Illinois

What do an Australian researcher and a Marseilles nurse and healthy-eating visionary have in common?

One has compiled a book of charts, listing additives and preservatives used in foods and cosmetics in his effort to help people understand how some chemicals that are a part of our everyday lives may also play a part in ill health.

The other heads a company, opened in 1985, that is dedicated to health and whose founding principle is to improve eating habits and overall health through health eating.

The researcher is Bill Statham, author of "What's in Your Food?"

The nurse is Seattle Sutton, R.N., B.S.N., founder of Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating, located in Ottawa.

"What's in Your Food?" provides 229 pages of charts listing additives and preservatives used in foods and cosmetics and their rankings from dangerous to safe, along with how they are used and the effects they can have. The guide was first self-published as "The Chemical Maze" in Australia in April 2001. The second edition, published in 2006, was renamed "What's in Your Food?"

A homeopathic practitioner, Statham states in the introduction that "the idea of this book was born out of a need to understand how some chemicals that are a part of our everyday lives may also play a part in ill health."

He said he discovered during his research that "a significant number of chemicals added to foods and cosmetics could cause or exacerbate health problems such as asthma, dermatitis, hives, migraines, hay fever, gastric upset, behavioral problems, hyperactivity, learning difficulties and many others."

He believes that an increasing number of companies are producing foods and cosmetic products without harmful additives and synthetic chemicals, so there are choices that can lead to healthier lives.

Sutton's idea to start her healthy eating business was the result of working 22 years with patients in her husband's medical practice in Marseilles. The company's dedication to health continues today since it is the founding principle the company was built upon. Its purpose also is to help address patients' needs to lose weight or to address other health issues, such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and obesity, a company brochure states.

Sutton's strict policy on additives and preservatives is a main guideline, and every meal prepared at her facility has its own ingredient label on it, she said recently.

"We know it's important for people to read labels and to look at ingredients, so if anyone has an allergy, they will know what's in the meal," she said. "We also have a nutritional fact sheet, so if someone is on a diet, they can study it and know how many calories there are. The nutritional experts just lowered the amount of sodium that people should eat, so our five-week, 1,200 calorie-per-day meal plan meets those guidelines. It would be very difficult for people to reach certain menu recommendations by doing their own shopping, cooking and analysis."

Food dyes are never used in their preparations.

"That's an additive," said Sutton. She recalled that there have been warnings for years about certain food dyes, but the FDA "can't seem to remove it from the consumer market," she said.

"Artificial sweeteners are always in study. Therefore, we do not use any in our meals," she added. "When we prepare our meals, we check every ingredient. When we outsource, we carefully evaluate that product to make sure there are no potentially harmful additives in that food item. We also watch for hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. Additionally, we're zero trans fat.

"The point is we pay attention to medical research and adjust our meals accordingly. The challenge - which people say we always meet - is to exceed the scientific standards and still produce a tasty, fresh meal."

"When we decided to serve calzone as a lunch, for an example, we hoped to be able to purchase it ready-made," she continued. "But after investigating, we could find none that had no propylene glycol. So in situations like that, we either prepare the item ourselves or have a company make it specifically for us."

"The additive, propylene gylcol, is actually antifreeze," Sutton said. "Of course, that is not an additive that we would serve in our meals. Even if it is said that a little will not hurt you, we will not allow such a thing."

Statham's chart places this additive in the "to be avoided" category, saying that potential effects are skin and eye irritations; dry skin; respiratory; immuno, skin and neurtoxicity; and central nervous system depression and kidney damage in animals. Its possible uses, according to the chart, include candy, baked goods, chocolate products, sweetened coconut, toppings, food colors and flavors. Other uses include pet foods, suntan lotion, toothpaste, lipstick, baby lotion, cigarettes and antifreeze.

Statham calls propylene glycol a humectant - a substance used to hold and retain moisture to prevent a food or product from drying out.

Sutton is very critical of the use of high-fructose corn syrup.

