Kristin Dir Born C.

Habac
Nutrition Education
Title: Hunger Games: Insta-Food Craze
Topic: Consumption of Instant Foods
Presentation #2
Introduction:
According to the Dictionary of Food and Nutrition (2005), instant foods are dried foods
that reconstitute rapidly when water is added, e.g. tea, coffee, milk, soups, precooked cereal
products, potatoes, etc. The dried powders may be agglomerated to control particle size and
improve solubility. Instant puddings are formulated with pre-gelatinized starch and disperse
rapidly in cold milk.
These processed, packaged foods have almost completely taken over our diets and is
considered to be one of the fastest growing business in the food industry. But what exactly is/are
the reason/s why we buy them?
Title: Instant Food: By Popular Demand?
Topic: Advantages of instant foods
1. Convenient
Instant foods are readily available and are usually ready-to-eat foods without the hassle
of cooking.
2. Cheap
Since there's no need to buy raw ingredients and no need for cooking, most consumers
find these processed foods affordable and cheap.
3. Maintain or Improve Safety and Freshness
Preservatives slow product spoilage caused by mold, air, bacteria, fungi or yeast. In
addition to maintaining the quality of the food, they help control contamination that can
cause food-borne illness, including life-threatening botulism. One group of preservatives
-- antioxidants -- prevents fats and oils and the foods containing them from becoming
rancid or developing an off-flavor. They also prevent cut fresh fruits such as apples from
turning brown when exposed to air.
4. Improve or Maintain Nutritional Value: Vitamins and minerals (and fiber) are added to
many foods to make up for those lacking in a person's diet or lost in processing, or to
enhance the nutritional quality of a food. Such fortification and enrichment has helped
reduce malnutrition in the U.S. and worldwide. All products containing added nutrients
must be appropriately labeled.
5. Improve Taste, Texture and Appearance: Spices, natural and artificial flavors, and
sweeteners are added to enhance the taste of food. Food colors maintain or improve
appearance. Emulsifiers, stabilizers and thickeners give foods the texture and consistency
consumers expect. Leavening agents allow baked goods to rise during baking. Some

additives help control the acidity and alkalinity of foods, while other ingredients help
maintain the taste and appeal of foods with reduced fat content.
These processed foods are mostly laden with sweeteners, salts, artificial flavors, factorycreated fats (trans-fats), colorings, chemicals that alter texture, and preservatives. So let's see
what these ingredients are.
Title: Instant Food Make up
Topic: Ingredients commonly found in instant foods.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

SWEETENERS
SALTS
PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED OIL (TRANS-FATS)
HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP
MSG
FOOD COLORINGS
OTHER CHEMICALS:
BHA (BUTYLATED HYDROXYANISOLE) and
HYDROXYTOLUENE)
SODIUM NITRATE AND SODIUM NITRITE
PROPYL GALLATE
SODIUM BENZOATE AND BENZOIC ACID
POTASSIUM BROMATE

Title: Instant Food: A Beautiful Disaster

Topic: Health dangers of instant food consumption.
1. Cardiovascular Disease
2. Heart Attack
3. Cancer
4. Diabetes
5. Hypertension
6. Obesity and other metabolic disorders
7. Liver and kidney damage
8. Fetal abnormalities
9. Growth retardation
10. Sleep and appetite disorder

BHT

(BUTYLATED

1. PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED OIL

This nemesis of heart health is the primary source of trans fat. Trans fats are twice as difficult for
the body to dissolve as saturated fats.
Active agents of heart disease, diabetes, nutritional deficiencies and cellular deterioration
because they boost bad (LDL) cholesterol and decrease good (HDL) cholesterol.
* trans-fat free label means <0.5g trans fat
* Fully hydrogenated oil does not contain trans fats.
(Found in: margarine, vegetable shortening, crackers, cookies, baked goods, salad dressings,
breads and chips)
2. HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP
Though chemically similar to table sugar (sucrose), this cheaper alternative is a highly processed
form of glucose converted into fructosethe type of sugar ordinarily found in fruit. Said to
inhibit leptin that tells the brain you're full, but one thing is certain: too much sugar will harm
bodily processes in countless ways, including increasing risk for diabetes, obesity and other
metabolic disorders.
(Found in: canned soup, diet beverages, an array of popular fast food, packaged sausages and
frankfurters, beef stew, instant soups, salad dressing and some packaged vegetarian foods.)
3. MSG
With more than 40 forms such as monosodium glutamate, maltodextrin, sodium caseinate,
autolyzed yeast, autolyzed vegetable protein, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, yeast extract and
even citric acid. MSG in all of its forms is considered a neurotoxin and a chemoinducer of
obesity, type II diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
4.
BHA
(BUTYLATED
HYDROXYANISOLE)
and
BHT
(BUTYLATED
HYDROXYTOLUENE) Antioxidants are normally good, right? Not in this case. BHA and
BHT are antioxidant preservatives used in cereals, potato chips and chewing gum to keep them
from going rancid. The Department of Health and Human Services pegged them as known
carcinogens, but, mysteriously, the FDA allows them. The additives negatively impact sleep and
appetite, and have been associated with liver and kidney damage, hair loss, behavioral problems,
cancer, fetal abnormalities and growth retardation.
5. SODIUM NITRATE AND SODIUM NITRITE
These additives are used as colorants and to preserve the shelf life of meats like hot dogs, bacon
and sausage. That all sounds OK until you note that they mix with stomach acids to form
nitrosamines, potent cancer-causing cells associated with oral, stomach, brain, esophageal and
bladder cancers. Noticeable side effects include dizziness, headaches, nausea and vomiting.
6. PROPYL GALLATE
An antioxidant preservative used by food manufacturers to prevent fats and oils from spoiling,
and is often used in conjunction with BHA and BHT.

