{"id":9894,"date":"2024-01-23T21:36:23","date_gmt":"2024-01-23T14:36:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=9894"},"modified":"2024-01-23T21:36:23","modified_gmt":"2024-01-23T14:36:23","slug":"mds-answer-are-chemicals-in-our-food-harmful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=9894","title":{"rendered":"MDs Answer: Are Chemicals in Our Food Harmful?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">I<\/span>t\u2019s easy enough to toss canned goods, frozen foods, and other packaged items into your cart when you&#8217;re grocery shopping. But a scan of the ingredients list might leave you wondering: What <em>exactly<\/em> are you eating?<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s especially true lately, when headlines about unfamiliar ingredients, chemicals linked to cancer, and microplastics feel inescapable.<\/p>\n<p>When we asked readers to share their biggest health questions for our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/real-talk-rx\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/real-talk-rx\/\">Real Talk Rx series<\/a>, we found many of you wanted to know how concerned you should be about chemicals in your food. So we posed this question to our panel of experts.<\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;ll get to their answers in a minute. But first, let&#8217;s break down the three areas many of us are most worried about:<\/p>\n<div class=\"\">\n<hr\/>\n<div class=\"experts-in-article noskim py-[24px] px-[40px]\">\n<p>Experts In This Article<\/p>\n<ul class=\"!ml-[18px]\">\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dralexamieses.com\/about\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.dralexamieses.com\/about\">Alexa Mieses Malchuk, MD, MPH<\/a>, a board-certified family medicine physician and District Medical Director at One Medical in North Carolina <\/li>\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.utmb.edu\/fammed\/about-us\/biographies\/samuel-mathis\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.utmb.edu\/fammed\/about-us\/biographies\/samuel-mathis\/\">Samuel Mathis, MD<\/a>, a board-certified family medicine doctor and assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch <\/li>\n<li> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/divesh-goel-ab8a3b15b\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/divesh-goel-ab8a3b15b\/\">Divesh Goel, MD<\/a>, board-certified family medicine doctor <\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<hr\/><\/div>\n<h2>Unfamiliar ingredients<\/h2>\n<p>Many common ingredients in foods, such as ascorbic acid, nitrates, sulfides, sodium benzoate, and potassium sorbate, can read like a foreign language. These ingredients are typically food preservatives, which allow food to last longer, according to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/foodinsight.org\/what-to-know-about-preservatives-in-food\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/foodinsight.org\/what-to-know-about-preservatives-in-food\/\">Food Insight<\/a>. Sometimes they&#8217;re less intimidating when translated into everyday language: Ascorbic acid, for instance, is vitamin C.<\/p>\n<p>Any additives included in food are regulated: The FDA includes about 700 food additives on the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) list, according to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/medlineplus.gov\/ency\/article\/002435.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/medlineplus.gov\/ency\/article\/002435.htm\">U.S. National Library of Medicine<\/a>\u00a0(NLM).<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline text-h5 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/are-chemicals-in-food-harmful\/\" current-title=\"It Seems Like Chemicals Are in Everything We Eat These Days\u2014How Worried Should We Be About That?\" current-image=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/RealTalkRx_Editorial_How-Worried-Should-You-Be-About-Chemicals-in-Food.psd-425x285_418x278_true_70.webp\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2023-07-23\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/are-chemicals-in-food-harmful\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/are-chemicals-in-food-harmful\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img decoding=\"async\" :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/are-chemicals-in-food-harmful\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\" class=\" js-inline-lazy-load\" src=\"\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The amount of an ingredient matters, too. Some\u00a0chemicals may be dangerous\u00a0at high levels, which is why they\u2019re only permitted at \u201cone-hundredth of the amount that is considered harmful,\u201d per the NLM.