Things to Put on Your Do-Not-Buy Checklist...
Bring this list to the store with you, or pull it up on your smart phone! Lets de-mystify the big chemical names and labels to know what to stay away from to protect you and your family’s health.
High Fructose Corn Syrup
The top of my do not consume list! Fructose can affect your brain and body by making you feel less hungry, and encourage over-eating. It is in almost everything sweet like soda, cookies, ice cream and more for one simple reason, it’s cheap. But this low cost to the pocketbook, may be destructive to your health. There is a reason why Mexico and Europe use cane sugar instead of high fructose corn sugar (HFCS) because of safety concerns.
Opt-Out: For non-obese and non-diabetics consider raw sugar, sucanant, or honey. For weight loss and diabetes consider using stevia. Avoid artificial sweeteners. (Read on, they made the list also)
Sodium Nitrate and Sodium Nitrite
This food preservative helps retain red coloring in processed meat products. Research demonstrates it contains carcinogens, which can accumulate in the body. Conditions and diseases they have been linked to include stomach, prostate, and breast cancers. Possible issues may include fetal deaths, miscarriages, and birth defects.
Opt-Out: Seek for nitrate or nitrite-free meat products.
Butylated hydrozyttoluene (BHT) and Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)
Common among processed foods and cereals, potato chips, vegetable oils, and chewing gums. They have been linked to the increases in the risk of cancer development, liver enlargement, and hampering cell growth.
Opt-Out: Read labels closely, as there are plenty of substitutes.
Propyl Gallate
This ingredient is commonly found in stocked chicken soup, gum, and in a few processed meat products. It is suspected as a carcinogen, and linked to gastrointestinal, kidney, and liver problems.
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
An artificial flavor enhancer, MSG is found in canned soups, chips, crackers, salad dressings, and frozen foods. It is also disguised under label entries like "spices," "natural flavoring," and "seasonings." Commonly used in the Asian food industry. MSG has been linked to a variety of conditions including dizziness and nausea.
Opt-Out: Almost impossible as MSG has a habit of sneaking into products and not being labeled. If you are sensitive to MSG, choose your restraints carefully by asking the owners and chefs if they used pre-packaged spices, and if they are an MSG free facility. In stores, look for MSG free on packaging, and contact companies directly if you are not sure. It is hard to be MSG free.
Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
This product is better known as the as a “trans fat” can be found in microwave popcorn, chips, pastries, cookies, pies, cakes, nut butters (peanut butter), margarine, cottonseed oil, coconut oil, and palm kernel oil. Trans fats have been linked to everything from cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and stroke, to cancer. Simply a bad food: avoid!
Opt-Out: The first thing to understand is that you never cook with oil, cook with butter, or beef lard. Yes I said it, a cardiologist said cook with lard! Here is why. Lard and butter are heat stable because they are “saturated fats” making them resistant to becoming “trans” fats. Oils should be used in warm to cold foods. For vegetarians, look at options like coconut or macadamia nut oils which are more heat stable as they are more saturated like butter or lard.
Aspartame, Acesulfame-K, Saccharin
Aspartame is in gelatin, frozen desserts, yogurt, puddings, diet sodas, diabetic foods, low-calorie diets, children's vitamins and more.
Aspartame can cause food poisoning. It can convert to formaldehyde (toxin) in heat. It also makes up the bulk of consumer complaints received by the FDA. It is believed to be neurotoxic. Acesulfame-K has been recently approved by the FDA as a food additive in baked goods, diet soda, gelatin desserts, and chewing gums. In my opinion, it did not have enough safety research to be released. Saccharine has been linked to cancer.
Opt-Out: Consider using stevia and for non-diabetics/or overweight people, raw sugar or the best sweetener of all, honey!
Food colorings 1, 2, 3, and 6
More commonly known as the “synthacolors” blue, red, green, and yellow. Used in beverages, baked goods, and candies, cherries, fruit cocktail, sausage, cereals, and gelatin. These “synthacolors” have been linked to tumors in the different parts of the body like the kidneys and adrenal glands.
Opt-Out: Artificial ingredient free on the label is as close as you can come to protecting yourself. Kids cereals really? Crazy world.
Olestra or Olean
This artificial fat can be found in potato chips. It has ben positively linked to cause diarrhea, intestinal problems, and other gastrointestinal problems.
Opt-Out: Avoid! If you are a patient looking to loose weight and are thinking that artificial fat potato chips are the way to go, than please listen to our shows.
Potassium Bromate
A bleaching agent in white flour, which can be found in pizza dough, breads, and rolls. This compound has been found to cause cancer in both animals and humans.
Opt-Out: Look for “un-bromated” flour products. Read labels.
Bring this list to the store, or pop it up on your smart phone or tablet device and check your labels. Over time, you will learn which companies are looking out for your family’s health, and which ones seam to be ignoring the research.
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