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Acesulfame K
Alginate
Alpha Tocopherol
Artificial And Natural Flavoring
Ascorbic Acid
Aspartame
Beta-Carotene
Brominated Vegetalbe Oil
Butylated Hydroxyanisole
Butylated Hydroxytoluene
Caffeine
Calcium
Sodium
Carrageenan
Casien, Sodium Caseinate
Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate
Cochineal Or Carmine
Corn Syrup
Dextrose
ACESULFAME K
(everyone should avoid)
Artificial sweetener. (Chewing gum, diet soft
drinks, frozen desserts, gelatin, no-sugar-added baked goods, tabletop
sweetener [Sunett].) The only safety tests-poorly done studies conducted
in the 1970?s-indicate that acesulfame K may cause cancer.
Safe:
These appear to be safe, though a few people may be allergic to any single
additive.
Cut back:
These are non toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or unhealthy.
Caution:
These may pose a risk and need to better tested.
Certain People Should Avoid:
These cause allergic or other reactions in some people.
Everyone Should Avoid:
These are unsafe in the amounts consumed or are very poorly tested.
TOP
(safe)
Foam stabilizers, thickening agents. (Beer,
candy, ice cream, yogurt.) Alginate is made from seaweed (kelp) and
thickens dairy products, canned frostings, and other foods. Propylene
glycol alginate thickens acidic foods like salad dressing. It also can
stabilize the foam in beer.
Safe:
These appear to be safe, though a few people may be allergic to any single
additive.
Cut back:
These are non toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or unhealthy.
Caution:
These may pose a risk and need to better tested.
Certain People Should Avoid:
These cause allergic or other reactions in some people.
Everyone Should Avoid:
These are unsafe in the amounts consumed or are very poorly tested.
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(Vitamin E) (Safe)
Antioxidant, nutrient. (Vegetable oil.) Vitamin
E occurs naturally in nuts, whole grains, and oils. Small amounts are
also added to oils to keep them from going rancid.
Safe:
These appear to be safe, though a few people may be allergic to any
single additive.
Cut back:
These are non toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or unhealthy.
Caution:
These may pose a risk and need to better tested.
Certain People Should Avoid:
These cause allergic or other reactions in some people.
Everyone Should Avoid:
These are unsafe in the amounts consumed or are very poorly tested.
TOP
ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL FLAVORING
(certain people should avoid)
Breakfast cereal, candy, gelatin dessert, soda,
many other foods.) Most of the hundreds of chemicals used to mimic
natural flavors also occur in nature and are probably safe. But
flavorings are often used in junk foods to mask the absence of natural
ingredients (often fruit). Flavorings may include additives like MSG or HVP, to which some people are sensitive.
Safe:
These appear to be safe, though a few people may be allergic to any
single additive.
Cut back:
These are non toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or unhealthy.
Caution:
These may pose a risk and need to better tested.
Certain People Should Avoid:
These cause allergic or other reactions in some people.
Everyone Should Avoid:
These are unsafe in the amounts consumed or are very poorly tested.
TOP
ASCORBIC ACID
(Vitamin C) (safe)
Antioxidant, color stabilizer, nutrient. (Cereal,
cured meat, fruit drinks.) It helps maintain the red color of luncheon
meats and other cured foods, and it prevents the formation of
cancer-promoting nitrosamines (see Sodium Nitrite). Vitamin C is also
used to pump up the vitamin content of many foods, including ,fruit,
drinks. Sodium ascorbate is a form of ascorbic acid that dissolves
easily. Erythorbic acid is similar to ascorbic acid, but it has no value
as a vitamin.
Safe:
These appear to be safe, though a few people may be allergic to any
single additive.
Cut back:
These are non toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or unhealthy.
Caution:
These may pose a risk and need to better tested.
Certain People Should Avoid:
These cause allergic or other reactions in some people.
Everyone Should Avoid:
These are unsafe in the amounts consumed or are very poorly tested.
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ASPARTAME
(Nutrasweet)
(caution, certain people should avoid)
Artificial sweetener. (Diet foods like drink
mixes, frozen desserts, no-sugar-added gelatin, and soft drinks;
tabletop sweetener [Equal].) Some of its cancer tests raised questions
and should be repeated. Some people report dizziness, hallucinations, or
headaches after drinking diet soda, but controlled studies haven't
confirmed a link. If you think you react to aspartame-or if you have the
rare disease PKU (phenylketonuria)-avoid it.
Safe:
These appear to be safe, though a few people may be allergic to any
single additive.