<\/p>\n<h2>A scary warning from California on packaging<\/h2>\n<p>Another potential cause of worry: On some packaging, you may see ominous language along the lines of: \u201cThis product contains a chemical known to the State of California to cause cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That warning is required as part of California\u2019s Proposition 65, which was approved in 1986. Under this law, California has created a list of 900+ chemicals known to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity (think: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.p65warnings.ca.gov\/chemicals\/bisphenol-bpa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.p65warnings.ca.gov\/chemicals\/bisphenol-bpa\">BPA<\/a>, a chemical sometimes used in food packaging), and requires businesses to share warnings about them, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.p65warnings.ca.gov\/businesses\/new-proposition-65-warnings\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.p65warnings.ca.gov\/businesses\/new-proposition-65-warnings\">California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment<\/a>\u00a0(OEHHA).<\/p>\n<p>Worth noting: \u201cNot every chemical on the list has been proven to the worldwide scientific community to actually cause cancer in people,\u201d according to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.org\/cancer\/risk-prevention\/understanding-cancer-risk\/cancer-warning-labels-based-on-californias-proposition-65.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.cancer.org\/cancer\/risk-prevention\/understanding-cancer-risk\/cancer-warning-labels-based-on-californias-proposition-65.html\">American Cancer Society<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Plus, when it comes to harm, the amount of an ingredient matters, just like with the food additives above. While the Prop 65 list of ingredients takes this into account by setting safe levels for chemicals, these \u201clevels are frequently around 1,000 times lower than levels set by regulatory agencies such as the FDA, EPA and World Health Organization,\u201d according to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/foodinsight.org\/what-is-californias-prop-65\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/foodinsight.org\/what-is-californias-prop-65\/\">Food Insight<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>News about microplastics<\/h2>\n<p>You won\u2019t see microplastics \u2014 aka teeny-tiny pieces of plastic \u2014 listed as an ingredient on your food, but you&#8217;re likely eating them.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s because microplastics are found in water, fish and shellfish, salts and sugars, processed foods, and plants, according to a July 2022 review in the <a href=\"https:\/\/foodsafetyandrisk.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s40550-022-00093-6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" class=\"no-underline citation\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/foodsafetyandrisk.biomedcentral.com\/articles\/10.1186\/s40550-022-00093-6\"><em>International Journal of Food Contamination<\/em><\/a>. It\u2019s possible these tiny bits of plastic harm our health, including potentially messing with your weight, but we need more research to know for sure.<\/p>\n<h2>So, are chemicals in food harmful? How worried should we be?<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1150725 js-inline-lazy-load\" alt=\"Samuel Mathis, MD, headshot banner\" width=\"1170\" height=\"195\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Expert-Banner_Samuel-Mathis-MD__falsexfalse_true_70.webp\"\/><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It depends on what kind of foods you\u2019re eating. In general, I recommend patients follow three rules for healthy eating [popularized by journalist and author <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2008\/01\/01\/17725932\/in-defense-of-food-author-offers-advice-for-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2008\/01\/01\/17725932\/in-defense-of-food-author-offers-advice-for-health\">Michael Pollan<\/a>]:<\/p>\n<p>Rule 1 is to eat real food. Eat food your grandparents would have said is food. If you\u2019re eating the stuff humans have been eating for thousands of years, you don\u2019t have to worry about microplastics or other chemicals in your food because you\u2019re eating the actual food and not a processed form of it.<\/p>\n<p>Rule 2 is not eating too much. And rule 3 is eat mostly plants. I\u2019m not saying don\u2019t eat meat, but most of our\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/vegan-versus-plant-based\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/vegan-versus-plant-based\/\">diet should be plant-based<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>There is a list of foods known as the \u2018dirty dozen\u2019 in integrative medicine. These are foods that probably should be bought organic because of their tendency to absorb and hold on to pesticides and other chemicals. The dirty dozen include foods like strawberries, dark leafy greens, peaches, apples, and blueberries.<\/p>\n<p>If you notice, most of these are plants that have a very thin skin, or that we eat with the skin on. I\u2019m more concerned about these foods than I am about something like a banana or an avocado\u2014because of the thick outer skin, it\u2019s unlikely they would be as affected by pesticides.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;What I tell my patients is to eat things that are closer to Earth. An apple you pick is closer to the source than the applesauce you buy in the grocery store.