Eating can be such a daunting and overwhelming part of life. For such an fundamental part of life, it frustrates me that is has to be so complicated. Every month a new article comes out declaring a certain food is bad for me. Great- another food to avoid or feel guilty about.
corn: A GMO food that I should avoid for safety issues, ecological & economic concerns, & enviromental hazards. For health reasons corn should be off the plate to abstain from its bad carbs, sugar and starchy content.
wheat: Eliminating wheat from our diet is a recommendation to prevent fat storage, the “wheat belly,” wheat addictions, and a great deal of health issues such as diabetes. The numerous modifications in the grain has changed it to such a large extent that our bodies are unable to handle it. The high gluten content is the most common and well-known problem. Wheat also spikes blood sugar, rocketing insulin levels, effecting the body just as negatively as refined white sugar. The elevated insulin levels cause the blood sugar to spike and drop, spike and drop, thus eliciting hunger. The more wheat in a diet, the more food one will consume due to increased hunger. That does not sound awesome.
potatoes: Some say pototoes are made purely of starch and sugar, with creates a heavy glycemic load to the digestive system. It is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and the body has to work harder and produce more insulin. As soon as the starch is broken down it becomes sugar- a refined carb. These refined carbs increase abdominal fate, promote weight gain, and promote diabetes.
nuts: Nuts have the scary hidden fat content that most people forget and thus over consume nuts. Nuts also contain the toxin phytic acid, which decreases iron absorption.
dairy: With cow’s milk being the most consumed of dairy products, it certainly is surrounded with research on its negative health effects. I can only begin to name a few of the many problems with milk. Contrary to popular belief, milk does not increase bone density due to calcium, as the body barely absorbs the calcium. In fact, cow’s milk increases calcium loss from the bones via the urine, which can in turn lead to a calcium defecit. The animal protein ingestion causes a heavy acid load in the blood, which releases calcium from the blood attempting to neutralize the acid. Cow’s milk contains a numerous amount of active hormones, allergens, fat, cholesterol, and lactate sugar. One of the many active hormones is Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 which promotes cancer growth. Cow’s milk is also associated with cognitive impairments. The list for cow’s milk goes on and on and on. And then there are other dairy products- yogurt, cheese, ice-cream,etc. Cheese has a ridiculously high amount of saturated fat and hormones.
meat: Again- there are many arguments against and for meat. Several health conditions such as cancer, high blood pressure, appendicitis, obesity constipation, diabetes, heart disease, and high cholesterol are more likely to occur in meat eaters than in vegetarians. Meat is also a low nutrient dense food packed full of calories. The amount of nutrients received from meat in comparison to calories is an unbalanced ratio. Meat is often packed full of hormones from industry farming that negatively modifies our hormonal balance. Meat has a high risk of bacterial contamination. Some studies have even shown that men who had high consumption of red meat and saturated fats in their diet had low sperm counts- low enough to impact having a baby. People who ingest all types of meat (chicken, red meat, fish) are twice as likely to develop dementia.
olive oil: I was sad to read about this one. I LOVE olive oil. Many boast of the Mediterranean Diet being on of the healthiest, which is not false as this diet is based largely around fresh fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, any refined oil- including olive oil, is rich in calories and low in nutrients. Food cooked in oil absorbs much more oil than we would like to believe. When breaking down the nutrient value olive oil is one of the most fattening and calorie dense foods available.
Despite my humour in the title- there are a lot of foods left to consume that are very tasty. Beans, leafy greens, onions, green vegetables, raw nuts and seeds, whole grains, fresh fruits, squash, sweet potatoes….its all extremly tasty and packed full of phytochemicals, antioxidants, folate, vitamin E, and fiber. Some days it just can seem a little daunting- but when in doubt- you can always turn to a vegetable:)
Hyridaya 