Food Additives to Avoid: 14 I Keep Out of My Grocery Cart
From Coach Marla Guloien, BCRPA-certified trainer and founder of POWER OF 30.
Want more energy, clearer skin, balanced hormones and a stronger immune system? Start with your grocery cart.
The short answer: the food additives you leave out matter as much as the food you put in. Read the label and choose real, whole food.
Food today is more engineered than grown. Walk any aisle and you will find chemicals, additives and inflammatory oils sold as "healthy," "natural" or even "essential."
In this post
Which food additives should you avoid?
Why does avoiding food additives matter right now?
What should you eat instead?
How does food fit with your training?
Which food additives should you avoid?
Here is my shortlist of common food additives and substances I keep out of my cart, for the sake of energy, hormones and long-term health.
Oils, sweeteners and starches
Seed oils. In margarine, processed snacks and salad dressings. Highly inflammatory and unstable.
Aspartame. A chemical sweetener in diet sodas and sugar-free foods, tied to headaches and potential neurological effects.
High-fructose corn syrup. Hidden in condiments and sweets. Contributes to blood sugar spikes and metabolic disease.
Maltodextrin. A processed starch in protein powders and snacks that can spike glucose fast.
Enriched flours. Stripped grains with synthetic additives, common in industrial breads and baked goods.
Preservatives
BHA and BHT. Preservatives in cereals and packaged goods, linked to hormone disruption.
TBHQ. A petroleum-based preservative in frozen foods and frying oils.
Sodium nitrate. In deli meats and bacon, linked to increased cancer risk.
Preservatives like E250. Common in processed foods, built for shelf life, not health.
Flavours, colours and thickeners
Artificial dyes like Red 40. In candies, cereals and sodas. May affect mood, especially in kids.
Citric acid. Often derived from GMO corn and added to drinks and sauces.
"Natural flavors." A vague umbrella term hiding a mix of lab-derived compounds.
MSG (E621). In many instant and packaged foods. Can overstimulate the nervous system.
Carrageenan. In plant-based milks and desserts. Known to cause gut inflammation.
Why does avoiding food additives matter right now?
In Canada, and much of the world, we face a serious shortage of doctors. Long waits, no family physician and overwhelmed emergency rooms are becoming normal.
That means one thing: being healthy has never mattered more.
The best defense is prevention. And prevention starts with what you put on your plate.
Why you'll love it: it makes choosing real food simple, so your cart works as hard as your training does.
What should you eat instead?
The solution is refreshingly simple. Be a label reader. Choose real, whole foods:
Fruits and vegetables.
High-quality meats, wild fish and pastured eggs.
Organic or local when you can.
Ingredients you recognize. Better yet, just one ingredient.
Choose real food. You will feel the difference.
How to read a label in under a minute
Flip the package over and read the ingredient list, not the front of the box.
If the list is long, or full of words you cannot picture growing or grazing, put it back. If it is one ingredient you recognize, you are done.
You do not need to be perfect. Swap one product at a time, starting with the things you buy most often.
How does food fit with your training?
Every bite is a building block. Every product in your cart is a message to your future self.
Your skin, your energy, your immune system and your focus all start in the kitchen. So does your strength.
In POWER OF 30, we pair 30-minute strength sessions over 30 days with smarter choices like these. Each session runs warm-up, strength, cool-down. Real food helps you show up for the next one.
If changing your habits feels hard, read why progress is not linear. Small swaps count.
Key takeaways
Read the ingredient list, not the marketing on the front.
My list of 14 food additives to avoid covers oils, sweeteners, preservatives, colours and thickeners.
With healthcare harder to reach, prevention on your plate matters more than ever.
Real, whole food is the simple rule: ideally one ingredient you recognize.
Your cart is your chemistry. Choose wisely.
This post is for education only. It is not a substitute for individualized medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Talk to your healthcare provider about your situation.
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