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When I read this article, I needed to write about it.. The article details 13 chemical additives found in foods sold in the US, some of which are incredibly common, why they are bad for you health, and what types of foods they can be found in. Just one more reason why I try to live by the rule of “If I can’t pronounce it, I’m not going to buy it.” It works well now that I know how to pronounce “quinoa.” Reading about BHA and BHT was kinda disappointing, as many foods with otherwise good ingredients have one of those preservatives in them. Ah well. I’ll just have to eat Triscuits (as opposed to Mini Wheats, which I just learned have BHT) and make my own granola and nut mixes. Oh wait, I already do that.

It is hard to live by these healthy eating rules sometimes. You can’t trust anything if you don’t read the ingredient label on everything you eat, which makes eating food prepared by other people difficult. And not everyone understands the desire to avoid these chemicals. Someone will ask if I can eat something, and often it is much easier to rely on my nightshade sensitivity (“Oh, sorry, these breadcrumbs have paprika in them” or “This has ‘spices’ – I don’t know what that is”) than to convince them that I don’t want to eat that long ingredients list.

But these ingredients cannot be ignored. I’m not saying never eat them again. “Cheating” happens to the best of us and you cannot control what is available for you to eat 100% of the time. Well, you can, but it is pretty darn stressful and exhausting. But people need to be aware of what we are putting into our bodies (and the environment). No wonder there are so many health issues, both diagnosed and just chronic not feeling great. The more we educate ourselves about harmful foods using articles like the one above, the better we will be able to nourish ourselves with real, good food. And the more we do that, the healthier we will be and the better we will feel.

I think that is worth a little extra effort in the grocery store and in the kitchen!

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