The No-No List: 6 Ingredients Banned in the Fit Fresh Real Kitchen

You've heard the rule "If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it". We're subscribers to that rule for the most part. But there are also a lot of simple sounding, common ingredients found in our foods that are not so great for you...or worse, known carcinogens (that means cancer-causing, if you didn't know) that are found in our foods.  And many of them are so dangerous that other developed countries around the world have even banned them!

1. Coloring Agents - The most common are blue 1 and 2, yellow 5 and 6, and red 40. Also reported to cause cancer and other genetic defects.  
2. Anything that ends in -ose - "OSE" is the common suffix used to designate sugars (and FAKE sugars). Here's the thing, if a company is using real sweeteners like sugar or honey in their products, they simply put that in the ingredient list. But fake sweeteners, none of which are good for you, can come in a variety of names. Sure, you've heard of the brand names like "Splenda" but did you know sucralose is the exact same thing?! 
3. Sugar when it's not needed - Foods designated as "low-fat" often use sugar instead of fat as the binding agent to keep proper texture.  I've even seen it used as the binding agent (to keep the oil from separating) in four of the five most popular ORGANIC vegetable broths on the shelf at Whole Foods. VEGETABLE BROTH people! There is no reason to put sugar in vegetable broth!
4. Bromine - Commonly in foods as part of a compound (look for ingredients like Brominated Vegetable Oil, aka BVO), this has been linked to reproductive issues and behavioral problems. Bromine compounds are used as a binding agent to keep the ingredients commonly found in citrus drinks like soda and sports drinks from separating. Want to hear something gross? It's also flame retardant --- you know, in case those drinks get near a fire. 
5. rBGH/rBST - These hormones, commonly injected in cows to increase milk production has been linked to increased risk for breast, prostate and colon cancer.  Good news for us, many of the trustworthy dairy companies have started labeling their products as hormone or rBGH/rBST free. 
6. Sodium Nitrites / Nitrates - Commonly found in processed meats and designed to provide sustained color and increased shelf life, these little devils have resulted getting processed meats listed by the World Health Organization as a Group 1 carcinogen -- right up there with tobacco. Awesome, huh?