9 Disgusting (and Dangerous) Things You Don’t Realize You’re Eating

Flame retardants in soda

Addicted to chugging carbonated beverages? You may want to think twice. This toxic flame retardant, subtly listed under ingredients as brominated vegetable oil (BVO), is banned as a food additive in Europe and Japan, yet it still remains open in the U.S. For years, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed BVO to be used as a food additive “under certain conditions and on an interim basis pending more research.” The substance was originally used to keep plastics from catching on fire, but can now be found in certain sodas and sports drinks, including Fanta, Mountain Dew, and Gatorade. While the food industry claims that it’s beneficial to keeping artificial flavoring chemicals from separating in the liquid, health studies have linked overconsumption of BVO to unnerving symptoms, such as skin lesions, memory loss, early onset puberty, and impaired neurological abilities. If you want to be safe, thoroughly inspect all ingredient labels, or better yet, just cut back on all sugary drinks completely. Not entirely convinced? These are 10 huge reasons you should quit soda altogether.