Is your salad dressing out to kill you?
Who doesn’t love a good salad? Whether you’re making yourself a chicken-heavy Caesar salad, a tasty fruit salad, or my personal favorite, a Vegan Cobb Salad, salad is one of the healthiest, tastiest meals you can have.
Unfortunately, most of us don’t love to eat just plain vegetables, and we have to smother it in our favorite dressings. If you’re eating salad dressings like Ranch, Caesar, or Blue Cheese, you may be consuming a lot more titanium dioxide than you’d like!
Understanding Titanium Dioxide
Titanium dioxide is one of those nanoparticles that you find in food, and it’s one you want to avoid!
The chemical is used to whitening or brighten your food, giving your salad dressings that beautifully bright, white color that makes them look so appetizing on your salad. It is not only used in white-colored food, but it is also added to a lot of white paints. You’ll find it in a lot of foods–any of them colored white, essentially–and you’d be amazed by how much of this chemical you could be consuming on a daily basis.
Dangers of Titanium Dioxide
Why is this chemical so dangerous for your health?
In a number of studies, researchers studied the intestines of people who had IBS or colon cancer, and they found traces of chemicals like titanium dioxide present in ALL of them. That’s right, it’s not just LIKELY that you can develop health problems if you consume a lot of nanoparticles like titanium dioxide, but it’s all but guaranteed.
What happens is that titanium dioxide transports certain inflammatory chemicals from the rest of your body directly to your intestinal tract. These inflammatory chemicals cause swelling in your bowel, which can lead to all sorts of digestive issues. Inflammation also promotes the formation of cancer cells, and it will increase your risk of cancer tumors forming. Essentially, these inflammatory chemicals lead to SERIOUS problems, and titanium dioxide is responsible for bringing those chemicals directly to your intestines.
READ MORE: Yum Alert: Cilantro Lime Chickpea Salad
Other Risks of Inflammatory Problems
Of course, titanium dioxide alone isn’t to blame for intestinal problems. There are a lot of other foods that can wreak havoc in your digestive system, so you need to understand that it’s time to evaluate your diet and see what could be the cause of the problem.
Other things that can cause inflammation in the intestines includes:
- Allergic reactions
- Allergen-rich foods
- Improperly cooked meat
- Excess animal proteins
- Chemicals and additives
- Sugar
There are a lot of things that can cause digestive problems, so it’s time to be careful of ALL of these things, including titanium dioxide.
What Does This Mean For Your Salad?
Well, instead of turning to Caesar, Ranch, or Blue Cheese dressing, it’s time to consider other non-white dressings. You’ll find that both Italian and Vinaigrette dressings are quite tasty, but they contain none of the titanium dioxide that is making your salad dressing so dangerous.
Remember, it’s those white dressings that contain the most calories anyway. They are cream-based, and cream contains a whole lot of calories. If you want to be healthy, you should be steering clear of those dressings already. You should actually be making your own healthy dressings at home, as even non-cream-based dressings you buy at the store contain chemicals and additives to thicken the dressing or add flavor. Instead of buying your food ready-made, why not experiment and find creative salad dressings you can make for yourself at home? It’s much healthier, and you’ll avoid a lot of the chemicals that make your food dangerous.
