~COMPLETE~What Is Really In Our Food ?

What is this project ? - The 'What Is Really In Our Food?' Project

What are your goals ? - This Project has one main goal, to inform YOU of what additives are in your food. How do they effect you ? Were you aware of this ? What are you going to do about it ?

What level project is this ? - This is a Level 1 project.

Who are the members ? - ProTo Fire Fox

Hello every one, my name is ProTo Fire Fox. Today ADVISOR gave me Scholar status so that i could inform YOU about what you are doing to your own body. I will make points about E numbers, what happens if you stop taking them, what they are in, how bad are they and most importantly, How do we stop.

I hope that you all enjoy reading what i am going to write.

ProTo FF



[edit on 14-3-2008 by ADVISOR]

List Of E Numbers

E102:
Formly known as Tartrazine is a synthetic yellow dye found in such products as fruit squash, fruit cordial, coloured fizzy drinks, instant puddings, cake mixes, custard powder, soups, sauces, ice cream, ice lollies, sweets, chewing gum, marzipan, jam, jelly, marmalade and mustard. E102 can cause some reactions, migraines, blurred vision, itching some purple skin patchs, it also makes children hyper active.

E104:
Quinoline Yellow is a synthetic 'coal tar' varying in colour between dull yellow and greenish-yellow. It is used in lip sticks, cologen and alot of other cosmetic products. It can cause dermatitis, and for these reasons it is banned in Australia, Japan, Norway and the United States.

E107:
Known as Yellow 7G some times is a yellow colour dye that is oftain found in soft drinks for children. The HACSG strongly recommends to avoid it, people who suffer Asthma may also show an allergic reaction to it. It is banned in Australia and the United States of America.

E110:
Sunset Yellow, FCF Orange Yellow S, FD&C Yellow 6 are soem of its names, this is one of the worst of the bunch, this is considered so dangerous that Norway and Finland will not let it any where near there people. A synthetic 'coal tar' and azo yellow dye used in fermented foods which must be heat treated. Found in orange squash, orange jelly, marzipan, Swiss roll, apricot jam, citrus marmalade, lemon curd, sweets, hot chocolate mix and packet soups, breadcrumbs, cheese sauce, ice cream, canned fish, and many medications.
Side effects are urticaria (hives), rhinitis (runny nose), nasal congestion, allergies, hyperactivity, kidney tumors, chromosomal damage, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, indigestion, distaste for food; increased incidence of tumors in animals.

E122:
Azorubine ,Carmoisine. This chemical is a red colouring that can produce bad reactions in asthmatics and people allergic to aspirin; typical products are confectionary, marzipan, jelly crystals. This is banned in Sweden, USA, Austria and Norway.

E123:
Amaranth, derived from the small herbaceous plant of the same name; used in cake mixes, fruit-flavoured fillings, jelly crystals; can provoke asthma, eczema and hyperactivity; it caused birth defects and foetal deaths in some animal tests, possibly also cancer. Banned in the USA, Russia, Austria and Norway and other countries.

E124:
Ponceau, synthetic coal tar and azo dye, carcinogen in animals, can produce bad reactions in asthmatics and people allergic to aspirin; banned in USA & Norway.

E127:
This E number is called Erythrosine, it is a red colour dye used in cherries, canned fruit, custard mix, sweets, bakery, snack foods; can cause sensitivity to light; can increase thyroid hormone levels and lead to hyperthyroidism, was shown to cause thyroid cancer in rats in a study in 1990; banned in January 1990, but not recalled by the US FDA; banned in Norway.

E129:
Named Allura red AC. Orange-red color used in sweets, drinks and condiments, medications and cosmetics, synthetic; introduced in the early eighties to replace amaranth which was considered not safe due to conflicting test results; allura red has also been connected with cancer in mice; banned in Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria and Norway. But lets take a guess where it is NOT banned, Uk ofcorse.

