The Dark Side Of American Cuisine: Man Shares Which Seemingly Healthy Foods Are Banned In Other Countries But Still Consumed In The US Interview
Eating healthy can be more of a challenge in some countries than it is in others. This can be due to numerous factors, such as living conditions, customs, and food quality in local stores, to name a few. The last point is quite a significant one, especially when it comes to the US.
A certified personal trainer and holistic nutritionist named Josh Dech turned to TikTok to discuss why certain products found in the States are banned in other countries. Formerly a licensed paramedic, Josh revealed what additives are used in popular foods, such as meat, salmon, or milk. His video went viral and attracted over 650k views and loads of comments—people didn’t shy away from expressing their opinions on food processing in the US.
Bored Panda has reached out to Josh and he was kind enough to answer a few of our questions. You will find his thoughts in the text below.
This post may include affiliate links.
Pork is banned due to a chemical called Ractopamine in the animal feed that increases weight before the animal goes to market, linked to major health issues. That chemical is actually banned in over 160 countries except the States
American chicken is banned by the European Union because it's washed in chlorine
The chlorine is in such small levels it's unlikely to affect your health. *However*, the only reason the US uses chlorine is because it allows for much "dirtier" ways of keeping the chickens and processing the meat. Which makes it cheaper. Allowing chlorine washed chicken into the EU would give US chicken farmers an unfair advantage. Not to mention that if you actually take care of your chickens and process the meat safely, the chlorine is just wholly unnecessary. This was a whole thing in the renegotiation of some big trade deal a few years ago.
American ground beef is banned by the European Union because of a chemical called Pink Slime that uses ammonia gas for antimicrobial properties and it's dangerous to consume and destroys your gut
Milk is banned due to a synthetic growth hormone called rBGH made by Monsanto that increases cancer risk in humans
Ritz Crackers are also banned due to high sodium, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, and trans fats, considered very dangerous, highly inflammatory, and carcinogenic
Hydrogenated cottonseed oil is the reason. That is the stuff that contains transfats, which are very heavily regulated. The company makes them with different ingredients to distribute to European markets, I can easily get them but they have modified ingredients, sae with anything containing hfcs.
Coffee Mate is also banned due to hydrogenated soybean oil and cottonseed oil which is known to have trans fats, which is bad for your heart
The UK version of Coffee Mate (we only have powdered, no extra flavours) is manufactured without the use of hydrogenated vegetable oil, thankfully.
Froot Loops, they're banned because of the soybean oil, sugars, coloring, and cottonseed oil which are considered dangerous in other countries
Salmon is banned because of chemicals in the feed like methyl mercury, dioxins, and antibiotics
The mercury & dioxins are in the feed because they feed them (cheap, wild-caught) fish that live in a polluted ocean (and being higher in the food chain they concentrate them; and these being fat-soluble and salmon being fatty fish they concentrate them more). Spoiler: EU fish has EXACTLY the same problems --- see all the advice to pregnant women not to eat e.g. tuna. I remember (20y ago) wild-caught Dutch smoked eel to be high in dioxine; just 6grammes/ under quarter-ounce would have 100% of your daily limit.
Mountain Dew is also banned due to brominated vegetable oil and bromine is a chemical used in fire retardants
"As of 2020, Mountain Dew, manufactured by PepsiCo, no longer uses BVO in the main line of beverages."
The holistic nutritionist and certified personal trainer emphasized the importance of being aware of the products you consume
When it comes to additives in the food industry, Americans are split into two camps. According to Pew Research Center, just over half of them (51%) believe they can harm one’s health over the years. Others say the amount of additives is too small to have a strong negative effect on people’s well-being.
The research center also revealed that there are over 10,000 additives used in food processing, around 3,000 of which the FDA defines as "generally recognized as safe". They are categorized based on types and application. Some examples of the former include preservatives, sweeteners, and food colorants, among others, while the latter comprises such groups as confectionery, bakery products, beverages, and more.
When it comes to global statistics, the leading types of food additives in market size are thickeners and stabilizers. Thickeners, such as starches or gums, are often found in soups and sauces, while stabilizers are common ingredients in mayonnaise, margarine, or even ice cream.
There are international standards that regulate the usage of food additives. However, different countries might have different policies when it comes to some of them. That is why, as Josh mentioned in his video, certain products that are considered fine in the US can be banned in other countries. It is believed that as much as 80% of processed foods sold in the States wouldn’t make it to the shelves in stores abroad due to specific ingredients.
Some of the foods Josh discussed could be considered healthy, but they are often dangerous nevertheless. “I’m a holistic nutritionist who specializes in gut diseases and even people who eat really healthy can get sick. We mostly understand why junk food is bad, but we rarely understand why 'healthy' foods can be bad,” he told Bored Panda.
“We are still learning so much about our bodies and how our bacteria work. We have more microbes than DNA and we need to take care of them,” he added.
When it comes to the ways of taking care of ourselves and eating healthy, the nutritionist recommended buying local. “The best advice I can give is for people to try to make friends with local farmers and attend farmers markets as best they can. It’s not a perfect system but buying from small, local farms is often a safer bet than mega marts and big food chain suppliers,” Josh said.
