Learn about additives in the food you eat

Sometimes additives are used in food to enhance the flavour or nutrition content. But how many of them are you aware of, and what do they do for us?

Additives in food are almost impossible to avoid, but they're not all bad for you. Here are some of the most common additives, accidental and otherwise, and what they really do for you and the food you eat.

1. High fructose corn syrup

• It's a type of sweetener made from corn and used to sweeten all kinds of foods, with one of the most common uses being in diet sodas. The biggest stigma surrounding high fructose corn syrup is that it has an extra detrimental effect on increasing the risk for diabetes and heart disease, but from a biochemical level, it's still just sugar.
• When you ingest it in foods and pops, your body breaks it down into fructose and glucose and to your body, it's all the same. The key is to just keep your daily sugar intake, whether through high fructose corn syrup or otherwise, to a healthy level.

2. Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

• It's a sodium salt from the amino acid glutamic acid, and occurs both naturally (tomatoes, potatoes, mushrooms and more) and artificially. Most people know it as the additive that instantly gives food a flavour and saltiness boost, as well as potentially causing health issues. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration labelled it as "generally recognized as safe".
• However, the notion that it's a widespread allergy or sensitivity is generally false, as the occurrence of this is pretty rare. If you do think it doesn't agree with you, read nutrition labels carefully to see if MSG also exists as "hydrolyzed soy protein" or "autolyzed yeast".

3. Food colouring

• Foods aren't always presented in their uncoloured forms, with items like butter, maraschino cherries, pop, cheese and more. There's some speculation that artificial colouring can lead to hyperactivity in kids, as well as Yellow #5 leading to worse asthma symptoms. Conclusively, the FDA did find that Red #2 did lead to cancer in rats, and has since banned that artificial colouring.
• Scientists are still looking for a conclusive link between health issues and food colouring, so the safest bet is to carefully check nutrition labels and make your own decision.

4. Trans fats

• There's not much ambiguity when it comes to trans fats being bad for the body. They're present when food manufacturers add hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils so they're fairly solid at room temperature and lead to a longer shelf life, and are one of the worst fats you can consume. They can lead to a dramatically higher risk of heart disease and other health issues.
• Most typically, trans fats are found in baked goods (like pie crusts and tart shells), potato chips, fried foods, creamers, margarine and other baked goods or snacks. If it's hard to keep track of trans fats on nutrition labels, then a good way of decreasing them in general is to just limit your daily fat intake.

Not all additives are necessarily bad for you, but check the nutrition labels and talk to your doctor if you want to clear up any concerns.