What's In My Food?!?!

Being a freshman in college I always try to watch what I eat in order to avoid the dreadful "Freshman Fifteen." More frequently I catch myself reading the ingredients in the food I eat. Have you ever just read the ingredients at the bottom of the nutrition table and have wondered, "what the heck is this word I can't even pronounce," or "what is the difference between red dye #1 and red dye #40?" Today I want to unmask some of the common ingredients that are hidden in the food we love. 



Citric Acid: Most Common Preservative

• organic acid found in fruits
• lime, lemons and grapefruits
• makes it harder for bacteria and mold to survive and reproduce
• doesn't cause side effect as is USFDA approved

High Fructose Corn-Syrup: Most Common Sweeter

• process involves changing simple sugar glucose to another sugar fructose
• process is cheap 
• can also act as a preservative
• linked to obesity

 Caramel Color: Most Color Additive 

• yellow no. 5, yellow no .6, red no. 40
•  red n. 40 most used
• produced from the over heating of food-grade carbohydrates

 Salt: Most Common Flavor or Spice

• sodium chloride
• linked to high blood pressure

Monosodium Glutamate: Most Common Flavor Enhancer

• MSG has no distinct taste itself
• sodium salt of the amino acid glutamic acid
• unsafe at large consumptions found by FDA investigation

Niacin: Most Common Nutrient

• helps hold nutrients lost during food manufacturing 
• vitamin B3
• water-soluble and passed through body by urine

Soybean Oil: Most Common Oil or Fat

• contains unsaturated fatty acids

Xanthan Gum: Most Common Thickener

• produced by bacterium  Xanthomonas campestris
• thickening agent
• helps the viscosity of mixture 
• creates a smooth texture