Petroleum Ingredients that Cause Cancer Are Used in Children’s Snacks

Maintaining a healthy diet became a real challenge these days. Not buying your children some snacks from time to time is something almost unacceptable for our society. Many parents consider that if they don’t buy their children some snacks, they will abuse of snacks when becoming adults, and they will definitely adopt an unhealthy diet. This conception is a false one because snacks usually contain chemical substances that lead to addiction, and a healthy diet and lifestyle are easier to follow if learned in childhood.

However, if you cannot completely avoid snacks, make sure that the ones you buy are not containing very dangerous ingredients, such as petroleum. The consumption of petroleum may lead to cancer, but this substance is still used in the production of snacks for children. Let’s see some of the snacks that contain this ingredient and that should definitely be avoided.

• Pop-Tarts

Pop-Tarts may be delicious, but they are for sure a real danger for your children’s health. One of the main ingredients of these snacks is named Synthetic B6. This is an ingredient that contains petroleum ester, hydrochloric acid, and formaldehyde – a mix of dangerous substances. Scientific research has confirmed another worrying fact about Pop-Tarts. Red 40, an ingredient of cherry-flavored Pot-Tarts used for coloring the product, is proven to lead to cancer. During an experimental study, rats that have been exposed to Red 40 developed cancer.

• Kraft’s Macaroni and Cheese

Even though this snack is so popular, it contains very harmful substances that put your children’s health in danger. To color Kraft’s Macaroni and Cheese, the producer uses two carcinogenic artificial dyes, namely Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. These dyes also contain petroleum. So think twice before buying this snack for your child.

• Fruit Roll-Ups

The name of this snack suggests a natural and nutritious meal. But the truth is that fruit roll-ups have nothing to do with fruits or healthy snacks. They are loaded with chemicals and petroleum products. One of these ingredients is Red 3, also referred to as Erythrosine or E127. If you really want a healthy and nutritious snack for your child, replace fruit roll-ups with an actual fruit that your child likes. This way, your kid will be protected from the harm caused by petroleum products and he or she will consume a natural source of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.

• M&M’s

You may think that chocolate is not such a dangerous food if consumed moderately, so why wouldn’t M&M’s be safe for your child’s health? The truth is that the M&M’s chocolate is wrapped in a very toxic shell. M&M’s look great because they are colorful, but the dyes used for their coloring are a combination of dangerous substances. Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 are some of these artificial dyes, which contain petroleum ingredients. Besides the long-term effects of these toxic substances, there are also short-term effects. It has been proven that Yellow 5, Yellow 6, and Red 40 are linked to hyperactivity in children.