"Stay away from high-fructose corn syrup," she said. "Wasted calories! We want children to have nutritious calories and to learn to check the label and check to make sure there is no high-fructose corn syrup listed.

"You see so many baked things with high-fructose corn syrup. We have a problem in this country. People eat so much of that. It's high-calorie and takes away from eating nutritional things. People should avoid it."

She said people often call her with questions about specific ingredients. If she doesn't know the answer, she asks her husband, a retired doctor, and her family which includes three other nurses and a son-in-lawwho is a well-known toxicologist.

"We try to evaluate all of that and try to see how much study has been done. I do think it's important that more studies be done."

Sutton believes that eating healthy foods can even replace taking vitamins, and she isn't alone on the subject.

"We hear regularly from doctors who study our program and often advise their patients - type-two diabetics, cardiacs and those suffering from obesity - to eat our meals," Sutton said. "Many times we hear physicians say, ‘If you're going to eat like that, you don't need vitamins.'

"If you are on my healthy eating program, you don't need to fret your body with vitamins unless your nutritional adviser, doctor, nurse, etc. recommends a specific regimen. The best healthy eating answer is a well-balanced diet, including fresh fruits and vegetables, and that's our approach.

"I began this business to help people eat healthy and, while on our program, to acquire the right eating habits. More than 22 years later, I look around and realize we've helped more than 100,000 people. That's amazing to me. But, make no mistake, it's just the beginning."# who is a well-known toxicologist.

"We try to evaluate all of that and try to see how much study has been done. I do think it's important that more studies be done."

Sutton believes that eating healthy foods can even replace taking vitamins, and she isn't alone on the subject.

"We hear regularly from doctors who study our program and often advise their patients - type-two diabetics, cardiacs and those suffering from obesity - to eat our meals," Sutton said. "Many times we hear physicians say, ‘If you're going to eat like that, you don't need vitamins.'

"If you are on my healthy eating program, you don't need to fret your body with vitamins unless your nutritional adviser, doctor, nurse, etc. recommends a specific regimen. The best healthy eating answer is a well-balanced diet, including fresh fruits and vegetables, and that's our approach.

"I began this business to help people eat healthy and, while on our program, to acquire the right eating habits. More than 22 years later, I look around and realize we've helped more than 100,000 people. That's amazing to me. But, make no mistake, it's just the beginning."

What's in an additive?

Additives have become a common presence in food today.

"Few foods reach today's supermarkets free of additives - substances that do not occur naturally in a food but are added for various reasons," according to a guide to safe and healthy eating, Foods That Harm, Foods That Heal, published by Reader's Digest.

The book states North American food processors may use about 2,800 additives whose use is governed by tough regulations.

"All new additives receive federal government approval; older additives are presumed to be generally safe," the book states.

"Although extensive studies are required before an additive is allowed on the market, reactions to certain additives are possible," the guide states.

The guide lists as the most common additives sugar, corn syrup, other sweeteners and salt which are used to enhance flavor and retard spoilage.

Other additives called antioxidants include ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and ascorbates, found in fruit products, acidic foods and fatty foods that become rancid and also improve baking quality in wheat.

Additional antioxidants listed are BHA and BHT, found in fatty foods that can turn rancid, such as baked products, cereals, potato chips and fats and oil, and can extend shelf life and protect food from fungi and bacteria. Vitamin E also is an antioxidant and is found in oils and shortenings and prevents rancidity in fats and other damage due to exposure to oxygen.

Additives also include preservatives, coloring, flavor enhancers, emulsifiers, stabilizers and thickeners.

Preservatives include benzoic acid and benzoates, used in soft drinks, beer, fruit products, margarine and acidic foods; nitrites and nitrates, used in processed meats like sausage, hot dogs, bacon, ham, lunch meats and smoked fish; and sulfites, used in dried fruits, shredded coconut, fruit-based pie filling and relishes. Their function is to extend shelf life and protect food from fungi and bacteria and preserve color in meats and dried fruits.

