We are what we eat. In an effort to find out exactly what we are consuming, the ingredient label has become a hard-and-fast rule across countries and corporations. Refined sugar and artificial flavourings have become public enemies. With this, we thought we had food executives by the collar. However, nothing stops commercial greed. Manufacturers now mask them under different names and titles in a pitiful attempt at disguise. Not anymore, however. Here’s a small list of familiar villains with unfamiliar titles:.Vegetable Oil/Palmate/Palmolein/Stearic Acid/Capric Acid: This is all PALM OIL. Found in almost half of all packaged food around the world, this slippery pickpocket is in every plastic packet you can think of—from namkeen to instant noodles, from Nutella to pizzas. But half of it is saturated fat, meaning it can cut your lifespan down to half as well (exaggeration; kindly excuse). High-fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)/Corn Syrup/Dextrose/Fructose/Glucose/Sucrose, Maltose, Lactose:All different names for our familiar enemy, SUGAR. Another common trick that manufacturers use is spreading different kinds of sugar across the ingredient label, so it looks like each one is present only in trace amounts. Not true. Be it maltose, dextrose or lactose, if it goes in, you are likely to be in trouble. Partially Hydrogenated Oil/Vegetable Shortening/Soybean Oil:TRANS FAT is what you would call these. French fries, cookies, chips and popcorn—all bursting with trans fats. There are two kinds of cholesterol—one good (HDL) and the other bad (LDL). Our friend here increases the bad and decreases the good. So, before you launch into a fries attack, think about a possible heart attack. Not an exaggeration: A lot of studies show that LDL cholesterol is linked to heart disease. Saccharine/Aspartame/Sucralose, or Sweet N’ Low/NutraSweet/Splenda or E900-970:ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS is the term for them. Ever asked yourself how Diet Coke tastes sweet without the one thing that gives sweetness—sugar? Well, here’s the answer—not just Diet Coke, but also chewing gums and everything that says ‘Sugar-Free’ but magically retains its sweetness. What might not be sweet are the links to BAD, BAD STUFF. Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)/Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT)/E320/E321:A rather unhelpful pair of twins that are added to foods to extend their shelf life. While not disguised under any other name, the scientific terminology is enough to turn them invisible to most of us. But in this case, invisible also means injurious. So injurious, in fact, that the US Toxicology Program has said it is ‘reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen’, after studies found it directly responsible for tumours in animals. Tasty, but not pretty. (What is this found in) Vanillin/Ethyl Maltol/Diacetyl/Isoamyl Acetate/Butyric Acid/Amyl Acetate:All ARTIFICIAL FLAVORING. Added in specific mixes to create ‘flavour profiles’ (yes, that’s where the Skittles flavours come from), these terms don’t just mask what they actually are, but also the number of chemicals used. Artificial flavour profiles are created with not one, not two, but HUNDREDS of synthetic chemical compounds, blended into one shining, disastrous package. Strawberry flavouring? 350 compounds. Vanilla? 250. And our favourite coffee? 850. E102/E110/E122/E124/E129/E131/E132/E133/E142/E151/E155/E180/Tartrazine/Indigotene/Allura Red/Sunset Yellow/Brilliant Blue:If your heart skipped a beat just reading those numbers, think about what your stomach must be going through. Welcome to the bright and baneful world of ARTIFICIAL DYES/COLORS. Linked to intense hyperactivity in children and potentially causing cancer, these colourful mischief-makers send the little ones zooming across every corner of the room. They’re like make-up for food—zero nutrition or substance, just show..That’s a wrap for our not-so-cleverly disguised ingredients on labels. This list is tiny compared to the vast injustices that have snuck onto our plates and into our mouths, so keep searching for more. Remember: truth alone triumphs. Especially when quality khana is at stake..Disclaimer: The views stated in this article and the facts stated are as researched by the writer.