Bad Food Additives

Seven additives you don’t need to worry about

Tuesday, 24 March 2009 08:03

If you are serious about a healthy diet then you probably check your food labels for additives, so here are seven that are harmless or even good for you.

Lecithin code number 322

A natural substance found in soy and egg yolks used as an emulsifier in foods like margarine, chocolate and packet cakes.

Acetic acid 260

A food acid found in vinegar, wine and apples, which is added to foods to give a sour taste and to correct the flavour balance.

Fructose

A nataural sugar found in fruit and honey.

Maltodextrin

A starch that's derived from wheat or maize starch but then treated so it can thicken soups and sauces without making them too thick and gluggy. It is very rapidly digested and absorbed. However, anyone with coeliac disease should avoid maltodextrin - unless it tells you it's made from maize on the label.

Xanthan gum 415

A natural gum which is synthesised by a bacteria on an industrial scale and used to give "body" to food. A bit like gelatine that makes jelly set. Like other forms of soluble fibre, it is broken down by bacteria in our large intestine.

Natural colour 160a

An orange-yellow food colour called carotene derived from plant pigments. You're already eating it in pumpkin, carrots, mango and apricots. It functions as an antioxidant and is converted to vitamin A in the body.

Thickener 1400-1405

Any of a number of starches made from maize, potato or wheat used to thicken foods like sauces, soups, stock and custard. Again, if you have coeliac disease check carefully.

Reproduced with permission from nutritionist Catherine Saxelby. For more healthy eating tips, go to www.foodwatch.com.au