Preservatives

I have recently decided to change my diet and watch the preservatives that I ingest. So I started researching. Well first of all there is different kinds of preservatives, antimicrobial (promotes bacteria growth), and antioxidants(doesn't promote bacteria growth). Now there is lots of different natural food preservatives, like salt, vinegar and sugar. What about these 'modern synthetic preservatives'?

Wikipedia states this about Health Concerns of Synthetic; 'Some modern synthetic preservatives have become controversial because they have been shown to cause respiratory or other health problems. Some studies point to synthetic preservatives and artificial coloring agents aggravating ADD & ADHD symptoms in those affected.[1][2] Older studies were inconclusive, quite possibly due to inadequate clinical methods of measuring offending behavior. Parental reports were more accurate indicators of the presence of additives than clinical tests. [3] Several major studies show academic performance increased and disciplinary problems decreased in large non-ADD student populations when artificial ingredients, including preservatives were eliminated from school food programs. [4][5] Allergenic preservatives in food or medicine can cause anaphylactic shock in susceptible individuals, a condition which is often fatal within minutes without emergency treatment.'

One thing to consider is that just because something was FDA approved does not make it completely safe to be consumed on a daily basis for many lengths of time. Alot of these products haven't had the luxury of being around long enough to know the actual long term effects on our bodies. Like it has been mentioned before alot of things are fine in moderation. But in reality when it comes to things like preservatives, and artificial sweeteners, how much moderation is actually possible? Alot of the synthetic preservatives are in many different products that you may eat daily. For example if you are trying to watch what you eat and limit your sugar consumption, then the artificial sweeteners will be in many products that you eat like; yogurt, diet pop, crystal light drink etc. This is the problem. In a perfect world these would be introduced to us in only one product and it would be well advertised that it is there and there possible effects. This way we could make a conscience choice of using the product or not, knowing exactly what was in it and it's possible long term and short term on effects our bodies.

So when considering moderation of food, be aware of the difference between whole foods, and processed foods which have many preservatives in them. It's amazing what you may notice about the foods that you are used to eating. It's no wonder that there are more and more people who are dedicating themselves to whole food diets, and raw food diets.