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If you are going to do one thing for your health in 2020, do this.

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Eat less processed foods. There you have it.

Most of you have heard me talk about processed foods before. Their detriment cannot be overstated.

There are so many health problems associated with eating processed food.

One study found that eating processed foods lead to an early death. The following is a list of health issues that have been linked to eating processed foods and foods rich in sugar:

  • Unbalanced microbiome
  • Leaky gut
  • Inflammation
  • Heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • Stroke
  • Obesity
  • Diabetes
  • Dementia
  • Hypertension
  • Dyslipidemia
  • Alzheimer’s
  • Aging
  • Brain health
  • ADHD
  • Anxiety
  • Mood swings
  • Cancers
  • Sleep apnea
  • Gallbladder disease
  • Liver disease
  • Gynecological problems such as infertility
  • Kidney disease
  • Headaches
  • Fatigue
  • Cataracts
  • Arthritis
  • Rash/eczema in children
  • Gallstones
  • Hemorrhoids
  • An increase in reactive oxygen species, in turn damaging cells and tissues
  • A reduction in high-density lipoproteins – the good cholesterol!
  • Interference with ability to absorb calcium and magnesium
  • An over-acidic digestive tract
  • A decrease growth hormone in the body – problematic for growing children
  • Increased likelihood of development of food allergies
  • Decreased testosterone production
  • Can cause exacerbation of acne
  • Can cause free radical and oxidative stress
  • Slow function of adrenal glands

The following are the health issues that can be prevented, treated, or improved by eating unprocessed whole foods:

  • Microbiome imbalance
  • All GI disease (IBS, IBD, GERD)
  • Heart disease
  • Obesity
  • Cellulite
  • Waist circumference
  • Abdominal fat
  • Diabetes
  • Mood
  • Cognition and brain function
  • ADHD
  • Autism
  • Dementia
  • Menopause
  • Hiatal hernia
  • Kidney stones
  • Cataracts
  • Arthritis
  • Rash/eczema in children
  • Gallstones
  • Hemorrhoids
  • An increase in reactive oxygen species, in turn damaging cells and tissues
  • A reduction in high-density lipoproteins – the good cholesterol!
  • Interference with ability to absorb calcium and magnesium
  • An over-acidic digestive tract
  • A decrease growth hormone in the body – problematic for growing children
  • Increased likelihood of development of food allergies
  • Decreased testosterone production
  • Can cause exacerbation of acne
  • Can cause free radical and oxidative stress
  • Slow function of adrenal glands
  • Gallstones
  • Inflammation
  • Cancer
  • Cataracts
  • Arthritis
  • Diverticulosis
  • Vaginal infections
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Age-related macular degeneration
  • Body odor
  • Aging
  • Acne
  • Allergies
  • High cholesterol
  • High blood pressure
  • Eczema
  • Menstrual breast pain
  • Oral health

These lists were first published in my eBook.

Why are processed foods so bad? 

Three reasons, and each are associated with the health issues above (in the first list):

  1. Sugar
  2. Processed starches, refined flours
  3. Vegetable oils that are high in pro-inflammatory omega-6s

How to eat more whole foods and less processed foods? 

  • Drink more water and less soda, juice, or coffee “drinks”
  • Eat more potatoes and whole grains (rice, quinoa) and less breads, cereals, and pasta
  • Make your own salad dressing with olive oil and eat less store bought salad dressings (made with vegetable oils)
  • Cook fresh whole foods (chicken, potatoes, broccoli) at home and eat less take out (pizza, chinese, etc)
  • Have fruit handy to avoid going to the vending machine when you need a snack.
  • Find minimally processed foods as options

Would you like more ideas on how to eat whole foods? If so, email me and let me know or write in the comments below!

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How to choose processed food

What Are the Best Choices in Processed Food?

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I talk about eating whole foods (foods in their real or natural unaltered form) a lot, but most of us can’t do that 100% of the time!

I mean let’s face it. It isn’t realistic to expect yourself to never ever eat a processed or packaged food again.

Bread, crackers, pasta, or cookies are processed foods. Anything out of a bag or box or factory (vs the earth) is processed. The goal is to have whole foods as the norm, and processed food more infrequently.

When you do have processed foods, try to make sure that they are made with whole food ingredients.

But, how do you know?

Let’s compare a few common examples!

Below, I have compared two of each of the following: bread, ice cream, crackers. These are true ingredient lists from real products in your grocery store. These are popular successful-selling brands of these products. I have left out the names of the products (don’t want to get in trouble) but I assure you the ingredient lists have not been altered in any way.

Bread:

Whole food ingredients:

Example One:

Whole Grain Spelt flour, water, sea salt.

Example Two:

Organic Sprouted Wheat, Filtered Water, Organic Sprouted Barley, Organic Sprouted Millet, Organic Malted Barley, Organic Sprouted Lentils, Organic Sprouted Soybeans, Organic Sprouted Spelt, Fresh Yeast, Organic Wheat Gluten, Sea Salt.

Versus:

Processed and unrecognizable ingredients:

Example 1:

Unbleached enriched flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, high fructose corn syrup, yeast, contains 2% or less of each of the following: calcium carbonate, soybean oil, wheat gluten, salt, dough conditioners (contains one or more of the following: sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium stearoyl lactylate, monoglycerides, mono- and diglycerides, azodicarbonamide, enzymes, ascorbic acid), vinegar, monocalcium phosphate, yeast extract, modified corn starch, sucrose, sugar, soy lecithin, cholecalciferol (vitamin d3), soy flour, ammonium sulfate, calcium sulfate, calcium propionate (to retard spoilage).

