Tiny Tots, the victim of food additives
NATIONAL JOURNAL OF HOMOEOPATHY 2003 May / Jun VOL V NO 3.
Dr Mirza Anwar Baig
Every substance has its individual colour and flavour, but
only a few are pleasant and attractive. People all over the world have done all
they can to make food smell and look appetizing. Food additives are attractive
colours enticing flavours and can be seen in attractive drinks, candy chocolates
and gums. They are all around us and are getting whackier and bolder. In recent
years synthetic colours and flavours are being used more freely. It is said that
all the natural vanilla in the world would be insufficient to flavour the
vanilla.
Now-a-days lot of our food contains allergic toxins through colouring,
preservatives and additives, as well as the use of pesticides and insecticides.
These allergens can cause our immune system to turn against itself. Since
children are very sensitive, they react to it fast. As a result disease like
nephritis, colitis, diverticulitis, anemia, allergies, etc can occur. Do we ever
bother about the composition of these additives, which are chemicals?
There, indeed, exist harmless, permissible additives but there are a large
number of the detrimental variety. I had not paid much attention towards this
until my own experience. One evening I happened to go to a park along with my
wife and grandson. After a few horse-rides, he was attracted towards a candy
vendor who was selling colourful wooly balls. I couldn’t stop my wife to buy
one for him. After he ate, the pigments of colour left on the stick drew my
attention & I noticed, it had high fluorescent taint left behind. Although I
threw the stick, my mind was stuck to it! I questioned myself; can a harmless
additive have a fluorescent shine? God knows how many of our children are
consuming these pigments every day! I know, in Europe some researchers believe
that British food is the sick food of Europe. We, their onetime slaves still
follow many things, which they left. One of my American friends said,
"Americans will eat anything if you manage to color it orange". I don’t
know why, possibly he might have broadened his comment by saying we want colour
to match flavour. In America no one would buy a grape drink if it was not
coloured purple. Or a cherry drink, if not coloured red or an orange drink, if
not coloured orange.
Food colours may be either natural or synthetic, but indeed all substances,
which appear colourful are chemicals, which may be carcinogenic. Yes, many foods
are by nature strongly coloured and add much to their appeal. Examples are red
apple, golden apple, peach, apricot, asparagus, blue berry, carrot, cherry,
cheese, coffee, or sweet corn. Synthetic colours are many and used in candies,
or icicling (icicle), snack foods, gelatin desserts or baked dishes. In USA the
food colours certified by FDA are, Tartrazine, Orange B, Cilvus Red, and
erythrosine. They are probably not allergic, and safe for consumption by most.
The question that comes up is, which dyes should be certified, and in India do
concerned authorities bother? Every dye has adverse properties, it can cause
anything from erythema to asthma and anaphylactic shock to cancer!
Natural colours are centuries old. In sanskrit writings, the history of colour
can be traced even before 1500 BC For example coriander is said to have a
flavour somewhat reminiscent of lemon peel and sage. Maize (corn) is commonly
used, but causes headache and respiratory allergy, in the sensitive individuals.
In the same way cotton seed flour has been used to some extent to give fine
texture to candies, pastries, and some other baking items.
Chocolate and cola are the two most common food items, which may cause allergy.
Chocolate and cola are capable of causing various kind of food allergy, common
in migraine. Indian fennel-leaves, coriander, cucumber, lemon, mango, fig,
garlic, ginger are also very old, used for balancing food. Fennel contains
florentine, an ingredient, which flavours food and is safe. Flavours are the
essence of food. Gelatin is a complex mixture of proteins used in desserts and
candies and as thickener and stabilizer. It is derived from the boiling of
connective tissue, bones and skin of beef and pork & may act as allergen.
Yet one more major problem now a days is that our food is
refined to such an extent that it has become deficient in live energy. Chemicals
that are harmless themselves can cause serious harm when they combine themselves
with human serum proteins and then weaken the immune system. This is also a main
reason why allergic diseases are at large! Let us just stop here a moment and
consider just one example-that of wheat, now contains so many chromosomes that
many people have become allergic to it. In this world of technology there is a
limited need for food additives. Let us train ourselves to look at the labels
and learn about what possible damage we could innocently be inflicting on
ourselves and on our children.
