What are the common food preservatives and should we avoid them?

 In Kids health, Motherhood, Recipes, Uncategorized
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A food preservative is a substance added to foods to make them last longer; to “preserve” them. Preservatives are added to foods that go bad quickly and have found themselves in all kinds of products in our grocery stores.

Preservatives work to preserve food in a few different ways. Some prevent the growth of bacteria and mould. Others prevent delicate fats from going rancid.

There are so many preservatives out there. While preservatives added to foods should be “approved” by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), this doesn’t mean they’re guaranteed to be safe for everyone always. And it doesn’t mean that the food is healthy.

Foods with preservatives are more-processed, less-nutritious foods to begin with – not exactly health foods. So, even if you don’t mind preservatives, you probably should cut down on these kinds of foods, anyway.

 

The 5 most common food preservatives.

1. Salt.

That’s right – salt.

FUN FACT: The term “salary” is from the Latin word for salt. It’s thought that it came from the ancient Romans who would pay employees, allowing them to buy salt. Either that, or it was for their work conquering and/or guarding salt mines/roads. Either way, salt was sought because of its ability to preserve food before the advent of refrigeration.

 

In this day and age, with fridges and freezers in every home and grocery store, and refrigerated trucks, salt is not needed for food preservation as much. But our taste buds still seem to crave it on an epic scale. The average Australian eats around 10 grams of salt per day, well over the recommended 1600 mg of sodium (equivalent to about 4 grams of salt) per day. Much of that is because it’s found in processed foods.

 

According to Harvard Health:

“… reducing dietary salt (table salt that is only sodium, chloride and iodine) will lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, and save lives.”

 

So, salt is one of those all-too-common food preservatives that most of us will do better with less of.

 

2. Nitrites (nitrates and nitrosamines).

Nitrites are preservatives added to processed meats (sodium nitrite 250 and sodium nitrate 251). They’re not bad in and of themselves, but they do turn into harmful chemicals called nitrosamines. Nitrosamines are carcinogens found in cigarette smoke. Nitrites form nitrosamines when they’re cooked at high heat, and sometimes even when exposed to the high acid environment of the stomach.

 

Nitrites are added to meats to keep the pink-red colour and prevent “browning.” Mostly in bacon, ham, sausages and lunch meats. Since nitrites can change into nitrosamines, nitrites are one-step away from being the “bad guys.”

 

Another interesting thing is that processed meats have been linked with colon cancer. Because of the nitrites? Perhaps, but either way, nitrosamines are a confirmed health-buster.

 

Since nitrosamines (from nitrites) are the bad guys and are formed by cooking nitrites at high heat, what are nitrates?

 

Nitrates are naturally found in many healthy foods like vegetables. They’re especially high in beets. Sometimes our enzymes or gut bacteria change these healthy nitrates into nitrites. However, they rarely form nitrosamines because they’re two steps away from becoming these “bad guys.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. BHA & BHT.

Butylated Hydroxyanisole 320 (BHA) and Butylated Hydroxytoluene 321 (BHT) are antioxidants added to many processed foods. The main way BHA and BHT work is by preventing fats from going rancid. Are they safe? Well, they’re approved for use as a preservative at small doses and are typically found in margarine and spreads, salad dressings and instant mashed potato.

They are listed as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” by WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer as some studies show they can cause cancer in animals at high doses. Again, they’re added to processed pre-packaged foods, so it’s wise to avoid them nonetheless.

 

Want more detailed additive info?

Additive Alert by Julie Eady is a fabulous resource.

Click here to grab a copy (affiliate link).

Click to grab your copy

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Sulfites.

Preservatives that contain sulfur (220-228), including sulfur dioxide (220) are commonly found in dried fruit, wine, sausages and cordial and can trigger allergy-type symptoms and asthma attacks.

Food Standards Australia and New Zealand state that there is “a potential for exceedances of the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for sulfites in some children who were high consumers of certain foods.” They have also identified some uncertainties about the current ADI and have acknowledged that further evaluation of acceptable levels is required.

 

5. Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Benzoate and Benzene.

Benzene is a common industrial chemical used in manufacturing and is also found in crude oil, petrol and cigarette smoke.  It is a known carcinogen and is not added to foods. However, in non-alcoholic drinks like soft drinks, the combination of preservatives sodium benzoate (211) or potassium benzoate (212) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) can result in the formation of benzene. Exposure to heat or light during transport or storage can also increase the amount of benzene formed.

In 2006, independent testing in the United States of non-alcoholic beverages found very high levels of benzene and since that time causes and solutions were explored to reduce levels.

The International Council of Beverages Associations (ICBA) developed a guidance document to reduce benzene formation and it was made available to all Australian beverage manufacturers. The Australian Beverages Council Limited (Beverages Council) requires that their members take steps to reduce the formation of benzene in their products.

Exposure to benzene in drink products may be small when compared to exposure through pollution or smoke, but it’s unnecessary. So it makes sense to avoid drinks that contain benzoates and ascorbic acid.

 

The take-home message

There are a lot of preservatives in our food supply. These compounds work by preventing the growth of bacteria and mould, or by preventing fats from going rancid. And they’re mostly found in processed foods. If you want to avoid them. Eat fresh foods.

 

Credit: Wellness Stock Shop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BONUS RECIPE:

(Preservative-free): Kale Chips

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 bunch of kale, washed and dried
1 tbsp olive oil
2 dashes salt
2 dashes garlic powder

Method

Preheat oven to 150 degrees Celsius and place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet.

Take the washed and dried kale and rip them into “chip” size pieces and place in a large bowl.

Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and garlic powder. Mix until the kale pieces are evenly covered.

Place kale onto prepared sheet in an even layer. Bake for 10 minutes.

Flip over the kale to cook the other sides of the pieces. Bake for another 10 minutes until the edges just start turning brown. Monitor them well, or you’ll have burnt kale chips.

 

Serve & enjoy!

 

Tip: You can use any spice, so try onion powder, paprika, or even turmeric.

 

This article contains an affiliate link whereby if you purchase via the link I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

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