As part of a natural approach to supporting ADHD symptoms, I have tried to limit the chemical preservatives in my family’s food over the last several years.  It can be fairly difficult to completely eliminate them, but I am a firm believer in avoiding whenever possible.  As I’ve shared in the past though, we aim for an 80/20 approach, which alleviates the guilt about the times we choose to indulge.  This change began years ago with a Feingold-inspired diet because of the connection to ADHD symptoms, but the scary truth that I’ve learned over the years is that preservatives are linked to so many more negative health consequences as well.

Recently published, a 2021 peer-reviewed Environmental Working Group study analyzed the potential harm of food additives on our immune system function (yikes!), furthering my resolve to maintain a mostly whole foods diet that’s as preservative-free as possible.  Especially in this time of needing to shield ourselves from new strains of COVID-19, it’s so important to make healthy choices so we can support our best natural defense: our immune system.  Because even though we can supplement with extra Vitamin D, Vitamin C, and zinc, our food choices play a significant role in how well our immune system fights for us.  The EWG’s findings suggested that TBHQ (a chemical preservative) in these processed foods may damage the immune system, and other research has linked preservatives to many other potential negative side effects as well.

Though there are likely plenty more studies, a quick search revealed the following concerning data regarding a variety of chemical preservatives:

• ADHD symptoms (source)
• zinc leaching, which could lead to a zinc deficiency (source)
• Oxidative stress in red blood cells (source)
• DNA/cell damage, which has the potential to lead to immune system challenges (source, source, source, source)
• several types of cancer (source, source, source, source, source)
• skin rashes, hives, stomach pain, diarrhea, asthma, anaphylaxis (source)
• birth defects (source)
• seizures, hypoglycemia, nervous system toxicity, cardiac arrhythmia, agitation, lactic acidosis (source)
• food allergies (source)

It’s kind of crazy to think that all of these harmful effects could be lurking in our food, isn’t it?

Fortunately, we can avoid most of them with some thoughtful intentionality when purchasing food.  Because preservatives are mostly added to processed food to extend shelf life, avoiding those foods will eliminate a large chunk of the issue.  I realize completely abstaining from processed foods is likely not reality, so the next step is reading food labels.  Here are the most common chemicals used to preserve processed food:

• BHT/BHA
• TBHQ
• EDTA
• Nitrites/Nitrates
• Sodium Benzoate
• Sodium Sulfate
• Sodium Diacetate
• Sodium Propionate
• Sodium/Potassium Sorbate
• Potassium Bromate
• Propylene Glycol
• Methyl/Propyl Paraben
• Gallates: Propyl, Dodecyl, Octyl
• Sulfites/Sulfur Dioxide
• BVO

They’re a little more difficult to find, but better versions of processed foods without chemical preservatives are out there.  The extra detective work in label reading is worth the effort.  If we can avoid chemical preservatives most of the time, we’ll go a long way in supporting our family’s longterm health and wellness.