f you know me at all, you know that I’m an advocate for whole, unprocessed foods. However, many of us inevitably turn to packaged or processed foods when we are short on time. Maybe we grab a frozen dinner or pizza for a quick dinner for our family. Maybe we grab a quick nutrition bar to satiate our hunger until we can sit down for a real meal. Or maybe, we just don’t like to cook. Whether we like it or not, packaged and processed food has become a huge part of our food industry and, as a result, a part of many of our diets.
Although there are some brands that I hugely advocate for, there are many more that border on outright unhealthy and “scary.” Many packaged foods that seem healthy often contain fillers, preservatives and other ingredients you don’t want in your diet. It is always preferable to choose products that have only a handful of ingredients, all of which should be recognizable. One test to know whether an ingredient is healthy is to ask yourself whether your grandmother would recognize it. If not, there is a good chance the ingredient is less natural food and more man-made chemical. Another good test is whether or not you can easily pronounce the ingredient. If you feel like you need a science degree to pronounce it properly, chances are the ingredient is worth avoiding.
If you do have to resort to a processed food for a snack or dinner (anything canned, packaged, etc.), try to avoid those that contain the ingredients listed in the following chart. Although this isn’t an exhaustive list, these ingredients are some of the most highly processed and least healthy of all:
Ingredient Why it is Used Why it is Bad
Artificial Colors
* Chemical compounds made from coal-tar derivatives to enhance color.
* Linked to allergic reactions, fatigue, asthma, skin rashes, hyperactivity and headaches.
Artificial Flavorings
* Cheap chemical mixtures that mimic natural flavors.
* Linked to allergic reactions, dermatitis, eczema, hyperactivity and asthma
* Can affect enzymes, RNA and thyroid.
Artificial Sweeteners
(Acesulfame-K, Aspartame, Equal®, NutraSweet®, Saccharin, Sweet’n Low®, Sucralose, Splenda® & Sorbitol)
* Highly-processed, chemically-derived, zero-calorie sweeteners found in diet foods and diet products to reduce calories per serving.
* Can negatively impact metabolism
* Some have been linked to cancer, dizziness hallucinations and headaches.
Benzoate Preservatives
(BHT, BHA, TBHQ)
* Compounds that preserve fats and prevent them from becoming rancid.
* May result in hyperactivity, angiodema, asthma, rhinitis, dermatitis, tumors and urticaria
* Can affect estrogen balance and levels.
Brominated Vegetable Oil
(BVO)
* Chemical that boosts flavor in many citric-based fruit and soft drinks.
* Increases triglycerides and cholesterol
* Can damage liver, testicles, thyroid, heart and kidneys.
High Fructose Corn Syrup
(HFCS)
* Cheap alternative to cane and beet sugar
* Sustains freshness in baked goods
* Blends easily in beverages to maintain sweetness.
* May predispose the body to turn fructose into fat
* Increases risk for Type-2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer
* Isn’t easily metabolized by the liver.
MSG
(Monosodium Glutamate)
* Flavor enhancer in restaurant food, salad dressing, chips, frozen entrees, soups and other foods.
* May stimulate appetite and cause headaches, nausea, weakness, wheezing, edema, change in heart rate, burning sensations and difficulty in breathing.
Olestra
* An indigestible fat substitute used primarily in foods that are fried and baked.
* Inhibits absorption of some nutrients
* Linked to gastrointestinal disease, diarrhea, gas, cramps, bleeding and incontinence.
Shortening, Hydrogenated and Partially Hydrogenated Oils
(Palm, Soybean and others)
* Industrially created fats used in more than 40,000 food products in the U.S.
* Cheaper than most other oils.
* Contain high levels of trans fats, which raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol, contributing to risk of heart disease.
Have you checked your ingredient lists recently? Do they contain any of the above? Have you tried cutting some of these ingredients out?
Excerpted from "GET REAL" and STOP Dieting! Copyright 2009 - Brett Blumenthal
Originally posted on sheerbalance.com
17 Comments
ecaman
Must we eat only things we raise ourselves, or from breeders and growers that we know personally? Must we avoid anything that used any form of chemical fertilizer? Must we all be vegetarians, even vegans?
With 230 million people or more in the US, where will everyone raise their own food?
Possibly, if everyone were to leave large cities and move to the open, unpopulated areas of the west and midwest there would be enough acreage for everyone to raise their own food. We could all revert back to small landowners and subsistence farmers.
Since there's no chance that everyone will leave the cities, where will city dwellers get their pure foods with no additives?
Schuyler
The thing is, our life expectancy has been rising in a linear fashion since about 1840, at about three months per year. That's huge. One of the results is that people are now living long enough to die of diseases like heart disease and cancer that they never would have died of before because they didn't live long enough to get them. Historically, in the cave man days you were dead by age 28, which is still the life expectancy of some very poor places in the world such as Chad, where they don't have additives in their food.
