American Foods Banned in Other Countries

Americans love to eat, but one of the major downfalls of American food is they are packed with ingredients that carry nasty, harmful side effects. Due to the competitive marketplace, food companies have to get things done fast and cheap, often at the expense of human health. While other countries have taken action to ban these harmful ingredients, they still remain in the United States in some instances.

The overall health of Americans is much lower than other industrialized countries, and you can’t help but wonder about the effect these toxic ingredients have on disease rates. Here are a few foods you may want to take out of your diet as they are banned in other countries, no matter how delicious they may taste.

Artificial food dyes found in cereals, baked goods, candy, sports drinks, soda, macaroni and cheese and more are made from chemicals — there goes my dinner of SpongeBob Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. While the dyes may make your food look pretty, they are made from petroleum, used to make gasoline, diesel and tar. I don’t know about you, but eating gasoline does not sound appetizing. Norway and Austria have banned these artificial food colors and dyes. In 2009, the British government advised companies to stop using food dyes by the end of the year. The E.U. requires a warning notice on most foods containing dyes.

Brominated vegetable oil’s, found in sports drinks and citrus-flavored soda, main ingredient is a poisonous chemical toxic and corrosive to the body, linked to organ system damage, birth defects, schizophrenia and more. Say goodbye to Fanta.

Cooking oil substitute Olestra inhibits your body’s ability to absorb vitamins. While lower calorie counts found in low-fat potato chips and French fries may be delicious, some foods aren’t necessarily worth it. The cholesterol-free, fat-free substitute was named one of the worst inventions ever. Olestra is banned in the U.K. and Canada.

Synthetic hormones (rBGH and rBST) found in milk and other dairy products have been the talk of the farm. Cows injected with these hormones to increase milk production can become infertile and develop inflamed udders, so if we think we are immune to the effects, think again. The hormones have been linked to breast, colon and prostate cancer. These hormones are banned in Australia, New Zealand, Israel, the E.U. and Canada.

Arsenic, found in poultry, promotes growth and boosts pigmentation, which in turn makes the chicken flesh look more pink and lot healthier — but truth is, it’s not. Arsenic is classified as a human carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency.

BHA and BHT, found in cereal, gum, butter, meat and mixed nuts, help keep food from spoiling. While the theory is smart, the chemicals have been proven to cause cancer in rats.