Are these dangerous additives lurking in your home?

I honestly don’t know why the very organizations designed to protect us move so slowly. Are they really such big ships?

And if they are, shouldn’t they be the first to recognize what a problem this is?

The public’s health is at stake… and if these organizations can’t move as quickly as the data, then something needs to change, or else they’re essentially killing people.

Here’s why I’m bringing this up today: Until recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) failed to speak up about the dangerous effects food additives are having on the physical and cognitive health of American children.

And why the urgency now? Well, I’m glad you asked…

How “safe” additives are killing our kids

This country’s regulations to protect public health have some serious flaws. And frankly, they’ve been screaming for reform for decades now.

Take the FDA’s Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) system, for starters. This is the process that additives go through in order to gain entry into the American food supply.

But the problem is that it doesn’t really work the way that it’s supposed to.

Most notably, it doesn’t protect against conflicts of interest when it comes to testing and industry-supplied research (some of which may contain manipulated data), which the FDA leans on for its stamps of approval. This means they basically hold companies to an honor code when they claim their products are harmless.

Clearly, it’s a business-friendly “safety” system. (And what else would you expect from the FDA?)

Shockingly, a lot of the added chemicals in our food supply haven’t been tested at all. Much less for their potential impact on the brain and endocrine system — two areas especially relevant to childhood health.

That’s because kids are naturally more vulnerable to these toxic compounds. They’re smaller and still growing, and their developing organ systems can be affected more easily. According to the AAP’s latest technical report, this results in a staggering list of serious potential problems.

We now know that common food additives promote obesity, suppress immunity, and impact the heart health of our children. And they’re everywhere.

Six chemicals to keep out of your kitchen

There are two types of additives:

Direct additives (as the name suggests) refer to food colorings, flavorings, and preservatives that are directly added to processed food.

Indirect additives cover substances in packaging that come into contact with food.

I’ve sounded the alarm over most of these here before. But there are six types of additives that are particularly dangerous:

  • Bisphenols, like BPA and its possibly worse replacement, BPS. These chemicals are linked to obesity, early puberty, reduced fertility, and neurological and immune system impairments.
  • Phthalates, which you’ll find in plastic wrap and containers. These fuel obesity and insulin resistance in children. Also, they have negative effects on male sexual development and could pave the way to heart disease. Additionally, they’ve also been linked to the development of diabetes.
  • Perfluoroalkyl chemicals, which you’ll find in greaseproof and cardboard packaging. These bad boys suppress immunity, impair thyroid function, and lower birth weight.
  • Perchlorate, another common plastic chemical, disrupts thyroid function and impacts brain health. It’s also a suspected culprit behind the hypothyroid epidemic.
  • Nitrates and nitrites, which are common additives in cured and processed meats, like bacon and hot dogs. Not to mention, they’re also classified carcinogens.
  • Artificial food coloring, like the notorious “red dye” you’ll find in juice drinks. These are directly implicated in issues like attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Needless to say, I’m happy to see that the AAP has finally climbed out from under that rock where they’ve been living. But the sad fact is that their warnings are a day late and a dollar short.

And if it took them this long to blow the whistle, you can imagine how much longer it will take for any meaningful policy changes to follow. Which means that, as usual, it’s up to you to take action.

Whatever you do, don’t microwave food or drinks in plastic containers. Avoid putting plastics in the dishwasher, too. The heat causes more chemicals to leach.

Specifically, steer clear of plastics with recycling codes 3 (phthalates), 6 (styrene), and 7 (bisphenols). So-called “biobased” plastics or “greenware” are made from corn, and don’t feature bisphenols. But if you want my advice?

Keep all plastics out of your kitchen. And steer clear of packaged, processed groceries altogether, whenever humanly possible. Real food doesn’t require a wrapper. And the added convenience it offers simply isn’t worth the price that you — and your children — will pay for it.

After you’ve banished all plastics from your kitchen, you might want to consider clearing your body of any lingering toxins as well. In fact, I’ve touched on the benefits of detoxing in both The A-List Diet, and my monthly Logical Health Alternatives newsletter — like in my July 2015 issue (“A sweet, simple solution for clearing toxins from your brain”).

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Source:

medscape.com/viewarticle/899660


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