When switching to an anti-inflammatory diet, most people do not think about all of those extra ingredients in food. The flavors, additives, emulsifiers and stabilizers that are used to improve flavor and texture can actually be inflammatory. My clients who switch to a completely whole foods diet are shocked by how much “stuff” the food companies add to the most basic of foods. Here is an overview of what these food additives can do to us and how to start avoiding them.
Adverse Health Effects of Food Additives
Food additives are anything “extra” added to foods that improve the color, taste, texture and mouth feel. Our foods are unfortunately full of them. If you have ever spent time at the store reading ingredient labels, you know what I mean. Even the simplest shelf stable foods (like canned foods) have extra junk added. Why are these so bad for us?
First of all, most chemicals and additives are found in ultra processed foods (UPF). A high UPF consumption is associated with several chronic diseases, all of which have some inflammatory component to it.
Second, many of these additives can have negative impacts on the body. Here are a few common additives with their impacts:
- Emulsifiers, which are chemicals that improve the texture and shelf life of products, may have inflammatory effects on the body. One study in Nature found that emulsifiers affect microbiome diversity and cause dysbiosis in mice.
- Antimicrobial preservatives, used in shelf stable products, may inhibit the growth of beneficial bacterial strains in the gut microbiome.
- Thickening agents like maltodextrin may cause low grade intestinal inflammation and can change the gut mucosal barrier, predisposing us to inflammatory bowel disease
- Artificial colors may also negatively impact the gut. In a mice study, chronic exposure to red dye caused low grade intestinal inflammation and increased pro-inflammatory cytokines.
Clearly these additives are contributing to inflammation. But how do we try to cut them out? Here are some tips to get you started.
Tip #1: Read Food Labels
The next time you go to the grocery store, budget extra time to read every food label on the foods in your grocery cart. There are so many different chemicals added to food that I can’t list all of them here. My general advice is if you can’t pronounce it or it doesn’t seem like food, it is likely not food. Try to avoid buying these foods or keep foods with additives to a minimum.
Tip #2: Stick to Whole Foods
Whole foods includes foods items such as fresh or frozen fruit, vegetables, simple raw proteins and whole grains. The more you can buy that isn’t in a package, the better. Frozen and canned are usually fine, but check the ingredients to make sure nothing sneaky is in them.
These foods should make up the majority of your diet. It may take some extra effort to cook and prepare these. However, they will be less inflammatory for you in the long run.
Tip #3: Cook from Scratch
It is okay if you are not the best chef in the world. Cooking food from scratch will totally avoid chemicals and additives in your food. And this is a big one for snack foods. Granola bars, muffins, crackers and even gummies can all be made with real ingredients. Yes it takes some extra effort but in the end they will be less inflammatory and will probably taste better too.
Clearing food additives out of your diet may seem daunting at first, but it gets a lot easier once you figure out the cleaner brands to use. Plus, getting into the habit of cooking more will dramatically improve your health and your confidence in the kitchen. If you need help managing an additive free diet, please contact me for help. In addition, follow me on my socials (Instagram, Facebook & YouTube) for more tips and tricks for managing inflammation and your autoimmune disease.
Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash
