Stop the World, There’re too Many Preservatives!

There’s a bit of added drama going on in our house at the moment because our eldest has developed a really nasty, very itchy patch of excema across the crease of her ankle.

Someone suggested it may be a result of some kind of dietary allergy so I took her along to see a dietician.

We’ve been told that her kind of excema – atopic excema – is rarely caused by nutrition and is more likely a result of a genetic predisposition, often associated with a family history of related problems such as hay fever and asthma (in our case it’s hayfever).

The best point of call, in our situation anyway, is a paediatrician. But that’s not to say our trip to the dietician (Jean Mills) was wasted.

Jean had a lot of interesting things to say about preservatives and colourants and how they can exacerbate excema. What I found really fascinating (and annoying) is how many preservatives there are lurking in our food.

Bright blue bubble gum-flavoured juices and ‘cheesy’, lumo orange chips are obvious offenders, but margarine, dried fruit, yoghurt? Even these can be laced with chemical ‘stabilizers’.

I found Jean’s notes so useful I thought I’d publish them here for all to see. Even if your kids are excema free, it’s nice to know what to look out for in order to protect them from the avalanche of additives that come complimentary with our modern diet.

Guidelines for a preservative-free diet

Preservatives are added to many commercially prepared foods in order to prolong shelf life and improve taste and appearance. Preservatives include antioxidants (BHA, BHT, propyl gallate), emulsifiers and stabilizers, benzoic acid, sodium benzoate, sulphur dioxide and sulphites. Sulphites and benzoates are generally the most problematic additives.

Foods that commonly contain preservatives:

• Baked goods
• Chewing gum
• Cooking oils, fats, fatty foods (e.g. chips)
• Dairy products
• Frozen meat products e.g. burgers, pies
• Fruit juices
• Processed meats
• Sauces: bottled and packet varieties
• Sweets with fillings

Numbers to watch out for

The European Union numbering system for identifying additives

Sulphites

These chemicals cause lung irritation and may trigger asthma. They are commonly found in cold drinks and fruit juice concentrates, but also sprayed onto foods to prevent discolouration and keep them looking fresh. They’re used to preserve smoked and cold meats, dried fruit and salads. They are usually marked on labels as E220-227 or tagged with these words: Potassium bisulphide, Potassium metabisulphide, Potassium sulphide, Sodium bisulphide, Sodium metabisulphide, Sodium sulphide, Sulphur dioxide.

Food containing sulphites include:

• Food containing sulphites include:
• Acid fruit juices (e.g. orange juice)
• Chutney
• Cooldrinks
• Dehydrated vegetables (especially potato)
• Dough used for cookies, biscuits, crackers, frozen pizza dough and pastry crusts
• Dried fruit
• Fruit-flavoured cool drinks
• Grapes
• Pickled onions
• Prawns
• Vinegar
• Fresh fruit and salad served at hotel bars and restaurants (from ‘stay fresh’ spray)

Sodium Benzoate or Benzoic Acid

Benzoates have antibacterial and antifungal properties for the prevention of food spoilage. These agents are added to pharmaceutical and food products. They occur naturally in prunes, cinnamon, tea and berries. Benzoates are marked on labels as E210-219.

Foods containing Benzoate/ Benzoic Acid include:

• Acid fruit juices (e.g. orange juice)
• Chutney
• Cooldrinks
• Dehydrated vegetables (especially potato)
• Dough used for cookies, biscuits, crackers, frozen pizza dough and pastry crusts
• Dried fruit
• Fruit-flavoured cool drinks
• Grapes
• Pickled onions
• Prawns
• Vinegar
• Fresh fruit and salad served at hotel bars and restaurants (from ‘stay fresh’ spray)

Fruit juices

• All Pick n’ Pay Choice fruit juices contain sulphur dioxide. However, the Choice UHT blends do not
• ‘Real Juice Co.’ fresh juices (in clear plastic bottles with tag label) don’t contain preservatives
• ‘Wilde’ juices (in a carton), don’t contain preservatives
• Ceres and Liquifruit juices are preservative-free

For more information about the different types of excema and their treatment check out this comprehensive article on Health24.com.

You can contact Jean Mills and other consultant dieticians in Cape Town on 021-683-4858 or via the ihealthmeals website.

Images: Pontus Edenberg and Nathan Bauer, stock.xchng

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