The Top 10 Toxic Foods

Health is not a la carte. You cannot pick and choose in what areas you want to be healthy while ignoring others. Health is a mindset that comes from desiring more than what is attainable right now. To be healthy requires the understanding of the verse found in Hebrews 12:11: “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained in it.”

In the area of nutrition, what is toxic to our body can sometimes be right in front of us, but often it seems to be hidden. Myths abound as to what is healthy and unhealthy. The general public has bought into marketing ideas, catchy concepts, and bad science, leaving our society with ever-growing obesity and related-health problems.

Toxic foods are everywhere and are most likely in your home today. They creep into our pantry like like a mouse trying to steal our health. So where do they hide? Where can we find the worst offenders? They are found in the “The Toxic 10.”

1. Salad Dressings
Full of high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated soybean oils, maltodextrin, and MSG. Avoid any dressing that you cannot see through, avoid the “fat free”-labeled liars, and better yet simply make your own. Try this Sicilian-style dressing: 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, salt and pepper to taste.

2. Candy
Full of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and bad fats, these foods create an addictive pattern because they are empty calories. Empty calories never satisfy and only spark more eating. Be careful with the sugar-free or dark chocolate excuses. They too can be dangerous. If you have to have something, choose less than 10 peanut M&M’s.

3. Deli and Processed Meat
These foods are poor-quality commercial meat sources filled with Nitrites, MSG, and other additives. These are known cancer-causing foods and should be treated as the cigarettes of the food aisle. Alternatively, buy a large turkey breast and cook it at home. Then slice it deli-style thin and freeze into one-pound quantities. You will be set for many weeks to come.

4. White Bread
The most cryptic area in the grocery store, the bread aisle, hides many dangerous items wrapped in healthy marketing and tricky processing. Many healthy-looking whole wheat, flax, whole grain, and other dark breads are merely white flour-based doughs sprinkled with some wholesome ingredients. Likewise added vitamins that are not absorbable and many other toxic ingredients lace these products from beginning to end. Try a sprouted bread like Ezekiel bread. A good recipe can be found at http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Ezekiel-Bread-I.

5. Sprayed Produce
Pesticides and fertilizers are sprayed on almost every piece of non-organic produce found in the grocery store. Be very careful with the “The Dirty Dozen:” peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, kale, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, grapes, carrots, and pears. Try to buy these 12 foods organically. “The Clean 15” can be bought in the grocery store without a problem: onions, avocados, sweet corn, pineapple, mangos, asparagus, peas, kiwi, cabbage, eggplant, papayas, watermelons, broccoli, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes.

6. Margarine
Closely related to the chemical processing to make plastic, margarine is a man-made product that is highly toxic to our bodies. Somehow this product is still recommended for cardiovascular health, but unfortunately it causes inflammation. Inflammation is most likely the cause of heart disease and is known to be the cause of most cancers. Try regular butter or coconut oil instead.

7. Soda and Diet Drinks
Calories found in soda and other sugary drinks are unregistered by the brain when eating. This leads to over-consumption of calories and obesity. Diet drinks are no better, as they are filled with neurotoxins that overstimulate the brain. This completely man-made product causes you to become hungrier and eat more food. Diet drinks are the worst for those trying to diet. Simply drink water with lemon. Your body will thank you.

8. GMO Foods
GMO (Genetically modified organism) foods are DNA-modified products. These laboratory-developed products are designed to withstand the high levels of pesticides and herbicides allowing for high growth production. More than 85% of soy, corn, cotton, and canola are GMO products, and they are found in every processed food without any warning labels. Long-term studies are looking at the possibility of GMO foods causing infertility, immune compromise, accelerated aging, insulin dysregulation, and other GI-system problems.

9. Commercial Dairy
Non-organic dairy items are loaded with antibiotics, growth hormones, vaccines, and other dangerous items because many of the cows used for dairy production are sick and weak. These toxins lead to many health problems in humans including hormonal disturbances in our children. Try organic dairy and better yet raw organic dairy where available. Coconut and almond milk are also great alternatives to dairy.

10. Seasoned Packaged Foods
Packaged pasta and rice mixes, soups, snack chips, and frozen meals all have seasonings filled with chemicals and additives. MSG alone is an excitotoxin and allergen causing migraines, sterility, cancer, mood swings, depression, hyperactivity, asthma, heart arythmias, and endocrine/hormone dysregulation. MSG hides on the label under several aliases: hydrolyzed vegetable protein, yeast extract, autolyzed yeast, and sodium caseinate. These should all be avoided.

Stay tuned to our blog to learn practical tips on how to avoid these foods. You’re also invited to attend our FREE “Top 10 Toxic Foods” class to learn more. Join us Monday, July 29, at 6:00pm. We’ll focus on the top 10 most toxic foods found in the supermarket and how to avoid them. We’ll also discuss how to detox to minimize the damage caused by the “Toxic Ten.” Space is limited. Reserve your spot.

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