(Found in: vegetable oil, potato sticks, chicken soup base, meat products, chewing gum and
cosmetic products)
7. SODIUM BENZOATE AND BENZOIC ACID
These additives are used in some fruit juices, carbonated drinks and pickles to stymie the growth
of microorganisms in acidic foods. Though theyre naturally occurring and generally affect only
people with allergies, there's another problem: when sodium benzoate is used in beverages also
containing ascorbic acid (aka vitamin C), the substances can form small amounts of benzene, a
chemical that causes leukemia and other cancers. Though the benzene amounts are small, you
should generally avoid it, especially in acid-containing foods and beverages.
8. POTASSIUM BROMATE
An additive used in breads and rolls to increase their volume and produce a fine crumb structure
has been banned by every other industrialized country other than the U.S. and Japan. For the
most part, it breaks down into inert bromide, but any leftover bromate that hangs around in the
body has been shown to cause cancer in lab animals.
9 FOOD COLORINGS
Although some foods are colored with natural substances like beta-carotene and carmine, some
17.8 million pounds of food dyes (many of which are petroleum derived) are consumed in
America, according to a 2005 survey by the Feingold Association. Red #3, used in candy, baked
goods and desserts, has demonstrated chromosomal damage and thyroid tumors. Red #40, found
in drinks, desserts, candy and pet food, has spurred lymph tumors in lab testing. Yellow #5 (aka
tartrazine) and #6 may cause thyroid and kidney tumors, lymphocytic lymphomas and
chromosomal damage.
(Found in: pet food, beverages, baked goods, desserts, candy and sausag)

10. SALT
Three-quarters of the sodium in our diets isnt from the saltshaker. Its hidden in processed foods,
such as canned vegetables and soups, condiments like soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, fastfood burgers (and fries, of course), and cured or preserved meats like bacon, ham, and deli
turkey. Sodium is necessary for life. It helps regulate blood pressure, maintains the bodys fluid
balance, transmits nerve impulses, makes muscles including your heart contract, and keeps
your senses of taste, smell, and touch working properly. But you only need a little every day to
replace whats lost to sweat, tears, and other excretions.

11. REFINED GRAINS

Choosing refined grains such as white bread, rolls, sugary low-fiber cereal, white rice, or white
pasta over whole grains can boost your heart attack risk by up to 30 percent.

At least seven major studies show that women and men who eat more whole grains (including
dark bread, whole-grain breakfast cereals, popcorn, cooked oatmeal, brown rice, bran, and other
grains like bulgur or kasha) have 20 to 30 percent less heart disease. In contrast, those who opt
for refined grains have more heart attacks, insulin resistance, and high blood pressure.

ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS
Sucralose (Splenda) Advertised as "natural" because it's made from sugar, but scientists replace
three hydrogen-oxygen molecules with chlorine atoms and change its chemical
composition. Saccharin (Sweet'N Low) Made from petroleum. There have been ongoing
debates about whether it causes cancer, but the FDA said it was safe in 2010. Aspartame
(Equal) A combination of two amino acidsphenylalanine and aspartic acidhat's usually
found in soft drinks. There have been rumors that it causes everything from brain tumors to Gulf
War Syndrome, but the FDA has discounted all of these. Acesulfame-K (Sweet One)Two
studies have linked it to cancer in rats.
REFERENCES
A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition 2005, originally published by Oxford University
Press 2005.
Shin, Hyun Joon. The Journal of Nutrition. August 2014. v144(8). p.1247-1255.
http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/FoodAdditivesIngredients/ucm0
94211.htm
http://www.rd.com/health/diet-weight-loss/4-most-harmful-ingredients-in-packagedfoods/
http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/avoid-these-9-worst-food-ingredients