Some of these "links" to {insert something bad here} are very tenuous, at best. If something is proven, then so be it. I don't think there is much question that cigarette smoking is "linked:" to lung cancer and heart disease. They've got it down. Yet still, it's a statistical thing. My mother smoked until she died at age 75 of something not smoking-related. My father was a heavy smoker. He stopped, and died at 87. So I've decided to not start smoking until I'm seventy or so. Something else will get me before smoking does.
I think it's all a tradeoff, myself. If I did everything perfectly in order to live as long as possible I'd have to give up nearly everything I do that is the least bit risky, wear a tinfoil hat, and basically make my life miserable, albeit perhaps longer. I don't want to be a vegan and I like my bottle of wine. I'm a lot happier eating filet mignon than garbonzo burgers. So, yeah, I'll avoid the Big Macs, but if my puppy cookies have additives in them, I really don't give a shit.
CharlesW
What time will the steaks be ready
HampsterW
twenty odd years, I gave that shit up a few years ago (hardest fucking thing that I have ever done), when they say that quitting smoking is like getting off a heroine addiction, I believe it, (having never done heroine). I was a "mean mother fucker" for the longest time, I am glad that my kids put up with me for as long as they did, (this was before TBH).
luckybychoice
heroine....bad
HampsterW
smoking bad, that is what I tell my kids. I can only imagine the poor bastard that had to conquer both addictions.
luckybychoice
quit cold turkey 6 years ago,cigs lol,started dating my now wife and didn't want to smell like smoke around her,fuck all that gum and crap they try to sell ya,i had a 2 pk a day habit and drank,no heroin.
HampsterW
All of that shit is just a "crutch", you either quit smoking or quit the patch or quit the gum, nicotine is what it is, that is what we quit!
Glad to hear it brother.
RyNos357
i been smokin bout 20 yrs down to a pack a day, been wanting to quit for couple yrs now its so hard, i need more will power. dont drink or do drugs, but the cigs are killin me. im glad you all quit.
ecaman
I started when I was 14 (I'm 70 now), and by the time I was 17 I was up to 1 pack a day. It increased to 2, then 3. I quit when I was 36 (for a year), then started back. Quit again when I was 40; after a year I started back. I've smoked steadily since then.
My dad smoked from the time he was about 10 until he died at age 78. He smoked 3 packs a day all of my life.
I think I have addict genes, if that's possible.
I drank for a long time too, but one night while I was playing music a waitress brought me 2 more beers (I always got them 2 at a time, because I drained the first one). I looked at the beers and told her to give them to anybody who wanted them and bring me a Coke. I never took another drink. I hadn't been thinking of quitting; I guess it had been in the back of my mind. It was easy. I never have had the slightest urge to take another drink. When I was on the bandstand I drank at least 12 beers or a pint of whiskey during the 5 hours, and did some REALLY stupid stuff. Had a tremendous amount of fun, too. I loved being high. I also smoked pot for years, and really enjoyed that.
Smoking's a different story. Never did heroin, so I can't compare, but quitting smoking is damn near impossible for me.
HampsterW
It was a tough road, if I can be of some help, please let me know!
You can afford more guns and ammo.....LOL!
HampsterW
I was fortunate, after my Dad died I quit... No he didn't smoke, but his father did, and that was his demise. My Grandfather died of lung cancer, long before I was born....
Hampton was stupid enough to follow in Grandpas foot steps....I quit that shit and I will never go back.....You can take that to the bank.
RyNos357
alittle stress isn't helping me none either. I know i'll quit soon and ham i will definitly let you know first when i'm ready.lol as a matter of fact i went to the gun show today (Bill Goodmans gun and knife show) its big here in ohio kentucky, and indiana. wanted to buy another model 59 smith chrome plated as a match, guy wanted $425. If i didn't buy that carton of cigs i could have bought it. damn it.
HampsterW
You do as you wish (I hated people preaching to me), but I am not the preacher. We here at GUNSLOT like to share our experience's.
If you give it up, you will be money ahead. I hear Ya' bro, my ex was "stressful" to say the least (for the last 8 years)....Be strong....
RyNos357
how much do you smoke in a day
ecaman
2 1/2 to 3 packs. I should quit, but I'm totally addicted. The only time I ever enjoy one is after a meal. They taste like shit, leave a bad taste in my mouth, and cost WAY too much money.
I have emphysema now also, and have lots of trouble getting enough air in my lungs after even a small bit of exertion. I'm rather sure that all the cigarets for all the years caused the emphysema. I don't bitch, because it's my own fault - who would I bitch at?
I have a doctor's appt. this Wednesday, and will ask him what I can do to help alleviate it. Of course he'll say that I should quit smoking, but I already know that.
This addiction is a motherfucker. I practically can't fly, because after less than 2 hours without a cigaret I'm ready to kill somebody. I smoke one after another, not because I like them, but because of the addiction. I can't stand not to have one going.
If young people are reading this, I hope they can get some understanding from it of how bad the addiction to tobacco is, and never start. If they've already started, it should be easier for them to quit since they won't have so many years of chemical and mental dependency to overcome.
I'll get off my soapbox now!
RyNos357
wow i don't know what to say. maybe you could slowly cut down on some. man bro damn cigs companies. since i heard your story im gonna try and quit for good. see what happens