Anita Marlay
LocalOzarks Nutritionist

The food we eat often contains additives that may be used to help prevent spoilage, make it look more attractive, enhance the flavor, or reduce calories. But how safe are these additives? Although food additives must undergo testing and receive approval by the FDA before manufacturers can use them, this doesn’t ensure that they are safe for unlimited consumption. This is a list of food additives recommended to be avoided by the CSPI  (Center for Science in the Public Interest) due to poor testing, insufficient evidence, or otherwise deemed just not worth the risk.

Acesulfame K: This is an artificial sweetener 200 times sweeter than sugar. It is found in more than 5000 foods like diet sodas and no-added-sugar ice creams. It is often used together with other noncaloric sweeteners. Safety tests in animals showed an increased risk of breast and lung cancers.
Blue #2: This coloring is most often used in beverages, candy, and pet foods. Animal studies revealed some evidence of brain cancer development.
Yellow #5: This is the second most widely used food coloring. Its use has been linked to allergy-like symptoms in some people as well as hyperactivity in kids.
Aspartame:  Complaints concerning side effects from this noncaloric sweetener top the list of calls to the FDA. Some consumers report headaches, dizziness, and memory loss. The real concern, in my opinion, is that lifelong consumption and safe thresholds haven’t been studied, yet we give this artificial sweetener freely to our kids.
BHA: This is a petroleum based antioxidant that retards rancidity in fats and oils. The USDA acknowledges that it is reasonable to consider BHA to be a human carcinogen. Found in some cereals.
Caramel Coloring: This artificial coloring is made by heating sugars, sometimes with the addition of ammonia. Ammonia is a known carcinogen. Unfortunately, you can’t tell by the label how the caramel coloring was made. This coloring is found in colas and soy sauce. This was in the news recently and Pepsi and Coke announced changes to their formulations to include using caramel colorings made without ammonia.
Olestra: This is a fat substitute that contributes 0 calories simply because our bodies can’t break it down and so it passes on out of our system.  Unfortunately, a side effect of this reaction is diarrhea. Fake fats also interfere with the absorption of some important nutrients.  Since this is often used in high fat junk foods, it makes more sense just to limit how much of the regular-fat foods you consume.
Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils: (AKA Trans Fat).  This is a fat manufactured by forcing hydrogen molecules into a liquid fat. What this does is make that fat solid and more stable. Studies show that a diet high in trans fats increases the risk for heart disease.  Although nutrition labels have been required to list trans fat since 2006, this isn’t always reliable. Look for, and avoid, any foods that contain partially hydrogenated oils in the ingredient list. This fat is still used in some restaurants as well.
Nitrites: A curing substance used in processed meats like hot dogs, bacon, cold cuts, nitrites have been found to breakdown into a substance that can cause cancer.
Saccharin: Saccharin has long been linked to bladder tumors. You may remember that foods containing saccharin used to carry a warning label, but since 2000, that label is no longer required. This doesn’t mean that saccharin is now safe to use without limits.
Propyl Gallate: This is an antioxidant preservative that retards the spoilage of fat. It is found in things like vegetable oils, mayonnaises, snack foods, and even in personal care products like make-up and bath products. Propyl gallate can cause some adverse reactions like skin irritations and breathing difficulties. People with asthma should definitely avoid this one.
Potassium Bromate: This is sometimes added to breads to help increase volume. Bromate has been shown to cause cancer in animals. Potassium bromate has been banned in several European countries andCanada.California has declared bromate a carcinogen and any baked goods sold inCalifornia that contain this substance have to have a cancer warning label.
MSG: MSG is frequently used in restaurants and some processed foods to enhance the savory qualities of the food or to tenderize meats.  People sensitive to MSG may experience headaches, nausea, chest pain, or weakness. Even if you are not sensitive to it, you should avoid it. MSG is very high in sodium.

Granted, some of the additives to our foods are necessary to keep the food safe; others add valuable nutrients to the foods. But the ones listed above are considered to be the most dangerous additives and should be limited or avoided if at all possible. Remember, if you can’t pronounce it, you probably shouldn’t eat it.