Harmful chemicals found in fast food

Harmful chemicals may be hiding in your value meal

It doesn’t matter what Mick Jagger says. Most days, it feels like time is definitely NOT on your side.

You’re rushing to get a million things checked off your ‘to-do’ list, and you’ve forgotten to make time to eat (much less COOK).

But while swinging through the drive-thru for a quick bite might certainly be tempting, the latest science shows that you might be getting more than what you ordered when you eat fast food or order a pizza.

Researchers from George Washington University recently found that you might be getting a dose of PLASTIC along with those deadly fats and calories.

Now, while they haven’t tested the foods themselves, they did analyze the urine of fast food eaters – and the folks who consumed more than 35 percent of their overall calories in fast food had 24 to 40 percent higher levels of these phthalates than those who opted for home-cooked meals.

Phthalates are chemicals used to soften and increase the flexibility of plastic and vinyl and are found in a variety of packaging and food-processing machinery. Two different phthalates were found in the samples given by fast food eaters: di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP, the most common form) and diisononyl phthalate (DINP).

DEHP is so harmful – with known links to childhood asthma, and issues with behavior and reproduction – that Congress permanently BANNED the use of it in children’s toys, baby bottles, and pacifiers in 2008. And the Carcinogen Identification Committee has determined that DINP has been clearly shown to cause cancer.

So how is it getting into these people’s BODIES?

It’s possible that the chemicals can seep into their fast food from plastic packaging and storage…or even from plastic gloves worn by fast food workers.

Those gloves may keep out the germs from the workers’ hands, but they might be adding a whole other “secret ingredient” to your sesame seed bun.

The best – and, in my opinion, the only – way to avoid eating phthalates (plus other harmful chemicals and toxins) is to stick to clean eating, with a diet that is 100 percent natural and has absolutely no processed foods.

It may take a bit more time to prep your meals; but if you plan ahead, you can get your meals assembled and ready-to-cook (or even ready-to-eat) so you’re not doing it all when you’re pressed for time…and famished.

Just don’t store them in plastic wrap or any plastic containers. Opt for glass storage or stainless steel – they’ll last longer, are easier to clean, and won’t add anything unwanted to your dinner.

Sources:

Could Fast Food Expose People to Harmful Chemicals
(nlm.nih.gov)

CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 65 AND VINYL EXAM GLOVES: FAQS
(medline.com)

Phthalates
(cpsc.gov)