Food colorings are in many processed foods, especially sweets and products marketed for children, soft drinks, baked goods and confectionery items. It's also used in bologna and other processed meats and to color the skin or oranges and certain other fruits. It is used to make food look more appetizing.

The food guide states that the majority of food additives are safe, but there are exceptions. Red dye #2 is banned in the United States and has been replaced with Red dye #40, which also is allowed in Canada, but is banned in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

According to Dr. Gary Ginsberg and Brian Toal, M.S.P.H., the authors of "What's Toxic, What's Not," the main issue with food colors is the potential for allergic reactions to Yellow #5, the most widely used yellow colorant. Evidence has shown that it can cause reactions, such as hives, in a small percentage of people.

Yellow #5 is the only dye that must be identified by name on food labels, according to The Reader's Digest food guide. According to their statistics, Yellow #5 has been found to cause hives in fewer than one of 10,000 people.

The good guide also states the following:

- Flavor enhancers include disodium guanylate, used in canned meats and meat-based foods, hydrolyzed vegetable protein used in mixes, stock and processed meats. Both are used to improve the flavor of many canned or processed foods. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is used in Chinese food, dry mixes, stock cubes and canned, processed and frozen meats. MSG heightens taste perception.

- MSG doesn't actually change the flavor of food, but acts on the tongue to heighten the perception of certain tastes and minimize others, masking any unpleasant tastes and bringing out agreeable flavors. It occurs naturally in dried seaweed or is made from wheat or corn gluten or the liquid waste of sugar beet refining.

MSG may trigger headaches or idiosyncratic reactions. Many Chinese restaurants post signs stating "No MSG added," because the common ingredient in Asian cooking has led people to avoid eating Chinese food because they fear negative reactions.

Histamine, tyramine and phenylethylamine, other components of Chinese food, can cause flushing, palpitations and headaches, and are found in black beans, shrimp and soy sauce.

- Emulsifiers, stabilizers and thickeners such as carrageenan, cellulose, glycerol, guar gum, gum arabic, lecitin and pectins are used in sauces, soups, breads, baked goods, frozen desserts, ice cream, low-fat and artificial cream cheese, condiments, jams, jellies, chocolate, puddings and milk shakes. They are used to improve the texture and consistency of the foods by increasing smoothness, creaminess and volume. They also hold in moisture and prevent separation of oil and water.

Excessive pectin can result in bloating, according to the food guide.

- Shellac, a secretion of the female Indian "lac" bug, is often referred to in the trade as "confectioner's glaze," and can be used to give a protective, glossy coating to candies, jelly beans and ice cream cones. Even some citrus fruits and avocados are sometimes treated with it.

"Substances such as sodium stearyl fumarate, an additive to improve the texture and handling properties of baked goods, and dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate, an emulsifier and flavor enhancer, although harmless, make those of us without a degree in chemistry understandably wary," the guide states.

Bill Statham, an Australian researcher, homeopathic practitioner and the author of "What's in Your Food?" agrees with the safety of the first additive, saying it is a dough conditioner used in bread and bakery products that is believed safe. However, he disagrees with the conclusion on the second additive, saying it is a wetting agent and processing aid that can cause skin and mucous membrane irritation, tissue damage, and is undergoing further evaluation for safety. It is used for sausage casings, gums, cocoa, sauces, beverages and in the sugar industry. Other uses include hair-styling products, detergents and laxatives.

In addition to intentional additives to food, there are "accidental additives" that come in contact with food during growing, processing and packaging and can cause more of a health threat than preservatives and other direct additives, according to the food guide. They include pesticides, PCBs, mercury and lead. Penicillin and the use of hormones in cows are other accidental additives.

Preserved foods have more additives than fresh foods, and highly processed foods contain the most and should be avoided due to their poor nutritional value more than because of their additives, the food guide advised.

Additives and preservatives are included in the list of ingredients on food packaging.

Copyright © 2008 Morris Daily Herald