Just because something is normalized doesn’t make it safe.
Remember, we used to cover our homes with lead paint.
We also endorsed smoking as a ‘weight loss’ supplement until only relatively recently.
This same concept applies to the food we eat. Our grocery store shelves are lined with fancy packaging espousing the ‘healthiness’ of their foods or their ‘whole, real’ ingredients. But unless you check the label to see what they really hold, you could be eating chemicals that damage your metabolic health.
We can no longer trust a monolithic food industry with so much to lose if the public perceive their products as ‘unhealthy.’ So rather than taking their claims at face value, it would be wise to do our own research and come to our own conclusions.
3 substances to avoid in your food
If you see any of these additives in the food you buy, consider leaving it on the shelf and switching to a whole, real alternative.
Synthetic caffeine
Caffeine is one of the most popular drugs in the world. More than 154 million adults (or 75% of the American population) drink coffee to get their caffeine fix, while two thirds of adults aged 18 to 49 consume energy drinks to get the same effect.
We often joke about caffeine as a mood enhancer in the early morning, or a performance multiplier when we need to stay up late or get up early. However, caffeine is still, by nature, a psychoactive drug. Taking too much can have a significant effect on your heart and cardiovascular function — especially if it’s synthetic.
Energy drinks are the worst offender, causing 1% of all consumers to report to hospitals for adverse effects. Excessive caffeine intake from other sources have induced hypertension, palpitations (or arrhythmia), and increase your risk for cardiovascular disease. As little as 80 mg/ml of synthetic caffeine could be lethal to the average adult.
Does this mean you should throw out every bag of coffee in your pantry? Probably not. However, it should be a wake-up call to keep an eye on how much caffeine you’re actually consuming.
If you need multiple cups a day just to feel ‘normal,’ you may want to reevaluate your metabolic health. Eating whole, real foods and performing resistance exercises can naturally help you feel better, stronger, and more alert.
Nitrates and nitrites
You’ve likely seen a lot of hubbub about nitrates and nitrites in recent years. Simply put, nitrates are a type of organic molecule that convert into nitrites in the stomach. They’re typically used as a preservative in food, although they’re also used as pink colorants for meat and fish (more on this later).
You’re most likely to see nitrites in processed meats, including ham, sausage, bacon, and chicken deli meat. And although we know the carnivore diet can be healthy for humans, we also know consuming processed food can cause major problems for our metabolic health.
The consumption of nitrates and nitrites are linked with major adverse heart effects in patients, including cardiovascular events like heart attacks. Sodium nitrate can also damage your blood vessels, which hardens your arteries and leads to heart disease over time. Your risk of hypertension may also be much higher depending on how much you consume.
The bottom line? Avoid processed meats as much as possible and purchase whole, real meats instead. Whole broilers, cuts of steak, and wild-caught fish have a lower likelihood of added nitrates and nitrites than something like beef jerky (which you can make at home relatively inexpensively).
You may also want to keep an eye on the spice mixes you purchase. That ‘smokey’ flavor in your favorite mix or barbecue sauce may actually be from undesirable additives.
Food coloring
Artificial food colors (or AFCs) are not new. But just like smoking or using lead paint, we’re only beginning to see their harmful effects.
Over the course of 50 years, we consume 500% more artificial dyes than ever before. Children are the biggest consumers by a significant margin, and with all the candies, gummies, and colorful snacks on the market, it’s no surprise why.
Highly processed candy, meat, salad dressing, and pickles usually contain food dye to make the product look more ‘perfect.’ This usually includes Yellow 5 or Yellow 6, or sometimes a splash of the notorious Red 40.
It’s easy to see food dyes as harmless, especially thanks to their positioning as a ‘fun’ way to spice up mealtimes. However, studies show the rise of artificial food dyes also coincide with a number of serious behavioral concerns in children, including aggression, ADD, and ADHD.
There is also evidence to suggest a correlation between food dye and heart problems. A study performed in 2021 demonstrates how the consumption of Red 40 can increase heart rate, reduce oxygen levels in blood, and have a negative effect on hemoglobin molecules. The higher the concentration of dye becomes, the greater the risk of hyperactivity.
Artificial food dyes are present in approximately 43.2% of grocery store foods. The produce aisle, however, contains almost no artificial colorants. This means the best way to avoid AFCs in your diet is to turn to whole, real foods.
Whole, real foods are the answer to heart-harming additives
Harmful additives are almost ubiquitous in our modern food supply.
So how can we avoid these ‘harmless’ substances?
Start by using these steps:
- Avoid packaged food as much as possible. I realize cooking at home isn’t as convenient as using the drive-thru, but it’s the only way to know you’re not consuming harmful substances.
- Read the ingredients label carefully. Keep on the lookout for ingredients like sodium or potassium nitrates and nitrites, FD&C colorants, and synthetic caffeine. If you spot any of these, you may want to purchase alternative products.
- Buy from local farmers. If you don’t have a farmer’s market in your area, consider signing up for a CSA. There’s a much lower risk of harmful additives in foods sourced from local growers.
Remember: the best way to keep chemical additives out of our diets is to overhaul the way we think about our food. This means avoiding foods that come in a box, choosing to cook at home, and turning to whole, real foods instead of premade meals.
You can learn more about how to incorporate this with your lifestyle by signing up for my seven principles of metabolic health course. In it, I explain how you can fortify your metabolic health and begin the process of reclaiming your diet.