Do you really know what you eat?

One of the basic rules when you decide to start a healthy lifestyle is to know what you eat. You have to learn about what you have to avoid and also what is good for your health. In our days it is very difficult to eat 100% healthy because as you all know even some vegetables and fruits may be dangerous for our health considering the large amount of pesticides that are being used. What we can do is to learn how to avoid this, how to choose right and ALWAYS read the ingredients.

Now, I'm sure that you have heard about E numbers which are food additives. You'll have to remember some because most of them can be a real threat to your health. What you'll need to know is the really bad ones; I did some research and made a list for you. Hope it will help!

 E 951 - Aspartame - I'm sure that you have heard of this little devil, not so little actually because it is used worldwide as a sugar substitute. We can find it in many sweets and even chewing gum. The dangers of consuming aspartame sweetened foods is that in time it will cause migraines, cerebral spasms, obesity, insomnia, memory problems, fatigue, brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, diabetes and even Alzheimer. Is this list of diseases long enough for you to stop eating foods that contain Aspartame? I sure hope so!

E 621 (Monosodiumglutamate) - This is one of the most carcinogenic substances and unfortunately it is used worldwide in many foods. It is a flavor enhancing agent found in dairy products, spices, concentrated soups, meat and well mostly everything! It is one of the main causes of Alzheimer and studies showed that its regular consumption causes cancerous tumors.

E 555 (Potassium aluminum silicate) - It is used in salt, powdered milk and flour. Although it is known aluminum is the cause of placenta problems during pregnancy and it is associated with Alzheimer disease, it is still used as an anti-caking agent.

E 210 (benzoic acid) - Added in alcoholic beverages, bakery products, cheese, spices and sweets it may cause asthma crises, hyperacidity to children and it has been associated with cancer.

E 211 (sodium benzoate)- This is used as an antiseptic, preservative and it is also added in sodas which contain a very high amount up to 25mg/250ml. This is also found in dairy products, meat, sweets and drugs. It causes allergies and aggravates asthma and it is considered a carcinogen.  

E 250 (sodium nitrate) - It is used as a color stabilizer and preservative and it is found in meat products ( without it hot dogs and ham would have a disgusting grey-ish color). Therefore meat consumption causes in time the accumulation of sodium nitrate in the body which is a carcinogen.

E 132 (indigotine) - Indigotine is a colorant which can be found in ice-creams, sweets, pastry and biscuits, giving them an unnatural blue color. This may cause nausea, hypertension, allergies and respiratory diseases.

E 312 (Dodecyl gallate) - This is used as an anti-oxidant in fatty products, it is especially added to prevent rancidity. It may cause gastric problems and dermatological diseases. It is found in margarine, refined oils, sauces.

E 420 (sorbitol) - Sorbitol is an artificial sweetner which is obtained from glucose. It is found in sweets, dry fruits, low calorie foods, cough syrups and also in cosmetic products. It is very dangerous for children and it causes stomach diseases.

E 230 (diphenyl), E 231 (phenylphenol), E233 (thiabendazole) - These are artificial preservatives used against fungi on citrus fruits. They are very dangerous and lab tests showed that can cause internal bleedings if consumed in large amounts. It is best to wash your hands after peeling a citrus fruit.

The list can go on endlessly. My advice to you: read the ingredients! If the list is long and full of unknown words, don't eat that! And as a grand finale, chewing gum and some of its ingredients: E 171, E 320, E 330, E 420, E 421, E 422, E 950, E 951, E 967. Hope this will encourage you to make the right choices!