E132:
This chemical is Indigotine, it is commonly added to tablets and capsules; also used in ice cream, sweets, baked goods, confectionary, biscuits, synthetic coal tar derivative; may cause nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure, skin rashes, breathing problems and other allergic reactions. Banned in Norway.

E133:
Brilliant blue is not as brilliant as you may think. It is used in dairy products, sweets and drinks, synthetic usually occurring as aluminium lake (solution) or ammonium salt; banned in Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Norway.

Next Page....

[edit on 25-9-2007 by ProTo Fire Fox]

(Following from Last page)

E155:
Brown HT (Cocolate), as you can guess it is used in chocolate cake mixes; can produce bad reactions in asthmatics and people allergic to aspirin; also known to induce skin sensitivity; banned in Denmark, Belgium, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, USA, Norway.

E160(b):
Annatto is a red colour dye derived from a tree (Bixa orellana); used as a body paint, fabric dye, digestive aid and expectorant; used to dye cheese, butter, margarine, cereals, snack foods, soaps, textiles and varnishes; known to cause urticaria (nettle rash), the HACSG recommends to avoid it.

E173, E174 & E175:
Now i was surprised when i did some research and found out that they put those E numbers in food, 173 is aluminium 174 is silver and 175 is gold !, they put that in your food, any one heard of heavy metal posion ? Thats what may be caused from ingesting these E numbers.

They are merly a tiny percentage of the chemicals you eat, some of which you can see are very bad for Aspirin sufferers and Asthmatics. These are found in every day Foods that YOU eat and feed to your children.

Every Day House Hold Foods.

I thought that i would go for some of the every day use foods, like Bread for example.

Off the top of my knowledge i can think of 2 chemicals that really should NOT be in bread, these are.

Ammonium chloride
This is not a very nice chemical. It is usually listed as harmful if swallowed (oh, the irony). Of course, that's only for large quantities. It is used in batteries, as a fungicide on roses, as an anticaking agent, and as yeast food.

Calcium sulfate
Calcium sulfate is essentially plaster of Paris. Pretty much the same stuff that goes into dry walls.

Did you know that since 1950 some thing it has been common play to add in hydrogenated oils, artificial preservatives, emulsifiers, additives and other chemicals. The bulk of which is bad for you.

Wheat flour was replaced by bleached, enriched white flour. In this process, grain is bleached and sterilized with chemicals to make it white and soft. It is then artificially "enriched" by adding vitamins, minerals and other materials destroyed in the chemical process.

This tainting of your bread with harmful, cancer causing chemicals such as potassium bromate, emulsifiers (both commonly used in bread production), and alum will jeporadize your health.

But if you want your bread to last a long time, is your health really such a high price to pay ? (first of many sarcasic questions to come.)

Every Day House Hold Foods.

Next target, cheese.

Most natural cheeses have very few additives. But they are permitted to contain salt, the curd forming enzyme, a microbiological culture, some flavourings, colours, calcium chloride to help firm the curd and sorbic acid as a preservative. Processed cheese and cream cheeses may also contain emulsifiers. Additives must be listed on the label.

E100: Cur cumin orange-yellow colour; derived from the root of the curcuma (turmeric) plant, but can be artificially produced; used in cheese, margarine, baked sweets and fish fingers.

E101: Riboflavin, Riboflavin-5'-phosphate 'Vitamin B2' and colour; occurs naturally in green veges, eggs, milk, liver and kidney; used in margarine and cheese.

Never stand alone. FSA.

I am not alone in the thoughts that Additves are very bad for our health, i am joined by the FSA (Food standards agency) they have said that a mix of these chemicals can be very dangerous. It has led the FSA to issue the advice to parents who believe their children to be hyperactive that they should cut out foods containing E numbers.

Scientists from the University of Southampton, who carried out research on three-year-old and eight-year-old children, believe that their findings could have a “substantial” impact on the regulation of food additives in Britain. But the FSA has been accused of missing an opportunity to protect children and all consumers by failing to impose a deadline on manufacturers to remove additives such as Sunshine Yellow and Tartrazine from their products.

