13 Banned Foods Still Allowed in the U.S   
      
   You think the FDA has your back? Sure, they recently proposed two new   
   regulations to up food safety measures, specifically how food processors and   
   farmers can work better to keep their fresh products free of dangerous bacteria   
   (remember that killer cantaloupe outbreak from 2011?). But while it may seem   
   like the government is out to protect us from bad—even fatal—food-borne   
   illnesses, which cause some 3,000 deaths a year, they don't completely have our   
   best interest—or health—in mind.   
      
   “For numerous suspicious and disturbing reasons, the U.S. has allowed foods   
   that are banned in many other developed countries into our food supply,” says   
   nutritionist Mira Calton who, together with her husband Jayson Calton, Ph.D.,   
   wrote the new book Rich Food, Poor Food due out this February.   
      
   During a six-year expedition that took them to 100 countries on seven   
   continents, the Caltons studied more than 150 ingredients and put together a   
   comprehensive list of the top 13 problematic products that are forbidden by   
   governments, outside the U.S., due to their detrimental effects on human   
   health.   
      
   “If you see any of the following ingredients listed on the nutrition label,   
   don’t buy the product,” Calton warns. “Leaving these banned bad boys on   
   the shelves will speak volumes to grocery stores and food manufactures about   
   what informed consumers simply won’t tolerate.”   
      
   RELATED: Eating healthy doesn't cost as much as you think! Learn how to eat   
   delicious, nutritrious food without breaking the bank.   
      
   Ingredients: Coloring agents (blue 1, blue 2, yellow 5, and yellow 6)   
   Found In: Cake, candy, macaroni and cheese, medicines, sport drinks, soda, pet   
   food, and cheese   
   Why the U.S. Allows It: We eat with our eyes. “Recent studies have shown that   
   when food manufacturers left foods in their natural, often beige-like color   
   instead of coloring them with these chemical agents, individuals thought they   
   tasted bland and ate less, even when the recipe wasn't altered,” Calton says.   
   This may explain why the use of artificial dyes—the most popular being red   
   40, yellow 5, and yellow 6—have increased five-fold since 1955.   
   Health Hazards: Back in the day, food coloring came from natural sources, such   
   as saffron and turmeric. “Today most artificial colors are made from coal   
   tar, which is also used to seal-coat products to preserve and protect the shine   
   of industrial floors,” Carlton says. “It also appears in head lice shampoos   
   to kill off the small bugs.”   
      
   Ingredient: Olestra (aka Olean)   
   Found In: Fat-free potato chips   
   Why the U.S. Allows It: Procter & Gamble Co. took a quarter century and spent a   
   half a billion dollars to create “light” chips that are supposedly better   
   for you, Calton says. They may need another half a billion bucks to figure out   
   how to deal with the embarrassing bathroom side effects (including oily anal   
   leakage) that comes with consuming these products.   
   Health Hazards: “This fat substitute appears to cause a dramatic depletion of   
   fat-soluble vitamins and carotenoids, robbing us of the vital micro-nutrients,"   
   Calton says, adding that many countries, including the U.K. and Canada, have   
   banned it.   
      
   Ingredient: Brominated vegetable oil (aka BVO)   
   Found In: Sports drinks and citrus-flavored sodas   
   Why the U.S. Allows It: BVO acts as an emulsifier, preventing the flavoring   
   from separating and floating to the surface of beverages, Calton says.   
   Health Hazards: “Because it competes with iodine for receptor sites in the   
   body, elevated levels of the stuff may lead to thyroid issues, such as   
   hypothyroidism, autoimmune disease, and cancer,” Calton says. That's not all.   
   BVO's main ingredient, bromine, is a poisonous chemical that is considered both   
   corrosive and toxic. It's been linked to major organ system damage, birth   
   defects, growth problems, schizophrenia, and hearing loss, which explains why   
   it's been nixed in more than 100 countries.   
      
   Ingredient: Potassium bromate (aka brominated flour)   
   Found In: Rolls, wraps, flatbread, bread crumbs, and bagel chips   
   Why the U.S. Allows It: This flour-bulking agent helps strengthen dough,   
   reducing the amount of time needed for baking, which results in lowered costs,   
   Calton explains.   
   Health Hazards: Made with the same toxic chemical found in BVO (bromine), this   
   additive has been associated with kidney and nervous system disorders as well   
   as gastrointestinal discomfort. “While the FDA has not banned the use of   
   bromated flour, they do urge bakers to voluntarily leave it out,” Calton   
   says.   
      
   Ingredient: Azodicarbonamide   
   Found In: Breads, frozen dinners, boxed pasta mixes, and packaged baked goods   
   Why the U.S. Allows It: While most countries wait a week for flour to naturally   
   whiten, the American food processors prefer to use this chemical to bleach the   
   flour ASAP.   
   Health Hazards: It's not enough to just ban this product in Singapore. You can   
   get up to 15 years in prison and be penalized nearly half a million dollars in   
   fines for using this chemical that's been linked to asthma and is primarily   
   used in foamed plastics, like yoga mats and sneaker soles.   
      
   Ingredients: BHA and BHT   
   Found In: Cereal, nut mixes, gum, butter, meat, dehydrated potatoes, and beer   
   Why the U.S. Allows It: “Made from petroleum [yummy!], these waxy solids act   
   as preservatives to prevent food from becoming rancid and developing   
   objectionable odors,” Calton says. A better solution may be natural rosemary   
   and sage. In a 2006 study, some organic herbs and spices proved to be efficient   
   at preventing oxidative decay in meat, which ultimately could improve the   
   shelf-life of these products.   
   Health Hazards: California is the only state that recognizes the U.S. National   
   Institute of Health's report that BHA is may be a human carcinogen, a   
   cancer-causing agent.   
      
   Ingredients: Synthetic hormones (rBGH and rBST)   
   Found In: Milk and dairy products   
   Why the U.S. Allows It: Gotta keep moo-ving things along. Dairy farmers inject   
   cows with genetically-engineered cow growth hormones to boost milk production   
   by about 10 percent, according to Calton.   
   Health Hazards: “Cows treated with these synthetic hormones often become   
   lame, infertile, and suffer from inflamed and infected udders,” Calton says.   
   Humans, who consume these cows byproducts, are in no better shape, she adds:   
   “The milk is supercharged with IGF-1 (insulin growth factor -1), which has   
   been linked to breast, colon, and prostate cancers.”   
      
   Ingredient: Arsenic   
   Found In: Poultry   
   Why the U.S. Allows It: Big brother FDA permits arsenic in chicken feed to   
   promote growth, improve efficiency in feeding the birds, and boost   
   pigmentation. “The arsenic affects the blood vessels in chickens and turkeys,   
   causing them to appear pinker and, therefore, fresher,” Calton says.   
   Health Hazards: The European Union has outlawed the use of arsenic since 1999,   
   Calton says, and the Environmental Protection Agency classifies inorganic   
   arsenic as a "human carcinogen." Take matters into your own hands by sticking   
   to organic birds only.   
      
      
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