Yes, I’m sorry, it’s yet another thing you have to look out for on your nutritional labels: bromine. Well, not really. Bromine is already everywhere, in plastics, in the methyl bromide sprayed on your strawberries, in the plastic your computer might be made from, even in the fire retardants used to make your carpets. If you are exposed to a lot of bromine, your body will be unable to hold onto the iodine it needs, which is important as your thyroid gland needs that iodine to function properly.
But you can’t go throughout life never being near a computer, going into a hot tub, or walking on carpet again, right? What you can do, though, is avoid bromine in certain food items. For example, you might notice the ingredient “dough conditioner” on some processed-bread nutritional labels. If so, run from it! Not just in the grocery store, but at fast food restaurants too, this time in the form of hamburger and hot dog buns.
From Dr. Joseph Mercola, “The use of potassium bromate as an additive to commercial breads and baked goods has been a huge contributor to bromide overload in Western cultures.”
Even guiltier on Mercola’s list, however, is Mountain Dew and its BVO of which he says, Mountain Dew, one of the worst beverages you can drink, uses brominated vegetable oil (BVO) as an emulsifier. Not only that, it contains high fructose corn syrup, sodium benzoate, more than 55 mg of caffeine per 12 ounce can, and Yellow Dye #5 (tartrazine, which has been banned in Norway, Austria and Germany.) — A weapon of mass destruction — in a can.”
I pretty much will never drink another Mountain Dew after researching this. There’s vegetable oil in a soda drink!? Oh wait, brominated vegetable oil is also in Gatorade, Fanta, and Fresca — basically other highly-processed drinks that are citrus flavored. For the record, BVO has not been banned by the FDA (yet), but it has been in India.
Two good bets:
1. Stay away from dough conditioners by buying fresher, tastier organic bread. Or you can go the DIY route and make your own loaf. You will be delighted when that lump of yeast, flour, salt and water turns into hot bread. Sure it takes effort, but it’s your accomplishment and you get to have the first delicious slice. Further, Baker Jim Lahey has written a book about not even needing to knead the dough, so now you have no excuses!
2. Just say no to more citrus-flavored, mass-produced fizzy drinks or sports drinks. Instead, have some actual orange juice! Whoa, it comes from a fruit? Why yes, yes it does. Get thee to a farmer’s market, immediately!
Photo via MountainDew.com
