Even though we all try our best to make the healthiest food choices for our family, it\u2019s sometimes difficult to make out exactly what we are serving our loved ones. One of the trickiest parts on a food label that often leaves parents confused are food additives -and we don\u2019t blame you. There are so many of them, and they are often listed as unpronounceable chemicals or undecipherable numbers, so how could anyone be expected to figure out what they really are at first glance?<\/p>\n
Well, for starters, it\u2019s good to have a general idea of what we\u2019re dealing with; food additives are artificially created chemical substances that are frequently used in conventional foods to improve colour, taste, texture, smell and appearance. They\u2019re also used to stabilise product processing and extend shelf life. The consumption of artificial additives, colours and preservatives, however, may end up causing a range of health problems in children – including allergic reactions, respiratory issues and behavioural problems.<\/p>\n
More than 300 food additives are permitted for use in Australia in non-organic processed foods. Some of these additives are particularly nasty and should be avoided at all costs, especially when it comes to kids.<\/p>\n
Most additives, even those that have been cleared for consumption, have various negative effects on our families\u2019 health. According to years of research by food specialists, there are numerous food additive databases online, and even some apps that you can use on your smartphone, which can let you know the potential effects of each additive on any food label.<\/p>\n
Some of the most common effects include asthma, hay fever, behavioural changes, headaches, migraines, skin ailments, tumours and more.<\/p>\n
Artificial colours are added to a very wide variety of food products, some of which are marketed to children, such as lollipops, jellies etc. These substances can be either artificial or natural, however even natural dyes can have adverse effects just as well. They are typically supposed to improve the appearance of products, adding colour and richness to even the palest of the pale. Some examples:<\/p>\n
Quinoline yellow 104<\/strong><\/a> (aka E104): Consumption of this colour additive has been a controversial issue, as it has been linked with hyperactivity and ADHD-like symptoms in kids.<\/p>\n Brilliant blue 133<\/strong><\/a> (aka E133): This particular dye additive is not absorbed by the body easily, so about 95% of the ingested amount is excreted naturally. It can bring forth attacks when eaten by people with pre-existing asthma, and it can also cause allergic reactions.<\/p>\n Yellow 2G 107<\/strong><\/a> (aka E107): This colour additive has been banned in multiple countries. It can cause allergic reactions, especially in people who are allergic to aspirin, and those who suffer from asthma. It can also cause hyperactivity in children.<\/p>\n Preservatives are typically used to extend shelf life and to make food products remain \u2018fresher\u2019 for a longer period of time.<\/p>\n As you can see, these substances are not as innocent as some food manufacturing companies would have us believe.<\/p>\n Managing your family\u2019s (and especially your kids\u2019) meals can be a real challenge, because of the transparency issue concerning food labelling. In order to minimize consumption of harmful additives, you could try the following tips:<\/p>\n Resources:<\/strong><\/p>\n Waking Times<\/a> Even though we all try our best to make the healthiest food choices for our family, it\u2019s sometimes difficult to make out exactly what we are serving our loved ones. One of the trickiest parts on a food label that often leaves parents confused are food additives -and we don\u2019t blame you. There are so…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2149,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"templates\/custom-resources-st.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55,61,54],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2148"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2148"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15551,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2148\/revisions\/15551"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2149"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wholekids.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Natural colours<\/h4>\n
\n
Preservatives \/ Parabens<\/h3>\n
\n
Antioxidants<\/h3>\n
\n
Flavour Enhancers<\/h3>\n
\n
\n
How can we eliminate artificial additives from our family\u2019s diet?<\/h3>\n
\n
\nFood Can Make You Ill<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"