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Food In America Compared To The U.K. – Why Is It So Different?

Food in America compared to the UK.

Did you know that some foods have different ingredients in the United States and in the U.K.? These can be small differences, but it’s one of the main reasons why people in the United States are so sick.

I’ve spent years investigating the difference between European and American food products, and what I found disgusted me! 

French Fries

McDonald’s makes their iconic French fries in the UK with a few simple ingredients: 

  • Potatoes
  • Oil 
  • Dextrose
  • Salt

In the U.S. our McDonald’s French fries are also include:

  • Natural beef flavor 
  • Sodium
  • Pyrophosphate
  • Oil laced with antifoaming agents (the main ingredient in Silly Putty!)

But why are these things ending up in our food? They’ve somehow figured out how to cook their fries without all these extra ingredients overseas, so why not here? 

Instant Oatmeal

Did you know that Quaker Oats Strawberries and Cream has zero strawberries?

In the U.S., Quaker mimics the look and the taste of real strawberries with multi-ingredient fruit pieces. 

They’re made out of dehydrated apples, artificial strawberry flavoring, citric acid, and an artificial dye that’s been known to cause concentration issues.

The U.K. doesn’t make any products like that. The closest counterpart is a product called Oat So Simple, which uses real strawberries.

Mountain Dew

None of these foods are healthy, so I don’t advise eating them, but it’s clear that they’re even less healthy in the U.S. Mountain Dew is another example.

In the U.K., it gets its bright yellow color from beta-carotene, which is a natural color derived from carrots and other plants.

Meanwhile, Pepsi, who makes Mountain Dew, takes a very unhealthy approach in America. Instead of using natural colors to make the soda look good, it’s artificially colored with a petroleum-based dye called Yellow Number 5. 

That causes major problems with our reproductive system and can create allergens.

The U.S. version of Mountain Dew also contains brominated vegetable oil (BVO), which is banned in Europe.

In 2014 Pepsi said they would remove BVO from all American sodas following a successful petition, but they still have not removed it from Mountain Dew.

Heinz Ketchup

Heinz Ketchup can be found in almost every restaurant in America. It’s full of GMOs, high-fructose corn syrup, and natural flavorings with addictive properties.

In the U.K., Heinz Ketchup is GMO-free with cleaner ingredients. 

Think about that the next time you dip your fries in ketchup and can’t stop eating it!

Doritos

American Doritos are covered in artificial dyes that are made from petroleum. Carcinogenic contaminants have been found in these dyes, such as benzidine. Benzidine overconsumption has been linked to some nasty blood cancers.

In the U.K., these dyes require a warning label, which means if companies want people to actually buy their products, they can’t use those dyes.

Instead, Frito-Lay, the company that makes Doritos, uses things like paprika extract and annatto in order to add flavor. U.K. Doritos are also non-GMO.

The U.S. version is made up of GMO corn contaminated with glyphosate (an herbicide weed killer) and laced with other chemicals.

Frosted Flakes

The ingredients lists of U.S. and U.K. Frosted Flakes cereal look almost identical, but there’s one big difference. There’s a preservative in the U.S. version of Frosted Flakes called BHT. 

There’s a lot of research linking BHT to cancer, and it’s also believed to be an endocrine disruptor, which messes with our hormones.

BHT is banned in the U.K., so their Frosted Flakes don’t have it, but the U.S. version still does.

Summary

Why don’t these companies just sell the same safer products everywhere?

Europe takes a cautionary approach towards food additives, by banning suspected ingredients and adding warning labels to food.

The U.S. takes the opposite approach by keeping additives in our food until they have been proven to be harmful to humans. This essentially means Americans are lab rats and food companies are free to decide which chemicals and additives they can get away with.

Given the choice, food companies in the U.S. will always use the cheapest flavor, cheapest color additive, cheapest preservatives, and cheapest GMOs.

The food industry doesn’t care about your health, it’s your own responsibility. If you want to start to take control of your health, you can grab a free copy of my book here.

If you want to avoid more unhealthy food that is hiding in your grocery stores, you can check out my video that covers it here.

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