Additives in food
Maybe you haven't given much thought to the fact that the food you eat every day has been sprayed with chemicals and are full of artificial colour, stabilizers, preservatives as well as other chemical substances and trans fats. The human body can not process many of these substances and this creates an imbalance in your body that could eventually make you sick.
E100-group: dyes
Some hypersensitive people experience side effects such as hyperactivity, allergies, asthma and hay fever. In addition, dyes affect the immune system negatively.
E200-group: preservatives
Preservatives are the additives that cause most allergies. The increase in allergies and asthma correspond to the increase of preservatives in our food.
E400-group (including E1404-1451): emulsifiers, and thickeners
Negative symptoms include retaining water , usually on the face, hands, legs, feet and toes. Some people experience a very strong allergic reaction such as itching of the mouth and throat, and/or diarrhea.
Glutamate (E620 OR E640) is a flavor enhancer that we should all be happy if we were to be rid of. It's there just to hide the bad ingredients. In large doses glutamate can act as a neurotoxin and can cause headaches, sweating and nausea in sensitive people. Animal testing has brought to light serious side effects: vision problems, obesity and various behavioral changes. MSG is the most dangerous glutamate of them all and you should try to avoid it whenever possible. MSG is often found in Asian food and food with poor ingredients that would not be considered eatable without it.
E938-E948: packaging gas
Packaging gas act as a kind of preservation of, among other other things, packaged meat for it to keep from turning gray as meat naturally do in oxygen. It is usually labeled "packed in protective atmosphere" or "modified atmosphere" instead of "gassed meat". Avoid it! Buy your meat at the counter, then you will usually get fresher meat.
E950-E967: sweeteners
Sweeteners can be divided into different groups - sugar, sugar alcohols and other natural and synthetic compounds that provide a sweet taste. Today, there is sugar in almost all the food we eat, from sandwiches and hot dogs to ready meals, muesli, soup, etc. Sweeteners are flavor enhancers that increase your appetite and thus makes you eat more. Therefore, it is not much better to replace soft drinks, chips and candy with "light" variations - it is best to abstain completely. We are so accustomed to these sweeteners that we really do not know what "natural" food tastes like anymore.
I've removed all e-substances from my diet and subsequently lost 23 kg between February 2010 and June 2010! It actually feels quite surreal..!
I bake my own bread (there are a few E-free breads on the market but I like rustic and dark bread with seeds and therefore bake myself), I do all the cooking from scratch and I never buy any semi finished or finished products. I make my own salsa instead of buying ready made. If a recipe requires mayonnaise - I make it myself as well as my own marinades and sauces. I discovered quite quickly that the E-substances can found in everything! Flavor enhancers such as sugar/colors/flavors are in dry spices, ham, salad dressings and so on. There are sauces & glace full of thickeners/flavor enhancers/dyes ...the list is endless and to be honest, quite scary.
After just one month I got rid of my asthma and my allergies! Before I had big problems with my health. I could wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to breathe and I experienced allergic reactions to different foods such as itching and burning in my mouth and throat and mu tongue and throat would swell up. I had severe pollen allergies and was allergic to animals. But now I don't experience any of this. I don't take any medicines anymore.
It may sound like a lot of work to make everything from scratch, but I must say that it is not even half as hard as being unable to breathe, to be sick all the time and not able to do what I want. With asthma away, it is much easier to move and I enjoy trying out new things. :)
