14 Facts About Food Everyone Should Know

The next time you go to eat something, take a second to investigate the item on your plate. There are many things on this planet that might surprise you about what you’re putting in your body. Just because it tastes good doesn’t mean it’s healthy.

Here are some interesting facts on food everyone should know before they eat again:

1. A serving of the most popular fast-food french fries contains double the recommended daily amount of trans fat. If you eat one meal containing trans fats each day, by the time you are 65 you could develop Alzheimer’s disease.
2. Trans fats are found in foods like fried chicken or fish, crackers and cookies, frozen pizza, margarine, and many processed foods. They are often found in restaurant food. If you are eating out, make sure to ask about the ingredients in your meal.
3. One in three children born in the year 2000 will be diagnosed with diabetes. That is because American kids are consuming too much sugar and fat at a young age which causes their pancreas to produce insulin improperly or not at all.
4. Americans eat approximately 150 pounds of sugar per person, per year. That is more than twice as much as they did in 1900. Refined sugar has been linked to gum diseases and cavities, obesity and diabetes, memory loss, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.
5. Glucose syrup, corn sweeteners and dextrose are all forms of refined sugar that are found in many processed foods. These sugars are worse than table sugar because they are so low-cost to produce, so food manufacturers tend to use them more often.
6. One of the most dangerous additives found in restaurant food is MSG, or monosodium glutamate. It was first used by scientists back in 1907 as a good substitute for salt, but it is only added to Chinese food as a flavor enhancer.
7. MSG may be listed as hydrolyzed vegetable protein, soy protein extract or natural flavoring on an ingredient list. People who have MSG intolerance experience headaches and nausea within half an hour of eating it. It can also cause asthma attacks in those who are allergic to it.
8. In a study done by the British Food Standards Agency, it was found that one of every ten chicken pieces in fast food restaurants were found to contain more than 50 percent added water before cooking. This is why it is important to always cook your own chicken at home instead of buying it already prepared.
9. Many people enjoy eating deep-fried foods, but very few are aware that it is the frying process itself that makes them so bad for you. When something is cooked in boiling oil, there are far fewer toxins created than when it is cooked at a high temperature with little to no oil.
10. Many people love eating fast food or restaurant pizza because they think the salt on the crust is what helps make it taste so good. This is not true! It’s actually the MSG that makes it delicious, and too much of this substance can damage brain cells, causing neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.
11. Many people are surprised to hear that alcoholics often die from heart failure due to malnutrition since most people think only heavy drinkers get cirrhosis of the liver. This is because alcohol actually destroys many B vitamins in your body, especially thiamin
12. Thiamin helps metabolize sugars and amino acids, which are necessary for survival. You can prevent vitamin deficiency by eating whole grains, lean meats or legumes instead of processed foods.
13. In addition to the nutrients mentioned above, vitamin A helps prevent cancer. You can get more of it from squash, dark leafy greens and liver. Vitamin C is the most important antioxidant in your body and can be found in citrus fruits, peppers and broccoli.
14. Vitamin D is necessary for bone health and plays a role in immune function. You can get it from fatty fish, fortified dairy products and sunshine. Vitamin E helps protect your cells from damage. It can be found in nuts, green leafy vegetables and whole grains.

Now that you know all these facts about food , will you change the way you eat? Share this article to spread awareness!