5 Foods Americans Are Eating That Are Banned in Other Countries

What are you eating? Do you know if it is safe or not? This will make you feel a little nervous about what is coming out of your pantry. Here is a short list of the foods we Americans are eating that other countries have deemed so bad they have banned them completely. 

It is a lot easier to not pay too much attention to our food. If it tastes good and makes us full, what is the big deal? Reading through this list might make you care a little bit more about what you are filling your belly with.

1. Artificial Food Dye

Macaroni and cheese, cereals, cakes, chips, pizzas, vegetable mixes, and almost everywhere else, you can find artificial dyes in your food. Why are they so bad?

These colorful additions to our meals are made of chemicals that come from petroleum. Yup, we are eating the same stuff that makes the gas that fuels our cars. What does this do to our bodies?

We are at risk for brain cancers, hyperactivity (maybe our children's cereal is why they can't pay attention in class), and so many more. But, the thought of brain cancer from our lunch is pretty scary. Who was scared enough to ban it?

Finland, Norway, Austria, the U.K., and France to name a few have made the decision that they don't want to risk health problems just to make their food a little more colorful.

2. Brominated Vegetable Oil

What is brominated vegetable oil? Well, it is the same stuff they put on carpets to make them not catch on fire. Think about that for a second. What you are drinking in your sports drinks and citrus flavored sodas is a flame retardant.

Other than making sure your stomach doesn't catch on fire, what does this oil do to your body?

Major organ system failure, growth problems, birth defects, schizophrenia, and hearing loss are all at the top of the list of problems that come from BVO. Yikes! We are letting our children drink these sodas and sports drinks without thinking about it may hinder their life. What countries have decided to protect their young ones?

Over 100 countries have banned BVO. Yes, OVER ONE HUNDRED.

3. Potassium Bromate

Potassium bromate, or bromated flour, is found in almost every bread product we are munching on. Rolls, bread crumbs, bagel chips, flat breads, wraps, and so many more are risking your health for some bready goodness. What is the risk?

This harmful stuff comes from that BVO that can be found in sports drinks. The chemical is helpful to bakers because it causes the bread to bake faster and cheaper, but it is horrible for the consumer.

Europe, Canada, and China have all banned this stuff to prevent their citizens from its risks of causing; cancer, kidney damage, and nervous system damage. Maybe we should think about following them.

4. Azodicarbonamide

Yeah, it sounds like a bunch of letters jumbled together to me too. But, Azodicarbonamide is more familiar to us all than we thought. Where have we met it before? In almost everything we eat.

Breads, frozen dinners, boxed pasta mixes, and packaged baked goods are all home to this word none of us can pronounce. Is that really smart to eat what we can't even say? What happened to food being easy to pronounce and know where they came from?

This stuff helps bleach your food and also plastic. Yes, that is where this harmful stuff comes from. It helps bleach plastic, the same way it bleaches our food! What does this do to our bodies? It is directly linked to causing asthma.

While we are leading ourselves down a breathless path, Australia, the U.K., and many European countries have banned Azodicarbonamide. I know I don't want to give up breathing so my food can be treated like the plastic bowl I am eating it out of.

5. Synthetic Growth Hormones (rBGH and rBST)

These guys hurt us and the cows they are given to. Because it is given to the cows, we are all getting it too. That means, your milk and other dairy products are infecting you.

The same things that happen to the cows are coming for us. These hormones bring infertility, weakened muscle growth, and too many types of cancer to list here. That is horrible. There are so many different cancers that come from these hormones that no one has the time to even count them!

Who is protecting themselves from this endless number of cancers? Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, and many more. Let's free ourselves and our cows from the horrors of these nasty hormones.