What do your favourite wickedly sweet dessert, a hazelnut latte with extra syrup and a juicy double-decker cheeseburger with french fries and coleslaw on the side have in common?
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Delicious as they may be and as warm and comforting as they are sliding scrumptiously down your throat, making you feel oh!-so-good, they are actually wreaking havoc on your body.
Do you seek out certain foods every time you’re stressed out at work, or when you have a flaming row with your spouse?
Do you find comfort in eating a whole bar of chocolate, or in wolfing down a greasy meal at your favourite restaurant, or fueling up on caffeine every single time you’re in need of an energy boost or….to feel better emotionally?
The truth is that if you keep eating what you’ve always eaten and drink what you’ve always been drinking to satisfy your cravings, you’ll continue the vicious cycle of food addiction.
And unfortunately, and very sad to say so, that’s the intention of food manufacturers. They have a hidden agenda to keep you addicted to their ‘delicious’ foods.
While you can remain ignorant about some things, you can no longer afford to turn a blind eye to what’s really in your food.
Why not? Because what’s sneakily hiding in your food has the
power to cause you to become addicted to harsh chemicals, destroy your immune system and liver and, over time, cause a wide number of illnesses.
Today, in this health letter, I’m going to spell out for you just what is in the foods you love so much and have likely become addicted to, and dependent upon.
While many foods are truly healthy and provide your body with fat, carbs, amino acids and protein, the same can’t be said about most of what’s now on grocery shelves. Sad but true, the foods you may eat daily are stuffed with more of the bad than good.
It’s time you knew the truth about what’s really in your food so that you can make a change to your diet and reap the benefits in a positive way!
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The (Harsh) Truth About Juice and “Healthy” Sports Drinks
Athletes have become dependent on energy and replenishment drinks, and it’s common for them to drink one or two during a game to recharge and refuel. And, just because the general population perceive these drinks to be “healthy” doesn’t make them healthy. In fact, the opposite is true.
Truth is, these drinks may be loaded with electrolytes (a hydrating component), but they are also loaded with sugar.
The bottom line is, while they are hydrating your body, they are also stuffing it with empty, added sugar!
Juice, which is a beverage marketed for children, may be delicious but is loaded to the brim with sugar as well.
You just need to take a look at the list of ingredients on a bottle of apple juice, and you may be surprised to see that often the second ingredient listed is high fructose corn syrup.
Bottled juice also contains natural flavours, beta-carotene, modified food starch and a long list of ingredients that should leave you scratching your head.
And you should not just be scratching your head, you should start questioning yourself why there is this need to add this, that or other to a simple fruit juice. Why don’t they just squeeze the juice out of the fruit and leave it at that?
Why does fruit need any added sugar? It’s there because high fructose corn syrup is highly addictive, which allows us to crave it again and again and become dependent on bottled juice as our preferred beverage of choice.
As an experiment, try this instead: Blend up some of your favourite whole fruits with plain yogurt, or almond milk and almond butter to enjoy a healthy smoothie. This means along with all the natural sugar you’ll be getting the fruit fibre too.
To make this treat more complete, you can add protein powder to make it a well-balanced meal replacement, or a guilt-free dessert.
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The Truth about Low-Fat Foods
You may be tempted to purchase low-fat foods when you’re trying to lose unwanted weight. And it’s even more tempting to eat more of them – after all, you reason, you’re a winner because you can eat twice the amount since they’re lower in fat, right? Wrong!!!
Low-fat foods may have a lower amount of total fat grams, but they usually make up for it in carbs and sugar. Just take a look at the labels of a fat-free food, such as crackers, and that of its regular version.
Be attentive and you’ll notice that the fat-free version of the food will have a long list of added ingredients that make up for the lower amount of fat.
Which one is better for you? Would you rather fill your body with a few more grams of fat but fewer chemicals, or would you prefer more chemicals and less fat in the fat-free version?
Whether you’re picking up yogurt, crackers, cream cheese, bread or a frozen meal, you should do yourself a favour and consider the whole package.
When it concerns your health, do you want to fill your body with high-quality ingredients or the alternative, a nutrient-lacking quick fix loaded with harsh chemicals that, in the long-term, will cause ill health and disease?
With every food you eat, there is always a trade-off. Eat more of the real, whole foods (which are higher in quality and quality ingredients!), and eventually you’ll be able to eliminate the chemical-stuffed foods altogether.
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The Truth about Your Favourite Restaurant
For many people out there, it’s easier to just go to a restaurant, order a meal that excites your palate, and let someone serve it to you with a smile.
I, for one, just LOVE dining out in good restaurants. But I try to limit the number of times I eat out (with much regret!). I’m sad about this, but I do have to be sensible. Sure, I can detox after, but it’s just wiser to do things in moderation. (Sigh!)
The truth is, the delicious meals in our favourite restaurants don’t just come with pleasing presentation and appetite-whetting aromas. They also come loaded with an excess of hydrogenated oils, margarines, chemical additives, processed ingredients and sugar that will stick to your ribs, your waistline and your thighs.
I used to laugh with my girl friends when we were younger: Five minutes of heaven in our mouths and twenty years of fat on our derrieres (behinds)! Now it’s more like “…forever on your behind”!
Did you know that sugar is sprinkled onto restaurant-served fish to make it appear glossy? Or that your cheeseburger that you enjoy so much may have been injected with sugar to prevent the patty from shrinking?
Even a grilled chicken dish served at a restaurant may be loaded with MSG (mono-sodium glutamate – a chemical taste-enchancer) and added fat, easily totalling up to 1,500 calories. Just imagine this – that’s a whole day’s caloric intake, but you’re getting
it in just ONE chemical-laden meal!
Eating out once in a while is fine, but if you make dining-out at restaurants a frequent habit, you’re doing more than putting on undesired weight – you’re actually paving your way to illness and diseases in the medium to long-term.[/color-box]
When you focus on loving yourself and respecting your body – and what goes in it – no empty promises from gimmicky foods will take you down.
If you haven’t already done so, check this out:
What is secretly lurking in your supermarket trolley?
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Keep well and see you again soon in another HealthSifu post!
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