The frustration I feel when I go to the grocery store is mounting! I cannot seem to find products that don't contain bad ingredients. When I shop, I take with me a list of ingredients to avoid, but I've often wondered if the need to avoid bad ingredients is really that important to my health.

I decided to do my own research online, especially concentrating on the ingredient "natural flavors." For me, this one ingredient has been incredibly difficult to avoid. I didn't want to go to a lot of trouble if it's not really any big deal.

If you enjoy research, you will enjoy these links. Sadly, you'll discover as I did, that "natural flavors" are truly dangerous to our health and must indeed be avoided.

~Anne

• International Flavors and Fragrances -- natural flavor http://www.iff.com/Ingredients.nsf/0/96C4B36579FA6DF28525699F006B9A5B
• Safety data -- natural flavor http://msds.chem.ox.ac.uk/BE/benzaldehyde.html
• Health hazards -- http://www.faizkaskar.8k.com/healthhazards.html
• List of neurotoxins -- http://www.neuroassist.com/Neurotoxins.htm
• What is a natural flavor -- http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/2006/06/19/what_is_a_natural_flavor.php
• Aspartame and excitotoxin links -- http://www.disinfo.com/archive/pages/dossier/id214/pg1/index.html
• List of foods containing excitotoxins -- http://aromatherapy4u.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/the-little-surprises-in-our-foods-excitotoxins-that-are-killing-us-and-our-kids-daily/
• Explanation of excitotoxins -- http://www.joyfulaging.com/Excitotoxins.htm
• MSG and kidney damage -- http://www.ispub.com/journal/the_internet_journal_of_health/volume_6_number_2_7/article/histological_studies_of_the_effects_of_monosodium_glutamate_on_the_kidney_of_adult_wistar_rats.html

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