Content area
Full Text
Sulphur dioxide (E220), sodium sulphite (E221), sodium bisulphite (E 22 2), sodium metabisulphite (E223), potassium metabisulphite (E224), calcium sulphite (E226) and calcium bisulphite (E227) are preservatives that cause symptoms in susceptible people, and particularly in some asthmatics. They can cause wheezing, fainting and irritation of the digestive system. It has been calculated that Western people consume l-3mg of sulphite a day, if they do not drink wine or beer, and even more if they do. Sulphites are used in medical products, like some inhalers and Epi-pens.
Sulphites are found in many foods...
These preservatives are found in dried fruit, salad, fruit salad, gelatine, garlic powder, dried ginger, molasses, sauerkraut, dried potatoes, shrimps, pickles, corn syrup, alcoholic drinks, soft drinks, fruit juice, and other foods and drinks. It is best to buy raw foods, and cook them yourself, in order to avoid additives. Tasty, healthy food does not need a lot of preparation.
And the atmosphere...
You may think you are going to breathe fresh air in the Peak District or Lake District, but these are not smokeless zones, and there is sulphite in coal smoke.
And within our bodies...
Sulphite does not just come from outside the body. We make sulphite from protein. Proteins are chains of acids called amino acids. Some of these contain sulphur. From these we make a nasty chemical called homocysteine, which can damage arteries and unborn babies. From that we make cysteine, which is useful in fighting viruses, is part of a major antioxidant, and is needed to make other compounds which keep the heart beating smoothly. However, cysteine over-excites the brain, and is involved in asthma. Having made cysteine, we convert it to sulphite.
Why do we make these toxic chemicals?
The answer is that from sulphite, which is toxic, we make sulphate, which is invaluable.
Sulphate is anti-inflammatory and anti-depressant. It is needed for making stomach acid and digestive enzymes, so that we can break down the food we eat into useful components.
It keeps the gut wall healthy, so that too large fragments of food cannot pass...