Science > Food in Your Food
Food in Your Food
By Janey Duntley
Purchasing a simple snack might give you more than you bargained for. Take Hostess Donettes: Six frosted, chocolaty bite-sized bits of heaven. We know they’re delicious, definitely not nutritious, but what’s really inside these tiny treats? Excess fat (nearly 50 percent), tons of carbs and minimal protein. They give you little nutritional value, with one Donette failing to provide even 5 percent of necessary daily vitamins. But check out some of the other ingredients hiding inside their sugary surface:
With 75 percent of the daily value of saturated fat, these pint-sized doughnuts pack a big fat punch. The American Heart Association recommends saturated fat intake should not exceed 7 percent of your day’s caloric consumption. It can lead to higher blood cholesterol, putting you at risk for having a heart attack or stroke.
Cottonseed oil is made from the cottonseed that remains after cotton is produced. Using more than 10 percent of the world’s pesticides and nearly 25 percent of the world’s insecticides, cotton is one of the most chemically treated crops grown in the United States.
Annatto is a natural food coloring that’s been found to cause skin, gastrointestinal, airway and central nervous system reactions. It can also cause headaches, irritability and restlessness, often more so than artificial colors, according to author Sue Dengate, who writes about the effects of food additives.
Tapioca dextrin and corn dextrin are starch-based fat substitutes commonly used in cream-based products, dressings and margarine spreads. FDA approval is not needed for starch-based fat replacements, according to Casimir C. Akoh, author and food science professor at the University of Georgia. Corn dextrin is also used in some paints and adhesives.
Guar Gum is primarily used in baked goods for increasing dough yield, but is also used in many non-food products like cosmetics, textiles, paper production, explosives and various laxatives.
Karaya Gum slows the aging process of baked goods, preventing them from going stale as quickly. Also, it’s used in laxatives and denture adhesives. It has been known to cause dermatitis and asthma.