Did you know that thanks to Kraft (yes, the same company that is currently ignoring over 270,000 people who have requested that they remove unnecessary food dyes from their mac and cheese product), three preservatives, once banned from use, are now allowed in your meat and poultry? You can now assume that sodium benzonate, sodium propionate, and benzoic acid are in your non-organic food. The three preservatives, which serve as antimicrobials, once deemed unsafe for you to consume are now suddenly okay. What changed?
We doubt that the preservatives are suddenly safe for you to consume, and that the approval is more likely due to the corporate influence of the food giant, Kraft. That being said, let’s explore why we want to avoid these types of preservatives and eat organic, high quality food.
- In addition to serving as antimicrobials, the preservatives also were historically used to hide “damage or inferiority in meat and poultry.” Apparently Kraft did some research and that historical usage is no longer applicable. Sounds reliable and valid to us (note sarcasm). Since eating “damaged or inferior meat” is not on our list of favorite foods to eat, we will continue to reject meat and poultry from conventional, factory farms.
- Using these types of preservatives leads to bacterial resistance that is currently putting the health of the people at risk.
- The preservatives are linked to DNA damage and cancer.
- The preservatives are linked to asthma and respiratory damage.
- The preservatives are linked to hyperactivity in children.
- The preservatives are linked to GI issues and obesity.
The reason these preservatives are linked to so many health issues is likely because the antimicrobial mechanism of the preservatives kill healthy bacteria in your intestinal tract. When our guts are healthy and have a good balance of bacteria, we are able to absorb nutrients from real foods and eliminate harmful toxins like heavy metals and other carcinogens. When the health of our guts is compromised the effects is problems related to digestion and elimination, absorption of nutrients, increased cravings of the food that is harmful, and chronic inflammation. This leads many to experience chronic illness. Obesity, autism, learning disorders, autoimmune disorders, and more are now linked to an unhealthy digestive system!
So, do yourself a favor and avoid these types of preservatives! The easiest way to do this is to eat organic foods. In doing so you will also avoid the plethora of other harmful toxins that are allowed in conventional meat products (e.g., pharmaceuticals, hormones, arsenic, other preservatives, genetically modified food the animals eat, et cetera). Additionally, a high quality probiotic can also help maintain healthy gut bacteria (just be sure that your probiotic isn’t derived from genetically modified bacteria, as many on the market are using this technology and labeling is not required).
In wellness,
Lauren
