I’m an Australian Naturopath with over 25 years of experience and a diverse range of qualifications to match. My journey has been a fascinating and sometimes winding one. Along the way, I’ve developed a keen interest in understanding the ingredients in everyday food products, especially those marketed as "health foods."

One habit I’ve developed over the years is reading the ingredient lists on random packaged items, particularly those found in the so-called Health Aisle. More times than I can count, I’ve found myself exclaiming, “Are you serious?” or “How is THIS allowed in food our kids eat?”

The issue I often encounter is the challenge of identifying the hidden, harmful ingredients in many so-called health products. If you’ve ever read an ingredients list, you may have noticed that some ingredients are listed by name, others by number, and sometimes both. Without proper guidance, these names and numbers can seem like just gibberish. However, what you may not realize is that many of these ingredients should never be allowed on grocery store shelves at all!

The 5% Loophole

To make matters worse, there’s a loophole in Australia that allows manufacturers to avoid listing certain additives. Under the 5% rule, if an additive makes up less than 5% of the total product weight, it does not need to be declared on the label. This means that even if a product contains harmful ingredients, like antioxidants (such as 310, 319, or 320), they might not be listed at all if the primary ingredient, like vegetable oil, is less than 5% of the product.

Similarly, compound ingredients such as breadcrumbs or margarine can contain hidden preservatives, colors, and antioxidants, but as long as they make up less than 5% of the product, these additives don’t need to be declared.

The U.S. Loophole: GRAS

In the U.S., the regulatory system for food ingredients operates quite differently. A significant loophole allows manufacturers to self-regulate ingredients deemed "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS). Under this system, companies are not required to provide evidence of safety, nor are they obligated to list all ingredients they use. Essentially, it’s up to the company to determine whether an ingredient is safe or not, and they don’t have to report or disclose it unless they choose to.

This creates a serious conflict of interest because the manufacturers themselves determine the safety of their ingredients without independent oversight. The result is that potentially harmful chemicals could be present in foods without proper transparency.

The Numbers They Call Preservatives

When I first arrived in the USA 2.5 years ago, I was eager to find healthy snacks for my teenage son. I came across sour cream and chive-flavored rice chips. Yes, I should have known better—flavored foods are often a chemical minefield. But, I convinced myself that ‘natural flavorings’ meant real chives and sour cream. At first glance, the ingredients seemed harmless, and I didn’t notice anything unusual. But then I realized the packaging had changed. Curious, I re-read the ingredients—and that’s when I spotted it: Additive 320, Butylated Hydroxyanisole.

Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) – Additive 320

BHA is associated with several serious adverse reactions, including:

• Carcinogenic (cancer-causing) and estrogenic (hormone-mimicking) effects.

• Asthma and aspirin sensitivity: Individuals with these conditions should avoid it.

• Metabolic changes and accumulation in body fat.

• Banned in Japan since 1958—yes, 1958!

• Not permitted in foods for infants and young children.

If this product contains an ingredient banned for children, why is it on the shelves in the health food aisle? Parents trust that products in this section are safe alternatives for their kids. But how safe are they, really?

Hidden Ingredients in Everyday Foods

There are countless other additives just like this one lurking in our foods. Take, for example, vegetable oil, which often contains the additives 310 (Propyl Gallate) and 319 (Tert-Butylhydroquinone).

• 310 (Propyl Gallate): Adverse reactions include:

  • Suspected carcinogen

  • Liver damage

  • Skin irritation

  • Banned in foods for infants and young children due to a risk of blood disorders.

Vegetable oil is a common ingredient in many products like pizzas, ice cream, chips, cookies, muesli bars, and breakfast cereals. With the 5% loophole and the GRAS system, you may never know what’s in your food.

• 319 (Tert-Butylhydroquinone): Adverse reactions include:

  • Cancer, birth defects

  • Nausea, vomiting, delirium, collapse, and dermatitis

  • A fatal dose of 5g (and you could unknowingly be eating it).

Imagine a celebration or movie night with your family or friends—everyone indulges in snacks, and suddenly, you’ve consumed a potentially lethal dose of additive 319. Yet, both the Australian and U.S. governments continue to allow these harmful chemicals in everyday foods. They permit our children, babies, and pregnant mothers to consume them—despite the placenta allowing everything, both good and bad, to pass through.

Many of these additives accumulate in our body fat, and we have no idea of their long-term effects. We can’t even begin to test the combined impact of chemicals in our beauty products, the additives in our foods, and the pesticides on our fruits and vegetables.

