I was recently asked to partner in an interactive campaign with ConAgra to learn more about Antioxidant facts. All opinions are my own and are honest.
Do you think about what is in your food? How it stays fresh, and if the preservatives are safe for your family? I have heard that eating fresh is best, but it’s not always possible. We do try to eat fresh over frozen when possible but we are a very busy sports family and are on the go a ton. We rely on preservatives to keep our food fresh so we don’t have to go grocery shop every 2-3 days. I had a lot of questions about the safety of them in our foods and thankfully I got some answers to my questions in these areas. You can see the info below!
Lanie Friedman, Director, Communications & External Relations at ConAgra Foods and Kelly Magurany, M.Sc., DABT
Principal Research Scientists- Toxicology – Food Protection and Regulatory Affairs at ConAgra Foods, along side Kristi Reimers, RD, PhD, Nutrition Director of Nutrition in Research & Innovations at ConAgra Foods made themselves available for questions. Here are some of the highlights that I think you might enjoy:
Why should we preserve our food? (I’m sure this might feel like common sense, but hold on!)
Taste
Freshness
Safety
Natural color preservation
Food waste reduction
How can we preserve our food? My g-ma does both of these very well and has for years.
Methods like canning and freezing – even putting foods in the fridge helps preserve foods. Ingredients can be added to every day packaged foods to help preserve them. (like Antioxidants!)
What is an antioxidant?
Antioxidants help prevent oxygen from damaging other molecules. Antioxidants function in the body to help protect cells, and they function in foods to protect oils from damage that leads to rancidity.
Antioxidants in the Body
We have many antioxidants that are naturally produced in our body every day, such as after exercise; these antioxidants help fend off environmental toxins and stress on the body
Our bodies carefully control the amount of antioxidants in our cells; we can get very sick if the normal level of antioxidants in our body becomes too low
Some of our most important vitamins, such as vitamin E and vitamin C, are used in our body as antioxidants
Body benefits of antioxidants:
Slow the aging process (yea!!!)
Boost your body’s natural defense system
Help combat heart disease, cancer and other diseases
Antioxidants in Food
Like the vitamins in your body, certain foods contain natural antioxidants, such as polyphenols; some foods may also contain man made antioxidants
When you open a box of food, the exposure to air can cause certain ingredients that are common in our food, like fats and oils, to spoil; the unpleasant odors and flavors that follow are sometimes called “rancidity”
Food benefits of antioxidants:
Prevent food from becoming rancid (spoiling), and therefore wasted
Preserve food’s flavors
Help preserve natural color in food
Antioxidants Naturally Found in Food include:
Alpha-tocopherol (aka Vitamin E) – Found in nuts, seeds and leafy green vegetables – helps to protect fats and oils in food from spoiling
Ascorbic Acid (aka Vitamin C) – Found in citrus fruits, sometimes also called sodium ascorbate –saves breads and packaged meat from spoiling
Citric Acid – Found naturally in citrus fruits – used to preserve sliced fruit
Man Made Antioxidants in Food
BHT: A tasteless, colorless man made antioxidant is used to help maintain freshness in grain-based foods like crackers and cookies
TBHQ: A tasteless, colorless man made antioxidant used commonly to keep vegetable oils and other packaged foods fresh
Natural v. Man Made Antioxidants
Man made antioxidants, like BHT and TBHQ, are used because sometimes natural antioxidants throw off flavors of foods we know and love, or because a certain antioxidant might perform best with a certain food
One type is used over another based on performance – for example TBHQ is often used in fryer oils as it is more stable at higher temperatures than BHT, thus preserving these foods more effectively
Natural and man made antioxidants are sometimes used together in our favorite foods
Food makers, like ConAgra Foods, choose certain preservative ingredients based on what they know will deliver the best flavor, while keeping your foods safe and fresh
Here is a video that helps explain….Mental Floss, “6 Facts About Preservatives”
Whether man-made or natural, all antioxidants, when consumed as part of a balanced diet, are safe for your food and for your body. Ultimately, these antioxidants help you and your family enjoy the foods that you love without having to compromise on taste or quality.
Here are a few questions that specifically I wanted to know the answers to… hopefully you find them helpful too!
What do you think the most common misconception is among consumers regarding preservatives in foods?
A misconception I most commonly see is that preservatives are unnecessary and harmful to your health. When in fact, preservatives such as antioxidants are really necessary to reduce off-taste and odors in foods caused by breakdown of cells, fats and oils.
What are the trends we are seeing with consumers and their concerns about the ingredients in their food? Are these valid concerns? Why or why not?
Concern over the food we provide to our families is always valid so I want to make that point initially. And I applaud all the ladies on the phone for looking at this and considering it. I think it’s very important for us; however, I do see a lot of misinformation out there regarding food ingredients in the media, and I’m concerned that the public isn’t aware of the benefits, data and time spent to support their safety.
What are your thoughts? Hope you learned something new here and feel confident about the fact that antioxidants are a good thing…not bad. I’m thankful for them…in my body and in my foods!
