- Like we always say, eating organic foods is key to optimal health. It is also very important to be educated on which foods to avoid.
- Labels and marketing schemes in supermarkets can be deceiving.
- The golden rule is to eat fresh, real, and organic foods.
- The more you educate yourself, the smarter you can shop when you get to the supermarket.
- Let’s take a look at 12 unhealthy foods you should avoid at all costs.
- 1. Farmed salmon:
- Farm-raised salmon have been found to have much higher levels of PCBs, dioxin, and other toxic cancer-causing chemicals than wild salmon.
Salmon raised in farms in Northern Europe have the highest contaminant levels. Followed by salmon raised in North America and Chile. Farm-raised salmon have more antibiotics administered by weight compared to any other kind of livestock. They do not have the same omega 3:6 profiles as wild salmon.
- Opt for wild salmon, as it is healthier. The best kind of salmon is wild salmon from Alaskan waters. It is professed to be one of the purest ocean species of fish. The salmon from Alaskan waters have a shorter life span, consequently fewer contaminants in their bodies than the larger types of ocean fish that have longer life spans.
- 2. Non-organic eggs:
- They are raised in egg factories where the chickens are crowded together in multi-hen cages. It is a breeding ground for disease, so farmers fill the hens’ food with antibiotics to ward off disease, and the antibiotics end up in eggs. Hens laying conventionally raised eggs may be given hormones and are often fed genetically modified or pesticide-laden feed, which can also end up in the eggs. Make sure to buy organic, pasture-raised eggs instead.
- 3. Canned vegetables:
- Many canned foods are laden with toxic BPA, which is a chemical linked to serious health conditions including liver cancer, male sexual dysfunction, prostate cancer, breast cancer, asthma, and more. To avoid BPA, stick with fresh and organic vegetables. Fresh vegetables even taste better!
- 4. Non-organic chicken:
- The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires that organic livestock must be provided with healthy and natural behavior and living conditions. Organic chickens are allowed to graze in the open, where they can pick what they want to eat and get plenty of exercise.
- Non-organic chickens may not get the same treatment, and may also be treated with veterinary antibiotics and hormones, which can leech into the meat.
- The USDA does not allow antibiotics and hormones in organic chickens.
- 5. Burned meats:
- Barbequing is a great way to share organic foods with your loved ones. However, barbequing can often mean bad practices like burning meat.
- A 2012 study published in the journal Carcinogenesis showed that burned meat creates compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCAs), which are carcinogenic (cancer-causing) substances that are linked to prostate cancer. Make sure your organic meats are cooked through, but not burnt.
- 6. Processed meats:
- Processed meats such as hot dogs, pepperoni, and salami have been known for their heavy content in fats.
- A large population study shows that there are connections between processed meats and dying early.
- The study also shows that a diet with processed meats can raise the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. According to the study, “People who ate more than 5.7 ounces (160 grams) of processed meat a day were 44 percent more likely to die within 13 years than those eating two-thirds of an ounce (20 grams) of processed meat or less daily.”
- Stick with organic and grass-fed meats from reputable sources.
- 7. Margarine:
- Many people have turned away from butter towards lower fat options such as margarine. Unfortunately, these butter substitutes are filled with man made trans fats, which are were linked to increased risk of coronary heart disease in a Harvard study.
- They are also packed with preservatives and industrial chemicals like hexane. Real organic butter is making a come back and has shown health benefits such as heart health, bone health, gut health, and even cancer prevention.
- 8. Vegetable oils:
- Polyunsaturated oils such as canola, corn, and soy oils can cause detrimental health effects. When these oils are heated, the good HDL cholesterol is turned into bad LDL cholesterol by oxidizing it. As the oil is combined with the oxygen in the air, it turns rancid. This rancid oil is linked to vascular disease, breast cancer and heart disease.
- We recommend organic coconut oil for cooking, as it is much less susceptible to heat damage.
- Olive oil is great when it is raw and cold, but it can turned rancid when heated.
- 9. Microwave popcorn:
- This popular movie snack contains perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), which are chemicals used to keep grease from leaking through microwave popcorn wrappers. When heated, these chemicals leach into the popcorn and show up as contaminants in the blood. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) assessed the health risks of PFOAs and found that they are “likely to be carcinogenic to humans.”
- They are also linked to thyroid disease, infertility, and increased LDL cholesterol levels.
- 10. Artificial sweeteners:
- The health risks of artificial sweeteners have been well documented.
- They were designed to be low calorie alternatives. Many of them are made with sucralose, a man made substance, which tricks the taste buds and the gut as it is 600 times sweeter than table sugar. Artificial sweeteners are usually made from corn, soy, or sugar beets. The vast majority of these three crops are genetically modified in the United States.
- They have been shown to cause overeating, type-2 diabetes, and obesity.
- We recommend organic coconut sugar because it is an all-natural, unprocessed sweetener with a low-glycemic index, meaning it doesn’t cause blood sugar spikes.
- You can also use coconut nectar.
- 11. Non-organic lettuce:
- Lettuce is a good source of antioxidants. However, most of the lettuce grown in California is irrigated with water from the Colorado River. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reveals that the Colorado River water is contaminated with low levels of perchlorate, known to harm thyroid function. Eat organic, locally and in season.
- Ask your local farmers whether it is a problem in their irrigation water supply.
- 12. Turkey:
- A 2011 study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases found that half of the U.S. supermarket meat sampled contains staph bacteria, including potentially lethal MRSA. Turkey topped the list of offenders.
- Nearly 80 percent of turkey products samples contain staphylococcus bacteria. The overuse of antibiotics is the cause.
- Consider organic pastured turkey and support your local farmers at the same time.
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- Try to eat fresh, real and organic foods as much as possible to avoid these problems.
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- Note: The content on our website is for educational purposes only. Please consult your health practitioner or a qualified expert before changing your diet.
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- The truth behind 8 common foods.
- For a list of GMO-free food companies.
- For the 7 dangers of artificial sweeteners.
- For the dangers of Splenda.
- For aspartame the sweet and silent killer.
- For a list of products containing sucralose.
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- REFERENCES:
- 1. “9 Foods You Should Never Attempt to Eat.” Mercola.com. Mercola.com, 10 June 2013. Web. 28 June 2014.
- 2. “Perfluorooctanoic Acid, Perfluorooctanesulfonate, and Serum Lipids in Children and Adolescents: Results from the C8 Health Project.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, Sept. 2010. Web. 28 June 2014.
- 3. “Organic Agriculture.” U.S. Department of Agriculture. U.S. Department of Agriculture, n.d. Web. 27 June 2014.
- 4. “Red Meat and Poultry, Cooking Practices, Genetic Susceptibility and Risk of Prostate Cancer: Results from a Multiethnic Case-control Study.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. Carcinogenesis, Nov. 2012. Web. 28 June 2014.
- 5. “Processed Meats Declared Too Dangerous for Human Consumption.” The Institute for Natural Healing. N.p., 22 May 2013. Web. 28 June 2014.
- 6. “Dietary Fat Intake and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Women: 20 Years of Follow-up of the Nurses’ Health Study.” Oxford Journals. American Journal of Epidemiology, 2005. Web. 28 June 2014.
- 7. “Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Fluorinated Telomers.” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 28 June 2014.
- 8. “Drug-resistant Bacteria Found in Half of U.S. Meat.” CBSNews. CBS Interactive, 15 Apr. 2011. Web. 28 June 2014.
- 9. “Perchlorate in the Pacific Southwest.” EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, n.d. Web. 28 June 2014.
