KEEPING MONACO HEALTHY
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AVOIDING THE WORST HIDDEN FOOD INGREDIENTS
Food labels tell us the calories , carbs , protein and fat . But what else is hiding inside your food ? You probably can ’ t identify half the other mysterious ingredients on the list — even if you can read the tiny print .
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Susan Tomassini
HelloMonaco is pleased to introduce Susan Tomassini , a licensed nutritionist and co-owner of The Clever Kitchen and Foodwise in Monaco . She contributes a column on healthy lifestyle to give our readers important information on eating well , staying healthy and finding balance in our often-hectic lives . Susan spent over 20 years as a model in Milan and after having children , devoted her life to studying health and nutrition . Her website , Foodwise ( www . foodwise . life ), offers practical nutrition and lifestyle advice . Through Monaco-based The Clever Kitchen ( www . thecleverkitchen . com ), Susan offers nutrition workshops with inspirational and realistic ways to stay healthy , featuring healthy recipes based on fresh , seasonal produce and nutrient-dense Superfoods .
Convenience is a big part of our modern lifestyle , and that ’ s especially true when it comes to food and drink . Many people rely too heavily on processed , packaged foods that contain unpronounceable chemicals . While some may be safe and might even improve a food ’ s nutritional value , others are downright nasty and should be avoided . What are they ?
Food additives preserve flavour or improve the taste of a product . Although used for thousands of years ( spices in curry seasonings were initially created to preserve the freshness and conceal the taste of slightly spoiled foods ), the last 50 years have seen a huge increase in their number . In fact , nearly everything we buy at the supermarket contains some sort of additive or preservative !
Government agencies can ’ t guarantee the safety of all these food additives because of the considerable controversy that surrounds them . Some intolerances ( like MSG ) are well-recognised , but many others are still not acknowledged . Adverse reactions to food additives are under-reported because doctors simply don ’ t suspect these substances are to blame .
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Yet demand is increasing for natural and organic products with fewer or no additives .
Who wants to risk their health while the authorities are still deciding if there is a link between these chemicals and illness ? Consider what we already know about some common food additives :
� MAKING FOOD LOOK BETTER
l ARTIFICIAL COLOURINGS are used to make food look more appealing , but can trigger hives , asthma and allergic reactions . They are also linked to behavioral problems in children ( ADD , ADHD ) and reduced IQ . Ani mal studies link food colourings to cancer .
Listed as : tartrazine ( E102 ), sunset yellow ( yellow # 6 , E110 ), amaranth ( red # 2 , E123 ), erythrosine ( red # 3 , E127 ), and quinoline yellow ( E104 ).
Found in : confectionary , soft drinks , ice cream , sports drinks and processed cereal .
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