The 2 Additives a Processed-Meals Researcher and Mother of two Avoids at All Prices

Elizabeth Dunford is not attempting to make grocery buying an not possible process.

Dunford is a diet epidemiologist who research components in ultra-processed foods and their impression on well being.

It’s not lifelike to keep away from packaged meals altogether, Dunford, who is predicated on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, instructed Business Insider. They make up round 70% of the US meals provide.

So, she focuses on shopping for meals for her household which have a low “additive load” total.

“I try to keep away from issues normally which have quite a lot of components, however you possibly can’t keep away from all the things,” stated Dunford, who’s a mother of two. “If you choose it up, you flip it over, and you do not acknowledge half the components, it is in all probability not a good selection,” she stated.

She has taught her children that eating enough vegetables, protein, and calcium will “preserve their brains and our bodies wholesome,” and that there is a time and a spot for treats, however it’s not good to have too many. “It is the on a regular basis food and drinks decisions that basically matter to me,” Dunford stated.

Ultra-processed meals comprise components you would not discover in an everyday kitchen, like emulsifiers and thickening brokers. They are typically ultrapalatable, which means they comprise an irresistible combination of sugar, salt, and fats, and have lengthy shelf lives. They may be something from potato chips and soda to packaged bread and yogurt.

A eating regimen excessive in one of these meals has been linked to a higher risk of chronic diseases, together with kind two diabetes, heart problems, most cancers, and melancholy.

While she finds it unrealistic to chop out all components, Dunford shared the 2 components that she will not purchase.

Synthetic dyes

Dunford avoids shopping for merchandise that comprise synthetic dyes for herself and her household. “I’ll enable it at a birthday celebration. That’s about it. Day-to-day, they don’t seem to be allowed in our home,” she stated.

The dyes, that are usually constituted of petroleum, are used to present meals merchandise colourful appearances. If you are searching for them on a label, scan for a colour and a quantity.

Dunford stated that though the dyes are frequent in sweet and junk meals, they can be utilized in something from blueberry bagels to spinach wraps. Instead of avoiding any explicit meals, she checks labels to discover a model with out artificial dyes.

“There are positively sufficient alternate options on the market that there isn’t a want to purchase merchandise for my children that comprise artificial dyes,” she stated.

Synthetic dyes usually are not confirmed to hurt everybody who consumes them, however proof suggests they will worsen hyperactivity or attention-related habits in kids who’re delicate to them. Dunford stated her son is on the ADHD spectrum, and that she would discover a distinction in his habits when he had brightly coloured meals.

“My son, like many children his age on the ADHD spectrum, and I seen he turned horrible when he would have brightly coloured meals,” Dunford stated.

In January 2025, the FDA banned Red Dye 3, a dye that provides meals like sweet, frosting, and bacon a cherry crimson colour, as a result of it was linked to most cancers in an animal examine. It has not been discovered to trigger most cancers in people, however has additionally been related to behavioral points in some kids.

In April 2025, the FDA introduced that it might be phasing out numerous different artificial dyes, together with Red 40, Green 3, Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Blue 1, and Blue 2.

Phosphate components

Dunford tries to keep away from shopping for merchandise with phosphate components corresponding to phosphoric acid, dicalcium phosphate, tricalcium phosphate, disodium phosphate, sodium phosphate, and lecithin.

Studies counsel that phosphate-based components are current in as much as 56% of packaged meals within the US and that they elevate blood phosphate ranges greater than the phosphate that naturally happens in meals corresponding to meat, seafood, and dairy. Soda, processed meats, and quick meals all generally comprise phosphate components, however they may also be utilized in on a regular basis staples like yogurt and bread.

Dunford will not purchase main culprits like soda in any respect, however for different merchandise like yogurt, she makes certain to search out variations with out them.

“Children are getting actually extremely uncovered to those components they usually can actually trigger quite a lot of issues with bone health, with kidney well being,” Dunford stated.

The physique wants phosphate, which is a mineral, for healthy bones, tooth, cells, and vitality manufacturing. But an excessive amount of phosphate within the blood may be dangerous, particularly for folks with persistent kidney illness, whose kidneys are much less capable of take away extra phosphate.

Calcium and phosphate are each used to construct bones, and the kidneys assist preserve their ranges balanced within the bloodstream. When phosphate builds up, it could actually disrupt this stability and set off hormonal adjustments, together with increased ranges of parathyroid hormone, a hormone that regulates calcium within the blood. Over time, this may trigger calcium to be launched from bones, weakening them.

Although research counsel that phosphate components can quickly have an effect on the phosphate-calcium stability in wholesome folks, extra analysis is required to know if these components could cause well being points over time. Regardless, Dunford prefers to err on the aspect of warning.

“You’re not going to get it excellent. It’s okay, however simply take that additional step, have a look at the label,” Dunford stated.