Some Scary information I dug up...

And it concerns our food! I often have been told that when you are looking at food, if there is something listed as an ingredient that you cannot pronounce, chances are that it's bad for you. Well, I decided to do some research on a few ingredients that I keep seeing on a few things that I eat and drink on a normal basis.

1. Carrageenan, xanthan gum (basically all words that end with "gum")
This excerpt is taken from http://home.howstuffworks.com/question315.htm
Lots of foods can contain some pretty weird-sounding stuff. That's because processed foods have some amazing things they have to do. For example, a cookie might get made in Texas, trucked across the country in the middle of the summer, sit in a warehouse for a couple of weeks before it is sold and then ride home in the trunk of your car. And when you open the package, you expect the cookie to look perfect. Not an easy thing to accomplish, it turns out...

Things like liquids and cheese can be even more problematic, because their natural inclination is to separate, foam, melt, precipitate, et cetera, especially after they bounce down the road for a thousand miles.

That's why many foods contain chemicals known as gums. Two gums that are pretty familiar are gelatin and corn starch. If you look at processed food, you see all sorts of other gums like carrageenan, xanthan gum, cellulose gum, locust bean gum, agar, and so on. Food scientists (not cooks -- food scientists make processed foods) use these substances for four main reasons:
They thicken things: Ice cream, marshmallow fluff, pancake syrup, etc., all benefit from thickening.
They emulsify things: They help liquids to stay mixed together without separating.
They change the texture: Generally, a gum will make something thicker or chewier.
They stabilize crystals: A gum might help prevent sugar or ice from crystallizing.

These are all handy capabilities when making food products that have to look good for several months after trucking them across the country. The reason why a normal cook usually does not need to use things like carrageenan or xanthan gum is because the food a normal cook makes gets eaten quickly and is not mistreated. A cook can also use less expensive things like gelatin, flour or eggs because the time span between cooking and consumption is so short.

Carrageenan, by the way, is a seaweed extract. This particular type of seaweed is common in the Atlantic Ocean near Britain, Continental Europe and North America. You boil the seaweed to extract the carrageenan. In that sense, carrageenan is completely "natural" -- it's not much different from tomato paste in its creation.

Ok, all fine and dandy, then I found this one:
2. Guar Gum
Found on http://sci-toys.com/ingredients/guar_gum.html
Guar gum is a polysacharide (a long chain made of sugars) made of the sugars galactose and mannose.
Some other familiar polysacharides are starch and cellulose, which are made of long chains of the sugar glucose.

Guar gum comes from the endosperm of the seed of the legume plant Cyamopsis tetragonolobus. Cyamopsis tetragonolobus is an annual plant, grown in arid regions of India as a food crop for animals.

Uses:
Guar gum is used as a thickener in cosmetics, sauces, salad dressings, as an agent in ice cream that prevents ice crystals from forming, and as a fat substitute that adds the "mouth feel" of fat.

In pastry fillings, it prevents "weeping" (syneresis) of the water in the filling, keeping the pastry crust crisp.

It has a very high viscosity (thickness) even when very little is used. When mixed with xanthan gum or locust bean gum, the viscosity is more than when either one is used alone, so less of each can be used.

So aren't polysaccarides bad for us? Uh Huh, that's what I thought... That particular ingredient kinda worries me. Especially since it is widely used in cosmetics as well as ice cream...

3. CALCIUM PHOSPHATE TRIBASIC

Now a little note on this one before I get into the info I dug up. This is listed as an ingredient in my milk. I drink LACTAID. I cannot drink regular milk because I am lactose intolerant (have been since birth). I've been drinking LACTAID since before I can remember. So read very carefully on the information I dug up about this ingredient.

MSDS Number: C0490 * * * * * Effective Date: 10/12/04 * * * * * Supercedes: 08/10/04
1. Product Identification
Synonyms: Tricalcium phosphate; Calcium hydroxy apatite; hydroxyapatite, Precipitated Calcium Phosphate.
3. Hazards IdentificationEmergency Overview -------------------------- WARNING! DIRECT CONTACT WITH EYES MAY CAUSE SEVERE IRRITATION OR BURNS. CAUSES IRRITATION TO SKIN, EYES AND RESPIRATORY TRACT. HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED OR INHALED.
Health Rating: 1 - Slight Flammability Rating: 0 - None Reactivity Rating: 0 - None Contact Rating: 3 - Severe Lab Protective Equip: GOGGLES & SHIELD; LAB COAT & APRON; VENT HOOD; PROPER GLOVES Storage Color Code: Green (General Storage) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Potential Health Effects ----------------------------------
Inhalation: Causes irritation to the respiratory tract. Symptoms may include coughing, shortness of breath.
Ingestion: Causes irritation to the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms may include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
Skin Contact: May cause irritation with redness and pain.
Eye Contact: Direct contact with the eyes is irritating and may cause corneal damage. Chronic Exposure: No information found.
Aggravation of Pre-existing Conditions: No information found.
4. First Aid Measures
Inhalation: Remove to fresh air. If not breathing, give artificial respiration. If breathing is difficult, give oxygen. Get medical attention.
Ingestion: Induce vomiting immediately as directed by medical personnel. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person.
Skin Contact: Immediately flush skin with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes. Remove contaminated clothing and shoes. Wash clothing before reuse. Thoroughly clean shoes before reuse. Get medical attention if irritation develops.
Eye Contact: Immediately flush eyes with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes, lifting lower and upper eyelids occasionally. Get medical attention immediately.
9. Physical and Chemical PropertiesAppearance:
Fine, white powder.
Odor: Odorless.
Solubility: Practically insoluble in water.
16. Other InformationNFPA Ratings: Health: 1 Flammability: 0 Reactivity: 0 Label Hazard Warning: WARNING! DIRECT CONTACT WITH EYES MAY CAUSE SEVERE IRRITATION OR BURNS. CAUSES IRRITATION TO SKIN, EYES AND RESPIRATORY TRACT. HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED OR INHALED. Label Precautions: Avoid contact with eyes, skin and clothing.Wash thoroughly after handling.Avoid breathing dust.Keep container closed.Use only with adequate ventilation. Label First Aid: In case of contact, immediately flush eyes or skin with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes. Remove contaminated clothing and shoes. Wash clothing before reuse. If inhaled, remove to fresh air. If not breathing, give artificial respiration. If breathing is difficult, give oxygen. If swallowed, induce vomiting immediately as directed by medical personnel. Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person. In all cases, get medical attention. Product Use: Laboratory Reagent.

