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Ingredients: A Visual Exploration of 75 Additives & 25 Food Products
What’s really in your food?
We’ve all read the ingredients label on the back of a can, box, or bag from the grocery store. But what do all those mysterious-sounding chemicals and additives actually do?
Focusing on 75 of the most common food additives and 25 ordinary food products that contain them, acclaimed photographer Dwight Eschliman and science writer Steve Ettlinger demystify the contents of processed food. Together they reveal what each additive looks like, where it comes from, and how and why it is used.
Essential for everyone who is concerned about the wholesomeness of their diet or merely curious about “polysorbate 60” or “tertiary butylhydroquinone,” Ingredients is a visually and scientifically stunning journey from ketchup to Cool Whip.
You’ll be surprised at what you find.
Ingredients focuses on processed food additives from acesulfame potassium to xanthan gum, including artificial and natural flavorings, sweeteners, colorings, preservatives, thickeners, emulsifiers, dessicants, and more.
We’ve all read the ingredients label on the back of a can, box, or bag from the grocery store. But what do all those mysterious-sounding chemicals and additives actually do?
Focusing on 75 of the most common food additives and 25 ordinary food products that contain them, acclaimed photographer Dwight Eschliman and science writer Steve Ettlinger demystify the contents of processed food. Together they reveal what each additive looks like, where it comes from, and how and why it is used.
Essential for everyone who is concerned about the wholesomeness of their diet or merely curious about “polysorbate 60” or “tertiary butylhydroquinone,” Ingredients is a visually and scientifically stunning journey from ketchup to Cool Whip.
You’ll be surprised at what you find.
Ingredients focuses on processed food additives from acesulfame potassium to xanthan gum, including artificial and natural flavorings, sweeteners, colorings, preservatives, thickeners, emulsifiers, dessicants, and more.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published September 29, 2015
202 people are currently reading
501 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 3, 2021
"This book is for anyone wondering what's in their food," says the author. It's set up as a reference guide so you can easily look up mystifying ingredients like polysorbate 60 or sodium nitrate and others, and learn exactly what they are, where they come from, and decide whether you want them in your food. At the back of the book, the author has listed 25 processed food items and their ingredients. Wait till you see what's in Chicken McNuggets!
I am currently reading Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated Into What America Eats, Steve Ettlinger's previous book, published in 2007, in which he delves into all the ingredients in Twinkies. I'm sure that led to him doing this book on Ingredients in 2015.
Have you guessed that I'm on a mission here?
I am currently reading Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated Into What America Eats, Steve Ettlinger's previous book, published in 2007, in which he delves into all the ingredients in Twinkies. I'm sure that led to him doing this book on Ingredients in 2015.
Have you guessed that I'm on a mission here?
July 25, 2017
The first portion of this book showcases 75 food additives (e.g. sorbitol, propylene glycol, disodium guanylate, sodium nitrite, etc) commonly seen in the ingredients list on many processed foods today. We are shown a photo of each of them and told how they are manufactured and what they "really" are. For instance, some of them may start off as petrochemical compounds, insect dung, or even a toxin, but undergo several steps of chemical processing in one or more plants to turn into the final product.
In doing the job of explaining how these ingredients are derived, the book does well. And it would have garnered a higher rating from me if not for the fact that the author - though he does try hard to appear to - ultimately fails to remain objective on the harmfulness of these additives to the human body.
Though he never explicitly states that he thinks a particular additive is safe, the author does imply that it is with constant suggestions that:
1) the amount of it in the product it has been added to is too small to do any harm;
2) it is a naturally occurring chemical (never mind that the process used to make it was not) that's found in plants, animals and/or the human body itself;
3) the human body has the ability to metabolise it; or
4) it passes through the human body without being absorbed, digested or changed.
Here's some food for thought:
Arsenic is a naturally occurring element in nature that our bodies can metabolise, and in small amounts won't kill us either, but does that necessarily mean we should consume it?
The fact is that the science is not - and can probably never be - out on whether something is explicitly harmful to you or not, since everyone's physiology is quite obviously different, and our bodies react differently to different things at different points in time, depending on our current hormonal profile, environmental factors and a lot of many other things. There is therefore at present no known way of "proving" that any substance is harmful. What we can only go on are correlations, which many studies have found about some of the additives listed in this book. And it is therefore irresponsible to suggest in any manner - explicit or implicit - that something might be safe to consume... because the fact is that we do not know. So how about just listing facts and keeping opinions to oneself?