After consuming the drinks – a cocktail of controversial E numbers and the preservative sodium benzoate – the children were found to become boisterous and lose concentration. They were unable to play with one toy or complete one task, and they engaged in unusually impulsive behaviour. The older group were unable to complete a 15-minute computer exercise.

As in the fore mentioned symtoms of chemicals, hyperactivity was a major problem. Food, the very basic princple of life is now bad for us, if you dont eat you die, if you eat, you die young.

A South Wales school went anti-additive for 2 weeks and the results were amazing. The children were more co-operative, the siblings stopped fighting and there were more harmonious families, also hyperactivity went down. They reported that the difficult children creared much less of a disturbance.

Food additives are a problem that we are more than aware of, our own goverments know that these chemicals are bad for us, yet they still allow us to eat them knowing that it is causing us damage.

Next time you buy some thing, have a look at the bad of the box and see whats in it, then think about eating those chemicals and what its doing to you. Is your childs asthma really bad ? It could be YOUR fault if your feeding him/she way to much of these additives.

Its time that we stood up against these big companys that are out to make money and hurt us. The basics of food now are no longer good for us, bread and cheese are bad.

Next time you are out shopping buy some organic food and some of this chemical food, eat them side by side and see what you think.

What else is there to eat then ProTo ?

There are a group of foods known as 'super food' this group of food is the best of the best when it comes to food, try to get these ingredients chemical free (Obviously).


Blueberries -- Antioxidant Superfood -- Packed with antioxidants and phytoflavinoids, these berries are also high in potassium and vitamin C, making them the top choice of doctors and nutritionists. Not only can they lower your risk of heart disease and cancer, they are also anti-inflammatory.

Omega 3-Rich Fish -- Superfoods for the Heart, Joints, and Memory.
We know that the omega 3s you get in fish lower heart disease risk, help arthritis, and may possibly help with memory loss and Alzheimer’s.

Soy -- Superfood to Lower Cholesterol. A study reported in The Journal of the American Medical Association (2003) showed that a diet of soy fiber, protein from oats and barley, almonds, and margarine from plant sterols lowered cholesterol as much as statins, the most widely prescribed cholesterol medicine.

Fiber -- Superfood Aids Weight Loss and Checks Cholesterol
A diet high in fiber will help you maintain healthy cholesterol and blood sugar levels. As a bonus, because fiber helps you feel full longer, it’s a great tool in weight management.

There are alot more, too many to write in a post. Do a Google or Yahoo or what ever search engine you use, search for 'super foods'.

All additives in the UK and Europe are controlled by law, and can only be used following stringent tests and approval by an independent committee of scientists and medical experts.However, some scientists have linked additives - particularly tartrazine or E102 - to hyperactivity in children, allergies, asthma, migraines and even cancer. The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) believes more research is needed before any firm link is established between additives and allergic reactions. But it does not rule out the possibility.Sarah Schenker, a nutrition scientist for the BNF, said: "Some additives, especially some of the colourants, have been linked with hyperactivity in children, but the evidence is very ancedotal."There have been no properly controlled trials or tests looking at the effect of additives. "The public should not be worried about additives because they have all been rigorously tested before they are allowed to be added to foods." Dr Schenker said that if people noticed a reaction they should simply cut the offending item out of their diet. However, according to The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a US organisation that campaigns for food safety, many additives should be avoided for health grounds.

Hemp Seeds

There are many reasons why Hemp seeds are a great super food. They are very much alike walnuts and nuts in the sence that they are rich in Omega-3.

Omega-3 is a substance that the body needs, it can help prevent Heart Disease, cancars and strokes. Hemp seeds are great because they can go with so many different types of food, you can have soem with your cereal, or with pancakes or even baked goods.

Hemp seed is cheap to buy in bulk and is 100% super food.

