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58
May/June 2013
From sodium benzoate to
nitrates, our food labels
today are chock full of odd
sounding preservatives
and additives that could
be doing more harm than
good. HEALTH unravels the
mystery behind food labels
to help you discern what is
healthy and what may be
harmful...
Understanding Food Labels
A Closer Look at Additives
and Preservatives
diseases - diabetes, cancer,
heart disease, depression and
memory loss – are often times
diet-related. A food additive,
explains Andrew John Picken,
Clinical Nutritionist and
Owner of Bespoke Wellness
based at Emirates Golf Club,
The Creek Golf & Yacht
Club and The Jumeirah
Beach Hotel, is a substance
that becomes part of a food
product - either intentionally
or unintentionally - during the
processing or food production.
“This can be the addition of
herbs and spices to flavour
a recipe or adding salt to
preserve meats,” he says and in
fact, most issues with additives
are usually not with the natural
substances such as salt but
with artificial ingredients such
as chemicals. “When choosing
Basics
With the influx of refined
foods, preservatives, additives
and colourings in nearly
everything we eat, the old
adage “you are what you
eat” can be dismaying. In
fact, today’s more common