Do you know that some foods that are supposed to be healthy are not? Milk, cereal, processed cheese, wheat bread, and even fruit juice, which are often thought to be healthy, can hurt your health. Our guide busts the most common food myths and gives you some healthy alternatives:
- Pasteurized Milk
Milk is advertised as a healthy food, so most people think it's good for the body. But pasteurisation destroys active enzymes and denatures the fragile proteins in milk. It also kills good bacteria and makes your milk less full of vitamins.
A better alternative?
Raw milk is milk that has not been heated to kill bacteria. Why raw milk?
People who like raw milk say that the process of pasteurisation kills most, if not all, of the microorganisms in milk, even the good ones that help with digestion and metabolism. They also help keep you healthy because they crowd out bad bacteria and keep yeast from growing too much in your gut.
The Campaign for Real Milk says that cows that are fed well produce raw milk. When cows eat green grass, their milk has vitamins A and D in it. They say that pasteurisation makes it possible for cows to be raised in less expensive and less healthy ways.
They also say that pasteurisation kills enzymes and reduces the amount of vitamins in food. The group says that pasteurisation is linked to allergies, more cavities, colic in babies, problems with growth, osteoporosis, arthritis, heart disease, and cancer. Many calves who drink pasteurised milk die before they reach adulthood.
Raw milk will naturally go sour because bacteria make lactic acid, but it will still be healthy. Pasteurized milk, which doesn't have the good bacteria, will go bad.
- Juices and soft drinks
Fruit juice may taste good, but it often has more high-fructose corn syrup than juice itself. High fructose corn syrup has been linked to higher cholesterol levels, blood clots, and a weaker immune system. We all know that soda isn't any better.
Fructose makes insulin less likely to stick to its receptor, which is a sign of type 2 diabetes. This is the first thing that needs to happen for glucose to get into a cell and be used. So, the body has to make more insulin to deal with the same amount of glucose.
At the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases' annual "Liver Meeting," which took place in October in Boston, results were presented that showed a link between a high intake of sugar (especially fructose) and liver disease.
"The research team came to the conclusion that eating too much high fructose can hurt the liver by making it overfeed, and that it can also hurt the liver by causing more oxidative stress."
A better alternative? Dong Quai and Coco-Biotic are both tasty, healthy, and easy to use. You should find out more about them and try them today.
- Whole Grain
Many foods, like bread and cereals for breakfast, now say that they are made with whole grains. Even though earlier research downplayed the role of fibre in preventing colorectal cancer, two new studies suggest that fibre from fruits, vegetables, and grains may in fact cut the risk of getting the disease. In a study of more than half a million people, 30 grammes of fibre a day cut the risk by 25 to 40 percent (five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables). Since those earlier studies were mostly about fibre supplements, fibre in food may be the key.
If you have problems with your digestive system or suffer from some of the most common autoimmune reactions (like allergies), grains may be a problem. Look at your family members and the history of your family to find out if there are any dietary problems. Change the amount of cereal grains, meat, vegetables, and fruits you eat and see if that changes your body and mind. I think that people should take vitamins, minerals, protein, and free fatty acids as supplements. Eat a lot of different things and not too much of any one thing.
Conventional whole grains don't have enough vitamins and minerals, can be hard to digest, and often cause allergic reactions that can make autoimmune diseases like Celiac disease worse.
A better alternative? Millet, quinoa, buckwheat, and amaranth are grain-like seeds that are gluten-free, don't feed candida, act as prebiotics, make you feel calm, and are full of vitamins and minerals.
- Cereal
Cold cereal might seem like a quick and healthy meal, but when mixed with pasteurised milk, it can be a bowl of food that is bad for your health. Extrusion is a process that cereal goes through that breaks down its proteins, making them toxic, and destroys the grains' natural fatty acids. The result is a carrier for sugar and salt that has no nutritional value.
Read The Four Major Health Risks of Conventional Grains and the Healthy Weight-Optimizing Grains to Choose Instead to learn more about cereal and healthy alternatives.
A better alternative? Green up your breakfast! To start your day off right, try Vitality SuperGreen or a Good Morning Greens Smoothie.
