HEALTH UPDATE: AVOID EXCESS CONSUMPTION OF THIS COMMON FOODS
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1. Fruit Juice
Fruit juice is just as dangerous as soda, or
nearly as bad, when you’re drinking it in
abundance. Think of it in this way: When
you sit down to drink an 8-ounce glass of
orange juice, you’re consuming the juice of
four medium-sized oranges in literally
seconds — or a few minutes at the most.
Compare this to how long it would take to
eat four oranges, and you can quickly see
how eating fruit in its whole form is best.
(Thanks, in large part, to all of that
wholesome fiber.)
Fruit juice is so dangerously largely due to
the fructose factor. In June 2014, a study
published in the journal Nutrition found that
the average fruit juice’s fructose
concentration is 45.5 grams per liter. For
soda, it’s 50 grams. Our bodies aren’t
designed to deal with that type of fructose
overload. While glucose serves as a fuel for
our body, fructose is processed almost
exclusively in the liver, where it’s converted
to fat. ( 1 , 2 )
2. Soy Protein
Contrary to popular belief, soy products are
not healthy for you; at least, that is,
unfermented soy. Fermented soy is one
thing. But eating edamame, soy milk and
soy protein is quite another.
Most soy grown in the U.S. is genetically
modified to withstand applications of
glyphosate, the active ingredient in the
weedkiller Roundup. A recent Norwegian
study found “extreme” levels of glyphosate
in U.S. soy, meaning we’re eating weedkiller
when we eat nonorganic soy. That’s a
problem, given that glyphosate is linked to
many health problems, including human cell
death. ( 3 , 4 )
It’s generally accepted that long-term use
of soy dietary supplements like soy protein
is unsafe because it has been linked to the
following: ( 5 )
Allergic rhinitis (hay fever)
Asthma
Breast cancer
Cystic fibrosis
Endometrial cancer
Hypothyroidism (under-active thyroid)
Kidney disease
Urinary bladder cancer
All of these reasons are great reasons why
soy is definitely one of the health foods you
should never eat.
Better option: If you love soy sauce, choose
coconut aminos instead. If you do chose
soy occasionally, go with fermented soy.
This includes natto , tempeh, and real miso
soup .
3. Sugar Alcohols
Sugar alcohols are commonly found in
sugar-free gum and sugar-free baked goods
and sugar replacements. Xylitol is one of
the most popular forms. Others include:
erythritol , isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol,
sorbitol. While often marketed as natural,
these sweeteners undergo intense
processing and are often derived from GMO
ingredients like corn. Some of these
products are also linked to allergic
reactions, headaches, SIBO symptoms,
rashes, gas and bloated.
Better option: Try green stevia, monk fruit or
raw honey (in moderation) for sweetening.
4. ‘Atlantic’ Salmon + Other Farmed Fish
Like Tilapia
Another health food you should never eat:
Farmed fish. I’ve written extensively
on farmed fish . And in fact, eating tilapia is
worse than eating bacon in some ways. Be
sure to avoid farmed salmon, too. It’s often
called ‘Atlantic’ salmon or just salmon.
Here are a other reasons inflammation-
boosting farmed salmon needs to be a fish
you should never eat:
An October 2016 study found omega-3
levels in farmed salmon are rapidly
dropping and are half of what they were
five years ago. Part of the reason for the
nutrient loss is salmon farm feed
contains less ground anchovy content.
( 6 )
University of New York at Albany
researchers found dioxin levels in farm-
raised salmon to be 11 times higher than
those in wild salmon. The environmental
pollutants are linked to cancer, organ
damage and immune system dysfunction
( 7 , 8 )
A 2011 study published in PLoS One
found mice-eating farmed salmon
actually showed weight gain and an
increased risk of metabolic syndrome
and type 2 diabetes symptoms . ( 9 ) The
risk comes from the persistent organic
pollutants, or POPs, that tend to be high
in farmed salmon.
A 2011 Food and Water Watch
aquaculture report highlighted some
concerning statistics. Hundreds of
thousands of farmed fish escape into the
wild. These fish are often carrying “super
lice” parasitic hitchhikers that even the
harshest chemicals no longer kill. Some
even carry other diseases that can
debilitate nearby wild fish populations.
Farmed salmon have also been treated
with banned pesticides, another serious
toxicity concern. ( 10 )
It takes about 2½ to 4 pounds of other
fish to create the salmon chow needed
to produce 1 pound of farm-raised
salmon. The overfishing of wild sardines,
anchovies, mackerel, herring and other
fish upset natural ecosystems. ( 11 )
In November 2015, the Food and Drug
Administration approved the sale of
genetically engineered salmon and will
not require any labeling, leaving
consumers in the dark. It was approved
despite findings the GMO salmon
doesn’t actually grow as fast as its
creator claims. ( 12 , 13 )
Better option: Alaskan wild-caught salmon,
Pacific sardines, Atlantic mackerel (And
avoid these other fish you should never eat )
5. Microwave Popcorn
Another one of my top “health” foods you
should never eat is microwave popcorn .
Filled with questionable ingredients, it is
just not worth the convenience. The main
problem? The microwavable bags are
coated with nonstick perfluorochemicals
like perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and
perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), chemical
that is liked to cancer. ( 14, 15 )
Another major concern is diacetyl. This fake
butter flavoring compound actually causes
serious lung disease when inhaled in large
quantities. ( 16 )
Better option: Next time you get that
hankering for some popcorn, simply pop
your own. Purchase plain, organic popcorn
kernels at a natural foods store. Use
coconut oil or organic butter and pour 3
tablespoons into a heavy, stainless steel
pan.
Put two kernels in the pan and wait until
one pops, then pour 1/3 cup of popcorn in
the pan and cover it. As it pops, make sure
you shake the pan to allow the steam to
escape and prevent the popcorn from
burning. Remove from the pan when the
popping stops and season as desired.
Some great toppings include nutritional
yeast, garlic powder and cayenne pepper.
6. Factory-Farmed Meat
Essentially, you are what they eat, and if the
livestock that you’re grilling up for supper is
fed hormones, drugs and an unnatural diet
grown using chemical pesticides and
fertilizers, well, that’s not good news for
you, either.
Here are concerning findings:
A 2012 study looking at feather testing
detected banned antibiotics, allergy
medications, painkillers and even
depression meds like Prozac in chickens
( 17 )
Feeding poultry arsenic has resulted in
higher levels of toxic arsenic in humans
( 18 )
About 30 million pounds of antibiotics
are sold for use in farm animals annually
( 19 )
Better option: My recommendation is that
you always purchase meat from a trusted
local source. Get to know your food
growers and ranchers. It’s worthwhile to
become familiar with how your food is
sourced and prepared. Ask the farmer if the
animals are grass-fed and how they deal
with sickness. (For example, if they use
drugs preventatively or only if the animal is
at risk of dying.) If you’re looking for poultry,
the gold standard is raised on rotated green
pastures and supplemented with organic
feed.
7. Margarine
You’d think that the “margarine myth” would
have been put to bed years ago, but many
people are still using it. The initial idea was
that margarine was lower in saturated fats
than butter, so it would protect heart health.
But we now know that’s not true. ( 20 )
Sadly, trans fats were the original fats used
in margarines. ( 21 ) This is tragic, given that
today, we now know trans fats are
responsible for about 50,000 fatal heart
attacks a year. ( 22 ) Trans fat also
increases someone’s risk of developing
type II diabetes and several other severe
health problems. ( 23 )
While trans fats have since been removed
from most margarines, it’s important to
note that most contain industrial, highly
processed fats that would never be found in
nature.
grass-fed cows. Or try coconut oil.
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