This is a nice compact reference for all the times you are shopping and wonder what those mysterious ingredients are in your foods. The reference tells you which ones are safe and which ones will be harmful... An easy way to get educated while you shop or looking through your food pantry to make sure you consume what is safe. --Lisa Jeanne, Walpole, Ma
This little book should be in every food buyer's possession. I highly recommend it. Anyone who takes the responsibility of buying food ... should have this book as a guide. It gives the bottom line of what many of the common chemicals that are used in the processing of our foods do to our bodies. You don't have to be a PhD to understand what's spelled out so well in this pocket size book, you only have to have the courage to follow its inherent message and be well on your way to being healthy again. --Razel
This book is fabulous and every one should not only read it but carry it with them when they shop. --Chelsea Thompson
If you buy packaged foods, you need to read labels more today than ever before! Because of increasing consumer awareness about eating more healthfully, manufacturers are designing food packages to make it look like the food inside the package is healthy. But if you read and interpret the ingredients on the label, there's a very good chance that you'll find that is not the case. Many of the ingredients added to food are harmful. And it's even legal for food manufacturers to add cancer-causing substances to the food they produce.
Almost all packaged foods, even so called "health foods," have additives in them, and many are harmful or inadequately tested. For example: Aspartame, also known as NutraSweet and Equal, breaks down into substances called excititoxins which excite nerve cells in the brain to death. Ninety-two different symptoms from aspartame were reported to the FDA, including headaches, dizziness, seizures, speech and visual impairment, blindness and even death. It can cause symptoms which mimic the symptoms of numerous diseases, including Alzheimer's, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, Gulf War Syndrome and mental illness. Even people who don't experience symptoms can suffer long term damage. Carrageenan, a seaweed derivative often found in "health food" products, is a suspected carcinogen; it may contain hidden MSG. BHT, legal in the U.S. but banned in England, is associated with liver and kidney damage, behavioral problems, infertility, weakened immune system, birth defects and cancer. Brominated vegetable oil (BVO), an ingredient in a popular sports drink, and pediatric electrolyte replacement beverage is considered unsafe by the FDA, but can still lawfully be used until the FDA takes further action. It is linked to major organ system damage, birth defects and growth problems. Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, found in most packaged products, are associated with heart disease, breast and colon cancer, atherosclerosis and elevated cholesterol. MSG is an excitotoxin which can excite nerve cells in the brain to death. Even people who don't experience reactions from consuming MSG can suffer long term damage. MSG can be hidden in many different ingredients, including broth, hydrolyzed protein, barley malt and whey protein. Nitrates and nitrites, powerful cancer-causing agents, are considered dangerous by the FDA, but are not banned because they prevent botulism. These are only a few examples of the many harmful substances legally added to our food.
So, be sure that what you're eating is healthy. With this book, you will discover how quick and easy it is to tell if the food you're buying contains dangerous ingredients. It contains all the information about food additives contained in the previous editions and more, updated information on the safety of the additives, more information on MSG, hidden MSG and free glutamates and new additives, like Olestra, Salatrim, Sucralose and Splenda. It even contains information on the additives, Alitame and Neotame, that are awaiting approval as of this writing.
You can't depend on the FDA or the food manufacturers to make sure the food you buy in the grocery store is safe. It's up to you! Use this book as your constant grocery shopping companion and you'll never again wonder about the safety of the ingredients listed on the package. You'll know.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
