Applewood Medical Centre | Swords | Dublin
01 8957947 | 086-8268033

3A Castle Street | Dalkey | Co. Dublin
086-8268033

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Digestion and Food Preservatives

In my clinic I have noted a very high incidence of problems with digestion, elimination and weight gain that are not due to ill health, poor eating habits or lack of exercise.

Did you know...

that the chemical preservatives in food greatly affect digestion, absorption and elimination? Our digestive system is not equipped to ‘unlock’ added preservatives and altered fats used to prolong the life of our food, therefore we do not fully digest foods preserved in this way. This leads to hunger after eating, increased waste build-up and greatly increases the workload of the liver. In addition to preservatives, the use of other chemical additives to preserve foods’ natural colour, texture and taste can cause food intolerances and increase toxic load. The addition of nitrates and food additives which make bottled, canned, ready to eat meals and some dried foods more harm than help.

All food is ready to decay – usually through mould or yeast which is present in all living organisms and this is the natural way for all life forms to break down. Unlike consumer waste, when plants and animals die they quickly return their stored nutrients to the soil and feed the next generation. Preservation of food by slowing the action of mould [yeast] prolongs the life of food. Most forms of mould need heat, moisture and air to flourish - freezing removes heat, drying removes moisture and bottling and canning remove air.

But what is the real cost?

Fats in foods last longer without tasting rancid if the fats are heated to very high temperatures or hydrogenated [bubbling hydrogen through the oils to remove oxygen] and have anti-oxidants added to block the natural decay. Oils and fats taste bad when they are no longer fresh. But fresh oils which have been treated become instantly rancid without affecting the taste, which allows us to unknowingly eat rancid and damaged oil and fat.

- What if some food intolerances were actually caused by preserved food?
- What if preserved food makes your liver sick?
- What if preserved food starts a chain of events in your body leading to disease?

Chemically preserving our food and damaging fats has moved the problem of decay from food outside where we can see, to inside the body where we can’t see.

Toxic headaches, constipation, diarrhoea, weight gain, spotty skin, dry skin, eczema, psoriasis, premature ageing, cellulite, food intolerances, tiredness, chronic fatigue, bloating, fluid retention, thrush, candida, infections of the ear, sinuses, throat and chest are all symptoms of toxic overload.

We have the knowledge and technology to prolong life – but a prolonged life of ill health is not what any of us really want. What we can do is to make healthier food choices, learn when is the best time to eat, exercise regularly, reduce stress by taking time to pursue enjoyable hobbies and to detox regularly to reduce the body’s daily toxic overload.