A book I absolutely cannot live without is ‘The Chemical Maze’ by Bill Statham. This handy little pocket sized reference book is an extensive guide to food additives and cosmetic ingredients. It’s embarrassing to admit this …but …I have even taken this book with me when I’ve gone food shopping. Yes, I’m one of those crazy people that stand in the grocery store reading every single ingredient on a packet or jar, and looking those ingredients up in a tiny little book. It’s worth it though. If you were to choose between two similar products, say two cans of butter beans, and they were both around the same price, which would you choose – the one with the chemicals in it that cause rashes and brain cancer in rats or the one with all natural ingredients?
You can look chemicals up in the book by name or number which is really handy. If you don’t understand what I mean by number, go into your kitchen and take a look at anything you’ve bought that’s in a packet, jar or tin. Now look at the ingredients list and look for any 3-digit numbers. These numbers refer to food additives. Some are perfectly safe, some are okay, but some are really not a good idea to put into your body.
The same goes for cosmetics. Anything you put onto your skin absorbs into your body. So why put chemicals onto it when you don’t have to? There’s not a lot of difference between not wanting to eat chemicals and not wanting to bathe in them.
Need an example?
I may be half a hippy but that doesn’t make me vegetarian by default. I really love bacon (although it’s best to eat free range because the poor pigs are not kept very well in those tiny little cages). A friend of mine told me about these little bacon bits you can buy which are basically dried bacon. Great for salads! she said. I was horrified when I read the ingredients, and even more horrified considering the fact she ate a lot of these little things when she was pregnant. This product contains a preservative that was tested on rats (poor rats). These rats grew brain tumors. There was no chance, no way, I was putting one of those little bits of bacon into my mouth. Why risk it?
I only have the second edition of the book. Bill Statham’s done such a thorough job putting this book together that I’m going to upgrade next time I see the latest edition out. Definitely a good little reference book to keep close by. I’ve also just discovered there’s two new versions of the book. The shopping companion and bookshelf companion. One for home and one for the handbag (or manbag/murse)!
Frances Kerr
Fran Kerr is the founding editor of High on Health. To cure your acne, sign up to Fran's FREE acne cure mini-course or download her latest how to guide, Eat Away Your Acne.
4 responses ↓
Hello Fran
Loving your blog!
This stuff is all very interesting…
This sounds like a brilliant little book.
Do you know of a good place to get hold of this book in Brisbane?
Hi Tineke, so that’s how you spell your name!
It is a great book, I’ve seen it in Wray organic store, you’ll probably also be able to buy it at Borders.
I’m glad you like the blog, I hope it’s inspired you to start your own
[...] to avoid harsh and harmful chemicals in conditions such as this) to get your hands on a little book by Bill Statham called ‘The Chemical Maze’. It can be a difficult task to try and remember all the nasty things to avoid, because [...]
[...] My mum had read in the paper that chemicals in foods were really bad for you, so she cut out and laminated the then small list of artificial chemicals listed in the paper, and carried it in her handbag every time she went to the grocery store. I am forever grateful to my mother for doing this, and love how I now do the same, but with my more extended handbag sized ‘The Chemical Maze’. [...]
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