Did you know about the top 10 additives in foods that you might want to avoid in your child’s diet?

On one of my recent visits to the supermarket, I realized that my cart had more processed food in it than the quantity I had planned to take. I quickly replaced some of the products back on to their respective shelves, but hesitated with most of them. I soon realized how dependant I was on processed food and wondered how it could be affecting my children’s health. It is almost impossible to avoid using processed foods today mostly due to the convenience and taste they provide. Our kitchens are stacked with food items from ketchups, to biscuits, pickles, fruit juices. Before I use any of the processed foods, I tend to read the label and not surprisingly, do not understand what most of the ingredients mean or where they come from. On a deeper thought, I realised that most of these ‘ready’ foods are targeted at children and more often than not perhaps, we do not realise the value of actual content that we may be indulging our children with and its effect on their mental and physical health. 

The Important question that arose in my mind was - Could the additives in the foods cause a child to behave differently?

Why do foods contain preservatives or additives? And, do these additives add any value to the food?

Food additives have been used for centuries to add colour, flavour and prolong shelf life. Nowadays, foods are processed to ease packaging and storage. But do the additives add any value to the food? Preservation of food has come a long way from simple methods such as salting, smoking and pickling. Now most packed foods contain artificial colours and flavours, which if consumed on a regular basis, could have adverse effect on the health and NO, these additives do not enhance the value of the foods in any way…

Which are the common additives and preservatives used?

Food additives are number coded for easier identification. These additives are recognized internationally- INS or International Numbering System( Some of the additives are banned in some countries).

The following are the categories:

• INS 100 - 199 : Colours

• INS 200 - 299: Preservatives

• INS 300 - 399: Acidity regulators, Anti Oxidants and Mineral Salts

• INS 400 – 499: Thickeners, Stabilizers and Emulsifiers

• INS 500 – 599 : pH regulators and Anti Caking agents

• INS 600 – 699 : Flavour Enhancers

• INS 700 – 799: Antibiotics

• INS 900 – 999: Miscellaneous (Improving agents, foaming gases, waxes etc)

• INS 1100 – 1599 : Additional chemicals (new chemicals) Some of the additives are naturally extracted and are considered safe if consumed.

On the other hand, some additives are chemical based and are banned in a few countries.

The 10 additives one may want to avoid:

1. ARTIFICIAL SWEETNERS: Aspartame (INS 951) found commonly in sweeteners such as Sugarfree and Equal is usually added in ‘diet’ or ‘sugar free’ products. Consumption of Aspartame in moderation (amount found in medication) is considered safe for children. However, diet drinks contain twice the recommended amount and is considered unsafe for children.

Found in: Diet carbonated drinks (Coke Zero, Diet Pepsi, Sugar free gums, Sugar free desserts and jello.

2. CORN SYRUP: This is a highly refined artificial sweetener found in almost all processed foods. They add on the weight faster than any other ingredient, increases the chances of diabetes.

Found in: Bread, Canned Vegetables, Candies and flavoured Yoghurt.

3. MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE (MSG/ INS621): MSG is found in soups, salad dressings, chips and some frozen food. Regular consumption of MSG may cause eye damage, fatigue, headaches and obesity among other conditions.

Found in: Chinese food, chips, cookies, some packaged frozen food.

4. BUTALATED HYDROXYANISOLE (BHA) and BUTALATED HYDROZYTTOLUENE (BHT) INS320: This preservative is added to prevent food from changing colour, flavour or getting rancid.

Found in: Potato Chips, Cereals, Chewing Gum, Candies

5. POTASSIUM NITRITE (INS249): Used as preservatives mostly for meat. They add the red colour to meat, thus even old, dried meat can look fresh and healthy with the addition of this preservative. This preservative should not be present in food products for infants and young children.

Found in: Hotdogs, Bacon, Cured Meat, Smoked Fish and any type of processed meat.

6. SODIUM SULFITE (INS221): Found in most processed foods, this preservative is known to cause breathing problems such as asthma.