Cut back:
These are non toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or unhealthy.
Caution:
These may pose a risk and need to better tested.
Certain People Should Avoid:
These cause allergic or other reactions in some people.
Everyone Should Avoid:
These are unsafe in the amounts consumed or are very poorly tested.
BETA-CAROTENE
(safe)
Coloring, nutrient. (Coffee creamer, margarine.)
It's an orange pigment that the body converts into vitamin A. In two
studies, large doses of beta-carotene supplements increased the risk of
lung cancer in smokers. . .and didn't reduce cancer risk in non-smokers.
Smokers shouldn't take high-dose beta-carotene supplements, but the
small amounts added to food are safe.
Safe:
These appear to be safe, though a few people may be allergic to any
single additive.
Cut back:
These are non toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or unhealthy.
Caution:
These may pose a risk and need to better tested.
Certain People Should Avoid:
These cause allergic or other reactions in some people.
Everyone Should Avoid:
These are unsafe in the amounts consumed or are very poorly tested.
TOP
BROMINATED VEGETABLE OIL
(BVO) (caution)
Clouding agent, emulsifier. (Soft drinks.) It's
occasionally used to keep flavor oils in suspension and give a cloudy
appearance to citrus-flavored soft drinks. Small residues of BVO remain
in body fat, but it's unclear whether they pose any risk.
Safe:
These appear to be safe, though a few people may be allergic to any
single additive.
Cut back:
These are non toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or unhealthy.
Caution:
These may pose a risk and need to better tested.
Certain People Should Avoid:
These cause allergic or other reactions in some people.
Everyone Should Avoid:
These are unsafe in the amounts consumed or are very poorly tested.
TOP
BUTYLATED HYDROXYANISOLE
(BHA) (caution)
Antioxidant. (Cereal packaging, chewing gum, oil,
potato chips.) It retards the rancidity in fats, oils, and foods that
contain oil. While most research indicates that BHA is safe, it
increased the risk of cancer in some rat studies.
Safe:
These appear to be safe, though a few people may be allergic to any
single additive.
Cut back:
These are non toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or unhealthy.
Caution:
These may pose a risk and need to better tested.
Certain People Should Avoid:
These cause allergic or other reactions in some people.
Everyone Should Avoid:
These are unsafe in the amounts consumed or are very poorly tested.
TOP
(BHT) (caution)
Antioxidant. (Cereal, chewing gum, oil, potato
chips.) It keeps oils from going rancid. In some animal studies it
increased the risk of cancer; in others it decreased the risk.
Safe:
These appear to be safe, though a few people may be allergic to any
single additive.
Cut back:
These are non toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or unhealthy.
Caution:
These may pose a risk and need to better tested.
Certain People Should Avoid:
These cause allergic or other reactions in some people.
Everyone Should Avoid:
These are unsafe in the amounts consumed or are very poorly tested.
TOP
(cut back)
Flavoring, stimulant. (Added to soft drinks and
water. Naturally occurring in cocoa, coffee, coffee-flavored yogurt and
frozen deserts, tea.) It's mildly addictive and can cause insomnia and
jitteriness. Many coffee drinkers experience headaches, irritability,
sleepiness, and other withdrawal symptoms when they go cold turkey.
Because caffeine increases the risk of miscarriages (and possibly birth
defects) and inhibits fetal growth, women who are pregnant or
considering becoming pregnant should avoid it. Caffeine also may make it
harder to get pregnant.
Safe:
These appear to be safe, though a few people may be allergic to any
single additive.
Cut back:
These are non toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or unhealthy.
Caution:
These may pose a risk and need to better tested.
Certain People Should Avoid:
These cause allergic or other reactions in some people.
Everyone Should Avoid:
These are unsafe in the amounts consumed or are very poorly tested.
TOP
(or Sodium) Propionate (safe)
Preservative. (Bread, cake, pies, rolls.) It
prevents the growth of mold on bread and rolls. The calcium is good for
you and the propionate is safe. Sodium propionate, which is also safe,
is used in pies and cakes, because calcium interferes with chemical
leavening agents.
Safe:
These appear to be safe, though a few people may be allergic to any
single additive.
Cut back:
These are non toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or unhealthy.
Caution:
These may pose a risk and need to better tested.
Certain People Should Avoid:
These cause allergic or other reactions in some people.
Everyone Should Avoid:
These are unsafe in the amounts consumed or are very poorly tested.