Example 2:

Enriched wheat flour [flour, malted barley flour, reduced iron, niacin, thiamin mononitrate (vitamin b1), riboflavin (vitamin b2), folic acid], water, high fructose corn syrup, yeast, soybean oil, salt, wheat gluten, calcium propionate (preservative), monoglycerides, datem, calcium sulfate, soy lecithin, citric acid, potassium iodate, monocalcium phosphate, cornstarch, calcium phosphate.

Ice cream:

Whole food ingredient example:

Cream, skim milk, cane sugar, egg yolks, vanilla extract.

Processed example:

Milk, Cream, Corn Syrup, Skim Milk, Sugar, Whey Protein Concentrate, Whey, Buttermilk, Vanilla Extract, Guar Gum, Mono And Diglycerides, Xanthan Gum, Carrageenan, Annatto Extract And Turmeric (For Color).

Crackers:

Whole food example:

Whole wheat, oil, and salt

Processed example:

Unbleached enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), soybean oil, sugar, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, salt, leavening, high fructose corn syrup, soy lecithin, malted barley flour, natural flavor.

In conclusion, with a bit of research and label reading you can ensure you are getting the most whole foods, and a minimal amount of processed foods in your diet as possible!

Selection of food high in sugar

Why Sugar and Processed Foods are not Healthy

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There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to eating. However, there is one plan that is safe for most people and can help most health conditions: a whole foods diet. Whole foods are better for the microbiome than processed foods. Eating real food in its whole form promotes good health. Eating sugar and processed foods promotes disease.

The following is a list of health issues that have been linked to eating processed foods and foods rich in sugar:

  • Unbalanced microbiome
  • Leaky gut
  • Inflammation
  • Heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • Stroke
  • Obesity
  • Diabetes
  • Dementia
  • Hypertension
  • Dyslipidemia
  • Alzheimer’s
  • Aging
  • Brain health
  • ADHD
  • Anxiety
  • Mood swings
  • Cancers
  • Sleep apnea
  • Gallbladder disease
  • Liver disease
  • Gynecological problems such as infertility
  • Kidney disease
  • Headaches
  • Fatigue
  • Cataracts
  • Arthritis
  • Rash/eczema in children
  • Gallstones
  • Hemorrhoids
  • Can increase reactive oxygen species, in turn, damaging cells and tissues
  • Can reduce high-density lipoproteins – the good cholesterol!
  • Interfere with ability to absorb calcium and magnesium
  • Can lead to an over-acidic digestive tract
  • Can decrease growth hormone in the body–problematic for growing children
  • Increase likelihood of development of food allergies
  • Decrease testosterone production
  • Can cause exacerbation of acne
  • Can cause free radical and oxidative stress
  • Slow function of adrenal glands

These are the health issues that can be prevented, treated, or improved by eating unprocessed whole foods:

  • Microbiome imbalance
  • All GI disease
    • IBS
    • Crohn’s
    • Ulcerative colitis
    • GERD
  • Heart disease
  • Obesity
  • Cellulite
  • Waist circumference
  • Abdominal fat
  • Diabetes
  • Mood
  • Cognition and brain function
  • ADHD
  • Autism
  • Dementia
  • Menopause
  • Hiatal hernia
  • Kidney stones
  • Gallstones
  • Inflammation
  • Cancer
  • Cataracts
  • Arthritis
  • Diverticulosis
  • Vaginal infections
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • Age-related macular degeneration
  • Body odor
  • Aging
  • Acne
  • Allergies
  • High cholesterol
  • High blood pressure
  • Eczema
  • Menstrual breast pain
  • Oral Health

This is an excerpt from my eBook. Check it out for more details on how to eat a whole foods diet.

Does gluten sensitivity exist?

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Gluten is the protein in wheat, barley and rye. It has received a lot of attention lately, as more and more people are cutting gluten out of their diets.

Celiac disease is an auto-immune disease where a person is allergic to gluten and eating it causes their immune system to attack the lining of the gastrointestinal tract. This causes an array of unpleasant symptoms including pain and diarrhea. It affects 1% of the population.

Gluten sensitivity describes the remaining number of people who can not tolerate gluten (the stats are 6% or a lot more depending on where you look). There is no allergy, no immune response, and no damage to the lining of GI tract but still symptoms. Gluten is hard to digest and can cause diarrhea, cramping, gas, bloating, headaches, brain fog, or skin rashes. Cutting out gluten removes these symptoms.

Another portion of the population is giving up gluten because they are trying to be more healthy (jumping on the dump gluten bandwagon). I think this is fine. Given that gluten is found in wheat and wheat is highly processed and processed foods are at best useless (and at worst, very bad for you. stay tuned for a future post). But some people think this is just a silly fad.

A study came out recently where gluten sensitivity was actually tested. One group was fed gluten, and other groups were not, but all groups were blind to what they were being fed. Thus preventing bias. And the gluten group did NOT have more symptoms than the control groups. Pretty solid evidence against the existence of gluten sensitivity, huh?

No study is definitive and there were still confounding variables (such as FODMAPs) Here is an article that totally refutes the study point by point and brings the possibility of gluten sensitivity back to life. Or perhaps just wheat sensitivity. Since this research study was giving participants isolated gluten, it doesn’t tell us much about the real world (who sits around eating isolated gluten apart from food?). Perhaps it is wheat that gives people those symptoms and not gluten or a combination of all the components in wheat, including gluten. But you know your own body, and if cutting out gluten solves your problems, that’s compelling research for you.

Fed up Trailer

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A new documentary is coming out on May 9th. I can’t wait to see it. I sounds like a wonderfully clear portrait of processed foods and sugar-why they are bad for us and why the food industry is not to be trusted. I hope everyone sees this (even though that means they might not need me to educate them anymore!)