• Identify what your child eats. Keep a food diary for a week, noting everything that is eaten – including at school. At the end of the week, you should have a good idea of your child’s exposure to food additives. Food additives are largely present in processed and packaged foods, candy, soda and other "junk" food, so if you limit those foods, you’ll cut down considerably.
• Adopt the New Green Diet. Eating a balanced diet of fresh produce and whole grain foods will go a long way towards keeping additives out of your child’s system. Organic packaged and processed organic foods have little or no added synthetic colors or preservatives.
• Chose products that are labeled "preservative-free." Be wary of labels that claim "no added preservatives." These products may nevertheless contain ingredients that were already preserved prior to inclusion in the final product. For example, almost all lard, used in baked goods, is treated with BHA or BHT.
• Read Labels. Particularly keep an eye out for the following. Some of these cause allergy-like symptoms or are suspected carcinogens.

Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT).

Propyl Gallate

Sodium Nitrate/Nitrate

Sulfites (Sulfur Dioxide, Sodium Sulfite, Sodium And Potassium Bisulfite, Sodium and Potassium Metabisulfite)

Potassium Bromate

FD&C Blue No. 1

FD&C Blue No. 2

FD&C Green No. 3

FD&C Red No. 3 (Erythrosine)

FD&C Yellow No. 5 (Tartrazine)

FD&C Yellow No. 6

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

Acesulfame-K

 

Back to Checklists »