SULFITES AND NITRITES/ NITRATES(continued)

There is research that suggests that nitrite/nitrates help strengthen the heart, especially after a heart attack. While this may be true, the form ingested may offer the significant clues. I've noticed that I am unable to eat much grilled meat over charcoal. It forms nitrates while cooking. Adding nitrites/nitrates to processed meat is another culprit though I have never experienced hives after eating vegetables which may contain them. I was shocked to find that even those foods with no additives may not be healthier. There are many associated with additives. The sources on the Internet are limitless in their cautions about limiting additives in your food.

Why, then, does it cost more to eat healthier food. It shouldn't, but it costs less to use additives, to lengthen shelf life, keep bugs out, deter mold and lots of other reasons. Foods that don't spoil quickly can be shipped further and stay in warehouses longer.

I am making a non-scientific guess that my reactive hives are my body's alert system, telling me to stay away from these compounds. Whether that is accurate or not, I get punished by my body, giving me hives or a headache, when I use these forbidden substances. It has been a many year hunt to find out what else I might be sensitive to in foods. Those chemical names tell me little when I am in the store. There used to be open cooler bins of shrimp years ago. I couldn't imagine that there could be something bad in raw shrimp. Nevertheless, I got hives every time I ate them and learned only later that sulfites were sprayed on them to keep bacteria down. It turned out, after being accused by husband of being a snob, that I couldn't eat potatoes or lettuce in McDonald's, years ago. The FDA stopped that a while back though I still avoid fast food restaurants.

I urge all of you to take the time to look at the links and, at least, read the list of additives that cause you harm. It pains me to see the really bad things people do to their bodies through ingestion, not only of smoke, drugs but food, currently sold as legal and presumably healthy!

SULFITES AND NITRITES

sulfites:[SUHL-fites] The salts of sulfurous acid, which may be used in food processing for any of various reasons, including the deterrence of insects and diseases, inhibiting bacterial growth and preventing spoilage or oxidation. Sulfites, which may be added as a preservative to packaged and processed foods, can cause severe allergic reactions (such as hives, shortness of breath and even anaphylactic shock) in certain individuals. For that reason, in 1986 the Food and Drug Administration prohibited their use on "fresh fruits and vegetables intended to be sold or served raw to consumers." In the United States, the words "Contains Sulfites" (or similar verbiage) are mandatory on labels of foods that include sulfites.

From Barrons Wine Loving Companion: sulfites; sulfiting [SUHL-fites] Sulfites, the salts of sulfurous acid, have been used to preserve food and drink for eons. Today sulfites can be found in everything from beer to cookies to pickles. All but a tiny fraction of wines made today contain sulfites, small amounts of which are a natural by-product of fermentation. Additionally, winemakers around the world prevent spoilage and oxidation by adding controlled amounts of sulfur dioxide in a process called sulfiting. In the United States, the words "Contains Sulfites" are mandatory on wine labels if the wine contains 10 ppm (parts per million) or more of sulfites. The upper limit is 350 ppm, but most wines contain less than 150 ppm. Sulfites can cause allergic reactions in certain sulfite-sensitive individuals.

A former wine drinker, I have had difficulty making people comprehend that I am not a teetotaler when I refuse wine or beer, until I drink Scotch or Vodka. Then they probably think I don't know what I am doing in refusing even the 'sulfite-free' wine offered. One need only have hives once to realize the agony of feeling like you are walking through a swamp on a hot day at dawn. You are ready to scratch off any part of your body that has a slight itch.

ni·trite (nī'trīt') n. The univalent radical NO₂ or a compound containing it, such as a salt or an ester of nitrous acid. ni·trate (nī'trāt', -trĭt) n. The univalent radical NO₃ or a compound containing it, as a salt or an ester of nitric acid. Fertilizer consisting of sodium nitrate or potassium nitrate. Learn more about nitrates .

When you are sensitive to MSG, sulfites and nitrites or nitrates it takes more than just a lot of fun out of life. (to be continued)

MSG, AUTOLYZED YEAST AND HIVES

For those of us poor souls who are sensitive to MSG in our food, I encounter two reactions in others. The first is a headache (I don't usually get that) or hives (you can scratch everything off your bones, or wish to). Many years ago I learned that MSG will engender that reaction in me. Last night I woke at 3 AM feeling as though every mosquito in the world had joined the global reunion on my body. Finally, in desperation, I yanked my body to the medicine cabinet, teeth chattering as I left my nice warm bed, and took two chlortrimeton (anti-histamine) which I will only take at night. After a bit more than a half hour it had taken effect and I fell back to sleep.

With the push of the government on ridding us all of obesity, it is confusing to me why the public has not been made more aware of these additives. I realized that I had mistakenly bought a bag of sour cream and onion baked potato chips, thinking it was unflavored. Stupidly, I fell into the 'gee, these taste good' trap and ate too many before I checked to see what was in them, having checked quickly at the store to make sure no MSG was contained. Sure enough, the ingredients list read 'autolyzed yeast extract'. Now I not only had been poisoned but with the extract it was industrial strength!

The list seems to exclude anything that tastes good...or is it that anything that tastes good is on the list because of it? The reaction to MSG ingestion is not usually considered allergy causing since it does not seem to lead to an anaphylactic reaction. Bully that it won't kill me instantly, but going through life scratching is hardly what I would call a good life. The itching seems to be greatest about 4 PM, 11 PM and in the middle of the night. Apparently this is when my body is at its lowest point, fiven my Circadian rhythm.