(Thank you to dAlen for making me aware of Hemp Seeds)

A List Of Food Addatives To Strongly Avoid.

Banned Addatives Found In Baby Food

A List Of E Numbers.

Bigger And More Informative List Of E Numbers

There are some useful links that i used and you may find intresting.

[edit on 25-9-2007 by ProTo Fire Fox]

Pesticides In Our Food.

To produce our food and to meet the appearance standards imposed by supermarkets, most farmers use chemical pesticides to control weeds, crop pests and diseases. Residues from the pesticides used may still be in the food when it gets into our homes and onto our plates. In some cases there will be residues of more than one pesticide.

In 1999 there was a test to show how many pesticides were found in fruit & veg.

1. Italy 7,938
   
2. Germany 6,617
   
3. France 4,553
   
4. Spain 3,325
   
5. Sweden 3,046
   
6. Finland 2,460
   
7. Denmark 2,287
   
8. Greece 1,422
   
9. Netherlands 1,419
   
10. UK 1,372
    
11. Belgium 1,035
    
12. Portugal 648
    
13. Austria 597
    
14. Ireland 232
    
15. Luxembourg 231
    

As you can see, there are alot of products that have pesticide residue on them, and most importantly YOU are eating them. Super-markets are meant to test for residue on there own products, but this is time and money so they do it, but not to the full standard that is meant to be achived. So they know it is there, but you dont.

Oranges are a nice simple fruit, with a secret. In a survey they gathered up many Oranges and then tested them for traces of pesticides. The results were staggering, over 79% of the amount sampled exceeded the safe limit of a chemcial called Imazalil.

Imazalil wad tested on animals and the following was some of the symtoms. Excitation of hair folicles (goose pimples), muscle incoordination, reduced arterial tension, tremors, and vomiting. If it does that to a little mouse, thats only a tiny bit conpared to the mouses body size, imagien what getting 10 oranges would do to us, even if it isnt obvious some thing may be going on beneth the surface.

A Brieft post of genetically modified food.

Genetically Modified (GM) foods are foodstuffs produced from genetically modified organisms (GMO) that have had their genome altered through genetic engineering. The process of producing a GMO is to take the DNA from one organism, modify it in a laboratory, and then insert it into another organism's genome to produce new and useful traits or phenotypes. Typically, this is done using the DNA from certain types of bacteria. GM Foods have been available since the 1990s. The most common modified foods are derived from plants: soybean, corn, canola and cotton seed oil and wheat.

(Above infomation supplied by wikipedia.)

There are a few issues with Gm Food.

Saftey - Potential human health impact: allergens, transfer of antibiotic resistance markers, unknown effects Potential environmental impact: unintended transfer of transgenes through cross-pollination, unknown effects on other organisms (e.g., soil microbes), and loss of flora and fauna biodiversity.

Ethics - Violation of natural organisms' intrinsic values.
Tampering with nature by mixing genes among species.
Objections to consuming animal genes in plants and vice versa.

Labeling - Not mandatory in some countries (e.g., United States)
Mixing GM crops with non-GM confounds labeling attempts.

U.S. panel reviewing effects of plastic additive

An independent panel of scientists in the United States has begun a review of the controversial synthetic chemical bisphenol A, which is commonly found in household goods such as plastic food and beverage containers

around 3 billion kilograms of bisphenol A or BPA are used to make consumer products each year, and trace amounts of the synthetic estrogen leach into food and drinks and are absorbed by the human body.

Some rodents have been tested on and there effects were Obesity, Insulin resistance and even cancer. This is mainly found in the US, thats the same US were alot alot of people are Obese, just saying.

They are now thinking about the effects this product could have on the human development and even reproduction. The National Institute of Health is expected to make a recommendation on weather the expose to BPA is this hazardous. Canada wil also be doing research this year on BPA.

Activist, Rick Smith the Environmental Defence's executive director says...

