Additives, Colours and Kids
Processed foods contain hidden additives like preservatives, flavour enhancers, bulking agents, colours and other numbers that are not naturally occurring in foods (even though this food may state on the front of the packet that it is ‘all natural’!)
The truth is we don’t really know the impact these ‘additives’ have on us as:
- You can’t test them on people as that is illegal (they are often tested on other animals whose digestive systems are vastly different, they test small amounts and only for short periods of time, like weeks, not months or years) and
- Nobody has ever consumed them in the levels that people who base their intake on processed foods are currently consuming them
Childhood is a time of rapid growth and development. This means children are more susceptible if they are exposed to harmful substances (adults cells divide at a much slower rate so are potentially at less risk)
Add to this the issue that most children do not eat the recommended amount of fruit and veg and other foods that provide important nutrients and anti-oxidants which help to protect against damage that can happen to cells during division (the process of growth)
Here is a great article by expert nutritionist and author Catherine Saxelby explaining about some of the issues that we know can occur as a result of some of these additives