Josh’s video encouraged a lot of people to share their thoughts in the comments
I have absolutely nothing against Americans, but this is another reason why I will never be going to America. Some people think I'm mad but I refuse. Guns, police, healthcare, judicial system is enough but hearing all of the people saying they get a bad stomach, im gonna add poisoning to the list.
Agreed, poor Americans tho. It's not their fault their state and economy is so f****d, yet they're not able to do much against it. Kind of sad
true. half of us are probably feeling really f'd up.
well, the economy has its wrongs, but I wouldn't say f'd
Thank you for saying that. An unfortunate opinion, one often promoted by BP, is that most Americans are ignorant extremists who consume massive amount of fried food and support Trump. That's not my experience. Having said that, there are many here like that, I don't care what they eat but the other qualities are less than ideal, and the quality of life is abysmal. I would like to leave the US but care for a sibling with special needs who has friends and community activities he wouldn't want to leave.
It totally is. They vote for those idiots like trumpollini.
Trump lost the popular vote. The majority of us aren't actually insane, we just keep getting f****d over. I'm personally going to move to Canada the moment I'm out of college, but a lot of people can't leave. It isn't our fault that the system is f****d up.
Don't come here. Trood'oh is doing plenty of damage to our society.
I'm determined to stay in the PNW and Canada is at least marginally better than the USA. I really only have the two options
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
How is the American economy f****d?
It is controlled by 1 percent of the population and it changes based on their wims it f*****g sucks over here
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
That is ridiculous & is not based on facts. You sound bitter & it’s probably stemming from the fact you’re failing in life, but don’t worry it’s never too late to get ahead in America. It’s time to stop blaming others, tighten your bootstraps & get at it.👍🏻
This comment has been deleted.
Yeah even without all the problems there isn't much reason to vacation here.
there are a lot of gorgeous and historical places in the us plus some people might have family there
There is plenty of healthy food available in the U.S. No one is forced to eat chlorinated chicken (or ANY chicken for that matter) or drink Mountain Dew, and for those who are concerned about all those additives, there are lots of alternatives, like pretty much everything at Whole Foods. But even ‘normal’ supermarkets have healthier alternatives available.
While it's true that there's places that sell higher quality foods and even locally sourced and organic products, they can be difficult for some people to obtain or to maintain a healthy diet with them. For disabled persons such as myself, getting to the locations can be a major concern, as well as having the budget to purchase the better quality food items. For example, my nearest Whole Foods Market is over 25 miles away and for someone who doesn't drive due to physical ailments and medications, it's hard to get there and still difficult to have the budget to shop there if I had transportation. The prices on meat and vegetables have increased threefold since the beginning of the year. Many staples have increased more than three times in prices and even much cheaper frozen dinners and items like that have been increased the same. People such as myself are left with very difficult choices where food items are concerned. Just sharing a common problem for some people.
I completely agree - my comment was a response to the person who said they refuse to visit the USA in part because of poor food quality. International tourists tend to visit areas where high-quality food IS available (and they tend to be able to afford it too).
Absolutely.
if you see or hear the word "Holistic" in anything to describe someone, or some thing, it is an immediate red flag for what you are about he hear or read is very highly likely steeped in bullsh¡t
I got as far as "holistic nutritionist,"and stopped reading. Anyone can claim to be a "nutritionist." There are no standards or credentialing requirements for this impressive sounding title, unlike dietician. And god only knows what "holistic" means in this context.
Unless it’s a detective agency run by Dirk Gently. ;)
Same. I got to "holistic" and baulked. LOL
Yet another clueless tiktoker trying to muddle reality for some clickbait view. Most of the stuff in this list is not "banned" at all. Certain manufacturing processes or certain ingredients may be banned, or at least regulated, prompting the manufacturers to use different (mostly healtier and better while slightly more expensive) alternatives.
It says the American versions are banned. As an American I appreciate this information. It is dramatically sad how much we hear about health crisis this, health crisis that but the public stays shrouded in mystery about what they consume and why it's killing them.
It also lies about what's in food, so I wouldn't trust it much.
There is so much information out there about real foods. This list is a reminder why I try to source everything locally and eat organically when I can't get clean, local, goods. "Food" is quite terrifying!
The foods themselves are not banned, but they contain different ingredients than in the US. The difference is seen even in the smallest things: McDonalds fries in europe contain potatoes, natural canola oil, dextrose and iodated salt. McDonalds fries in the US contain no less than twelve ingredients, half of which I am unable to pronounce, five of them are hydrogenated oils. Why? It is not even cheaper.
This is misinformation. Mcdonalds fries in Europe and the USA have exactly the same ingredients and many of them come from the same factory and processing line. Ironically, this is one case where the US has tighter labelling laws than the EU. Therefore in the EU only 4 ingredients are at high enough levels to require legal listing, whereas in the US they are obliged to list all 12 ingredients.
