Additives- where do I start?

The curiosity surrounding additives is overwhelming. Almost every mother I speak to wants to know more, and wants to know how to cut these nasties out of their families diets. I wish I could go through everyone's pantry, or go grocery shopping with you, but unfortunately I just can't. So here are the ABCs of becoming additive free. 

A. Decide what you want for your family. Why do you want to do it, and what will you be looking for? Is it your son who is showing ADHD symptoms, or your daughter with athsma? 

These nasty additives can cause a myriad of nasty reactions, from tics, to anxiety, rashes, to tantrums, so your list could end up being quite long, but if you don't know what you are looking for, you won't know if it has worked. 

B. Choose when you will start your two week trial. 

Two weeks without any additives is long enough to see the difference (if any). You will have to plan for it, by letting grandparents and carers know what you are doing. Make the transition as easy on everyone as possible, by having meals and shopping lists planned, and plenty of back up foods.

Cutting everything out at once, instead of changing one thing at a time, will find you more success.

C. Time to memorise! 

Knowing what to look out for when reading ingredients will become easier as time goes on. In only a few weeks of being additive free I became an ingredient list speed-reader! I could point out a nasty from 20 feet away! Really. The first step is the hardest, it gets much, much, easier as the days go on. 

Below are the ingredients to watch out for. 

Flavours: 

Flavours are unregulated. Anything could be used to flavour a food. Steer clear of them, as usually they are nasty.

Flavour enhancers:

620-625 glutamic acid and all glutamates, MSG mono sodium glutamate

627 disodium guanylate

631 disodium inosinate

635 ribonucleotides

Yeast extract (most common) HVP HHP, hydrolysed vegetable/plant protein (most common)

Artificial sweeteners:

951 aspartame (found in diet and sugar free foods/drinks)

Maltodexrin

Colours:

102 tartrazine

104 quinolone yellow

107 yellow 2g

110 sunset yellow

122 azorubine, carmoisine 

123 amaranth

124 ponceau, brilliant scarlet

127 erythrosine

128 red 2g

129 allura red

132 indigotine, indigo carmine

133 brilliant blue

142 green S, food green, acid brilliant green

151 brilliant black

155 brown, chocolate brown

160b annatto, bixin, norbixin

Preservatives:

200-203 sorbic acid, potassium & calcium sorbates

210-213 benzoic acid, sodium, potassium & calcium benzoates

220-228 sulphur dioxide, all sulphites, bisulphates, metabisulphates

249-252 all nitrates and nitrites

280-283 propionic acid, sodium, potassium & calcium propionates

Antioxidants:

310-312 all gallates

319-321 (most common) TBHQ, BHA butylated hydroxyanisole, BHT butylated hydroxytoluene

D. Bonus round!

Don't worry if you mess up. If the kids eat something that slipped past your fingers, well, tomorrow is another day. But it gets easier. And as you begin to notice the difference in your children, you and the people around you will want to avoid these nasties, and then it doesn't seem so hard. 

Please email me your questions. I will also publish FAQs in a blog post to come... Leesa@cosentino.com.au. 

Lx