More points to consider:
While additives may be present in only small amounts in certain foods, when the human diet consists primarily of processed foods day in and out, they eventually add up, increasing the toxic load on the liver. Add to this the possibility that some people, due to whatever circumstance, may face difficulty in metabolising certain additives, and/or the additives they consume may react with other chemicals in their bodies in certain ways we do not yet understand, which may directly or indirectly cause adverse effects on their health.
One interesting fact I did take away from this book though, is that celery juice is now used by some manufacturers as a substitute for sodium nitrite, whose main purpose is as a food preservative. The author mentions that this might actually be bad news for us, since the concentration of nitrites in celery juice far exceeds that which you would get if you had used just sodium nitrite itself.
The back of the book showcases 25 food products and what they are made of. This was pretty interesting. You can see just how many products use actual "real" food (like one particular veggie smoothie for instance), and how many use just chemicals ("sausage" patties, anyone? I wasn't even sure why this particular manufacturer was allowed to name its product thus, when there's no "sausage" in it at all...).
In doing the job of explaining how these ingredients are derived, the book does well. And it would have garnered a higher rating from me if not for the fact that the author - though he does try hard to appear to - ultimately fails to remain objective on the harmfulness of these additives to the human body.
Though he never explicitly states that he thinks a particular additive is safe, the author does imply that it is with constant suggestions that:
1) the amount of it in the product it has been added to is too small to do any harm;
2) it is a naturally occurring chemical (never mind that the process used to make it was not) that's found in plants, animals and/or the human body itself;
3) the human body has the ability to metabolise it; or
4) it passes through the human body without being absorbed, digested or changed.
Here's some food for thought:
Arsenic is a naturally occurring element in nature that our bodies can metabolise, and in small amounts won't kill us either, but does that necessarily mean we should consume it?
The fact is that the science is not - and can probably never be - out on whether something is explicitly harmful to you or not, since everyone's physiology is quite obviously different, and our bodies react differently to different things at different points in time, depending on our current hormonal profile, environmental factors and a lot of many other things. There is therefore at present no known way of "proving" that any substance is harmful. What we can only go on are correlations, which many studies have found about some of the additives listed in this book. And it is therefore irresponsible to suggest in any manner - explicit or implicit - that something might be safe to consume... because the fact is that we do not know. So how about just listing facts and keeping opinions to oneself?
More points to consider:
While additives may be present in only small amounts in certain foods, when the human diet consists primarily of processed foods day in and out, they eventually add up, increasing the toxic load on the liver. Add to this the possibility that some people, due to whatever circumstance, may face difficulty in metabolising certain additives, and/or the additives they consume may react with other chemicals in their bodies in certain ways we do not yet understand, which may directly or indirectly cause adverse effects on their health.
One interesting fact I did take away from this book though, is that celery juice is now used by some manufacturers as a substitute for sodium nitrite, whose main purpose is as a food preservative. The author mentions that this might actually be bad news for us, since the concentration of nitrites in celery juice far exceeds that which you would get if you had used just sodium nitrite itself.
The back of the book showcases 25 food products and what they are made of. This was pretty interesting. You can see just how many products use actual "real" food (like one particular veggie smoothie for instance), and how many use just chemicals ("sausage" patties, anyone? I wasn't even sure why this particular manufacturer was allowed to name its product thus, when there's no "sausage" in it at all...).
November 29, 2025
Interesting look into ingredients that are in everyday products.
April 27, 2016
Ingredients: A Visual Exploration of 75 Additives & 25 Food Products
3 stars
This book did a lot well. Each ingredient got about half a page of write up, which was just long enough to get across the main points (and sometimes interesting historical tidbits) without going overboard or losing anyone. The top left of the page for each ingredient had a convenient key that showed key information in an easy cross-reference format, such as main purpose (sweetener, emulsifier, etc.), other names/sister products, and CFR, E, and CAS numbers. The author clearly did a tremendous amount of research to put it all together, and each section was technically well written. The photos were sharp and neatly done, and it was interesting to have a visual for each item. I learned a lot, and thought this would make an excellent general reference book for people interested in what they're eating or food chemistry in general.
