I’m not kidding. “Castoreum” is an extract from a beaver’s anal gland. After you think “yuck!”, you might ponder “who the heck first realized that beaver butt juice tasted like raspberries - Anne Buzzelli

The publishers of Prevention recently released an article by Leah Zerbe entitled 'The 15 Grossest Things You're Eating.

I decided to take a little look through the list because certainly I don't eat any of the things on the list. Well the reality is I DO eat a few of the things on the list as does almost everyone else I'm sure.  I thought I'd take a look at a few of the items that would most likely be found in the average person's diet. 

Let's start with soda and the addition of brominated vegetable oil or BMO which is a toxic flame retardant chemical. According to Zerbe soda manufacturers have been adding BMO to sodas, juices and sports drinks for decades to keep the artificial flavoring chemicals from separating from the rest of the liquids. 

Brett Israel authored a very informative article for Scientific American on the addition of BMO to our sodas and drinks outlining the health dangers of the additive and listing a number of the products in which BMO can be found including Mountain Dew, Squirt, Fanta Orange and others. He does point out that BMO is not added to Pepsi and Coca-Cola although these drinks are not without their own health issues either sugar or artificial sweeteners. 

Maggots and fly larvae in canned mushrooms.  The Food and Drug Administration has allowed 19 maggots and 74 mites per 3.5 oz can of mushrooms. Well, first of all YUCK! And second of all - can you picture a bunch of executives sitting around a board room table, "Okay so 20 maggots per can may be one too many." "Well, if you are going to limit maggots to 19 then we need to allow 74 mites."  Really people ??? Maggots and mites? You can bet your bottom dollar those guys from the FDA don't eat canned mushrooms. 

According to Zerbe, grocery store meats are frequently infused with veterinary medicines, heavy metals and bacteria such as Staph and MRSA.  We are quite familiar with the dramatic toll that staph and MRSA can take on it's victims.

The point here is to try to stick to grass fed, organic meat of any kind to reduce the risk of ingesting not only bacteria but antibiotics, metals and other medicines not truly meant for human consumption. 

Zerbe also mentions ammonia cleansed beef, something I hadn't heard of until last year when Jamie Oliver did a segment on his Food Revelation television show. I did a blog last year about pink slime and haven't heard much since. Doesn't ammonia soaked beef bother anyone else? Chicken please. 

Now here's one that will get you, Beaver Anal Gland Juice. Should I say it again – Beaver Anal Gland Juice. Apparently beaver anal gland juice is used to simulate raspberry or vanilla flavoring. Here's another conversation you'd like to be privy to, "Okay you catch him, I'll squeeze his butt until the juice comes." I'm sorry is it me or wouldn't it be just as easy to use raspberries or vanilla? 

Zerb's grossest things also include titanium dioxide in your salad dressing, Round Up in your vegetables, toxic chemicals in your microwave popcorn, human hair and duck feathers in your bread and more. Bottom line - in a grocery environment of maximizing profits by adding garbage to our consumables, look for natural, organic food products including produce, dairy, poultry and meat without artificial colorings or flavorings - because you never know whose rear end your additives are coming from. 

Leslie Kollar has over 20 years of experience in the health care field in both the U.S. and Canada. She has worked professionally in medical offices and hospital administration, using her BA in Communications/Public Relations and MBA in Marketing. She has also seen the other side of the health care coin as a 15 year cancer survivor. As a survivor she is passionate that each and every person is and should be responsible for their own health - and with this passion she hopes to inspire, inform and educate through HealthWorldNet. Leslie can be reached at LK Communications [email protected]