Toxic Food Fact of the Day
Let’s talk about a food additive that prevents the wastage of food…
Antioxidants
I’ve talked about antioxidants before in “An Antioxidant a Day, Keeps the Free Radical Away” but now I’m taking a different approach.
I’m going to talk about using antioxidants, natural and synthetic, to prevent the oxidation of food. Our bodies use antioxidants to prevent oxidative stress, similarly, we add antioxidants to food to do the same thing.
Read on young grasshoppers…
Natural Antioxidants:
Fruits and veggies produce antioxidants (carotenoids, polyphenolic, ascorbic acid or vitamin C, and vitamin A) to prevent oxidation. But once the fruit or veggie is not living anymore it will stop producing antioxidants and will be vulnerable to oxidation. Unfortunately, oxidation can decrease the nutritional value of the food by degrading essential fatty acids and vitamins.
Think about it…
You’ve seen oxidation occur … It’s the browning effect! For example, when you cut an apple and let it sit, what happens??? The apple turns brown.
So, what’s the trick…. LEMON JUICE! Lemon juice can prevent the browning of cut apples, thanks to the antioxidant action of vitamin C in the lemon juice.
click image for source
Synthetic Antioxidants:
Synthetic antioxidants are used for the same reason as natural antioxidants. They are added to food products in order to protect food against oxidative deterioration of vitamins and essential fatty acids, delay and detain unwanted and unusual odors, extend self-life, and lastly, hinder the production of toxic by-products.
Synthetic antioxidants include:
Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA), Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), Propyl Gallate (PG), and Tert-Butylated HydroxyQuinone (TBHQ).
Last thoughts: I hear apples taste even better with a little lemon… maybe you should try it… especially those folks who eat an apple a day to keep the doctor away … give your apple a little spunk … When life gives you lemons, squirt some on your cut apples … that means you gramps!
Related articles
- An Antioxidant a Day, Keeps the Free Radical Away (toxicfoodie.org)
- Antioxidants and free radicals (f00dventures.wordpress.com)