I didn't really see or appreciate the point of the 25 Food Products listed at the end, but the biggest issue I had with the book was its incredibly irritating insistence on treating all additives as equally safe and all concerns about their safety as overblown, ignorant or foolish. The author makes a blanket statement in the intro about encouraging a diet that includes plenty of healthy foods and vegetables, and that's pretty much it. After that, he appears to be completely unbothered by the idea of deriving food additives from petrochemicals soaked in carcinogenic toxins, or any other potentially questionable methodology. He essentially laughs off the concerns of consumers who “ignorantly” demanded things be removed from their food because they could potentially create cancer-causing substances when digested.
While I certainly didn't expect a mass condemnation of anything in a book like this, I was consistently frustrated by his blasé and condescending treatment of potentially hazardous substances, and people's desire to avoid them. I also found some of his presentations questionable. For example, having studied the chemistry of sugar vs. high fructose corn syrup, I know that the body does not metabolize them the same or to the same effect. Yet the book strongly implies that they are equivalents, or work the same. All things considered, this is an excellent reference if you want to know where things come from and get a basic idea of how they're made. It is NOT a good source if you're looking for help figuring out what is and is not worthy of concern.
3 stars
This book did a lot well. Each ingredient got about half a page of write up, which was just long enough to get across the main points (and sometimes interesting historical tidbits) without going overboard or losing anyone. The top left of the page for each ingredient had a convenient key that showed key information in an easy cross-reference format, such as main purpose (sweetener, emulsifier, etc.), other names/sister products, and CFR, E, and CAS numbers. The author clearly did a tremendous amount of research to put it all together, and each section was technically well written. The photos were sharp and neatly done, and it was interesting to have a visual for each item. I learned a lot, and thought this would make an excellent general reference book for people interested in what they're eating or food chemistry in general.
I didn't really see or appreciate the point of the 25 Food Products listed at the end, but the biggest issue I had with the book was its incredibly irritating insistence on treating all additives as equally safe and all concerns about their safety as overblown, ignorant or foolish. The author makes a blanket statement in the intro about encouraging a diet that includes plenty of healthy foods and vegetables, and that's pretty much it. After that, he appears to be completely unbothered by the idea of deriving food additives from petrochemicals soaked in carcinogenic toxins, or any other potentially questionable methodology. He essentially laughs off the concerns of consumers who “ignorantly” demanded things be removed from their food because they could potentially create cancer-causing substances when digested.
While I certainly didn't expect a mass condemnation of anything in a book like this, I was consistently frustrated by his blasé and condescending treatment of potentially hazardous substances, and people's desire to avoid them. I also found some of his presentations questionable. For example, having studied the chemistry of sugar vs. high fructose corn syrup, I know that the body does not metabolize them the same or to the same effect. Yet the book strongly implies that they are equivalents, or work the same. All things considered, this is an excellent reference if you want to know where things come from and get a basic idea of how they're made. It is NOT a good source if you're looking for help figuring out what is and is not worthy of concern.
October 30, 2020
It's interesting and a good resource, but pretty difficult to plow through from cover to cover. I found myself skipping around after going through about half of the list. Still a very useful source of information.
September 18, 2018
Great book. I learned a lot and my curiosity was satisfied 😊
October 31, 2018
Not sure quite what I was expecting but this wasn’t it. If you like ultra scientific then give it ago. Not for me.
November 21, 2018
Removes some of the mystery and fear of chemical food additives.
December 30, 2018
I wish they’d had a chemist proofread it. Kind of sloppy. Fun summaries and illustrations though.
December 29, 2021
This was definitely a unique book that I really enjoyed. I can’t really describe it well but it explains what is in common food additives that we don’t necessarily think of and explains their uses.
February 4, 2023
I more skimmed this book than read it, but I found it a fun representation of what ingredients in your food ready are.
February 18, 2017
Not exactly plot-heavy ;) but a fascinating read nonetheless.
Also, despite the fairly neutral tone taken by the author to describe each additive and its manufacturing process, I find myself wanted to eat fewer processed foods after reading it.
Beautiful pics, which is odd, as they're largely just shots of crystals, powders, or relatively clear liquids.
Also, despite the fairly neutral tone taken by the author to describe each additive and its manufacturing process, I find myself wanted to eat fewer processed foods after reading it.
Beautiful pics, which is odd, as they're largely just shots of crystals, powders, or relatively clear liquids.
September 29, 2016
I chose this for my food and environment book club, and the group approved of the selection. We had a good discussion about it as well. The author does not really take a pro or con side, he just describes how additives are made and what they are used for. The photos are striking and clear.
