WE ARE WHAT WE EAT Nutrition and chemistry.

SHOULD WE BE AFRAID OF FOOD?! As consumers, we think we can choose food we want to eat. This is really misleading. Big concerns, that are specialized in converting and selling food, want us to make a choice on the basis of what they offer. People are tempted by advertisements that are assuring them about healthy properties of their products. “ Diet food”,” low in calories”, “containing less salt but more proteins”– it’s only couple of baselines. Unfortunately, adverts won’t tell us how food that contains chemical substances can influence our health.

FOOD ADDITIVES ARE SUBSTANCES ADDED TO FOOD TO PRESERVE FLAVOR OR ENHANCE ITS TASTE AND APPEARANCE. SOME ADDITIVES HAVE BEEN USED FOR CENTURIES; FOR EXAMPLE, PRESERVING FOOD BY PICKLING (WITH VINEGAR), SALTING, AS WITH BACON, PRESERVING SWEETS OR USING SULFUR DIOXIDE AS IN SOME WINES. WITH THE ADVENT OF PROCESSED FOODS IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 20TH CENTURY, MANY MORE ADDITIVES HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED, OF BOTH NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL ORIGIN.

 Acids  Acidity regulators  Anticaking agents  Antifoaming agents  Antioxidants  Bulking agents  Food coloring  Color retention agents  Emulsifiers  Flavors  Flavor enhancers  Flour treatment agents  Glazing agents  Humectants  Tracer gas  Preservatives  Stabilizers  Sweeteners  Thickeners

are number codes for food additives that have been assessed for use within the European Union (E stands for European). They are commonly found on food tables. What numbers stand for? If you want to know how E numbers affect our health you must see this: k/enumbers.html Still curious about E numbers? Just check! s.co.uk/

These short films can show you what is the danger of food additives.