Chemophobia and the Myth: If you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it!

Image created by: Vanessa Lee

From the surface, the healthy eating mantra “if you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it” seems like good advice. However, if you have believed or have followed this motto, you have been a victim of chemophobia.

What is chemophobia?

Chemophobia is an irrational fear of chemicals. In fact, it is very common among the public to be scared of synthetic chemicals. It comes from a misconception of chemistry and generalizations made from scientific and media reports that suggest exposure to chemicals can harm your health.

Why is chemophobia important?

Chemophobia misinforms the public by letting people think that all chemicals are bad and harmful, when in reality chemicals are everywhere. In fact, we are made of chemicals! Yes, some chemicals can cause danger, but many harmful chemicals are only toxic when used in copious amounts, which leads to the saying “the dose makes the poison”.

Image created by: Compound Interest

Nevertheless, chemophobia has become more and more popular, and has now been considered a phenomenon that influences how people shop and how companies market their products. Companies market their products to appeal to nature, as consumer trends reports show that Canadians are increasingly seeking to purchase “natural” and organic products. 

Canadians are becoming more concerned about their health and are more motivated to eat healthier. The general public believes that purchasing products that are labelled “organic” and “natural” (which in fact, are very different) are healthier and safer for our bodies. One of the reasons for this perception may be due to the public’s unawareness of ingredients in an ingredients list. Many people often assume that any chemical-sounding names are harmful or bad for the body.

For example, take a look at the ingredient list below. At first glance, would you eat this?

Image created by: James Kennedy

After reading the ingredient list, you may be thinking: “These ingredients are all chemicals! Whatever this is, it must be unhealthy and filled with preservatives!”

Regardless if you answered yes or no, these are actually the ingredients of… bananas!

Image created by: James Kennedy

You see, it is very easy to become a victim of chemophobia.

After watching this video created by AsapSCIENCE, it is almost impossible to eat chemical-free food. In fact, many common ingredients that are essential to maintain our health have some of the hardest-to-pronounce names.

For example, Tocopherol and Ascorbic acid are the chemical names of vitamin E and vitamin C, respectively. While, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids that are essential nutrients needed for life.

As for the motto “if you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it”, science and chemistry are rarely that crystal clear. Perhaps, an improved motto would be “if you can’t pronounce it, research what it does.”

As for Yvette d’Entremont, a former analytical chemist and now blogger, she prefers her saying: “If you can’t pronounce it, get a dictionary! Go out in the world and learn something.”

By Vanessa Lee