&#8221; \u2014Divesh Goel, MD<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1150731 js-inline-lazy-load\" alt=\"Alexa Mieses Malchuk, MD, headshot banner\" width=\"1170\" height=\"195\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Expert-Banner_Alexa-Mieses-Malchuk-MD_falsexfalse_true_70.webp\"\/><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Unfortunately, when food is mass-produced in the United States, it isn\u2019t always produced to the highest standards.<\/p>\n<p>Often pesticides and things that in some ways keep the food safe to eat can actually introduce new harmful chemicals into your body. We also hear a lot about E. Coli outbreaks and salmonella outbreaks. A lot of that also has to do with how food is produced in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>In general, if a person can afford it, it\u2019s always best to eat whole foods (things that aren\u2019t as processed), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-to-buy-organic\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-to-buy-organic\/\">eat organic<\/a>, or try to find animal products that were perhaps produced in a more humane way\u2014that can actually translate to health benefits.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-1150733 js-inline-lazy-load\" alt=\"Divesh Goel, MD, headshot banner\" width=\"1170\" height=\"195\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Expert-Banner_Divesh-Goel-MD__falsexfalse_true_70.webp\"\/><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Everybody should be cognizant of what\u2019s in their foods, if they have the capacity to be aware. But some people are worried about survival. Only if you\u2019re higher on Maslow\u2019s Pyramid, with your essential needs met, do you have the capacity to look at what\u2019s in food.<\/p>\n<p>Some level of awareness is important. But unfortunately, unless you move to a different country, or you have, say, a hobby farm, or you have the money, time, and resources to get truly organic foods, it&#8217;s probably futile to be overly cognizant because everything has chemicals in it and all of us are going to be exposed.<\/p>\n<p>What I tell my patients is to eat things that are closer to Earth. An apple you pick is closer to the source than the applesauce you buy in the grocery store. You don&#8217;t have to memorize anything, you don&#8217;t need to know what&#8217;s in everything. But the closer it is to the source, probably the better it is going to be for you.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2>The takeaway<\/h2>\n<p>Eating whole foods\u2014such as fruits and vegetables\u2014more than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-processed-foods-to-avoid\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-processed-foods-to-avoid\/\">processed foods<\/a> can be one way to limit your intake of potentially harmful chemicals.<\/p>\n<p>But of course, even core building blocks of meals\u2014like rice and pasta, or canned items like tomatoes and beans\u2014have been processed in some way, so it&#8217;s nearly impossible to completely avoid chemicals in food.<\/p>\n<p>Keep in mind, though, that you&#8217;re typically taking in amounts of these ingredients well below the levels at which they may become hazardous to your health.<\/p>\n<p>If you have concerns about specific foods you eat and how they might affect your health, consider reaching out to your doctor or a registered dietitian for more advice.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u200cConfused about your health? Get answers to more common questions in our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/real-talk-rx\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/real-talk-rx\/\">Real Talk Rx series<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"block-thin post-citations mt-[40px] mb-[30px]\" data-module-init=\"main-2020\/post-citations\" data-module-immediate=\"true\">\n<hr class=\"!border-seafoam-dark mb-[24px]\"\/>\n<div class=\"post-citations-content flex flex-col gap-[24px]\">\n<p>Well+Good articles reference scientific, reliable, recent, robust studies to back up the information we share. You can trust us along your wellness journey.<\/p>\n<div>\n<ol class=\"!ml-[18px] !mt-0\">\n<li>\n              Udovicki, B., Andjelkovic, M., Cirkovic-Velickovic, T.\u00a0<i>et al.<\/i>\u00a0Microplastics in food: scoping review on health effects, occurrence, and human exposure.\u00a0<i>FoodContamination<\/i>\u00a0<b>9<\/b>, 7 (2022). https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s40550-022-00093-6            <\/li>\n<\/ol><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<hr class=\"!border-seafoam-dark mt-[24px]\"\/>\n  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s easy enough to toss canned goods, frozen foods, and other packaged items into your cart when you&#8217;re grocery shopping. But a scan of the ingredients list might leave you wondering: What exactly are you eating? That&#8217;s especially true lately, when headlines about unfamiliar ingredients, chemicals linked to cancer, and microplastics feel inescapable. When we &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9895,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}