10 foods you should never eat

Would you be shocked to learn that a number of foods sold in grocery stores across the United States have been banned in other countries across the world because of the harmful additives they contain?

If you have any of the following ten foods in your home, I recommend you ditch them pronto.

Foods processed with artificial dyes and colors. Foods for babies and young children are among the food-like items in the US that include one of 3,000+ flavorings, preservatives, or other synthetic ingredients. Mac and Cheese, cheese-flavored crackers, Jell-O, and many cereals targeted toward children contain dyes banned in many countries including Austria and Norway.

Farm-raised salmon. Farmed salmon is banned in Russia. Farmed salmon is fed a diet of grains (oftentimes genetically engineered), vitamins, antibiotics, chemicals, and drugs that are unsafe for humans. Look for wild-caught pacific salmon for a much healthier alternative to the farmed variety.

rBGH in dairy. rBGH is a human-made version of natural BST, a hormone in cows that increases their milk production. Monsanto created rGBH from genetically engineered E.coli bacteria. Yes, you read that right. Roughly 1 in 6 US dairy cows are injected with such growth hormones, so there is a good chance your non-organic dairy products contain this hormone. rGBH exposure may cause prostate, colorectal, and breast cancer. rBGH is banned in New Zealand, Australia, Israel, Canada, and Europe.

Flame retardant drinks. Often found in Mountain Dew, Fanta, Powerade, Sunkist, Gatorade, and Fresca, Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO) was originally used by chemical companies as a flame retardant. It’s now found in sports drinks and citrus-flavored soda in the US. BVO is banned in many countries across Europe and Japan.

Genetically modified papaya. Most Hawaiian papaya is now genetically modified. Back in the 1990s, the ringspot virus almost wiped out the entire US crop of papaya. Now, it’s difficult to find papaya that’s not GMO. This American papaya is banned in Europe.

BHA and BHT. BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) are toxic preservatives used in beer, cereal, meat, nut mixes, and margarine. BHA causes cancer in rats and could cause cancer in humans. Both BHA and BHT are banned in Japan and Europe.

Chicken laced with arsenic. Farmers in the US are permitted to use animal feed containing arsenic-based drugs because of arsenic’s ability to make animals grow faster and to make their meat appear more fresh and more pink. Arsenic-laced chicken is banned in Europe.

Olestra/Olean. Procter & Gamble created a cholesterol- and calorie-free fat substitute for us in fat-free snacks. Olestra (a.k.a., Olean) was approved for use by the FDA in 1996 and is usually used in chips and french fries. Olestra was named by Time magazine as one of the worst 50 inventions of all time. Olestra/Olean is banned in Canada and the UK.

Ractopamine-tainted meat. Ractopamine also known as Paylean and Optaflexx was originally used to treat asthma. It’s used in the US as a muscle enhancer and to reduce the overall fat content in meat. 45% of pigs, 30% of ration-fed cattle and an unknown percentage of turkeys in America eat feed enhanced with Ractopamine. Ractopamine is banned in 160 countries in Europe, Taiwan, Russia, and Mainland China.

Bread “enriched” with potassium bromate. Commercial baking companies use flour “enriched” with potassium bromate to make their bread dough more elastic and better able to stand up to bread hooks. Potassium bromate has been banned in Canada, Europe, and China.

Who’s hungry?

Thought so!

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0 Responses

  1. How do you know if there is arsenic in the chicken or ractopamine in the meat? I don’t think it is listed on the package.

    1. Many years ago, my Dad raised turkeys. There was a small amount of arsenic in the feed. Seems this was because the turkeys would get sick and die. Now I know!

    2. Don’t buy your meats from the supermarket. Find a butcher who sources from local farmers that raise their animals humanely, with access to sunlight and natural foods, and without drugs and hormones. For chickens, this means they run around freely outside eating bugs, worms, and grains. Cows natural diet is grass; anything else, including organic grains, will make them sick.

  2. Olean is disgusting. I’m glad it seems to be disappearing.

    I’m curious about the Russian ban on farm raised salmon. Can you point me to some more information on this? They seem like the last country that would ban a food based on nutrition concerns.

    Thanks!

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