The Chemical Half-Life

Experts often discuss the half-life of chemicals. While some break down within hours or days, others remain in our bodies for much longer—sometimes up to 99 years. As we continue to consume more and more chemicals—especially with convenient ready-made meals—we are essentially accumulating toxins faster than our bodies can eliminate them. The average human lifespan is about 80 years, but these chemicals can last much longer.

More Dangerous Additives in Children’s Food

• 122 (Azorubine/Carmoisine): Adverse reactions include:

  • Suspected carcinogen, mutagen

  • Skin rashes, edema, and hyperactivity

  • Banned in Sweden, the USA, Austria, and Norway, but allowed in Australian foods. Why?

• 123 (Amaranth): Adverse reactions include:

  • Suspected carcinogen, mutagen

  • Linked to hyperactivity, asthma, and eczema

  • Banned in the USA since 1976, as well as in Russia, Austria, and Norway—but still permitted in Australia. Why?

The list of harmful additives goes on and on.

Even Health Food Stores Aren’t Safe

The saddest part is that even health food stores sell products with these dangerous additives. The very place you expect to find the healthiest foods might contain some of the most toxic substances known to man.

Nitrates and Aspartame

• Nitrates (250, 251, 252): Adverse reactions include:

  • Behavioral problems, hyperactivity, asthma, headaches

  • Potential carcinogen

  • Prohibited in foods for infants and young children

  • Found in salami, small goods, chips, crackers, cakes, muffins, sausage rolls, pies, and much more.

• Aspartame: Adverse reactions include:

  • Headaches, migraines, dizziness, seizures

  • Numbness, rashes, depression, irritability

  • Linked to brain cancer—a 2-year study even confirmed this result, yet it was still approved for use!

  • Found in diet drinks, candies, sugar alternatives, and much more.

It’s Not All Doom and Gloom

It’s not all doom and gloom, though it certainly might feel like it at times. The truth is, now is the perfect time to take back your power as a human and as a consumer, and make your own informed decisions. Take responsibility for what you and your family consume—because you hold the key to your health and well-being. Creating quick and easy healthy meals for your family starts with a simple yet powerful step.

Start by educating yourself on how to prepare meals from scratch. Incorporate more raw foods into your diet. It really can be simpler and more satisfying to make meals at home than you might think. For example, my son and I will be making Raw Nachos Salad this afternoon. It will take us around 20 minutes to prepare together, and the best part is, because we’re preparing it together, there will be a sense of pride and accomplishment in eating the food we made with our own hands. Teach the next generation the invaluable skill of self-healing through the food they create and consume.

Raw Nachos Salad

A hearty, easy to prepare and highly nutritious nachos style salad. This is one nutritionally dense meal filled with flavor and texture. Get ready to have your taste buds singing in delight! I’ve used seeds rather than nuts to keep the calories lighter and the nutrition high. It’s a light clean meal perfect for increasing energy and mental clarity

Hempseed Nachos Sauce

· 1 cup hulled hempseeds

· ¼ cup red capsicum (red bell pepper)

· ½ lemon freshly squeezed, seeds removed

· ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast

· ¼ cup pure filtered water

· ¼ cup raw cold pressed virgin coconut oil

· up to 1 tsp. sweet paprika powder

· 1 tbsp. coconut vinegar

· 1 tsp. mild curry powder

· ½ tsp. cumin

· ½ tsp. pink Himalayan salt

Place all ingredients into a food processor or high speed blender and process until you achieve your desired texture.

Sunflower Seed Nachos Crumble

· 2 cups sprouted sunflower seeds (soaked for 2 - 4 hours)

· ¼ cup cold pressed virgin coconut oil

· 2 tbsp. coconut blossom nectar, maple syrup or yacon syrup

· 1 tsp coconut vinegar

· 1 - 2 tsp. sweet paprika powder

· 1 tsp. mild curry powder

· 1 -2 tsp. cumin powder

· 1 tsp. garlic powder

· ¼ tsp. cayenne powder

Place the sprouted sunflower seeds and spices into a food processor or blender and process until the seeds have been half processed. Add in the rest of the ingredients and process in pulses until mixed. I like a crunchier texture so I try to process at a minimum.

Salad

· 2 baby cos roughly chopped (romaine lettuce)

· 1 bunch curly kale roughly chopped & massaged in a bit of coconut oil

· 1 punnet yellow cherry tomatoes

· 1 punnet red cherry tomatoes

· ½ red capsicum chopped (red bell pepper)

· 1 small red Spanish onion (optional)

Assembly

Add the chopped lettuce and kale to each bowl, layer over some tomatoes, the crumble and then the sauce as desired. Feel free to garnish with edible flowers for a cheery and colourful plating. Serve immediately with a smile

Serves 6-8 as a side salad or 4 as a main meal