Eliminate Unhealthy Ingredients
Better School Food’s List of Unhealthy Ingredients
Below is a list of unhealthy ingredients researched and compiled by Better School Food. Each ingredient is defined, including some of the known effects of ingesting the ingredient. Patricia’s Lunchbox does not use ANY of these ingredients in their prepared foods.
Partially Hydrogenated Oil
Semi-solid shortening made from liquid oils by reacting them with hydrogen. Contains high levels of trans fats. It gives baked goods and snacks a longer shelf life. It is used in more than 40,000 food products in the U.S. Increase harmful LDL cholesterol and decrease good cholesterol, contributing to heart disease
Bromiated Vegetable Oil ) BVO
Gives the flavoring oils in soda the same density as water .Emulsified flavor oils stay suspended in the drink, boosting flavor in many citric-based fruit and soft drinks. Causes a significant increase of triglyceride and cholesterol content in both heart and liver .Residues in rats accumulated in body fat, damaging organs including heart, liver, thyroid, testicles, and kidneys
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
HFCS was developed in the 1970s because it was cheaper than cane and beet sugar. Easier to blend in beverages; maintains sweetness better; prevents freezer burn; reduces crystallization; keeps baked goods soft and helps them brown. With a high glycemic index, it converts to fat more than any other sugar. It alters the metabolic rate in a way that favors fat storage. HFCS is a major factor in obesity. HFCS increases the risk for type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, strokes, and cancer and is not easily metabolized by the liver.
Artificial Colors & Flavorings
Artificial colors are chemical compounds made mainly from coal-tar derivatives used to give color, lost during processing, back to food to make it more attractive. Artificial colors have been linked to allergic reactions, asthma, skin rashes, hyperactivity, headaches and fatigue. Artificial flavors also linked to numerous sensitivities
Benzoate Preservatives: BHT, BHA, T
Benzoates are used in cereals, butter, meats, baked goods, snacks. Can result in hyperactivity, asthma, urticaria, rhinitis, dermatitis
Caffeine
A mildly additive stimulant. Increases heartbeat, respiration, basil metabolic rate, gastro enteric reflexes and production of stomach acid and urine. Caffeine affects the kidneys, increasing urination which can lead to dehydration. It is metabolized. Caffeine can lead to osteoporosis, infertility, heart disease, jitteriness.
Artificial Sweeteners
Acesulfame-K: commonly used in sugar-free baked goods, chewing gum, gelatin desserts and soft drinks. May be cancerous. Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet): can cause sensitivities resulting in headaches, dizziness, and hallucinations.
Saccharin: has resulted in cancer of the uterus, ovaries, skins, blood vessels and other organs in lab rats; may cause bladder cancer.
Sucralose (Splenda): artificial sweetener used mainly in diet foods; made by chemically reacting sugar with chlorine.
Sorbitol: a sweetener used as a thickening agent; maintains moisture in dietetic drinks, foods, candy, shredded coconut and chewing gum; commonly has a laxative effect.
MSG (Monosodium Glutamate): Flavor enhancer believed to stimulate appetites contributing to obesity. MSG is used mainly in restaurant food, salad dressing, chips, frozen entrees, soup and chips. Sensitivities to MSG include headaches, nausea, weakness, wheezing, edema, change in heart rate, burning sensation, and difficulty breathing .Flavor enhancers in infant mice destroyed nerve cells
Olestra: Olestra is an indigestible fat substitute used mainly in fried and baked. Food. Non-absorbable lipid-like substance that inhibits the absorption of some vitamins and other nutrients. Linked to gastrointestinal disease, diarrhea, gas, cramps, bleeding, and incontinence. Olestra can collect and assimilate fat-soluble vitamins present in other foods, reducing their ability to be absorbed
Sodium Nitrite and Nitrate
Preservatives used in preserving, coloring and flavoring cured meats and fish. Nitrites/Nitrates can combine with chemicals in the stomach to form nitrosamine, a highly carcinogenic substance.
