Navigating the Numbers: FOOD ADDITIVES eBook

Written by Super User on Tuesday, 17 July 2018.

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eBook: Navigating the Numbers


"Navigating the Numbers: the Handy Foodwatch Guide to Additives" by nutritionist Catherine Saxelby sheds light on additives, why they are used, where they come from and which ones should trigger your “Avoid” button.

Additives are a part of modern food life and they’re not all bad. Despite our best intentions, we can’t always eat fresh and to make food safe, stable and taste good, we need a few additives. But which ones? This handy eBook tells you.

Cooking is similar to processing 

This Handy Foodwatch Guide explores the notion that cooking does similar things to processing, whether drying, salting, pickling, canning or freezing. Adding salt or sugar or soy sauce at home does not make food healthier and “better” than bought foods.

It outlines the 23 classes of additives in use and shows you how to find them on food labels. It lists those that are harmless or that you’re probably already consuming such as citric acid 330 (found in lemons and all citrus fruits) or magnesium sulphate 518, better known as Epsom salt that you add to a bath to soak in.

It also lists those to steer clear of that have long been a problem such as the colours, preservatives and flavour enhancers. There’s a handy list of the 18 suspicious additives for you to bookmark or print out and keep when out shopping.

It finishes with a 4-step plan to avoid ALL additives if you still think you need to and describes the trend to “Clean Labels” that manufacturers are now adopting.

Drawing on her own experiences as a dietitian, educator and industry consultant, Catherine guides readers logically through the maze of information that is on any food label. She simplifies and makes it interesting and memorable. Through everyday examples (The "Inside Story"), she brings additives to life and shows the roles they play to keep food safe and fresh.

Why I wrote this ebook

"I want to help you navigate a middle course where you can provide nutritious healthy meals for yourself and those you love with maximum convenience and minimum additives. There IS a balance between fresh and additive-free versus convenience plus additives." 

"After years of working with the food industry and teaching others how to figure out the ingredients, let me now share these secrets with you"

ISBN-10: 0-9875521-1-2
ISBN-13: 978-0-9875521-1-2
18,000 words - equivalent to 62 pages - read in 1 hour or less

This eBook will be delivered to you as a digital download (not a physical book in the post).

CLICK to BUY NOW - only A$9.99 - just Click "Add to your Bag" above 

Contents - here's what you'll get:

8 sections with 27 chapters to educate and inspire you to understand everything about food additives. I share “inside stories” where I analyse 11 different everyday foods as examples and explain why they contain the additives they do. Plus everything you need to figure out which are OK and which you should avoid.

Section 1
Introduction – Hello from Catherine
The attraction of convenience
The positives of food processing
The negatives of food processing
The four main types of processed foodsSection 2
Why are food additives used?
Who’s in charge?
What are NOT additives

Section 3
The 23 main classes of additives and what they do:

  1. 1. Acidity regulators
    2. Anti-caking agents
    3. Anti-foaming agents
    4. Antioxidants
    5. Colours – artificial
    6. Colours – natural
    7. Colour retention agents
    8. Emulsifiers
    9. Enzymes
    10. Firming agents
    11. Flavour enhancers
    12. Flour treatment agents
    13.Gelling agents
    14. Glazing agents
    15. Humectants
    16. Mineral salts
    17. Preservatives
    18. Propellants
    19. Raising agents
    20. Sequestrants
    21. Stabilisers
    22. Sweeteners
    23. Thickeners

What about additives with NO number?
Vitamins used in fortification of cereals, breads, juices
The Inside Story: Salad dressing

Section 4
How are additives shown on the label?

Section 5
Which additives should I avoid?
Additives to steer clear of

  • Colours to avoid
  • Preservatives to avoid
  • Flavour enhancers to avoid

Suspicious additives - to bookmark and keep or print out

Section 6
28 additives you don’t need to worry about:

Natural colours
Natural acidity regulators
Natural emulsifiers
Natural gums and gels
Natural mineral salts
Natural enzymes

Section 7
My 4-step guide to avoiding all additives

Section 8
Clean labelling and how additives are changing on the label

My conclusions on additives
References and websites

CLICK to BUY NOW - only A$9.99 - just Click "Add to your Bag" above 

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