The word “chemicals” strikes fear into a lot of people’s minds, especially when it has to do with the things they put in their body. Everything you eat, however, is composed of chemicals, and there’s really nothing to worry about.
Here’s a scary looking list of chemicals: benzaldehyde, linalool, nonane, pentanal, stearic acid, and methylparaben. As this video from the AsapSCIENCE YouTube channel points out, those “scary” chemicals are in every not-so-scary blueberry you eat. Everything that exists around you is comprised of chemicals, from the water you drink to the air you breathe. That means there’s no reason to be concerned about the “chemicals” in your food, at least in a broad sense.
Food companies and health fanatics, however, try to make chemicals sound like the bad guy. It’s a big part of why there’s so much confusion about what’s actually healthy and nutritious. Even the “man made” chemicals are often misconstrued as nasty stuff, but they are plenty that are just as safe as any other naturally forming chemical.
As AsapSCIENCE explains, foods are complex things and you can’t live a “chemical-free” life no matter how hard you try. The key is to avoid simple black and white thinking when it comes to the chemicals in your food. It’s not about “natural” vs. “synthetic” chemicals, it’s about doing the research and seeing what is actually good or bad for you on an individual level.
This Is NOT NATURAL [YouTube]
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