Good Additives in Your Food

To most people, “food additives” bring to mind chemicals or artificial sweeteners that might be bad for you. But some substances now being added to foods may have significant health benefits.

“There’s an opportunity to use food as medicine every time you put something in your mouth,” says Brian Stello, M.D., family medicine physician at Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. Healthy additives are substances that occur naturally (in tiny amounts) in certain foods. They’re being added to food products so you can easily get larger quantities shown to boost your well-being. Here are some of the most important.

Plant sterols—Found in the membranes of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, soybeans and wheat, these substances are chemically similar to cholesterol. As a result, they compete with “bad” LDL cholesterol in the body, preventing it from being absorbed. “Sterols can lower your cholesterol by as much as 15 percent—almost as much as statin drugs,” Stello says. Foods can’t provide the 2 grams a day suggested by the American Heart Association, so sterols are added to things like fortified cereal, margarine, orange juice, milk and yogurt.

Probiotics—Most of the estimated 500 species of bacteria in your body are good for you. In part, that’s because they control “bad” bacteria, easing digestion and reducing your risk for infection (including yeast infections). When you’re ill or on antibiotics, it can throw off the balance between good and bad bacteria. But eating probiotic foods like certain yogurts, soy, miso, kiefer and fortified breakfast cereals replenishes the good bacteria, improving your digestion, reducing diarrhea and keeping you regular. Some research even suggests that probiotics may reduce heart disease risk. “One cup of probiotic yogurt a day is an easy and reasonable goal,” says Elizabeth Stark, registered dietitian at the hospital’s Weight Management Center.

Omega-3 fatty acids—Essential fatty acids found in fish such as salmon reduce inflammation and heart disease risk. But few people eat enough fish to get the 1,000 milligrams a day of two key omega-3 fats (DHA and EPA) that Stello recommends. Added amounts are available not only in supplements, but in omega-3-fortified eggs and milk.

Want to Know More? For a list of products containing healthy food additives, call 610-402-CARE or click here.

Published from Healthy You Magazine, September-October 2008

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