7 Things You Might Not Know about Your Food ...

1. Ammonia

Some of the things you might not know about your food could be the difference of life and death, did you know that? Did you know that ammonia has limits for breathability as established by OSHA because of its risk of causing lung damage and death, and yet they allow it in your food? Ammonia is sprayed on a lot of commercial beef to kill off microbial contamination of the meat. If it's used to kill off bacteria, imagine what it is killing inside you every time you eat some ground beef or a steak! Officials say that it is safe in the amount put in the meat, but is this something you are willing to risk? Not me!

2. Indigo Carmine (Blue #2 Coloring)

It is said that Blue #2 causes cancer in lab rats. Whether this is true or not is beside the point in a way. Fact is that indigo carmine coloring is known to be harmful to the lungs if it is inhaled, and it's a known an irritant for skin and eyes. Lab techs working with blue #2 must use a protective covering around it. Is this something we really want in our bodies, especially if it does indeed cause cancer?

3. Carcinogens

Carcinogens are substances directly linked with causing cancer. Among the many things that we eat that have carcinogens in them, here are a few that you might eat quite regularly. Burnt food, and fatty burnt meat are high carcinogens. Sugar, both in white and brown form, is also carcinogenic! The trans fat found in chips and other fried foods and even farm raised fish have lots of carcinogens as well! No wonder we see so many sweet people fighting cancer these days!

4. Sodas

Not only do sodas also contain carcinogens like we talked about in our previous point, there is more to their unhealthy list. Sodas contain something known as "brominated vegetable oil" which is a known carcinogen. Brominated vegetable oil is honestly a poison! It is an additive in gasoline, for crying out loud! It is toxic and has been banned from being used in medication by the FDA because it has been known to cause mental disorders, and yet they continue to put it in our drinks! Why? Because it keeps all the flavor suspended in the drink rather than separating and floating to the surface. Bromine is known to cause health problems like iodine deficiency and even thyroid problems. It is also linked to problems with the kidneys and heart. So, if you have heart disease, kidney problems, thyroid problems, memory loss, nerve problems, mental problems, or weight problems, you can probably blame the soda you have been drinking.

5. "Natural Flavoring"

Who knew that the term "natural flavoring" listed in the ingredients on many of your store bought, packaged food items was referring to something called castoreum? If you dare to read more, know that castoreum is the secretions from the tail end of a beaver! No joke! They say it has a vanilla type taste to it. I wonder who the bright person was that decided to like the hind end of a beaver to discover that it tasted like vanilla, don't you? Seriously, people?

6. L-cysteine

Human hair? Duck feathers? Hog hair? You can take your pick. If you have eaten bread products and have paid any attention to the ingredients, this ingredient will sound somewhat familiar to you, and yet you probably didn't know that it was hair or feathers did you? While some food product companies claimed their l-cysteine came only from hog hair, other companies said they were mainly supplied through human hair. Either way it goes, it is still rather disgusting to me.

7. Parabens

Have you heard that most regular makeup isn't good for you because of the "parabens" in the makeup? This is true, but parabens are being hidden in other places as well - our food! Parabens are preservatives that prolong the shelf life of many items we buy every day. Among these things are fruit juices, frozen products, mayo, mustard, processed veggies, baked items and many more things! The problem with these parebens is that they cause breast cancer, affect a woman's reproductive organs and cause skin aging. It is also thought that they may be one of the causes for the extremely early age of puberty we are seeing in our girls nowadays. I highly recommended educating yourself a little more on parabens and look into how to avoid these dangerous preservatives next time you go to the store.

Face it, food is just not food anymore! The things you might not know about your food are so expansive there is no way I could have covered them all in this article. (I may do a "part 2" in the future, if you are interested!) With all the additives and crazy things food manufacturers are putting in the things we eat, it's a wonder we are surviving as long as we are! We need to get back to healthy, wholesome, real meals again! Re-learn how to cook an old fashioned meal and start eating foods that are truly good for us! Did you know any of these facts already? Were some of them new and enlightening to you? Do you have any more scary or disgusting facts about our food you want to share? Feel free to leave me a comment below!