Healthy living is a necessity and a goal almost everyone seeks to achieve. What to eat, what not to eat seems to change every week. When reading health tips from various sources, it may not be easy to decipher what to keep out of your diet, but some food additives have a record of being detrimental to one’s health.
Health Tips: Food Additives to Avoid
Your journey to staying healthy depends on the amount, quality, and type of food you eat. You need to give your body what it needs instead of what it wants, but for that to happen, chemicals such as artificial flavors and corn syrup should be avoided. Here’s what you should know about these food additives.
Artificial Coloring
Colors play a significant role in sales. That’s why you’ll find kids and even adults clamoring for very colorful confections. These candies and treats contain lots of sugar and coloring. The real problem is with the food dyes (artificial color) that are used in these products. Seven different food dyes can cause behavioral problems in children and make them hyperactive. These dyes include yellow 6, Green 3, blue 1, red 3, yellow 5, blue 2, and red 40. Some of the severe problems with yellow 6 include kidney tumors and adrenal. While blue 2 has been traced to brain tumors in mice. Food dyes have also been shown to increase the risk for poor digestion, eczema, body aches, and other neurological problems.
Corn Syrup
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is an artificial sugar that’s derived from corn. Although HFCS is not the only sugar responsible for obesity, it increases the time your body needs to break down food and convert it to energy, thereby causing increased body weight. If the foods you crave contain this form of sugar, work to reduce those foods or eliminate them from your diet. It’s terrible for you, as it also increases inflammation in your body, linked to chronic health problems like cancer. This sweetener is so pervasive in American processed foods it takes vigilance to select products that don’t contain it, but the health benefits are worth the work.
Preston Chiropractic and Acupuncture
Choosing the right food will have a positive impact on your overall health. By sticking with these health tips, you’ll improve your overall health, and if you need more help with your diet, you can contact Preston Chiropractic and Acupuncture at 919-238-5040 and set up an appointment.