In this day and age, many Americans are becoming pickier about what they eat and more aware of the ingredients that make up their food. At the same time, though, convenience and price figure prominently in food decisions as well. However, many people might think twice about the food they consumed if they knew what was in it.
While, of course, brands differ, here are some common ingredients found not only in a common frozen burrito but in other frozen foods as well. Many of these ingredients are what make processed foods possible because of their qualities.
What is Modified Food Starch, Modified Corn Starch, and Modified Wheat Starch?
According to A Life Less Sweet and other related websites, apparently many types of food starches are modified, from corn to potatoes and wheat to rice. Because regular starch (like the cornstarch consumers buy at the supermarket to make gravy) changes over time (becomes unstable, loses consistency, etc.), modified starch allows the starch to maintain its consistency and stability so the food stays the same from the plant to the store until the consumer eats it.
Apparently, whether the starch is modified physically or chemically, many sources state it is not dangerous to consume. Bottom line: It is modified, which makes many people wary. That aside, however, there is absolutely no nutritional value. Because people want to be healthy and make good food choices, an overly processed food containing some type of modified starch would be a poor choice because there is no nutritional value for the food; it is simply empty calories.
What is Guar Gum?
Guar gum comes from guar beans, grown from the guar plant in regions of Pakistan and India, according to WiseGeek. Guar gum is apparently used for its thickening and binding properties. In the same way modified food starch is used to maintain a food's consistency, guar gum is used to maintain a food's thickness and keep it bound together.
According to WebMD, guar gum can cause temporary digestion problems. It appears to be safe if it is taken with plenty of water. The FDA now limits its use in small amounts in foods. It is apparently fairly safe in small amounts in food, as it comes from a plant (and, therefore, has some nutritive value) and is not modified.
What's in the Tortillas? Chemicals, Chemicals, and More Chemicals
There are a bevy of ingredients in the tortillas alone, many of which are unknown to consumers. One ingredient is sodium aluminum sulfate (SAS), which is apparently a leavening ingredient (not unlike baking soda). However, it is also used for "waterproofing textiles, . . . and for matches, tanning, ceramics, [and] engraving," according to Answers.com. However, it is apparently not toxic, but Alternative Medicine suggests that ingesting aluminum could lead to Alzheimer's Disease in later life. Yes, even baking powder (and the starch modifiers discussed above) contains traces of aluminum as well.
Monocalcium phosphate is another leavening ingredient. It is, like SAS, considered nontoxic. Then there is sodium metabisulfite, a food preservative (another common ingredient in processed food). However, it is potentially dangerous to those with allergies or asthma and can be dangerous to swallow, according to eHow. Fumaric acid can be used in foods for many reasons, but it is mainly used as flavoring. However, it has been linked to kidney problems and stomach upset.
Dough conditioners include other (seemingly unknown) ingredients like sodium stearoyl lactylate, L-cysteine, and dicalcium phosphate.
How Healthy is Processed Food?
Obviously, it is ultimately up to the consumer to make his decision, but with Americans suffering numerous health problems (and obesity), many wonder if processed foods have something to do with it. For example, the burritos above also contained silicon dioxide, and the ingredient list explained that it was used "to prevent caking." Not many other ingredients were justified. So, when a consumer researches and discovers that silicon dioxide is commonly known as sand (yes, sand!), she might wonder what other ingredients are.
At the very least, if a consumer is forewarned, he is forearmed. At least now he will know more about the food he is eating.
Cynthia Jones-Shoeman - Cynthia (“Cindy”) Jones-Shoeman earned her MA in English from Colorado State University in 2007; her thesis was "Toni ...