Ok THIS ingredient is added to my MILK? HOW IN THE @%&*# DO THEY GET AWAY WITH THINGS LIKE THIS? I mean, there cannot be another ingredient by the same name that is not what is listed here? I think not. So if this ingredient is hazardous in it's powder form, then how is it in the other forms, if there are other forms? There must be if it is listed as and ingredient in my milk!

4. Phenylketonurics (always found in sodas)
I've always wanted to know what that warning label meant "Phenylketonurics - contains phenylalanine" that is on every can of soda that we imbibe. Well here you go:

"Phenylketonurics" is the term used to refer to people that have the metabolic disorder Phenylketonuria, or PKU for short. The warning on diet soda cans is included merely to inform people that the product contains aspartame. People that have the disorder PKU cannot consume any product that contains aspartame.

Phenylketonuria is a metabolic disorder that results when the PKU gene is inherited from both parents. When babies are born in the United States, a heel stick blood test is done to test for various disorders - PKU is one of the disorders that is tested for. It is very rare, in the US an average of 1 in 15,000 babies is born with the disorder (this number varies from region to region). If a baby is tested positive for PKU at birth, a follow up test is done a few days later. Out of 500 babies which do test positive for PKU on the first test, on average only one will actually have the disorder.

So, what is PKU? What happens to people that have it?

People with PKU have a deficiency of an enzyme which is necessary for the proper metabolism of an amino acid called Phenylalanine (i.e., the component in diet soda included in the warning). Phenylalanine is an essential amino acid and it is found in nearly all foods which contain protein: meat (of all kinds), dairy products, nuts, beans, tofu... the list goes on and on. Additionally, phenylalanine is found in aspartame, the sweetener found in most diet soft drinks and sugar-free candies/gum, hence the need for the warning on the labels of these products. Those of us that have PKU must follow a strict "low protein" diet to avoid all food sources that have high phenylalanine content. To get adequate amounts of other amino acids found in protein (without the damaging phenylalanine), people with PKU also have to take a special formula which is usually in the form of a liquid beverage.

If those of us that have PKU do not follow a strict low protein diet, phenylalanine is not adequately digested in our bodies and it builds up in our blood in the form of an acid called phenylpyruvic acid. High levels of phenylpyruvic acid damage the brain and can cause an array of side effects - mental retardation, the loss of pigmentation in the skin/hair/eyes (people with untreated PKU often have light skin, blond hair and blue eyes), a mousy odor, muscle aches and pains and in extreme cases, even seizures. Depending on the severity of the PKU, babies who were not treated for the disorder and put on the special diet at birth run the risk of suffering irreversable mental retardation within the first year of life.
Phenylalanine is absolutely, 100% NOT cancerous! It is in virtually every food you eat, it is one of the 8 essential amino acids that comprise a complete protein. If you don't have PKU, you would become protein deprived and seriously sick if you never ate phenylalanine!
However, the synthesized chemical called ASPARTAME is the artificial sweetener that is used in many kinds of diet soda and other sweets. It has phenylalanine as an ingredient, but is itself a completely different chemical. Apartame can cause a wide range of side effects and is considered to be very unsafe by many people (including medical professionals). Some people complain that they get headaches, cramps, severe vomiting, seizures, etc... Indeed, when aspartame is heated it breaks down into a chemical that is comparable to wood alcohol (Don't ever drink a warm diet soda or consume any warm food that has aspartame in it!).
http://www.sweetpoison.com/phenylalanine.html

I worry about other ingredients too, but these just happened to be closest to me in the last few days, so I had to check them out. The consequences? Who knows. But if you have any problems, have them checked out soon. Especially if you have been told you have PKU and you drink any kind of soda, even if it is once in a blue moon. And take a look at www.sweetpoison.com to get more information about aspartame and splenda- you'll get a shock there too!