What are food additives and how do they affect our health?

Food additives are one of the common ingredients in our daily diet, but few people truly understand their role and impact on health. Let’s demystify food additives and learn what they are and how they affect our health.

What are food additives?

 

Food additives refer to chemicals added during food processing and manufacturing. Their purpose is to improve the texture, taste, color, freshness and nutritional value of food, as well as to extend the shelf life of food. Food additives can be natural, such as salt, sugar, and vinegar, or they can be synthetic chemicals, such as preservatives, thickeners, and artificial colors.

 

Do food additives affect our health?

 

However, food additives are not entirely harmless. Some people may be allergic or sensitive to certain additives, causing allergic reactions or other health problems. In addition, long-term intake of certain synthetic additives may be related to the occurrence of some chronic diseases. Therefore, we need to maintain moderation and caution when it comes to food additives.

 

In order to protect the health of consumers, many countries and regions have strict food additive regulations and standards. These regulations require food manufacturers to clearly list the additives used on product labels and ensure that their use meets safety standards. In addition, some consumers also choose to buy foods with no or less added food additives to reduce their intake of additives.

 

When choosing foods, we can take the following measures to reduce our intake of food additives:

 

1. Read product labels: Read labels on food packages carefully to learn about the additives used. Avoid buying foods that contain too many artificial additives.

 

2. Choose natural foods: Try to choose fresh, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables and organic products. These foods usually contain no or fewer additives.

 

3. Cook your own food: Try cooking your own food so you have more control over the ingredients and amounts of additives you use.

 

In general, food additives play an important role in food processing. We try to choose some natural food additives extracted from plants. It is crucial to our health to learn more about the types and uses of food additives and to choose healthy eating habits.