You should not trust anyone who calls themselves a "holistic nutritionist"
Yes!! Funny how they don’t mention M&Ms in the UK contain E153 (artificial coloring) that is banned here in the US because it’s believed to contain hydrocarbons that cause cancer
I have absolutely nothing against Americans, but this is another reason why I will never be going to America. Some people think I'm mad but I refuse. Guns, police, healthcare, judicial system is enough but hearing all of the people saying they get a bad stomach, im gonna add poisoning to the list.
Agreed, poor Americans tho. It's not their fault their state and economy is so f****d, yet they're not able to do much against it. Kind of sad
true. half of us are probably feeling really f'd up.
well, the economy has its wrongs, but I wouldn't say f'd
Thank you for saying that. An unfortunate opinion, one often promoted by BP, is that most Americans are ignorant extremists who consume massive amount of fried food and support Trump. That's not my experience. Having said that, there are many here like that, I don't care what they eat but the other qualities are less than ideal, and the quality of life is abysmal. I would like to leave the US but care for a sibling with special needs who has friends and community activities he wouldn't want to leave.
It totally is. They vote for those idiots like trumpollini.
Trump lost the popular vote. The majority of us aren't actually insane, we just keep getting f****d over. I'm personally going to move to Canada the moment I'm out of college, but a lot of people can't leave. It isn't our fault that the system is f****d up.
Don't come here. Trood'oh is doing plenty of damage to our society.
I'm determined to stay in the PNW and Canada is at least marginally better than the USA. I really only have the two options
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
How is the American economy f****d?
It is controlled by 1 percent of the population and it changes based on their wims it f*****g sucks over here
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
That is ridiculous & is not based on facts. You sound bitter & it’s probably stemming from the fact you’re failing in life, but don’t worry it’s never too late to get ahead in America. It’s time to stop blaming others, tighten your bootstraps & get at it.👍🏻
This comment has been deleted.
Yeah even without all the problems there isn't much reason to vacation here.
there are a lot of gorgeous and historical places in the us plus some people might have family there
There is plenty of healthy food available in the U.S. No one is forced to eat chlorinated chicken (or ANY chicken for that matter) or drink Mountain Dew, and for those who are concerned about all those additives, there are lots of alternatives, like pretty much everything at Whole Foods. But even ‘normal’ supermarkets have healthier alternatives available.
While it's true that there's places that sell higher quality foods and even locally sourced and organic products, they can be difficult for some people to obtain or to maintain a healthy diet with them. For disabled persons such as myself, getting to the locations can be a major concern, as well as having the budget to purchase the better quality food items. For example, my nearest Whole Foods Market is over 25 miles away and for someone who doesn't drive due to physical ailments and medications, it's hard to get there and still difficult to have the budget to shop there if I had transportation. The prices on meat and vegetables have increased threefold since the beginning of the year. Many staples have increased more than three times in prices and even much cheaper frozen dinners and items like that have been increased the same. People such as myself are left with very difficult choices where food items are concerned. Just sharing a common problem for some people.
I completely agree - my comment was a response to the person who said they refuse to visit the USA in part because of poor food quality. International tourists tend to visit areas where high-quality food IS available (and they tend to be able to afford it too).
Absolutely.
if you see or hear the word "Holistic" in anything to describe someone, or some thing, it is an immediate red flag for what you are about he hear or read is very highly likely steeped in bullsh¡t
I got as far as "holistic nutritionist,"and stopped reading. Anyone can claim to be a "nutritionist." There are no standards or credentialing requirements for this impressive sounding title, unlike dietician. And god only knows what "holistic" means in this context.
Unless it’s a detective agency run by Dirk Gently. ;)
Same. I got to "holistic" and baulked. LOL
Yet another clueless tiktoker trying to muddle reality for some clickbait view. Most of the stuff in this list is not "banned" at all. Certain manufacturing processes or certain ingredients may be banned, or at least regulated, prompting the manufacturers to use different (mostly healtier and better while slightly more expensive) alternatives.
It says the American versions are banned. As an American I appreciate this information. It is dramatically sad how much we hear about health crisis this, health crisis that but the public stays shrouded in mystery about what they consume and why it's killing them.
It also lies about what's in food, so I wouldn't trust it much.
There is so much information out there about real foods. This list is a reminder why I try to source everything locally and eat organically when I can't get clean, local, goods. "Food" is quite terrifying!
The foods themselves are not banned, but they contain different ingredients than in the US. The difference is seen even in the smallest things: McDonalds fries in europe contain potatoes, natural canola oil, dextrose and iodated salt. McDonalds fries in the US contain no less than twelve ingredients, half of which I am unable to pronounce, five of them are hydrogenated oils. Why? It is not even cheaper.
This is misinformation. Mcdonalds fries in Europe and the USA have exactly the same ingredients and many of them come from the same factory and processing line. Ironically, this is one case where the US has tighter labelling laws than the EU. Therefore in the EU only 4 ingredients are at high enough levels to require legal listing, whereas in the US they are obliged to list all 12 ingredients.
You should not trust anyone who calls themselves a "holistic nutritionist"
Yes!! Funny how they don’t mention M&Ms in the UK contain E153 (artificial coloring) that is banned here in the US because it’s believed to contain hydrocarbons that cause cancer