Artificial sweeteners and preservatives seem to be the biggest culprits. Some thickeners have bad side effects like guar gum, not in everyone it seems, but they‘re there none the less. I‘m wondering how the FDA can approve of all of these additives? I know they do many studies to find if they are safe but I feel like there are so many angles and other variables to take into account that they don‘t, such as outside studies. I can‘t believe how much negative information is around the artificial sweetener aspartame (in nearly every diet beverage around) but it is still considered safe by the FDA.
Luke, that's why I am a great campaigner for organic, free range and fresh produce. A nutritionist woke me up.
There are many internet hoaxes revolving around food additives. Maybe hoax isn't the right word. These aren't people who are trying to fool you. These are people who really believe what they put on the internet, but they are combining a poor understanding of the safety science with flawed logic and some subtle half-truths to conclude that there is a problem. The best way to explain this is with an example. Read my first source. Makes guar gum sound evil, doesn't it? But let's break it down. It claims that GRAS means that the item must have been under suspicion at some point. This casts a shadow of suspicion, but it is false. GRAS means that it has been used for so long without a problem in its intended use that the FDA does not require testing. You don't need to go back and prove that water is safe, or wheat. See my second source. Then it talks about a death from guar gum. That death was a woman on a starvation diet who was consuming large doses of a weight loss supplement that contained guar gum. Approved use of guar gum requires a matching amount of water be in the food so that the guar gum does not absorb too much water from your intestines and cause problems, but the use in the supplement allowed her to overdose without consuming enough water. Then it quotes a source about how guar gum can cause gastrointestinal distress. Aha, it must be evil! Gastrointestinal distress is a fancy name for the gas and cramps that can come if you suddenly eat a lot of fiber. Guar gum is the bran of the guar bean. If you suddenly eat a lot of wheat bran, you will experience gastrointestinal distress. The same thing happens with ANY fiber - some is good for you, but if you suddenly eat a lot, you will not feel well. That does not make guar gum dangerous.