"It's a failure of government regulation," he said. "It's impacting people's health in a negative way and it doesn't have to be the case."

(Information found here.)

Stevia

Stevia is a rather contraversal substance. It is called a dietry supplement yet it has a remarkble 'drug' ring to it. Infact the FDA is so confused by this ... thing, that they call it a deitry supplement but if you say it is sweet or a sweetner on the packaging, it gets seized as a drug. It is really a confusing subject.

A rather 'sweet' fact about Stevia is that it is 30x sweeter than suger. That must pack one hell of a punch if you take some.

The FDA, under pressure from the powerful sugar and artificial sweetener lobby, has issued a warning letter to Celestial Seasonings for using a popular natural sweetener in some of its teas. The letter indicates the FDA classifies the herb stevia as “unsafe”

Thats all the info i got at the moment, it seems to be hard to find. Ill add to this if i find more.

(Thank you to Scientist for making me aware of Stevia)

Lets Go Old School !

I thought that we would go back to basics with the simplist of simple tests to show that coke is BAD for YOU. It contains so much acidic 'punch' that it can clean a penny.

Link to a Video showing the test.

Short and Sweet post

NO Sugar ?

This all 'new' no sugar fad is the prequal to the no carb fad. No sugar has been a great seller, sales of 'No sugar' Items have rose and in the last 6 months the packets of straight up sugar that our parents and gran-parents bought have dropped, alot.

Low Sugar and Low Carb are two crazes, or are they ? they are essentionly the same craze just with a different name. So why has this 'new' trend came about and what is behind the rise in one sets sale and the drop in another, Splenda.

Products featuring Splenda are perceived as “natural” because even the FDA’s press release about sucralose parrots the claim that “it is made from sugar” — an assertion disputed by the Sugar Association, which is suing Splenda’s manufacturer, (McNeil Nutritionals).

The FDA has no definition for “natural,” so please bear with us for a biochemistry moment: Splenda is the trade name for sucralose, a synthetic compound stumbled upon in 1976 by scientists in Britain seeking a new pesticide formulation. It is true that the Splenda molecule is comprised of sucrose (sugar) — except that three of the hydroxyl groups in the molecule have been replaced by three chlorine atoms.

Image of a Sucralose molecule.

Once it gets to the gut, sucralose goes largely unrecognized in the body as food — that’s why it has no calories. The majority of people don’t absorb a significant amount of Splenda in their small intestine — about 15% by some accounts. The irony is that your body tries to clear unrecognizable substances by digesting them, so it’s not unlikely that the healthier your gastrointestinal system is, the more you’ll absorb the chlorinated molecules of Splenda.

There has been alot of research in the effects of Splenda on rodents but they carnt test it on Humans because we carnt do it long term, not enough time has elapsed.

Some of the effects that the rodents have suffered are, shrunken thymus glands and enlarged livers and kidneys. If it does this to Humans as well, we got a big problem.

And now, are our children the next trial group? Thanks to an agreement between McNeil Nutritionals (makers of Splenda) and PTO Today, which provides marketing and fund-raising aid to parents’ associations, your elementary school’s next bake sale may be sponsored by Splenda — complete with baked goods made with the product.

Just by mere observation we know that splenda and splenda like products can cause skin rashes/flushing, panic-like agitation, dizziness and numbness, diarrhea, muscle aches, headaches, intestinal cramping, bladder issues, and stomach pain.

As food additives, artificial sweeteners are not subject to the same gauntlet of FDA safety trials as pharmaceuticals. Most of the testing is funded by the food industry, which has a vested interest in the outcome. This can lead to misleading claims on both sides.

I dont think the food companys are going to loose millions by openly admiting there product is dangerous.

Manufacturers are banking on the fact that our bodies won’t absorb very much of these compounds at any one time.

There banking on this because if we do we are going to suffer many health issues and they WILL be closed down for being a public danger.

Alot of infomation was obtained at this site.

