As a health-conscious person, you probably rely on the products sold in stores such as Whole Foods and similar retailers that sell plenty of vitamins and supplements. You probably don’t think of anything you buy there as “toxic foods.”

But what if we told you not all of these products are safe?

Natural health activist and journalist Mike Adams has recently published an article detailing some shockingly dangerous additives that can be found even in supplements and foods labeled as healthy.

“I know this because I’ve been an investigative journalist and activist in the natural health industry for over a decade,” says Adams.

I’ve walked the floors of countless trade shows, conducted hundreds of interviews and spent tens of thousands of dollars on laboratory tests to determine what’s in these products. On top of that, I’m deep into organic product formulations and certified organic food production, serving as the supervisor of a USDA-certified organic food production and packing facility.

Here are some of the most harmful toxins contained in foods labeled as natural and healthy.

MSG Labeled as “Yeast Extract”

vitamins-and-supplementsMost of us think this well-known dangerous chemical is only added to burgers and potato chips.  However, hidden MSG (monosodium glutamate) is prevalent in supposedly healthy foods such as veggie burgers and other vegetarian products.

MSG occurs in yeast extract, so anything labeled as “yeast extract,” “autolyzed yeast extract,” “torula yeast,” “yeast hydrosylate,” or even “hydrolyzed vegetable protein” very likely contains MSG.

According to LiveStrong.com, “As with MSG, the industry claims that yeast extract is a natural substance with no harmful effects, and opponents claim it causes a variety of health problems.”

Some reported symptoms of MSG include headaches, heart palpitations, nausea, and chest pain. It has also been linked to helping the growth of cancer.

Vitamin C

[easyazon_image align=”left” asin=”1455512192″ locale=”us” height=”” src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51XD5UTV0xL.jpg” width=”300″]That’s right, good old reliable vitamin C is on this list. Just like so many junk food companies who try to cut corners and use the least expensive food available, many natural food companies will use genetically modified corn.

Nearly all the “vitamin C” sold in vitamins across America right now is derived from GMO corn,” says Mike Adams on the Natural News website.

This includes even the supplements from Whole Foods or Amazon, and of course the ones sold in supermarkets and grocery stores. This type of vitamin C is usually labeled as “ascorbic acid.”

“Sourcing non-GMO vitamin C requires you to go outside the United States,” says Adams, “There is no existing supply chain of certified organic, non-GMO ascorbic acid available anywhere in America (at least not to my knowledge). You can’t even run batches of non-GMO ascorbic acid production in the USA because all the facilities are contaminated with residues of GM corn.”

A good alternative to taking vitamin pills is camu-camu berry powder, rose hips, or citrus fruit juice.

Maltodextrin

Maltodextrin is similar to glucose in that it has practically no nutritional value and passes very quickly into the bloodstream. Most of the maltodextrin used in natural products is derived from genetically modified corn.

The only way to make sure corn maltodextrin is safe is to look for the “USDA organic” label. Alternatively, there is also tapioca maltodextrin, which is also usually found in organic products.

Soy and Rice Proteins

toxic-foods“Nearly 100% of the “natural” soy proteins and rice proteins sold in the USA are extracted in China using a hexane extraction method. This is true for brown rice protein superfoods as well as the soy protein used in nearly all so-called ‘protein bars.'” says Mike Adams.

“My understanding is that hexane extraction is not allowed in certified organic proteins, so if you have a choice, go for certified organic instead of just “natural” (which means nothing anyway).”

So many of today’s popular protein bars contain soy protein. Just a few examples are Luna, Zone Perfect, Balance, and Cliff bars.

Lead and Arsenic in Chinese Supplements

toxic-foods-gingerChinese medicine holds a certain mystique in the minds of health-conscious people, and of course, it does offer many powerful remedies. Unfortunately, China also happens to be the most heavily polluted country in the world.

It appears that high levels of heavy metals such as mercury, lead and arsenic are often detected in many Chinese products, including foods, herbs, and other supplements.

“Astonishingly, many of the small and medium-sized companies that import and retail products from China conduct no metals testing whatsoever,” says Adams, “I know this as a fact because I’ve talked to people doing this.

Acrylamides

toxic-foods-chipsAcrylamides are chemicals produced as a result of cooking carbs on high heat. As something that is produced during the cooking process, they are not really considered “ingredients” and therefore don’t have to appear on the label.

However, acrylamides do cause cancer, and they are present in many foods from french fries to breakfast cereals.

As there are many natural foods that are supposedly healthy alternatives to junk food, it’s important to remember that they could still contain acrylamides. Organic potato chips, for instance, will be almost as unhealthy as regular chips for that reason.

It’s best to avoid deep fried food such as chips, or at least take lots of superfoods such as cholorella to compensate if you are going to indulge in these foods.

How to Protect Yourself from These Toxic Foods

[easyazon_image align=”left” asin=”0767930746″ locale=”us” height=”” src=”http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41RxKdCcE0L.jpg” width=”300″]The manufacturers of these foods conduct their own lab testing, but they often lie about the test results. This is how contaminated products are usually sold since the importers and retailers don’t do their own testing and simply trust the manufacturers to tell the truth.

This is why as consumers we should look for authentic lab testing on any foods we purchase.

Fortunately, products from retailers such as Natural News, Mercola, Gaia  Herbs, Gary Null, and others are all tested for contaminants, and the raw materials they use are safe.

Another problem is certain products being labeled as organic when in fact they are not. So, looking for an official logo like the USDA for those living in the U.S. is one more step you can take to protect yourself.

The bottom line is there are many crooks out there, but there are still some companies that care about the products they sell. It’s not always easy, but the best thing to do is find those companies and buy products that are truly safe and healthy.

Sources:

http://www.naturalnews.com/039638_toxins_ingredients_nutritional_supplements.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/71755-autolyzed-yeast-extract/