FOOD FOR YOU
ADDITIVE FREE DIET (page 2)
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Where Do You Start?
Trying to eliminate additives and other ingredients which are used to help preserve foods and drinks or help to enhance their colour or presentation is a bit like sailing into a minefield. It is almost easier to completely ignore the fact that most foods contain additives and hope that your body will not be affected by them than having to go to the trouble of studying the subject and eliminating the ones that affect you.
This is made worse by the fact that only the things put into food at its last stage of manufacture need to be declared. So chemicals, antibiotics, anti-fungal and the other hundreds of chemicals farmers spray on the crops and added by companies involved in early stages of production of the food do not have to be put on the label.
I must make it clear here that not all additives are harmful so it is senseless to try to avoid all of them. Some are vitamins and minerals that are useful to the body and even some preservatives, especially the natural ones, can be viewed as constructive as they extend the shelf-life of products. However, it is logical to assume that the more natural a food or drink is the better it will be for you.
It is easy and naive to recommend that you grow as much of your own product as possible, as this is not possible or practical for most of us, so the next best thing is to buy fresh and organic products. Invariably, this is going to be more expensive but like most things in life, the more people who do it, the lower prices will become.
Stage 1: A Cautious Approach
The worst additives are Artificial Preservatives, Colourings and Flavourings so just avoiding these is a good start to an additive free diet. You will get used to looking out for and reading E numbers on food labels, but they will be in fairly small print - so you may have to put your reading glasses on! All flavourings, unless clearly stated as being 'natural' should be avoided. Flavourings do not have E numbers. Additionally purchase a water filter to avoid Chlorine.
Stage 2: The Next Sensible Step
In addition to Stage 1, you will have to do more cooking and preparation of your own food. Some of you may baulk at this idea as you don't have the time, but there are ways round this such as cooking larger amounts, putting meal size portions into containers and freezing them.
Most if not all of convenience foods will be 'out'. Although most manufacturers declare the ingredients some don't and you may have to avoid some frozen products such as peas and fruit as they often have artificial colouring in them. Alcoholic drinks are still poorly labelled. Apply this elimination diet to the whole family if possible. It makes the target of the diet, the patient being treated, especially a child, feel less freaky. It is easier to cook and plan meals for the family than have to plan for separate individuals. Often it is amazing what benefits are felt by members of a family who are not particularly conscious of being ill when they improve the quality of their diet. Finally, it is very important to plan a new diet well in advance and not rush into it.