You Shall Not Pass!

It took me a long time of checking stuff out online to figure out what exactly I was reading on the labels in my kitchen.  It's a work in progress as I find the time to look up things that I am curious about individually.  It's one thing to see a bunch of words you can't pronounce attached to your favorite food item, quite another to determine what those words mean and if they are really a "bad" thing.  Of course everything is subject to personal interpretation.. but since this is my blog, I'm going to give you mine...hehe.  If you know of something that I should list here, PLEASE share your comments below so I can check it out!  

Here is a quick list of things that should not pass the lips of any living breathing human:

Acesulfame-K (acesulfame potassium) Acetylated ester of mono- and diglycerides Artificial colors Artificial flavors Aspartame Astaxanthin Antibiotics Autolyzed Yeast Extract Azodicarbonamide Bentonite  (acceptable in supplements) Benzoates in food Benzoyl alcohol Benzoyl peroxide BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) Bisulfites Bleached flour Bromated flour Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) Calcium bromated Calcium cassharin Calcium disodium EDTA Calcium peroxide Calcium propionate Calcium sorbate Calcium stearoyl-2-lactylate Caprocaprylobehenin Carmine (see cochineal) Certified colors Cochineal (carmine)-colony (bug) Cyclamates Cystine (I-cysteine), as an additive for bread products DATEM (Diacetyl tartaric and fatty acid esters of mono and diglycerides) Diglycerides- okay in supplements

Dimethylpolysiloxane Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate (DSS) Disodium calcium EDTA Disodium dihydrogen EDTA Disodium guanylate (GMP) Disodium sullinate Dl alpha tocopherol (Vitamin E acetate) EDTA-ethylenedia mine-tetra acetic acid-chelating preservative Erythorbic acid Ester gums Ethanol, ethyl alcohol Ethyl vanillin Ethylene oxide Ethyoxyquin FD&C colors Glycerol ester of wood rosin Hexa-, hepta- and octa-esters of sucrose High Fructose Corn Syrup Hydrogenated/partially hydrogenated fats & oils Hydroxpropyl guar gum Irradiated foods Methylene chloride Methyl silicon Modified food starch-(acceptable if not chemically modified) Monoglycerides Monosodium glutamate (MSG) Neotame Nitrates/nitrites Oxystearin Parabens Partially hydrogenated oil Polydextrose Potassium benzoate Potassium bisulfate

Potassium bromate Potassium hydroxide Potassium metabisulfite Potassium nitrate or nitrite Potassium sorbate ( acceptable in supplements only) Propionates (calcium and sodium) Propyl gallate Propylene oxide Propylparaben Saccharin Simplesse Sodium aluminum phosphate Sodium aluminum sulfate Sodium benzoate Sodium bisulfate Sodium diacetate Sodium ferrocycanide Sodium glutamate Sodium Metabisulfite Sodium nitrate/nitrite Sodium propionate Sodium sterol lactylate Sodium steroyl-2-lactylate Sodium sulfite Solvent extracted oils, as standalone single-ingredient oils (except grapeseed oil) Sorbic acid Sucralose Sucroglycerides Sucrose polyester (Olestra, Olean) Sulfites (Sulfur dioxide) Tartrazine TBHQ (tertiary butylhydroquinone) Tetrasodium EDTA Trans fatty acids Vanillin

And while you're at it.  Eat only organic food!  The less toxic chemicals you put in your body, the better off you are!  If you are avoiding the list of crap that can't be pronounced above, it will be easy to eat organic!  There's not many options left! :)  However, if you're just not able to get organic everything (i.e., fruits and vegetables) due to limited variety etc, at the very least be sure you ONLY EAT ORGANIC of the following things:

• Apples
• Lettuce
• Dairy
• Eggs
• Berries

These things have been found to carry the most pesticides after processing which means more toxins in your body!  Pesticides are bug killers...see that word "killers"?  It's not good for anyone! These products are readily available at most grocery stores these days.  If you can't find it in organic, best course is to just get something else!