Nutritional Labels: Harmful Ingredients to Look For

How many times have you referred to the nutritional label on everyday products only to find yourself shocked and confused? There are dozens of additives such as artificial flavors, preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners and other chemicals placed in foods, and have been for decades. What's worse is most often you can't even pronounce these ingredients - so why would you put them in your body? To ensure you're choosing the healthiest foods and avoiding the most harmful ones, keep your eye out for the following ingredients: 1. Artificial Flavoring Artificial flavoring is essentially a chemical that's added to foods to enrich or enhance an existing flavor. They're added to most foods, unless it's bluntly stated otherwise. Consuming artificial flavoring can be harmful to your health, resulting in conditions such as neurotoxicity, organ, developmental and reproductive toxicity or even cancer, according to Waking Times. 2. Monosodium Glutamate More commonly recognized as MSG, this additive is often hidden behind names like natural flavoring, yeast extract, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, caseinate and textured protein. It offers no nutritional benefit, and may be linked to neurological disorders like migraines and seizures. 3. Potassium Benzoate Professor Peter Piper, an expert in molecular biology and biotechnology, told Waking Times that benzoate can damage the important control center in DNA. "These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: They knock it out altogether," he said. Potassium benzoate can be found in syrups, jams, pickles and olives. If you want to purchase these products, you're better off finding organic options from your local farmer or canning expert. 4. All Preservatives Preservatives are used to increase a product's shelf life, turning once "natural" products into something far from it. Look for butylated hydroxyanisole, tertiary-butyl hydroquinone, sodium nitrate and azodicarbonamide on your nutrition labels, as these ingredients pose multiple health risks such as neurological problems, nausea, hyperactivity, asthma, allergies and certain cancers, according to Dr. Mercola. Prioritize Wholesome Foods! What's the easiest way to avoid these harmful ingredients? Stop eating packaged products! Sometimes, even the boxes labeled "healthy" or "organic" could be hiding something. When you prioritize fresh, wholesome foods that don't require a nutrition label, you can rest assured that you're not consuming harmful additives or chemicals - as long as the foods were grown in pesticide-free soil, that is. To ensure you avoid harsh ingredients and additives, buy produce and organic whole grains from your trusted local farmer. Discuss how he or she plants and maintains fruits and vegetables to get a better understanding of how your produce is nurtured. As always, we recommend following a primarily raw, plant-based diet that's free of refined sugars, processed foods and chemical additives. To best avoid such harmful ingredients, choose label-free produce from your farmer's market. Join us on the path to better health today by trusting in the raw, natural sustenance God provided, and intended for us, all along.