Artificial Colors:

• Nearly all of the dyes found in modern foods, medicine, toothpaste, beverages, vitamins, cosmetics, etc. are synthetic. They were originally manufactured from coal tar oil, but today they are made from petroleum.

• A dye which is listed as "FD&C" is permitted by the Food & Drug Administration to be added to foods, drugs and cosmetics. "D&C" means the dye may be used only in drugs and cosmetics.

• More information.

Artificial Flavors:

• Thousands of different chemicals, both natural and synthetic, are used as low-cost substitutes for natural flavorings.

• Vanillin (imitation vanilla), for example, is widely used in chocolates. Many people who believe they are reacting to chocolate are actually sensitive to the synthetic chemical flavoring.

• A single artificial flavoring can be made up of anywhere from a few to hundreds of separate chemicals, many of which are derived from petroleum. For example:  the formula for a synthetic raspberry flavoring is: Vanillin, Ethylvanillin, Alphaionone, Maltol, 1-(p-hydroxyphenyl)-3-butanone, Dimethyl sulphide, 2,5-Dimethyl-N-(2-pyrazinyl) pyrrole. There are no raspberries in this raspberry flavoring.

• More information.

Preservatives:

• Antioxidant preservatives are used primarily to prevent fats from becoming rancid. They allow foods to stay on the shelf a long time.

• Most preservatives are not believed to be a health hazard, but three petroleum-based antioxidants have been found to trigger behavior and health problems:

• More information.
  • BHA         Butylated Hydroxyanisole
    
  • BHT         Butylated Hydroxytoluene
    
  • TBHQ      Tertiary Butylhydroquinone

• Studies on these chemicals are disturbing:  " When pregnant mice were fed BHA and BHT, it affected the brain chemistry of their offspring, resulting in approximately half the normal level of cholinesterase and serotonin.  The affected mice weighed less, slept less and fought more than normal controls." -- Fisherman & Cohen, "Chemical Intolerance to BHA and BHT and Vascular Response as an Indicator and Monitor of Drug Intolerance."  Annals of Allergy, Vol. 31, No. 3, pp. 126-133.