Imagine, you sit happily in a food court, enjoying restaurant meals and  your time with family and friends. Often you don’t suspect that just one big problem can provoke an unexpected stomach aches or other desuase and  spoil your feast. This problem is in food we eat and its quality.

Food manufacturers try to bring their costs down. So, they use plenty of cheap chemical additives to make their products more ‘tasteful’ and adaptable to our palate. There are so many chemicals in our foods hidden as ‘Ingredients.’ Some of them can understand only professional chemist. Some ingredients are listed under so-called E numbers.

How many consumers know what it means?  Probably only food technology experts and food scientists. If we are not aware of potential harm these chemicals can do to us, how can we continue to stay healthy or prevent ourselves of sudden sicknesses?! It became an enormous task. Many working people just don’t have time for that.

One of the best ways to prevent sicknesses is to know and understand, at first, what E numbers mean. Read the labels of foods you buy in grocery stores. Do you know that E numbers can be good and bad?

Bad are chemical, toxic, manmade additives. You should avoid them from your diet. The Natural Alternatives–E numbers are additives coming from natural sources. Some experts consider them ”safe.” Obviously, you heard about some of them, at least the natural alternatives don’t sound terrifying and can be pronounced by humans. Here is the List of Bad Additives and the Natural Alternatives.

BAD ADDITIVES (If you see them listed on the food or cosmetic labels, don’t buy this products!):

COLORS: E102, E104, E110, E122-131, E132, E133, E142, E150 (a, b, c, d), E151, E153, E154, E155, E150
PRESERVATIVES: E200-E203, E210-E218, E214-E219, E220-E232, E234-E252, E282-E285

ANTIOXIDANTS and ACIDITY REGULATORS: E310-E321, E385

THICKENERS, EMULSIFIERS and STABILIZERS: E400-E405, E407, E415-E445, E461-E485, E1103

SWEETENERS: E950-E966

FLAVOR ENHANCERS: E621, E627, E631

ANTI-CAKING AGENTS: E535-E538, E553b

GLAZING AGENTS: E902, E903, E905c, E914, E915

IMPROVERS and BLEACHING AGENTS: E925-E926

OTHERS: E513, E524-E528

This is really terrifying to see how many chemicals are used by manufacturers to make our food or cosmetic products. Reprint this List. Place it in your wallet and have it handy when you go shopping.

Always look for THE NATURAL ALTERNATIVES:

COLORS:

  • E100 Curcumin, turmeric
  • E101 Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
  • E140 Chlorophyllis ans Chlorophyllins
  • E160a Beta-carotene
  • E160d Lycopene
  • E161b Lutein
  • E163 Anthocyanins

PRESERVATIVES:

  • E1105 Lysozyme

ANTIOXIDANTS and ACIDITY REGULATORS:

  • E300 Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C)
  • E301 Sodium ascorbate
  • E303 Calcium ascorbate
  • E303 Potassium ascorbate
  • E322 Lecithin
  • E332 Potassium citrates (i)
  • E333 Calcium citrates (i)
  • E375 Niacin (nicotinic acid), Nicotinamide

THICKENERS, EMULSIFIERS and STABILIZERS:

  • E406 Agar

SWEETENERS:

  • E967 Xylitol

ANTI-CAKING AGENTS:

  • E558 Bentonite

GLAZING AGENTS:

  • E901 Beeswax, white and yellow
  • E908 Rice bran wax
  • E-910 L-cycteine
  • E913 Lanolin, sheep wool grease

IMPROVERS:

  • E920 and E921 L-cysteine

OTHERS:

  • E948 Oxygen

Especially be aware of E239 (hexamethylene tetramine) –preservative–a fungicide that can be found in some cheeses, in herring and mackarel. It may cause cancer and kidney disease. It reduces fertility. Look in my previous post for descriptive information.

E320 (butylated hydroxyanisole, briefly BHA) is another treat to our health. Food manufacturers use this antioxidant as a preservative in margerine, lard, lemon curd, cakes, pastry, gravy powder, mincemeat, horseradish dips, and chewing gum. Bad news: it causes cancer in animals, and raises the levels of harmful fats in our blood.

“Health is wealth. The ‘older you’ will thank you for looking after the ‘younger you’.”

Source: Clean Up Your Diet: The pure food program to cleanse, energize, and revitalize by Max Tomlinson, N.D., Duncan Baird Publishers, London, 2007

Copyright 2009.