Food Additives and 6 Ways to Minimize Their Effects

Are you aware of the amount of additives you consume every day and the impact they may have on your health?

Food additives are substances that are added to food to preserve it, to make it more attractive or to make it more tasty. Some additives increase the nutritive value of the food, but very often they are substances that we can well do without in our diet.

Types of food additives

Food additives are either obtained from natural sources or are produced synthetically from chemicals in the laboratory. Each type of additive has a special function.

Here are some additives that are found in the home and in prepared foods that are sold commercially.

1. Flavouring agents
   
   
   • Salt is the oldest and is still the most common flavouring additive.
   
   
   • Spices and herbs are used in small amounts for flavouring foods.
   
   
   • Sweeteners such as sugar are added to many kinds of food to provide a sweet taste to the foods.
   
   
   • Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) commonly known as Ajinomoto is an additive that increases the flavour of most savoury food. It is used extensively in oriental and asian cooking and in convenience foods.


2. Colouring Agents
   
   Colouring additives are used widely in processed foods. They make the food look more attractive to the buyer. Some colouring agents are obtained from natural sources.
   
   Turmeric, a yellow dye, comes from a plant of the ginger family.
   
   Cochineal, a red dye, is obtained from a South American insect.
   
   Others such as those used in artificially flavoured drinks are synthetic agents.


3. Emulsifiers and Stabilisers
   
   An emulsifier helps in the formation of a stable mixture known as emulsion.
   
   Emulsifiers and stabilizers are widely used in the production of ice-cream, margarine and chocolate to give a smooth, creamy product.


4. Preservative additives
   
   Preservative additives are used to prevent food spoilage and to extend the shelf life of convenience food.
   
   The common preservatives are salt, sugar and vinegar. Salt may be used to preserve meat, fish, eggs and vegetables. Sugar is used in making preserves such as jam and marmalade. Vinegar or acetic acid is used in pickling. The acid gives the food a sour taste.


5. Nutritive additives
   
   Not all additives in food are undesirable. Nutritive additives increase the nutritive value of the food.
   
   For example, it has become common practice to enrich margarine with vitamins A and D, white flour with calcium, iron and vitamins. Baby foods also contain nutritive additives.

Food additives and Health

All chemicals are toxic to men when consumed in quantities larger than what is acceptable to the body. Therefore, food additives can pose a threat to our health. For example,

• too much salt may increase the risk of high blood pressure which when untreated, can lead to heart, kidney disease and stroke. Most processed foods already have a high salt content.


• too much sugar in the diet can result in obesity and tooth decay.


• some people find that monosodium glutamate in food can cause the following painful or unpleasant sensations:
  - a burning sensation in the neck and forearms
  - headache
  - tightness in the jaw
  - tightness in the chess
  - extreme thirst

To safeguard the public health, in most countries there are laws that restrict the amount of additives allowable in food.

Here are some ways to help you minimize any possible harmful effects from the additives in your diet:

1. Eat fresh foods rather than processed fods whenever possible.


2. If you must eat processed food, make sure fresh food is included with it in your meal.


3. Never add salt to the processed foods.


4. Develop the habit of limiting the intake of salt and sugar in your food.


5. Do not use monosodium glutamate in cooking. Use a little sugar instead.


6. Do not serve soya sauce separately with a meal. Soya sauce has a high salt content.

For a further read:

Online food additives database
Food Additive Guide

Reference:

Home Economics Today
Wikipedia - Food Additive