Long ingredient lists may make you wonder if chemicals in food are harmful or safe.
Learn what doctors think about chemicals in food.
Think Youve Got Food Poisoning?
But a scan of the ingredients list might leave you wondering: Whatexactlyare you eating?
So we posed this question to our panel of experts.
Well get to their answers in a minute.
a board-certified family medicine physician and District Medical Director at One Medical in North Carolina
These ingredients are typically food preservatives, which allow food to last longer, according toFood Insight.
National Library of Medicine(NLM).
The amount of an ingredient matters, too.
That warning is required as part of Californias Proposition 65, which was approved in 1986.
How worried should we be?
It depends on what kind of foods youre eating.
Eat food your grandparents would have said is food.
Rule 2 is not eating too much.
And rule 3 is eat mostly plants.
a board-certified family medicine physician and District Medical Director at One Medical in North Carolina
Im not saying dont eat meat, but most of ourdiet should be plant-based.
There is a list of foods known as the dirty dozen in integrative medicine.
The dirty dozen include foods like strawberries, dark leafy greens, peaches, apples, and blueberries.
What I tell my patients is to eat things that are closer to Earth.
An apple you pick is closer to the source than the applesauce you buy in the grocery store.
We also hear a lot about E. Coli outbreaks and salmonella outbreaks.
A lot of that also has to do with how food is produced in the United States.
Everybody should be cognizant of whats in their foods, if they have the capacity to be aware.
But some people are worried about survival.
Some level of awareness is important.
What I tell my patients is to eat things that are closer to Earth.
An apple you pick is closer to the source than the applesauce you buy in the grocery store.
You dont have to memorize anything, you dont need to know whats in everything.
But the closer it is to the source, probably the better it is going to be for you.
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