10 Things you should never feed your kids- number 6
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The Culprits- BHA and BHT.
The problems - BHA ( butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT ( butylated hydroxytoluene) are used in the food industry as antioxidants. Primarily used to preserve food color and flavor they are also used in cosmetics, jet fuels and embalming fluid. They prevent the oxidation of fats and oils in food, preventing it from going rancid. These are the chemicals which allow pastries, breads and crackers to sit on supermarket shelves for weeks and months without spoiling. “BHT added to maintain freshness” is a typical label.
Once again the health effects of using these products is hotly debated. It is proven to cause cancer in rats and is strongly linked with liver problems and hyperactivity in children. However some scientists contend that it is safe to use and may actually prevent cancer. Nevertheless it has been banned by Japan (1958), Australia, Romania and Sweden and McDonalds stopped using it in their products in 1986. Although many thought it was banned in the UK it was not due to food industry pressure. This industry may be the source of much of the contradictory scientific evidence as the banning of these chemicals would have a massive effect on the ability to extend shelf life of many types of food and be very costly.
The solutions - once again we are studying labels. If it contains either BHA or BHT put it back on the shelf. Donuts are not meant to last 6 months! Go to the donut shop if you simply can’t live without them. In addition BHA and BHT are used as the primary preservatives in dog and cat food so it may be beneficial to switch to a preservative free brand
Reader Comments
Hello! I’ve just found your blog - haven’t had a chance to read everything yet, but I like what I see and I’ve subscribed to the RSS feed. I’ll be back often! This is a subject that’s very important to me. I went so far as to milk my own cow so my children would not have milk that had been pasturized, homogenized, or contaminated with BVGH or antibiotics! Okay, call me nuts, most of my relatives do. .