There’s a chemical clusterf*ck going on with your junk food that makes trans fats seem small fry. This, I believe, is the new frontier in getting aware of the God-awful way we go about eating. We now know about the toxic oil in our Nutella, the poison in our Diet Pepsi and the 50-odd ingredients in a single Macca’s milkshake.. But add this to your arsenal if you’re still doubting whether you should support such non-foods in any way:
- A third of fast food wrappers contain potentially harmful chemicals, a new study finds.
- These toxins – perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) – used for repelling the grease in the junky food, have been linked to thyroid problems, pregnancy complications, high blood pressure, testicular and kidney cancer, elevated blood cholesterol levels, obesity, and it goes on….
- A stack of these wrappers also contain PFOA, a chemical currently banned by the Food and Drug Administration. PFASs (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) may “affect the developing fetus and child, including possible changes in growth, learning and behavior, decrease fertility and interfere with the body’s natural hormones, increase cholesterol, affect the immune system and increase cancer risk.”
[clickToTweet tweet=”If the junk food doesn’t kill you or your kids, the wrapper might just!” quote=”If the junk food doesn’t kill you or your kids, the wrapper might just!” theme=”style3″]
- The gnarly bit: studies (such as this one, this one and this one) show these chemicals leach into your food. Heat, of course, aids this process.
As I say, I share this today to get us all thinking beyond the direct damage this non-food causes. It’s a whole system of destruction. We have to draw a line.