TOP
Stearoyl Lactylate or Sodium Stearoyl Fumarate (safe)
Dough conditioner, whipping agent. (Artificial
whipped cream, bread dough, cake filling, processed egg whites.) They
strengthen bread dough so that it can be used in bread-making machinery.
They help produce a more uniform grain and greater bread volume. And
they act as whipping agents in dried, liquid, or frozen egg whites and
artificial whipped cream.
Safe:
These appear to be safe, though a few people may be allergic to any
single additive.
Cut back:
These are non toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or unhealthy.
Caution:
These may pose a risk and need to better tested.
Certain People Should Avoid:
These cause allergic or other reactions in some people.
Everyone Should Avoid:
These are unsafe in the amounts consumed or are very poorly tested.
TOP
(safe)
Stabilizing and thickening agent. (Chocolate milk,
cottage cheese, ice cream, infant formula, jelly.) It comes from
seaweed. Large amounts have damaged the colons of test animals, though
the small amount in food is safe.
Safe:
These appear to be safe, though a few people may be allergic to any
single additive.
Cut back:
These are non toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or unhealthy.
Caution:
These may pose a risk and need to better tested.
Certain People Should Avoid:
These cause allergic or other reactions in some people.
Everyone Should Avoid:
These are unsafe in the amounts consumed or are very poorly tested.
TOP
(safe)
Thickening and whitening agent. (Coffee creamer,
ice cream, ice milk, sherbet.) Casein is the principal protein in milk.
Safe:
These appear to be safe, though a few people may be allergic to any
single additive.
Cut back:
These are non toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or unhealthy.
Caution:
These may pose a risk and need to better tested.
Certain People Should Avoid:
These cause allergic or other reactions in some people.
Everyone Should Avoid:
These are unsafe in the amounts consumed or are very poorly tested.
TOP
(safe)
Acid, chelating agent, flavoring. (Candy,
carbonated beverages, fruit drinks, ice cream, instant potatoes,
sherbet.) Citric Acid is used as a tart flavoring and an antioxidant.
Sodium citrate is a buffer that controls the acidity of gelatin
desserts, jams, ice creams, candies, and other foods.
Safe:
These appear to be safe, though a few people may be allergic to any
single additive.
Cut back:
These are non toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or unhealthy.
Caution:
These may pose a risk and need to better tested.
Certain People Should Avoid:
These cause allergic or other reactions in some people.
Everyone Should Avoid:
These are unsafe in the amounts consumed or are very poorly tested.
TOP
(certain people should avoid)
Artificial coloring. (Beverages, candy, ice cream,
yogurt.) Cochineal extract is a coloring made from the dried and
pulverized bodies of insects. Carmine is a more purified coloring made
from cochineal. Both have caused allergic reactions that range from
hives to life-threatening anaphylactic shock.
Safe:
These appear to be safe, though a few people may be allergic to any
single additive.
Cut back:
These are non toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or unhealthy.
Caution:
These may pose a risk and need to better tested.
Certain People Should Avoid:
These cause allergic or other reactions in some people.
Everyone Should Avoid:
These are unsafe in the amounts consumed or are very poorly tested.
TOP
(cut back)
Sweetener, thickener. (Beverages, cake, candy,
cereal, cookies, snack food, syrup, yogurt.) Corn syrup-which consists
mostly of dextrose- is a sweet thick liquid made by treating cornstarch
with acids or enzymes. It is sometimes dried and used as corn syrup
solids in coffee creamers and other dried foods. It contains no
nutritional value other than calories, it promotes tooth decay, and it
is used mainly in foods with little nutritional value.
Safe:
These appear to be safe, though a few people may be allergic to any
single additive.
Cut back:
These are non toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or unhealthy.
Caution:
These may pose a risk and need to better tested.
Certain People Should Avoid:
These cause allergic or other reactions in some people.
Everyone Should Avoid:
These are unsafe in the amounts consumed or are very poorly tested.
TOP
(Glucose, Corn Sugar) (cut back)
Sweetener, coloring agent. (Bread, caramel,
cookies, soda pop.) Dextrose is a natural sugar that's found in fruit
and honey. But it just means empty calories and tooth decay when it's
added to foods as a sweetener.
Safe:
These appear to be safe, though a few people may be allergic to any
single additive.
Cut back:
These are non toxic, but large amounts may be unsafe or unhealthy.
Caution:
These may pose a risk and need to better tested.
Certain People Should Avoid:
These cause allergic or other reactions in some people.
Everyone Should Avoid:
These are unsafe in the amounts consumed or are very poorly tested.
TOP
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