Easy swaps to reduce additives

One of the first things I look at when I work with children is eliminating harmful food additives from their diet.

Additives can be natural or artificial and include colours, flavours, preservatives, stabilisers, thickeners and sweeteners.

Many studies have shown that artificial additives can have a significant impact on health, causing adverse effects such as hyperactivity, skin reactions, headaches, disturbed sleep, asthma and digestive problems.

Europe is leading the way in banning harmful additives and removing them from foods marketed specifically for children. Food manufacturers in Australia are slowly catching up and starting to reduce artificial additives but there is still a long way to go!

One additive that often slips under the radar is the natural colour, annatto (160b). This is a yellow colour that is chemically extracted from the Bixa orellana plant and is commonly found in ice cream, dairy products, cereals… and Tim Tams (sorry…😕).

Food manufacturers in Australia are increasingly using 160b to replace artificial colours in their products, however it is not used in Europe. In 2016, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) recommended replacing certain food colour extracts derived from annatto due to a lack of data about safety. Interestingly, Magnums in Europe do not contain 160b but they do in Australia..🤔

Some people are able to tolerate 160b but for others, this natural colour is associated with adverse reactions such as headaches, irritability, head-banging, sleep disturbance and hives.

Sue Dengate from The Food Intolerance network has collected many anecdotal reports of similar reactions - https://www.fedup.com.au/images/stories/SC160bannatto.pdf

Other additives to avoid are:

⚠️ flavour enhancers (620-625, 627, 631, 635)

⚠️ yeast extract (a natural flavour enhancer with similar effects to MSG)

⚠️ the “natural” colour caramel IV (150d).

As you would probably expect, I recommend avoiding processed foods and eating unrefined, whole foods as a general rule. Having said that, I also try to "keep it real" as much as possible so here are a few easy swaps that will help to reduce your family’s additive intake, especially when it comes to 160b and flavour enhancers.

🔺 Kraft Singles (contain two preservatives and 160b/annatto) ➡ Cheer Tasty Cheddar slices

🔺 Fantastic rice crackers (seaweed) (contain artificial flavour and two flavour enhancers) ➡️

Eat Rite Brown Rice Crackers Tamari Seaweed or Sakata Plain Rice Crackers

(Note: I personally avoid Fantastic rice crackers as they all contain flavour enhancers - even the plain ones)

🔺 Streets Blue Ribbon Vanilla Ice Cream (contains 160b/annatto) ➡️ Peters Original Vanilla Ice Cream

🔺 Poppin Butter Microwave Popcorn (contains 160b/annatto) ➡️ Cobs Sea Salt Popcorn (or plain/salted microwave popcorn)

🔺 Smiths Salt & Vinegar (contain flavour enhancer 621, or MSG) ➡️ Kettle Chip Sea Salt

(Note: Natural Chip Co, Red Rock and Kettle brands do not have flavour enhancer 621 in their salt and vinegar chips but they do have yeast extract)

🔺 Cheerios (contains 160b/annatto) ➡️ Freedom Foods Honey-O-Crunch

It can take a while to get used to checking ingredients when you are grocery shopping but trust me, it is worth the extra time and effort, particularly if you have a child who is sensitive to additives!

If you’d like to know more, get in touch to book in for a consultation.

References

Boris M & Mandel FS, 1994, Foods and additives are common causes of the attention deficit hyperactive disorder in children, Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, vol 72, no. 5, pp. 462-8.

Chemical Maze, 2022, Chemical Maze Complete Edition App, Chemical Maze, viewed 15 August 2022, https://chemicalmaze.com/

Dengate S, 2022, ‘Annatto (160b)’, Food Intolerance Network, Australia, viewed 24 August 2022, https://www.fedup.com.au/images/stories/SC160bannatto.pdf

Dengate S, 2008, Fed Up, Random House Australia, North Sydney.

Dos Santos Kraemer MV et al, 2022, ‘Food additives in childhood: a review on consumption and health consequences’, Revista de Saude Publica, vol 56, no.32.

European Food Safety Authority, 2016, ‘The safety of annatto extracts (E 160b) as a food additive’, EFSA Journal, vol 14, no 8.

McCann et al, 2007, ‘Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the community: a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial’, The Lancet. vol 370, pp.1560-7.

Nish WA et al, 1991, ‘Anaphylaxis to annatto dye: a case report’, Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, vol 66, no.2, pp. 129-31.

Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, 2021, Food Intolerance Handbook, RPAH Allergy Unit, Sydney.