Ingredients was dry reading taken all at once; it would serve better as a reference book, I think. It made me want to stop eating any processed food ever, although that is not practical. "More food additives are made directly from corn than any other raw material except petroleum" - yikes! (p.52) I cringe to think of all the additives made from petroleum. However, what disturbs me the most is how many of our food additives are made in China, where there is secrecy and no regulation.
The book does contain some interesting facts mixed in with the descriptions. Shellac, for example, is often used on fruit. Because shellac is made from an insect, "a shiny apple in a supermarket may not be suitable for vegetarians." (p. 148)
As Ettlinger says, "This book is for anyone wondering what's in their food."
Note: this book needed better proofreading or review. I found several errors, including an instance of the same sentence being repeated on page 40 and a convoluted sentence about Coca-Cola and sugar on page 67.
Ingredients was dry reading taken all at once; it would serve better as a reference book, I think. It made me want to stop eating any processed food ever, although that is not practical. "More food additives are made directly from corn than any other raw material except petroleum" - yikes! (p.52) I cringe to think of all the additives made from petroleum. However, what disturbs me the most is how many of our food additives are made in China, where there is secrecy and no regulation.
The book does contain some interesting facts mixed in with the descriptions. Shellac, for example, is often used on fruit. Because shellac is made from an insect, "a shiny apple in a supermarket may not be suitable for vegetarians." (p. 148)
As Ettlinger says, "This book is for anyone wondering what's in their food."
Note: this book needed better proofreading or review. I found several errors, including an instance of the same sentence being repeated on page 40 and a convoluted sentence about Coca-Cola and sugar on page 67.
August 18, 2016
I came in with no expectations and was still disappointed.
This book briefly dives into the history, manufacturing, and use cases of several additives. TheReading everything about an additive takes just a minute or two, and has interesting factoids (ie: Sodium Nitrate gives meat its red color, citric acid is used in beauty products and cleaning supplies, cellulose gum has 0 calories and can absorbed 10-20x its weight in water). However, because of the brevity of content for each chemical, the lack of interconnectedness between chemicals, the complete absence of storytelling, remembering these facts is nearly impossible and makes reading the book pointless.
The author also chose to add a full page image for each ingredient as a statement of how manufactured / chemicalized our food has become. After the 10th image of a white or orange powder, this tactic lost its potency and just contributed to inability of differentiating ingredients.
This book briefly dives into the history, manufacturing, and use cases of several additives. TheReading everything about an additive takes just a minute or two, and has interesting factoids (ie: Sodium Nitrate gives meat its red color, citric acid is used in beauty products and cleaning supplies, cellulose gum has 0 calories and can absorbed 10-20x its weight in water). However, because of the brevity of content for each chemical, the lack of interconnectedness between chemicals, the complete absence of storytelling, remembering these facts is nearly impossible and makes reading the book pointless.
The author also chose to add a full page image for each ingredient as a statement of how manufactured / chemicalized our food has become. After the 10th image of a white or orange powder, this tactic lost its potency and just contributed to inability of differentiating ingredients.
November 30, 2015
How much do you really want to know about the food you're eating? The majority of this book is an alphabetical, encyclopedic listing of 75 chemical compounds that are commonly added to foods and drinks that we consume daily. Pretty much any artificial or natural sweetener you can think of is contained herein often along with information about how it was discovered and the ingredient's history. Eschliman also lists alternative/nonfood uses for the additives. I'm not sure how I feel about consuming a flavor-enhancer that can also serve as a solvent for oil paint (isoamyl acetate). The shorter section of the book lists the ingredients in 25 processed foods. The entries in this book look science-y and they are but they are also filled with trivia and thought-provoking info. This is actually a pretty entertaining read.
January 15, 2017
Finally I find a book that both gives information about food additives and at the same time does not give hysterical crap about urban legends. In an ideal world, this would be the standard. But in real life the standard seems to be either completely ignorant or hysterical ignorant, the first not knowing anything about things too small to be seen with the naked eye and the latter knowing there is a conspiracy out "to get us."
April 10, 2016
Fascinating look at food ingredients. While chemical names seem to make people wary, many of the chemicals described in the book are naturally occurring in many fruits and vegetables and in ourselves. Well worth the read!
October 20, 2015
Interesting but repetitive (especially with full-page picture after picture of identical-looking white powders)
April 12, 2016
Very interesting and done extremely well. Information of origins and processing given pretty much without prejudice. Visually pretty cool too. Worth checking out.
July 9, 2016
Awesome look at food additives and cool stuff without judginess. I thought of Andrea the whole time.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews