What you don't know is in your food can't hurt you right? Think again. There are certain products that found in food that manufacturers have not necessarily been forthcoming about, and there's a pretty good chance that you are going to be feasting these following products and byproducts during your next meal:


Plastic Microbeads in Fish and Waterways

These plastic microbeads can be found in toothpaste, liquid hand soaps, skin exfoliators, other personal care products and industrial cleaners. It's also being blamed for all the plastic clogging in the planet's seas, "killing millions of sea creatures every year when they swallow it, choke on it, or get tangled in it and drown." When the beads can work their way up the marine food chain, they also "absorb and retain chemical contaminants." So avoid any products that list the ingredient polyethylene.


Brominated Vegetable Oil in Soft Drinks and Beverages

Brominated vegetable oil (BVO) comes from corn or soy that is bonded with the element bromine, an endocrine disruptor which is also used in couches and carpets as a flame retardant.  It competes for the same receptors in the body as iodine and can cause iodine deficiency. This can build up in people's bodies, and has been linked to early puberty and hormone and neurological problems.  Excess consumption of drinks with BVO, used to keep flavoring dispersed in a beverage, have been linked to headaches, fatigue, ataxia (loss of muscle coordination), memory loss and swollen hands with ulcers.


High Fructose Corn Syrup and Artificial Sweeteners in Soft Drinks

Used by soft drink makers as a replacement for "real sugar," it's been linked to liver damage, diabetes, heart problems, obesity and even mercury consumption. And leading artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin and acesulfame potassium have all been linked to cancer, a higher chance of having a heart attack or stroke, and other horrible things like Alzheimer's disease, autism, chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.


Transglutaminase, Also Known as "Meat Glue"

This has to be the most disgusting ingredient on this list. Transglutaminase is actually an adhesive powder originally obtained from animal blood harvested from disparate and low-quality scraps of meat which are then  left to refrigerate overnight. Animal versions of meat glue have been found to affect blood clotting time in humans. Studies showed that repeat clinical applications of topical bovine thrombin increase human risk.

A cheaper method involves churning the glue from fermented bacteria, thus the amount of bacteria on a steak that's been put together with meat glue can sometimes be hundreds of times higher. According to industry accounts, up to 35 percent of food products contain meat glue, including tofu, milk, yogurt and even cereal.