Adjust Our Diet 11: Avoid Chemicals in Food and Soft Drinks

It was a challenge for us to avoid chemicals in food. Before 1996, we kept some canned food in the kitchen and took them during lunch and dinner. As we learned more about chemicals in canned food, we decided not to consume them. The available canned foods were subsequently thrown away. We avoid consuming food containing food colouring and artificial sweeteners.

It has been estimated that about 3,000 additives and preservatives are used in the processing food today. Foods are coloured to make them look “beautiful”, “natural” and “fresh” and they are preserved for longer periods of time. Foods sold on the shelves these days are highly processed and are made up of hydrogenated (hardened) fat, bulking agents, processed starches, refined white sugar and salt together with other chemical additives. Chewing gums, coffee creamers, sugar substitutes and candies consist almost entirely of artificial ingredients (CAP, no date). The consumption of such foods only brings harm to our health and causes diseases in the long run. Avoiding these foods daily is essential to enhance our health and prevent diseases. As advised by CAP, when we shop in the supermarket, we should look out for toxic additives and not just food.



Selected additives (See Mindell, E. (1994). Food As Medicine. New York: Pocket Books.
1. Acacia gum normally used in cake frostings, gum, soft drinks; possible links to asthma attacks and rashes.
2. Alginic acid normally used in ice cream, cheese spreads, salad dressings; May cause abnormal fetal development
3. Aluminium normally used in white flour, processed cheeses, toothpaste; possible links to senile dementia, memory problems, kidney problems, mouth ulcers, gastrointestinal problems
4. Artificial colour normally used in foods; possible links to hyperactivity, learning disorders
5. Benzaldehyde normally used in processed foods; possible links to depression.
6. Benzoic acid normally used in jellies, jams, margarine and soft drinks; possible links to skin rashes, gastrointestinal upset
7. Brominated vegetable oil normally used in foods; possible links to birth defects, growing problems
8. Hydrolyzed vegetable protein normally used in foods; possible links to brain and nervous damage in infants
9. Potassium bromate normally used in baked products; possible links to nervous system or kidney disorders and gastrointestinal upset

As we learn more about food, we also avoid taking soft drinks. Soft drinks are sweetened carbonated water added with flavouring substances. Many people neglect the fact that all soft drinks are acidic. Some fizzy carbonated soft drinks contain the stronger phosphoric acid. Others are flavoured with extract from the plant sarsaparilla. These soft drinks may contain caffeine (Chia 2004).


Selected preservatives (See Consumer Association of Penang (CAP). (no date). Avoid Chemicals in Your Food. A CAP Guide.
1. Sulphur dioxide & sulphites normally used in vegetables, fruits, French fries, foods; links to mutations, cancer, asthma attacks, stomach problems, blurred vision, dizziness, irregular breathing, nervous irritability
2. Nitrates normally used in cooked and cured meat, sausage, bacon, ham, corned beef, frankfurters, hot dogs, luncheon meat and pate; links to breathing difficulties, dizziness, headaches, cancer.Benzoates normally used in fruit juice, pickles, sauces and toppings, margarine, jam, figs, coconut milk, concentrated tomato juice, carbonated drinks; links to allergies, asthma, skin