Aspartame

This sweetener is marketed under a number of trademark names, including Equal, NutraSweet, Canderel, and is an ingredient of approximately 6,000 consumer foods and beverages sold worldwide. It is commonly used in diet soft drinks, and is often provided as a table condiment. It is also used in some brands of chewable vitamin supplements and common in many sugar-free chewing gums. However, aspartame is not always suitable for baking because it often breaks down when heated and loses much of its sweetness. In the European Union, it is also known under the E number (additive code) E951. Aspartame is also one of the sugar substitutes used by people with diabetes.

(Above Infomation Found At Aspartame Page On Wikipeadia)

Aspartame has been the subject of controversy regarding its safety and the circumstances of its approval by the American FDA and European FSA. Some studies have also recommended further investigation into possible connections between aspartame and negative effects such as headaches, brain tumors, brain lesions, and lymphoma.[13][14][15] These findings, combined with possible conflicts of interest involving CEO Donald Rumsfeld in the approval process, have engendered vocal activism regarding the possible risks of aspartame.

In 1995 the FDA anonced that 75% of people who were tkaing Aspartame in one way or another were complaining about adverse effects. In total a wide range of symtoms were found, in total there were 92 different ones all coming from Aspartame.

This dangerous chemicla can be found in over 30 commonly used food products, some of which are Breath Mints, Cereals, Chewing Gum & Juice Drinks.

A Full List Of Products Can Be Found At This Site.

Coke, Pepsi. Youve Been Bad Boys & Girls.

In findings about Coke and Pepsi, the Centre for Science and Environment picked up three bottles each of 12 soft drink brands from Delhi and found they contained a ''deadly pesticide cocktail'' which exceeded European norms by around 11 to 70 times. But these do not breach Indian laws.

Rivals Coke and Pepsi, accused of ''double standards'', came together on Tuesday evening to challenge CSE's testing methods. They sought an independent scientific inquiry into the matter, while claiming that their products were safe and world-class. Our products are tested locally, in accredited labs, and internationally, said Coke and Pepsi chiefs Sanjeev Gupta and Rajeev Bakshi respectively. Both companies claim that they operate within European and American norms with ''top-grade testing, top-grade products''. Coke and Pepsi claim they conduct testing at every stage regularly. Even the government's Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) conducts tests, they claim. ''We have a strong set of regulations internally and externally,'' said Gupta.

Some of the other companys that were involved were, Fanta, Mirinda Orange, Seven Up, Limca, Blue Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Diet Pepsi and Sprite. Might not sound to bad but too much of those chemicals can cause cancer, attack the nervous system, decrease the sperm count and cause birth defects. Bad times.

O and another thing ive foundout about there.

There is no legally-enforceable ''right'' to ''clean'' water.

GM Food

Currently, up to 45 percent of U.S. corn is genetically engineered as is 85 percent of soybeans. It has been estimated that 70-75 percent of processed foods on supermarket shelves--from soda to soup, crackers to condiments--contain genetically engineered ingredients.

A number of studies over the past decade have revealed that genetically engineered foods can pose serious risks to humans, domesticated animals, wildlife and the environment. Human health effects can include higher risks of toxicity, allergenicity, antibiotic resistance, immune-suppression and cancer. The use of genetic engineering in agriculture could lead to uncontrolled biological pollution, threatening plant and animal species with extinction, and the potential contamination of non-genetically engineered life forms with novel and possibly hazardous genetic material.

Unsuspecting consumers by the tens of millions are being allowed to purchase and consume unlabeled genetically engineered foods, despite a finding by FDA scientists that these foods could pose serious risks. And new genetically engineered crops are being approved by federal agencies despite admissions that they will contaminate native and conventional plants and pose other significant new environmental threats.

Some places in the EU have openly said that they wish to become GM free, such places are Wales and some other UK countrys. Under EU legislation, however, the government has made it clear that such areas will not be recognised.

Link To Site.

[edit on 27-9-2007 by ProTo Fire Fox]