Found in: Dried Fruits

7. TRANS FAT: Trans Fat is among the most dangerous preservative. It is used to prolong shelf life of products and commonly found in deep fried fast foods, food made with margarine or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Trans Fat increases the risk of heart diseases. Hence children as young as 3 to 4 years, who consume a steady diet of fast food, ready to fry food, cakes, cookies, candies and microwave popcorns can be expected to get heart diseases earlier than children who rarely consume the above products. This type of fat is an artificial fat and is stiffer and harder than normal fat. This fat can gradually clog the arteries leading to the risk of heart attack and strokes.

Found in: Cakes, cookies, biscuits, popcorns.

8. SULPHUR DIOXIDE (INS220): The most common use of sulphur dioxide is to spray it on fresh fruits and vegetables to prevent it from browning. Long term exposure to this type of preservative may increase the chances of asthma, bronchitis or conductivities. Children who have a predisposition to any of the above conditions should avoid foods with this preservative completely.

Found in: Fruit juices, Dried Fruits, Jaggery.

9. POTASSIUM BROMATE (INS924): This preservative is commonly found in bread as it is used to improve the quality of the flour and allow high rising of the bread. When used is the correct quantity, this oxidising agent gets completely used up in the baking process. However, if too much is added or the bread is not completely baked or not baked at the correct temperature, the residual amount may remain which can be harmful if consumed. This preservative is a known carcinogen. You may avoid breads or baked goods with the term ‘enriched flour’ in their label.

Found in: Breads loafs, Bread Rolls.

10. Common Food Dyes: Artificial food colouring found in soft drinks, popcorn, fruit juices, hot dogs and frozen peas are known to contribute to behavioural problems in children such as hyperactivity or ADHD, trigger allergic reactions, cause asthma and may even lead to a significant reduction in IQ.

The colours that may be avoided completely are:

• Blue #1 and Blue #2 (INS133): Commonly found in candies, cereals and pet foods.

• Red dye #3 and Red dye #40 (INS124): This dye is found in canned cherries, fruit cocktails, ice creams and many bakery products.

• Yellow #6 (INS110) and Yellow Tartrazine (INS102): Found in bakery products, jams, jellies, soft drinks, chewing gums, popcorn and potato chips to name a few.

Ways in which you could minimize or eliminate preservatives in your child’s diet?

Convenience foods have become a way of life now. However, there are ways to minimize or eliminate preservatives from your family’s diet altogether. Here are a few tips:

• Learn the names of the most common preservatives: Some additives and preservatives such as citric acid, sulphur dioxide, nitrates and nitrites commonly appear in a wide variety of food. Getting familiar with the names of some of these preservatives will make it easier for you to avoid products containing those preservatives as ingredients.

• Go Organic: You may include organic produce to cut out preservatives completely.

• Buy fresh produce: Instead of buying frozen peas, buy fresh peas; substitute canned tomatoes and fruits with fresh ones; reduce or eliminate sausages or other prepared meats such as burgers. Doing this will bring a healthy change in the diet of your family and also reduce the time in reading labels.

• Choose products with natural preservatives: Natural preservatives have been helping humans preserve food since ancient times.

Some of the commonly used natural preservatives and additives are:

1. Citric Acid found in lemon juice.

2. Acetic Acid found in Vinegar

3. Sugar: Sugar preserves food by absorbing the excess water. Sugar is commonly used to preserve jams, jellies, sweet pickles and marmalade.

4. Salt: Salt also absorbs excess water from the food and helps it stay fresh for longer. Fish and meat are commonly treated with salt to prevent spoilage.

5. Oil: Oil reduces oxidation in food and prevents it from spoiling.

6. Spices: Spices contain antioxidants, which retard the growth of microorganisms by reducing oxidation in the food. The common spices which assist in food preservation are cinnamon, cloves, mustard, saffron etc.

 “We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are.” ~ Adelle Davis