By: Passcal Carlton
Nutrition isn’t just about food. It’s about energy. Clarity. Vitality. It’s about showing up to your life—your work, your relationships, your purpose—at full capacity.
Most people don’t realize it, but the single biggest lever you can pull for lasting energy, clear thinking, resilience, and disease prevention isn’t a supplement, a drug, or a biohack. It’s your food. What you put on your plate today directly programs your biology for tomorrow.
And yet, while this truth sits in plain sight, we’re living in a world where chemicals used in yoga mats are casually baked into our bread. The same chemical—azodicarbonamide (ADA)—that Singapore punishes with 15 years of jail time and a $450,000 fine is found in burger buns across American grocery stores. This isn’t science fiction. It’s lunch.
The ADA example is just the tip of the iceberg. It forces us to confront a deeper truth: our food system has been optimized for shelf life, scale, and profit—not for health, vitality, or human flourishing.
Let’s unpack what this means. And more importantly, what we can do about it.
The Bread You Eat—and the Chemicals You Don’t See
Let’s start with azodicarbonamide. ADA is a chemical foaming agent used to make plastic products like yoga mats and shoe soles. In industrial baking, it’s used as a dough conditioner. It gives bread a fluffier texture, extends shelf life, and results in that unnaturally white, factory-perfect look.
But here’s the issue: When ADA is heated (as in baking), it breaks down into compounds like semicarbazide and urethane—linked to cancer in lab studies, and known to affect respiratory health and immune function.
Countries like Australia and those in the European Union have banned its use entirely. Singapore treats it as a serious public health offense.
So why is it still legal—and widespread—in the United States?
Because the FDA operates on a “threshold of harm” principle. Unless a chemical is proven to cause harm at the level it is used, it’s usually allowed. Meanwhile, EU regulators tend to apply a “precautionary principle”: if there’s even a possibility of harm, it’s banned.
But this is about more than one chemical. ADA is simply emblematic of a much bigger problem:
We are not being taught to treat food as foundational. We are being taught to treat food as filler.
Food Is Not Just Fuel—It’s Information
For decades, conventional wisdom treated nutrition in the most reductionist way possible: a calorie is a calorie. Eat less, move more. Food is fuel. As long as you hit your macronutrients, you’re doing fine.
But modern science tells us something radically different.
Food is not just fuel—it’s information.
Every bite of food you eat sends a message to your cells, your hormones, your gut, and your brain.
- Eat a bagel with ADA, and you’re sending one set of instructions.
- Eat a sprouted-grain, chemical-free slice of bread, and you’re sending another.
The difference isn’t just in how many calories you take in. It’s in how your immune system reacts, how your blood sugar behaves, how your brain functions, and how your long-term disease risk evolves.
Nutrition is biology in action.
How Nutrition Shapes Your Life
1. Cognitive Function and Decision-Making
Your brain runs on glucose—but not just any glucose. The quality of your carbohydrates, fats, and proteins profoundly impacts your focus, alertness, and emotional regulation.
- Processed foods spike blood sugar, which leads to crashes in energy and mood—what we call “brain fog.”
- Whole foods, especially those rich in omega-3 fats, antioxidants, and fiber, support neurotransmitter function and reduce inflammation in the brain.
In short: You think better when you eat better.
2. Energy and Productivity
People often reach for coffee, energy drinks, or supplements to get through their day. But the first place to look is their breakfast.
- High-ADA, ultra-processed foods lead to inflammation and insulin resistance, which sap your energy over time.
- Clean, whole foods give your mitochondria—the powerhouses of your cells—the nutrients they need to generate real energy, not just artificial stimulation.
Energy isn’t something you “get.” It’s something you generate—from the ground up, via nutrition.
3. Immunity and Resilience
Your immune system is profoundly shaped by what you eat. Nutrients like zinc, selenium, vitamin C, and plant polyphenols regulate immune responses and reduce chronic inflammation.
But chemicals like ADA, trans fats, artificial dyes, and excessive sugars can trigger inflammatory cascades—the root cause of many modern diseases, from autoimmune conditions to cancer.
So when you’re eating processed bread loaded with ADA and preservatives, you’re not just making a food choice. You’re making a biological investment—or a withdrawal.
So, Why Are These Chemicals Still Allowed?
If the science is clear, why does the FDA still approve chemicals like ADA?
The answer lies in incentives. The food system in America has been designed to serve:
- Shelf life: Bread that lasts longer = less spoilage = higher profit.
- Mass production: Chemicals make dough easier to handle in machines.
- Consumer appeal: Fluffier, whiter bread looks better, even if it’s nutritionally bankrupt.
At the regulatory level, there’s also a different philosophy. The FDA often operates on a risk-benefit model: a small statistical risk is allowed if the benefit to industry is high.
Contrast that with the precautionary principle followed in Europe or Australia: if there’s any credible risk to human health, it’s not worth the convenience or profit.
That’s why countries like Singapore don’t allow ADA in food, period. To them, it’s not worth the gamble.
The Culture of Distraction
It’s ironic.
We live in a time when people obsess over productivity, performance, and longevity. We use wearable devices to track sleep, spend thousands on nootropics and supplements, and listen to hours of podcasts on peak performance.
Yet we completely overlook the simple, boring, daily act of eating.
The biggest productivity hack is not a new app. It’s not a new morning routine.
It’s not eating cancer-linked chemicals for breakfast.
The Wake-Up Call: Consumer Pressure Works
Here’s the good news: when people push back, companies listen.
In 2014, Subway came under fire for using ADA in its bread. Public outcry forced them to remove it. McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, and others quietly followed.
But it didn’t happen because the FDA changed its mind.
It happened because consumers demanded better.
This is the power we often forget we have. As a society, we’ve been trained to be passive consumers—accepting whatever is handed to us on a plate. But when we act with awareness, we can change the system from the ground up.
What Can You Do? 5 Simple Shifts
You don’t need to be a nutritionist to protect yourself and your family from harmful additives. Here’s where to start:
1. Read the Label
If a product contains ADA, artificial dyes, hydrogenated oils, or a paragraph of ingredients you can’t pronounce—put it back. Simpler is safer.
2. Choose Organic When Possible
Organic standards prohibit many of the chemicals allowed in conventional farming and processing. While not perfect, it’s a significant upgrade.
3. Prioritize Whole Foods
Shop the perimeter of the grocery store. Think: vegetables, fruits, clean proteins, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Avoid ultra-processed, packaged goods when you can.
4. Cook at Home
You control the ingredients. You control the quality. Cooking even a few times a week can dramatically reduce your chemical load and improve your health.
5. Vote with Your Dollar
Support brands that are transparent and prioritize health over profit. Your money speaks louder than a complaint to the FDA.
Final Thought: Food as a Moral Choice
This isn’t just about personal optimization. It’s about justice. The people most affected by low-quality food aren’t those shopping at Whole Foods. It’s families in low-income neighborhoods where food deserts dominate and fast food is the cheapest option.
When regulators allow harmful additives to permeate the food system, it’s not just a health issue. It’s a moral one.
As a society, we owe it to ourselves—and to the next generation—to demand better. To prioritize long-term health over short-term convenience. To see food not as filler, but as one of the most powerful forces in human life.
Because what you eat isn’t just about today.
It’s about every day that follows.
