Food Additive Controversy

Like any other science, food science with time evolves, and discoveries will come from the research done. People speculate food preservatives are the sole reason for the food to be not healthy for eating. Well, that’s not the case at all. If the food is not good to eat, it means there are other factors, too, not just the presence of food preservatives. On the other hand, as we have already said these 7 most common food preservatives help in a lot of ways in keeping your food preserved and increasing the shelf life.

Excessive consumption of anything is inadequate, as a result, if you are incorporating meals in your daily diet that have lots of food additives, and it doesn’t matter in which form they are present, it is going to hurt your health just like overeating sugar, and salt hurts to your body. 

How Healthy Food Additives Really Are?

Now we have cleared your doubt about the harmful effects. Let’s talk about the bright side of food preservatives.

First, when you add preservatives such as Sodium Benzoate and Sodium Nitrate, it preserves your food and helps you to store it for a longer time.

Secondly, with their help, food-wastage can be reduced, and consumers now have the choice of several ‘travel-friendly’ snacks that don’t spoil as soon as you leave home.

Moreover, food preservatives are cheaper than preserving your food in some other way, as they are widely available. Makes your loaves of bread last longer and help bakers too.

Furthermore, they make sure no bacteria and fungi spread in your food while it is still packed in the can. Thus, it saves you food as well as keeps you from being sick. 

Lastly, they could be a great alternative to your natural sugar and salt, as a result, you can use these additives to reduce your weight and make your blood sugar stable. 

Misconception About Food Additives That Cause Cancer

A common misconception that is now being spread like wildfire is that these additives can cause the growth of cancer cells in your body. Well, we are happy to break this bubble of myth.

As the research stands now, there is no evidence whatsoever, which could be said to be a piece of actual evidence and can back this notion. There are other ways in which food additives, when taken in large quantities, can be harmful to your health. For example, if you are allergic to annatto, which is a natural coloring food additive present naturally. That helps in giving your food the yellow color. It can give you hives. 

Likewise, MSG, when taken in a high amount, can lead you to headaches, nausea, and weakness. All these medical conditions are the same if you take too much natural sugar in your meals. 

When some of them have a complex name, people get confused and think these additives were made in labs. But it’s not correct. Many of these additives are present to us in a natural form, and we can extract them from vegetables and fruits. 

Take a look at some of the additives that are present naturally in Apple, Apple which your doctor recommends you to eat daily. Acetaldehyde, ethanol, ethyl pentanoate, and ethyl-2-methyl butanoate.