Sinister Sulfites

Sulfites are banned from use on fresh produce and cut fruits and vegetables that are to be eaten raw, but there are still supermarkets, restaurants, and salad bars that continue to use them. Sulfites function as sanitary agents usually to compensate for unhygienic food processing practices. Sulfites also help to prevent the discoloration of dehydrated, frozen or fermented fruits and vegetables. They keep potatoes white and lettuce green and they have been implicated in the deaths of at least thirteen people. Collectively they are known as sulfating agents and go under the following names:
• Potassium bisulfite
• Sodium bisulfite
• Sodium sulfite
• Potassium metabisulfite
• Sodium metabisulfite
• Sulfur dioxide

People who tend to have more problems with sulfites are asthmatics, people prone to allergies or deficient in the liver enzyme sulfite oxidase. Sulfites according to the FDA, are considered safe for healthy individuals who don't excessively consume foods or beverages in which they are present. The trouble is that they are excessively present.

Reactions in sulfite-sensitive individuals can range from mild breathing difficulties to anaphylactic shock. Symptoms may include severe headaches, faintness, abdominal pain, nasal stuffiness, facial flushing and diarrhea, either singly or in any possible combination. These reactions usually occur within twenty minutes or so after ingesting a sulfited food.

Sulfites also destroy vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E. Just as an example sulfites destroy 80% of the vitamin A in eggs.

Tips to avoid sulfites include:
• Read labels
• Avoid dried fruits
• Don't have maraschino cherries
• If you want a potato with your meal, order a baked potato instead of fries or hashbrowns or any dish involving peeling the potato first.
• Throw away the outside leaves of any lettuce or celery purchased at supermarkets.

There are sulfite strips sold at pharmacies that are designed to indicate the presence of sulfites by producing a virtually instantaneous red color when touched to a sulfite-containing food. But leading scientists in sulfite research at the Food Research Institute of the University of Wisconsin warn against the use of the strips unless users are carefully instructed in the procedures because certain foods can give a false reading.

Whether sulfites occur naturally as they do in wines or added later, they're equally dangerous if you have a sulfite sensitivity. Most frequently sulfited foods include:
• Baked products - cookies, crackers, pie crusts, pizza crust, waffles, pancakes, flour tortillas
• Beverages - beer, cider, colas, fruit drinks, fruit juices, instant tea, soups, vegetable juices, wine
• Sweets - caramels, hard candies, brown sugar, beet sugar, corn sugar, maraschino cherries, jellies, jams, maple syrup, shredded coconut, gelatins, fruit pie fillings
• Drugs - antiemetics, cardiovascular drugs, antibiotics, tranquilizers, intravenous muscle relaxers, analgesics, anesthetics, steroids and nebulizers.
• Fish - clams, crab, dried cod, lobster, scallops, shrimp
• Pastas and other carbohydrates - Spinach pasta, cornstartch, breading, moodle and rice mixes, potato chips,
• Condiments - horseradish, pickles, olives, salad dressings, wine vinegar pickled vegetables, sauerkraut, coleslaw, guacamole, gravies, dried soup mixes
• Vegetables and Fruits - mushrooms, grapes, prepared fruit or vegetable salads, shredded cabbage, dried fruits, trail mixes, breakfast cereals with dried fruit