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Written by Rachel, Contributing Writer

This month at Keeper of the Home, we are all focusing on Spring Cleaning the Toxins ^[2]. This is something my family has been working on over the past several years. Late last year, I wrote this ^[3] post about 9 toxins to remove from your life, they are everywhere so we really have to be mindful if we want to raise healthy families and kids!

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Here's a list of 4 food toxins to begin removing immediately!

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I found this at a big box store!

1. MSG or monosodium glutamate

Potato chips, Chinese food, frozen meals and many pre-packages foods usually contain msg. Msg is natural in origin but is a stimulator for free radical production in the body and is an excitotoxin, which simply means to excite the cells causing damage or even death of cells. Often (more often than not) we find msg on food labels because it is a flavor enhancer, making the food taste better, leaving us wanting more.

Food manufacturers have caught on that people are avoiding msg, however, they have become creative with labeling msg with different names including: yeast extract, anything “hydrolyzed” and any “hydrolyzed protein” and several other names you can check out here ^[7].

The Mayo Clinic says that ingesting msg can cause all kinds of problems including headaches, numbness, heart palpitations, weakness among others. Since we have eliminated msg, if I have anything food with msg, I get headaches almost immediately after I eat.

2. Artificial flavors

Flavors that have been made to mimic foods are what artificial flavors are and yes, most people would say they are tasty but that doesn't mean they are good for you. Confession, once in a blue moon, I might eat a couple skittles, I'm not perfect, but for the most part we do not buy anything with the word artificial on the package, it clearly is fake food and we are a real food family. Artificial flavors are man-made chemicals, chemicals that are hazardous to our health!

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Image source ^[9]

3. Artificial colors

Beautifully frosted cupcakes, the skittles I mentioned earlier, bright red fruit juice, we know this stuff has artificial colors but some things we don't even think that would have artificial colors, actually do!

I came across some dill relish a couple of weeks ago that had yellow 5 and found out last year that some blueberry muffins ^[10] don't even contain blueberries at all.

Artificial colors ^[11] are linked to ADHD, hyperactivity, behavioral problems, eczema ^[12], allergies, and even cancer. Artificial colors are added not only to make the product look more appealing but also to slow spoilage and to help food from becoming rancid. Start looking at food labels and simply do not buy it if it has the word artificial on the label, look for natural food dye alternatives.

4. Artificial sweeteners

Splenda, Equal, Sweet'N Low, are just a couple choices people have when choosing a low calories sweetener. These sweeteners are also found in protein powders, granola bars, diet sodas and many products labeled sugar free.

I do believe lowering sugar in our diets is very important, however, study after study shows how dangerous artificial sweeteners are. See the movies Sweet Misery and Sweet remedy these are tools to spread the word about artificial sweetener dangers. A few alternatives to artificial sweeteners are stevia, xylitol, raw honey and even maple syrup.

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Image credit ^[14]

We vote by how we spend our money at the grocery store, the more we stop buying fake food, the more the toxins will be removed and healthier alternatives will be made. God gave us our bodies and we need to be good stewards with them, one way to so this is by choosing to eat real food and making steps to live a healthier life ^[15]!

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My husband (a wellness physician) has a newer feature on my blog called "Ask Dr. Jake ^[17]", he would be happy to answer any of your health related questions or at least direct your path to some better options.