Preservative

Hello Mr. Jelínek,

In good faith for my health, I purchased goji as a strong antioxidant and later read that sulfur dioxide E220 was used as a preservative, which is in fact very harmful, even toxic, to our health, and even banned in the USA. I am now faced with the dilemma of whether I should throw the goji away or continue consuming it.

When I examined other foods in the store, I found that E220 is a fairly common food preservative. I know it’s a complex question to answer, but I would just like to know whether eating goji “preserved” this way makes sense at all and whether it still contains antioxidants, etc.

Thank you very much.

START OF TEXT:
Sulfur dioxide is a commonly used preservative and also acts as an antioxidant. Goji berries preserved in this way are most likely to contain a high proportion of antioxidants, primarily vitamin C, which is protected from oxidation by E220. If you consume one package of the product, nothing dramatic will happen to you. Consider the situation primarily as a valuable experience for the future with the aim of reading food labels thoroughly, where the goal is not only self-education but also, of course, the selection of a quality product.

Hello,

I have a question regarding the harmful additive E 250 – Sodium Nitrite, which is used as a preservative in sausages (where I always doubt the quality), but also in ham... And now I'm almost obsessed, scanning all the hams in stores, and I can't find any that does not contain this sodium nitrite :-( So, is it better to remove ham, especially for children and breastfeeding women, from the diet?

Or is there any without sodium nitrite? If so, I would appreciate a tip.

The group of nitrites is crucial for food manufacturers - they have antibacterial effects, serve as color stabilizers (in meat products, they enhance the color, making them more sellable), and also prevent the oxidation of fats. These substances are problematic for our health mainly on two levels:

1. Nitrites combine with certain substances in foods to create so-called nitrosamines, which are highly carcinogenic. Some manufacturers try to mitigate these effects by fortifying some antioxidants (vitamins C, E), but these are almost always of synthetic origin, raising the question of whether the overall effect is worsened (due to pro-oxidation effects).

2. These preservatives tend to negatively affect the diversity of gut microbiota; their regular consumption consequently has an indirect impact on the functioning of health systems (immune, hormonal, nervous systems, etc.).

In practice, it is indeed challenging to buy processed meats without the presence of these additives. In this context, it is advantageous (if you must eat processed meats) to produce these foods at home without these components. It is not complicated and is substantially cheaper financially.

You are thinking in the right direction; it is always more beneficial to avoid these additives in your diet.