Fix our Food: The US Government allows harmful additives in our food which cause major health problems

It was 11:30 p.m. and I snuck into my kitchen pantry. I wasn’t necessarily hungry for nutritious fruits or vegetables, so I reached straight for the box of Oreos. The perfectly crunchy, creamy and sweet consistency kept me awake, it was practically calling for me, and on purpose — our food is designed to be as addictive as possible.

In U.S. society, food companies face fewer regulations on chemicals and additives than other first world countries such as the European Union, and they’re free to add chemicals and preservatives to keep their audience hooked. Food scientists know that humans biologically crave sugars and fats for their high energy content. By pumping our foods full of sweeteners, such as high fructose corn syrup, they get us addicted.

High fructose corn syrup, which causes a hefty list of health problems, isn’t only added to desserts and sweet treats, but to foods that shouldn’t be sweet, like bread and even pasta sauce. The more we consume, the more addicted we become. We become obsessed with food and unable to stop eating. There are even withdrawal symptoms when you stop eating it — anxiety, depressed mood and changes in sleep patterns, according to healthline.com

HFCS isn’t easy to quit though — it’s everywhere. It makes up 40% of caloric sweeteners in food and beverages in America, according to psychiatryredefined.org. It’s cheaper and more efficient than sugar, so companies find it more cost-effective to use it for everything from sodas to chowder. It even acts as a preservative and prolongs shelf life. No wonder it’s in literally everything.

So what?

HFCS is linked to cardiovascular disease because it increases the body’s triglyceride levels. It causes weight gain because it’s extremely hard for the body to break down. It causes leptin resistance which turns off the body’s fullness signal, so no matter how much we eat, we don’t feel satisfied. HFCS is a mind-altering drug, and it has become a staple in the American diet.

That’s not the only suspicious substance snuck into our snacks. Azodicarbonamide is a commonly used chemical used as a dough conditioner in bread. It’s the reason Twinkies and white bread can stay spongy and white for weeks. It’s also used in yoga mats. Yup, you heard that right — a substance used to inject bubbles into flip flops, mats and other spongy goods is put into our food.

And yet another chemical, potassium bromate, is found in many flour products — and it’s cancerous. In studies, it was found it not only significantly increases cancer in many organs throughout the body in mammals. These findings were enough for the European Union, Brazil and Canada to ban it, but not the not the U.S. After all, what would we do without our stark white flour and tortillas that stay perfect for months?

Even worse, our entire food supply chain is infiltrated by GMOs which have health risks that include “infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system,” according to the Institute for Responsible Technology. They are banned in 64 countries — the U.S. is not one of them.

The solution to the problem lies deeper than cutting out artificial sugars or only buying from whole foods. We need system reform immediately. Americans are more likely to have chronic illness, cancer, autism, food allergies and diabetes, than other countries, according to healthaffairs.org. If we want to save our health, we need to vote for people who promise to make changes and boycott these harmful ingredients. If other countries can successfully live without GMOs and harmful additives, we can too.