Enriched Flour [High Gluten Wheat Flour, Malted Barley, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid (Folate), Ascorbic Acid (Dough Conditioner)], Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Corn Flour, Soybean Oil, Yeast, Salt, Egg Yolk, Mono- And Diglyceride, Beta Carotene (For Color), Cornmeal
SELECT INGREDIENT EXPLANATIONS & WARNINGS
ASCORBIC ACID (Vitamin C), SODIUM ASCORBATE, ERYTHORBIC ACID
Antioxidant, nutrient, color stabilizer: Cereals, fruit drinks, cured meats.
Ascorbic Acid, more commonly known as Vitamin C, is used in cured meats to help retain the red color and helps prevent the formation of cancer causing nitrosamines. Ascorbic Acid is also used to increase the vitamin content of fruit drinks as well as prevent their loss of color and flavor. Sodium Ascorbate is a more soluble form of Ascorbic Acid.
Large amounts of Vitamin C may help to reduce the severity of colds.
BETA-CAROTENE
Coloring; nutrient: Margarine, shortening, non-dairy whiteners, beverages, breakfast cereals.
Beta-Carotene is converted to Vitamin A by the body and then uses the vitamin in the eye for light detection and to in the body to maintain the normal condition of the mucous membranes. Large amounts of Beta-Carotene actually increase the risk of lung cancer in smokers and do not reduce the risk in non-smokers, so taking beta-carotene supplements are unnecessary, and could even be harmful. But the quantity of Beta-Carotene found in food is safe.
CORN SYRUP
Sweetener, thickener: Candy, marshmallows, syrups, snack foods and imitation dairy foods.
Corn Syrup, which is comprised mostly of dextrose, is a sweet, thick liquid made when natural enzymes break down cornstarch into glucose. The glucose is heated and turned into what we call Corn Syrup.
Corn Syrup is almost exactly as sweet as the granulated sugar (sucrose) it often replaces. Corn Syrup contains no nutritional value other than calories and has been found to promote tooth decay.
FRUCTOSE
Sweetener: Health drinks and other products.
Fructose is a sugar that occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables and is a little bit sweeter than table sugar. When table sugar breaks down, fructose is one of the resulting sugars, along with glucose (dextrose). Fructose is used as a sweetener in many “health” foods, which deceptively state that they are better for you than similar products which use sugar or high fructose corn syrup.Fructose consumed in moderation is safe and does not increase blood glucose levels, making it attractive to diabetics. Large amounts do increase fat levels in blood and, consequently, increase the risk of heart disease. Regular ingestion of high levels of Fructose also affect levels of hormones such as insulin, leptin and ghrelin, which can result in weight gain and obesity.
HIGH-FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP
Sweetener: Soft drinks, other processed foods.
Due to the fact that it is often cheaper to produce High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) than it is to produce sugar, our consumption has soared over the past few decades. HFCS is half fructose and half glucose, which are the same by-products our body create when they digest pure sugar.
While HFCS is safe, we consume way too much (77 pounds per year) of this calorie concentrated concoction and need to cut HFCS out of our diet as much as possible.
SALT
Flavoring, preservative: Most processed foods, cured meats, soup, snack chips, crackers, and others.
Salt, at the levels present in most people’s diet throughout the world, is probably the single most harmful substance in the food supply. Salt is used liberally in processed and restaurant foods, with some meals containing more than the daily recommend level.
A diet high in sodium increases blood pressure in most people, thereby increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. While the FDA has continued to ignore the effects of salt, the British government has made salt reduction one of its top health priorities.
THIAMIN MONONITRATE
Vitamin B1
Although Vitamin B1 adds miniscule amounts of nitrate to our food, it is perfectly safe for human consumption.