Celebrate National Nutrition Month: Get informed

Happy National Nutrition Month!
Even though we know we should eat the more wholesome foods that are located on the perimeter in a store, sometimes we need to buy a few items in the middle section. Be prepared and aware of what lies in those bags and boxes.
For centuries now, we have been preserving fish and meat with salt, pickling vegetables in vinegar and making fruits into preserves. We flavor and enhance homemade goods with seasoning. We add leavening agents such as baking soda, baking powder and yeast to bake the Sunday bread. Food companies do the same, and so much more.
They think they have to add many more additives to assure that the cookies are not stale and the green beans look and taste as much like fresh green beans as possible.
Below you will find a list of food additives that are commonly used, and some I found that are quite interesting. Please note that all ingredients are generally recognized as safe and approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration.
—Ascorbic acid, citric acid, sodium benzoate, calcium propionate, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite, calcium sorbate, potassium sorbate, BHA, BHT, EDTA and tocopherols (Vitamin E) are all added as preservatives to prevent food spoilage or to maintain freshness and appearance.
—Sucrose (table sugar), glucose, fructose, corn syrup, fruit juice concentrates, maltose, invert sugar, raw sugar, tubinado sugar, dextrose, and high fructose corn syrup are all considered added sugars that add calories. Saccharin (pink packet), acesulfame potassium (acesulfame-K), neotame, aspartame (blue packet), and sucralose (yellow packet) are all artificial sweeteners that are noncaloric and non-nutritive sugar substitutes. Manitol, maltitol, sorbitol, xylitol, isomalt, hydrogenated starch hydrolysate and hydrogenated glucose syrup are sugar alcohols. Sugar alcohols are reduced calorie carbohydrates that add sweetness to foods.
—FD&C Blue Nos. 1 and 2, FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red Nos. 3 and 40, FD&C Yellow No. 5 (tartrazine) and No. 6, Orange B, Citrus Red No. 2, annatto extract, beta-carotene, grape skin extract, cochineal extract or carmine, paprika oleoresin, caramel color, fruit and vegetable juices, and saffron are all used to enhance, preserve or add color to products. These are all food dyes that are approved for safe use and consumption.
Much research is going on about these food dyes and whether or not they impact certain conditions like ADHD/ ADD, Autism Spectrum Disorder and chronic diseases. Cochineal extract or carmine is a food coloring derived from female cochineal beetles. This coloring is used to provide a bright red color usually found in strawberry, raspberry, boysenberry and cherry-flavored products, such as yogurt and fruit squeezes.
—Olestra, cellulose gel, carrageenan, polydextrose, modified food starch, microparticulated egg white protein, guar gum, xanthan gum, whey protein concentrate, gelatin, pectin, carrageenan, and whey are used as fat-replacers and/or texturizers. Fat coats the mouth to disperse the flavors. Except for milk, when fat is taken out of a product to make it reduced-fat or fat free, companies add fat-replacements to create that creamy “mouth-feel.” These ingredients are also beneficial in creating a uniformed texture.
—Thiamine hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), riboflavin (Vitamin B2), niacin, niacinamide, folate or folic acid, beta carotene, potassium iodide, iron or ferrous sulfate, alpha tocopherols, ascorbic acid, Vitamin D, amino acids (L-tryptophan, L-lysine, L-leucine, L-methionine) are all added in the enrichment process to replace vitamins lost in processing or to add nutrients lacking in the general diet (fortified). There are two ways to add these nutrients into the product. Heat stable nutrients are baked, whereas unstable vitamins are sprayed onto the product, such as cereal. If the product contains a whole grain, it should be listed first and should have either “100%” or “whole” listed in the front of the grain … not enriched. Enriched indicates it is white flour, white rice, etc.
—Soy lecithin, mono- and diglycerides, egg yolks, polysorbates, sorbitan monostearate are emulsifiers. They are used in products like mayonnaise so it won’t separate and look like Italian dressing on the shelves. Emulsifiers mix oil and vinegar evenly throughout a product.
—Be aware of inulin, also known as chicory root fiber, maltodextrin, oat fiber, soy fiber, corn fiber, modified wheat starch, sugar cane fiber and polydextrose. They are added to products to increase the fiber content, a marketing ploy to make some products look better than others. They may cause stomach aches and gastrointestinal distress. Increase water intake when consuming these products.
The most interesting ingredient I discovered in a product is bleached beeswax. It is used as a coating. When hot water is poured onto the product, the beeswax melts/dissolves and a candy is “hatched.” When I called the food company, the customer service representative assured me it is food grade and approved by the FDA. He also said I had the most interesting inquiry he had heard.
Several food companies were called in researching the ingredients listed here to clarify that they in fact are used and understood as safe. As your own advocate, feel free to ask these questions on your own to get clarification on products. Most customer service hotlines are friendly, quick and willing to explain the ingredients’ use.
Keep in mind ingredients are listed in order by weight. The heaviest ingredients in the product are always listed first. Look for products where a sugar and sodium/salt are farther down on the list and “whole grain” products are first.
Buying frozen fruits and vegetables instead of canned will often reduce the preservatives needed. Still, read the ingredients list.
Remember: The more the ingredients list reads like a chemistry class, the farther it is from the actual product. Also, we should eat half whole grains! Make sure “100%” or “whole wheat/rye/grain” is the first ingredient in the baked good. But don’t stop there. Read all of the ingredients. Just because there are whole grains in the product doesn’t declare it healthy.
Sources: www.fda.gov, International Food Information Council Foundation, various food packages and company representatives, and Essentials of Food Science (2nd edition) by Vickie A. Vaclavik and Elizabeth W. Christian.
--By BECKY B. GAUTREAUX, RD, LDN
LSU AgCenter St. Mary Parish Nutrition Agent
For more information on this or any nutrition-related topic, contact Gautreaux, at the St. Mary Parish LSU AgCenter office, 500 Main St., Room 314, Franklin. She can be reached at 337-828-4100, ext. 300 or via email at bgautreaux@agcenter. lsu.edu.