect dopamine receptor sites in the brain and “hook” you, according to research by Term Life Insurance, with an effect that emulates heroine’s chemical approach. Diet soda’s don’t fair much better since recent research by University of Miami Medical Center has linked it to increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

          Read the article that made the Corn Refiners Association pop a few kernels, here: http://www.livestrong.com/article/373908-why-high-fructose-corn-syrup-encourages-abdominal-fat/. Below is Term Life Insurance’s informative poster on how soda pop impacts your health. Click zoom.

_          Rub a little of that ice cream on your shoulder. It’s getting kind of red, but your insides are fully protected against sun damage now. Btw, do you think this beer would make a good color for the living room?
          Yup, you just ate sun screen, probably without even knowing it. Titanium Dioxide can protect against the sun’s UVA and UVB rays. It’s also used to make white paint “white” and since it works so well, just about any food that needs to appear white or have that special luminescence you’ve grown to love, has it in there…sausage casings, anyone? Most of the time it’s not on the label because lobbyists were successful in having it classified as a “manufacturing aid,” therefore, it’s not technically an ingredient. But trust me, if you’ve had dairy today, you’ve probably gotten your daily dose of Titanium Dioxide.

Purpose: Plain old marketability. You expect yogurt and cottage cheese to be white, so manufacturers make it so by adding Titanium Dioxide, regardless of what it’s doing to your body. The Codex Alimentarius, aka Codex GSFA and which is part of the Food and Agricultural Organization (USA) and the World Health Organization, is a global food code that indicates that Titanium Dioxide’s sole purpose is that of a colorant. It can be used in a long list of foods, including egg nog, buttery spreads, certain vegetables, cheeses, cereals, artificial sweeteners and peanut butter…because nothing says, “made with peanuts” like a white pasty product. For a full list of foods you can paint your walls with or use as sunscreen, look here: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/gsfaonline/additives/details.html?id=184

Safety: The FDA says it’s okay. I don’t know about you, but I like my magnetism to be associated with my personality, rather than the amount of metal I have in my body, so I try not to eat this stuff. It’s kind of hard, though when it's in so many foods and medications, as well as plastics, cosmetics, sunscreen, paint…pretty much everything you touch, taste and see. While research continues into how bad it really is to be all sparkly and alien on the inside, lab studies on animals have confirmed that when inhaled, particles of titanium dioxide can obstruct lung pathways and cause inflammation that leads to cancer. Wow…basically, the same complaints some people who work around this stuff have. What’s more is that a 2009 UCLA study on mice found that nanoparticles of this metal are so small they can go anywhere in the body and there is no mechanism by which the body can remove them. The result is “systemic genetic damage.” Here is a link to the report: http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/nanoparticles-used-in-common-househould-112679.aspx Makes you wonder why the processed food industry wants to hide its existence in your food.