- Cheese that has been made in a factory
Processed cheeses, especially slices that are individually wrapped, are not very healthy. They are pasteurised and often have fillers and additives to make them last longer.
A better alternative? Make Young Coconut Kefir cheese or, on stage two of the Body Ecology diet, once your gut is full of microbes that like dairy, try cheeses made from fermented raw milk to add flavour to your salads.
- Protein Bars
In convenience stores and grocery aisles, protein bars are now in competition with candy bars, but these quick snacks aren't always healthy. Soy protein is used in a lot of protein bars, and sugar is often one of the top three ingredients. Instead of being healthy, they make you more likely to get fungal infections.
A better alternative? Almonds and other nuts that have been soaked are easy and tasty snacks for people on the go. Or, try RenewPro for a protein source that gives you energy and heals your gut. You can mix it with water or eat a scoop between meals. This healthy source of protein tastes great and is good for you.
- Energy Drinks
On their labels, it says that they are made with herbs, minerals, and the amino acid taurine to give you more energy by the time you get to the end of the can. But if you look at the ingredients, you'll see that most energy drinks are mostly made of caffeine and sugar, which makes them not much more than high-priced soft drinks.
Still, their flashy designs and claims that they will improve your performance, focus, and speed of reaction seem to be working. In 2004, energy drinks passed bottled water as the category of drinks that was growing the fastest. There are even products for kids as young as 4 that are the same. A better alternative? Drink water or tea instead of soda, and if you really need a pick-me-up, a good old-fashioned cup of black coffee will at least keep the sugar out of your system.
- Fast-Food Salads
Yes, you ate lunch at that fast food place near your office, but it wasn't all bad because you got a salad! Most fast food restaurants have jumped on the health bandwagon and now offer salads, wraps, and other healthy menu options for customers who care about their health.
And while some won't come out and say they're healthy (McDonald's, for example, no longer uses the word because our research shows that people don't understand it and it turns them off when it comes to food), it's clear from their ads with fit, active people and catchy slogans about nutrition that they are.
But not every salad is healthy in and of itself.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) did a nutrition analysis of 34 fast food salads. They found that most of the ingredients used in fast food salads make them about as healthy as a burger without the bun and dipped in salad dressing.
One of the most surprising things they found was that McDonald's Crispy Bacon Ranch Salad has more fat and calories than a Big Mac and the same amount of cholesterol.
Fried meats, add-ons like croutons and crispy noodles, bacon, and salad dressings with a lot of fat can ruin a good salad. Some even have sugar added.
A better alternative? Make your own fresh salad with lots of vegetables, some lean protein (egg, chicken), a few nuts or seeds or a small amount of cheese, and a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing.
- Goods made of soy
Soy products, like soy milk and soy protein, have been linked to digestive problems, a weakened immune system, PMS, endometriosis, reproductive problems in both men and women, allergies, ADD, a higher risk of heart disease and cancer, malnutrition, and a loss of libido.
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There are some bad things about soy milk, which are:
It has a lot of phytic acid in it.
It has a chemical called hemagglutinin in it that makes the red blood cells stick together. But it is thought to be safe unless soy milk is given through a vein.
-The process of making soy milk, which involves changing genes, may cause lysinoalanine or even nitrosamines.
-It has aluminium in it.
It has trypsin inhibitors in it.
A better alternative? Miso soup, natto, and tempeh are all fermented soy foods.
Many people who are allergic to or intolerant of wheat and gluten can't eat oatmeal either. Even though oats don't have gluten, they do have a protein that is similar to gluten, and the way we farm now is also a cause for concern. Farmers often switch their oat crops with their wheat, rye, or barley crops from year to year. When millers are processing the oats, they often find wheat kernels that grew on their own.
Oatmeal seems safe, and it's true that it doesn't contain gluten. But if you are sensitive to wheat or gluten, you shouldn't eat oatmeal. This is because oats are often grown in the same fields where barley and wheat were grown before. Other grains can get into the oats, which could be dangerous for people who can't eat gluten.
A better alternative? Try Body Ecology's Hot Breakfast Porridge recipe for a warm and easy way to start the day.
