EMULSIFIERS, THICKENERS, PRESERVATIVES, DYES
Guar gum, carrageenan, xanthan gum, sunflower and soy lecithin, cellulose gum – these are all additives to foodstuffs which thicken, emulsify and ‘bulk up’ the products. They can also really affect the digestive tract as either major gut irritants and dysregulators of digestive function. As for the Preservatives – if something kills bugs in food it can kill the bugs in you (also known as the microbiome). This is not a good situation. And food dyes are renowned for their effects on children, behaviourally, emotionally and on their concentration. All of these things are heavily processed and artificial. This eliminated category is everything put INTO your food that wouldn’t be there naturally or if you made it yourself. Whole foods do not need to have additives, preservatives, thickeners or colourings – even if those colourings are ‘naturally derived’. These add no nutrition to the diet and may cause more harm than we have yet identified. No matter how ‘Modern’ your ‘Paleo’, there is no place for these additives in real food.