Lets talk about Food!
- Aug 9
- 4 min read
Today I made some yummy treats for myself and co workers. (check out my posts on Bloom4life or Anna Kiernan and you will see what I made on Facebook)
but it got me thinking about food in general.
In today's world there is soooooooooooo much man made food on the shelves in the super markets. Have you ever looked at the ingredients?
IT'S CRAZY!!!!
Like why does everything have to have processed white sugar?
why does everything have to have soy and words we can't even say and what the hell do those numbers even mean?
Since when did numbers become food?
So I decided to do a little digging into these numbers.
there are many numbers that are in our foods. Lets take a look at some
Numbers on food ingredient labels are part of the Food Additive Numbering System, which is based on the international Codex Alimentarius standards (often called INS numbers or “E-numbers” in Europe).
They’re meant to make it easier to identify additives without writing their full chemical names on the packet — but the trade-off is that they can look cryptic and sometimes hide what’s really in there.
Here’s a breakdown of common number groups you might see on Australian food labels:
1. Colours (100–199)
Added to change or enhance food colour.
102 – Tartrazine (synthetic yellow dye; can cause hyperactivity in sensitive kids)
110 – Sunset Yellow FCF (orange dye; petroleum-derived)
122 – Carmoisine (red dye)
150a–d – Caramel colours (used in soft drinks, sauces; some linked to gastrointestinal issues in large doses)
160a – Carotene (natural orange/yellow pigment from carrots, palm oil)
2. Preservatives (200–299)
Help stop mould, bacteria, or spoilage.
202 – Potassium sorbate (prevents mould in bread, cheese, yoghurt)
211 – Sodium benzoate (used in soft drinks, acidic foods; can react with vitamin C to form benzene)
220–228 – Sulphites (preserve dried fruit, wine; can trigger asthma in sensitive people)
282 – Calcium propionate (anti-mould in bread; controversial for behavioural effects in children)
3. Antioxidants (300–399)
Stop fats and oils from going rancid.
300 – Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C; natural antioxidant)
320 – Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA; synthetic, linked to potential health concerns in high doses)
321 – Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT; similar to BHA)
4. Thickeners, Stabilisers, Emulsifiers (400–499)
Change texture or stop separation.
407 – Carrageenan (from red seaweed; used in dairy, plant milks; can irritate gut in sensitive people)
412 – Guar gum (thickener from guar beans)
415 – Xanthan gum (fermented sugar thickener)
471 – Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (emulsifiers; can be from plant or animal fats)
5. Acidity Regulators, Anti-caking Agents (500–599)
Balance pH or stop clumping.
500 – Sodium carbonate (baking soda)
551 – Silicon dioxide (anti-caking in powders)
6. Flavour Enhancers (600–699)
Make food taste more savoury.
621 – Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
627 – Disodium guanylate
631 – Disodium inosinate (often from meat or fish sources)
7. Artificial Sweeteners (900–999)
Replace sugar.
950 – Acesulphame potassium (Ace-K)
951 – Aspartame (breaks down into phenylalanine; unsuitable for PKU sufferers)
955 – Sucralose (Splenda)
960 – Steviol glycosides (from stevia plant; natural)
💡 Key tip:
Natural additives still get numbers (like vitamin C, 300, or beetroot colour, 162). But many numbered additives are synthetic, petroleum-derived, or heavily processed. If you’re aiming for clean eating, watch for long lists of numbers , especially in the 100s, 200s, and 600s ,as they tend to be the most controversial.
ARE YOU WORRIED?
I know I was back in the days when my second son was allergic to EVERYTHING that came packaged, he was also allergic Animal Protein.
How lucky we are these days that we have the internet to search hey :)
I guess now you may want to rethink about your gut and organ health.
I have to laugh and tell you a sentence that I hear over and over.
"WELL I AM NOT DEAD YET!"
no your not yet, and guess what I bet your not feeling so great all the time either.
are you ready to start feeling great?
want to enhance the flavors of your food so they taste amazing?
with so many people counting calories lets start a new trend in counting the plants on our plate.
On my website, I have added some pdf's for you to download. These are charts explaining to you what you need to know what is being put into your food.
so next time you go shopping, by the ingredients yourself and make the food you eat more healthier.
checkout my recipe ebook "Healthy Garden Within" in my shop and start having some fun today! my recipes don't have meat but you can add it in if you like.
A great App for when shopping is YUKKA I used this app every time I go shopping, its great and fun to teach your children, simple scan the item's bar code and the app will tell you how good or bad the product is.
Happy counting plants on your plate
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