Top 7 Food Additives to Avoid

Additives are found everywhere in our packaged products but what do those little numbers mean and which ones should you look out for? Here are our top 7 list of food additives to avoid:  

1. Aspartame # 951 C found in Diet Foods & diet soft drinks, equal,

Linked to many health problems including cancer, asthma, nausea, depressions, hyperactivity, seizures.  Causes dizziness, headaches & hallucinations

2. Olestra (Fat substitute) found in chips, crackers (no fat/reduced fat)

Linked to diarrhoea cramps, flatulence, increases appetite, decrease the ability for fat soluble vitamins to be absorbed.

3. Erythrosine #E127 (red) found in jams, sugar lollies, toppings & fillings, red cordials and soups

Linked to concentration issues, increase in hyperactivity in kids, nerve toxin

4. MSG #621 found in Chinese, salad dressings, soups, chips

Linked to Asthma, hyperactivity, depression, mood changes, sleeplessness, nausea, migraine, linked to infertility, teratogen, convulsions, abdominal discomfort. See text re other hidden sources of MSG

Causes headaches, dizziness, migraines, convulsions

5. Sodium Nitrate #251/250 found in Bacon, ham, salami, corned beef, hot dogs

Linked to Hyperactivity, behavioral problems, asthma, headaches, dizziness, possible carcinogen. Prohibited in foods for infants and young children.

6. Sulfites #222/223/228 eg: sodium bisulphite (222) Found in wine, beer and dried fruit

Linked to migraines and asthma attacks in some people

7.  Tartrazine #E102 (yellow) found in lollies, desserts, cereal and soft drinks

Linked to Hyperactivity, behavioral problems, skin rashes, migraines and thyroid problems.

Remember they won’t always be listed under these names or numbers, for example Tartrazine #E102 is listed as FD&C yellow 5 or C.I. 19140. Be consumer aware & download the free app Additive Alert!

For more information on becoming consumer aware with your foods contact us at admin@naednutrition.com.au

Changing Your Relationship With Food

Food is emotive, food is life. We revolve all our major events around food with family dinners, barbeques with friends, holidays, birthdays, and even than Saturday night in on the couch is about what food you are going to eat. It’s no wonder we have shifted the balance with food from fuel to confidante. So how do you find your way back to viewing food as fuel instead of your emotional support when you have had a bad day?

Habit #1 Food is Stress Relief

You come home from a long day, your boss is on your back, you slept through your alarm this morning & your hair isn’t sitting right so you reach for a chocolate bar

How to break this habit

• Pop your trainers on & go to boxing session, run, walk or whatever exercise you enjoy doing. Nothing relieves stress more than exercise
• Call a friend and have a rant – it’s great to get it off your chest
• Have some retail therapy (guilt free of course) this is purely just to shift your focus & reward yourself WITHOUT using food

Habit #2 Food Feeds Guilt

You feel SOO guilty about what you ate yesterday you are going to punish yourself by eating more bad food

How to break this habit

Negative talk is NOT doing your body any good. You are only one good meal away from getting back on track so take these steps

•  Accept why you ate what you ate
• Think of how you could approach the situation differently next time
•  MOVE ON

Habit # 3 Food is All or Nothing

In order to achieve your goal you have to be 100% strict all of the time, your food as to be perfect & eating healthy means you become a hermit & end up binging anyway

How to break this habit

Let go of the need to be perfect and embrace the need to be consistent. Consistency is the key to seeing long term results so rather than just eating salads for every meal, try to change 1 x habit per week whether it’s adding a cup of vegetables at lunch & dinner, or have an extra 2 x glasses of water per day.

Habit #4 Food is a Time Filler

You’re sitting at home bored, and your tummy grumbles so you head to the fridge, back to the couch, to the fridge and then the pantry and repeat 3-4 times before you decide what you are going to eat. YOU ARE BORED NOT HUNGRY

How to break this habit

•  Have a glass of water & busy yourself for 15minutes, if you still feel hungry then you are actually hungry, if you are not then you were either thirsty or bored
• Fill your time with activity rather than food – go for a bike ride, rearrange your wardrobe, whatever it takes to distract you
• Drink more water – a lot of people cannot distinguish the different between when they are hungry and when they are thirsty so just to be safe drink more water

Habit #5 Healthy Food is Boring

You have the same grilled salad 5 lunches in a row, the same fish and 3 veg each night….of course that is going to be boring. Even in you had a cheese pizza 5 lunches in a row you would be bored of it

How to break this habit

• Get variety – Make a different meal each night & have the left over for dinner
•  Explore foods you may not have tried – i.e. kale
• Salad = does not just meat lettuce, tomato, cucumber, and onion…step outside your box
•  Try one new recipe each week
•  Remember it’s not healthy eating to have meat & vegetables at every meal, it’s regular eating

If you are struggling with your relationship with food simply email naednutrition@gmail.com for more personalised nutrition guidance.