Do you or your little one have a respiratory condition?
For all the dried fruit lovers out there, I have been meaning to write about this for a while. With Christmas approaching all supermarkets and some retailers massively push the sale of nuts and their notorious best friend – the dried fruit. Fair enough, dried apricots, figs, prunes etc rock, so does the dried goji berry, my old time favourite. However, I’d like to add, for the most part, all of the above are preserved with sulphites. Most of you know, but if you didn’t, sulphites are preservatives added to food and drinks to extend shelf life. They work as food preservatives by releasing the gas sulphur dioxide. The thought alone of something releasing gas in my food makes me cringe to say the least. This gas can cause the airway to become irritated and constricted. So you can imagine, for someone who suffers from asthma, these are hardly the best choice foods to have. And even if you don’t have any respiratory conditions, sulphites are generally bad for you. Look at the labels to avoid them as sulphites really do play havoc with your body. It is possible to buy sulphite-free produce. Sorry to add that sulphites aren’t just found in dried fruits, for example red wine contains this delinquent. Have a loot at this list of produce which contains sulphites.
- Processed meats including sausages and burgers
- Soft drinks, fruit juice concentrates, carbonated drinks, cordials and vegetables juices
- Dried fruits and vegetables
- Wine, beer and cider
- Pickled foods and vinegar
- Guacamole
- Dehydrated vegetables such as dried onions
- Maraschino cherries and glace cherries
- Coconut milk
- Salad dressings
- Ready-made mustard
- Dehydrated, pre-cut or peeled potatoes
- Frozen raw potato products
- Fresh or frozen prawns
- Tofu/bean curd