The Alternative Daily team supports label reading. Even if it takes you a few extra minutes when you shop, do yourself a favor and turn the package or container over and skim over the ingredient list.
Becoming familiar with the contents of your food is a great first step towards making healthy food choices. If there is an ingredient that you cannot pronounce, suffice it to say, it is probably nothing good. We suggest sticking to foods with a short ingredient list, somewhere around five is a good number.
Cool Whip is a popular product, people love the light texture and creamy taste. However, this comes at a cost to your health. The ingredients in Cool Whip Lite are nothing short of a walking heart attack.
Ingredient List
Water, Corn Syrup, Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Less than Two Percent of Sodium Caseinate (from Milk), Natural and Artificial Flavor, Modified Food Starch, Xanthan and Guar Gums, Polysorbate 60, Sorbitan Monostearate, Sodium Polyphosphates, Beta Carotene (Color).
Corn Syrup/ High Fructose Corn Syrup – This deadly sugar substitute causes increased weight gain and contributes to obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease. Recent studies also indicate that this dangerous ingredient may contain mercury, which may cause reproductive problems and degenerative diseases.
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil – Yuck, yuck, yuck…. this product (trans fat) is made by taking normal vegetable oil and adding metal, heat and hydrogenated gas. The process alters fat molecules in such as a way that our bodies do not recognize them as usable materials.
Trans fats have absolutely no nutritional value whatsoever. According to the National Academy of Sciences, there is no level of trans fat that is safe. Trans fat is implicated in heart disease and diabetes, and is commonly found in baked goods, fried foods, hydrogenated vegetable oils, margarines and fast foods.
Xanthan and Guar Gums – Xanthan gum is created by the fermentation of corn sugar with the same bacteria that creates the black spots on cauliflower and broccoli. Xanthan gum is used to prevent oil separation and is found, along with guar gum, in foods such as ice cream. Many people are allergic to xanthan gum as it can be a derivative of corn, wheat and soy.
Polysorbate 60 – This is a chemical emulsifier that is used in sexual lubricants and beauty products. To make this ingredient, ethylene oxide (a precursor to antifreeze) is polymerized with a sugar alcohol derivative. Research has demonstrated a strong connection between this ingredient and organ toxicity, tumors in lab mice and diarrhea.
Sorbitan Monostearate – Known as synthetic emulsifier, this substance may cause irritation to the eyes, respiratory system, skin and stomach.
Sodium Polyphosphates – This granular-like powder is an emulsifier that has been linked to skin irritation and a drop in blood pressure.
Natural and Artificial Flavors – As you know, these could be anything from duck feathers to insect parts. There is no telling what is in these flavorings, and just because they say natural is no reason to get excited that they are safe or healthy.
So, now that you know what is actually in your Cool Whip Lite, perhaps you will consider paying a tad more and getting some real heavy whipping cream. After all, you don’t want to insult your strawberries, do you?
-The Alternative Daily
Sources:
http://www.nas.edu/headlines/20061212.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/high-fructose-corn-syrup-dangers_b_861913.html
http://www.defensenutrition.com/articles/the_ugly_truth_about_casein_protein.php
http://www.foodsmatter.com/allergy_intolerance/miscellaneous/articles/xanthan-gum-05-12.html
http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+778
http://www.fishersci.com/ecomm/servlet/msdsproxy?productName=AC390930010&productDescription=SODIUM+POLYPHOSPHATE%2C+PU+1KG&catNo=AC39093-0010&vendorId=VN00032119&storeId=10652
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/09/01/what-you-dont-know-about-flavor-enhancers-can-harm-you.aspx