I recently spoke at a large event in Tampa, where I discussed the lies we are being fed about our food (by the very people we should be able to trust) and how we can protect ourselves. 

Afterwards I talked with many of the people there and listened to their struggles with their health, which many attributed to the food they were eating. 

For example, I met a man who worked for Pepsi for over 20 years. He used to drink Mountain Dew every day. He was going blind in one eye, had diabetes and heart disease. It was heartbreaking. 

And while I was there to teach the truth about ingredients in our food, I learned an important lesson that day…

We have A LOT of work to do. 

The more I see how badly people are negatively affected by our food system in this country, the more passion grows within me to change it. 

What I am about to share with you will alarm you – it’s so downright appalling. But you need to know about it. 

Just because it’s in our food, doesn’t mean it’s safe.

The FDA is a JOKE! 

There is a BIG misconception that the FDA diligently reviews and approves the ingredients that go into our food, and that they are protecting us from dangerous ingredients. 

The truth is that the FDA has done very little to improve the food system in this country, and continually allow us to eat harmful food additives, with very little oversight. Even worse, they fail to act (sometimes for YEARS) after an ingredient has been found to be unsafe. (1)

For example – It took the FDA decades to remove “Partially Hydrogenated Oils” from our food, even though they began being implicated in heart attacks in the 1950’s. (2) There have been several products that have been deemed “FDA Approved” which were yanked from the market years after they were shown to be downright dangerous. 

What’s really scary is that history shows that something very serious needs to happen – like deaths – before the FDA takes action. Does someone really need to die before an ingredient is banned? In the eyes of the FDA, that may be the case. 

The FDA allows food companies to use ingredients even after they’ve been linked to cancer. 

I put together a few examples for you of ingredients that have been allowed into our food supply, despite ample research linking them to cancer. The fact that these are (or have been) allowed in our food is outrageous, as there are safer ingredients and practices that could be used by the industry.

This is not an exhaustive list, as sadly the list of potentially cancerous ingredients in our food is much longer. 

1. Titanium Dioxide:

You’ll find Titanium Dioxide in reportedly over 11,000 products in U.S. grocery stores and SO MANY products targeting children…Including some you’d never know because it’s hidden under another name on the ingredient list!

This whitening and brightening agent was banned in Europe after the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) found it no longer safe to eat based on their review of hundreds of scientific studies showing that it has genotoxic effects. This means that it has the ability to damage DNA, leading to cancer. (3)

Food companies all over Europe swiftly removed this chemical…but they aren’t in America. Because Titanium Dioxide is still allowed by the FDA here. Beware that the FDA doesn’t even require food companies to list Titanium Dioxide by name on an ingredient list. It can also be listed as “artificial color” “artificial color added” or “color added” on an ingredient list.

There’s a bill pending in California that will ban the use of Titanium Dioxide. (4) If this CA bill passes and these companies want to continue selling these products in California, they would need to remove Titanium Dioxide. Which would likely mean that their products would change nationwide because it would be difficult to create a different product without Titanium Dioxide just for California. This is pretty cool if you ask me! In the meantime, make sure you check the ingredient label for titanium dioxide, artificial color, or color added.

Popular products with Titanium Dioxide:

• Little Debbie Honey Buns
• Kellogg’s Pop Tarts (hidden under “color added”)
• Totino’s Pizza Rolls
• Hostess Donettes
• Post Oreo O’s Cereal
• Pillsbury Toaster Scrambles
• Skittles
• Ken’s Light Ranch Dressing

2. Sucralose:

This is an artificial sweetener made in a laboratory by reacting sugar with Chlorine, otherwise known by the brand name “Splenda”. Research done in Europe showed that rats developed leukemia and related blood cancers after consuming Sucralose. (5) This is why the Center For Science In The Public Interest (CSPI) considers Sucralose a top ingredient to avoid. (6) There are other health risks associated with Sucralose too, such as disrupting healthy gut bacteria and inducing food cravings. (7, 8) You’ll often find Sucralose in “zero sugar” drinks and other products targeting people trying to lose weight, but it’s in some kid’s products too.

Popular products with Sucralose:

• Gatorade Zero
• Powerade Zero
• PRIME Hydration 
• Kool-Aid Jammers Zero Sugar
• Celsius drinks
• Fiber One Cereal
• International Delight Zero Coffee Creamer
• Arizona Zero Calorie Green Tea
• Breyer’s Carb Smart Bars
• Mission Carb Balance Tortillas
• Outshine No Sugar Bars 
• Yoplait Light Yogurt

3. BHA:

BHA is otherwise known as Butylated Hydroxyanisole. This preservative has been shown to be an endocrine disruptor, increasing the risk of cancer. (9) The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies BHA as “possibly carcinogenic to humans“ (10) and it has been deemed a “reasonably anticipated human carcinogen” by the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, National Toxicology Program. (11) Its use is severely restricted in Europe, but the FDA doesn’t care and allows food companies to use it in America. (12) You’ll often find this preservative in sausage, pizza, canned soup, boxed potatoes, drink mixes, canned refried beans, spaghetti sauce, and chewing gum.

Popular products with BHA:

• Johnsonville Breakfast Sausage
• Kool-Aid Drink Mix (some flavors)
• Hungry Jack Mashed Potatoes
• Campbell’s Chunky Minestrone Sausage Soup
• Pepperoni Bagel Bites
• Freschetta Pepperoni Pizza
• Hormel Pepperoni

So, what do we do?

You don’t need to wait for the FDA to ban these ingredients linked to cancer to stop buying products with them! Start now.

Check the ingredients on the products you buy and if you see these ingredients listed, look for a safer alternative (or make a homemade version instead).

I bet you know someone who buys these products. Please share this far and wide! Everyone deserves to know the truth. 

Subscribe to my free email newsletter for updates, so you’ll be the first to know if something changes! 

Xo,

Vani