Unhealthy Food You May Think is Healthy

Food marketers will basically tell you anything you want to hear in order to get you to buy their products.

“All natural,” “Good source of…,” “Low fat/low carb/low sodium,” “Sugar free”

The list goes on and on.  Some of the lies I found most interesting are:

1. Fruit Juices
The fruit juices you find at the supermarket aren’t always what they seem.

They may have small amounts of real fruit in them, but often they are little more than water, artificial flavor and sugar.

But even if you’re drinking real fruit juice, it is still a bad idea.

Fruit juice is like fruit with most of the good stuff removed.

All that is left is the sugar and a few vitamins. Orange juice, for example, contains the same amount of sugar as Coca Cola.

There’s no fiber in it, no chewing resistance and nothing to stop you from downing massive amounts of sugar in a short amount of time.

Eating too much sugar is associated with all sorts of diseases. These include obesity, type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease and many others.

It is much better to avoid fruit juices and eat real fruits instead.

Most fruit juices contain the same amount of easily digestible sugar as sugar-sweetened soft drinks. It is best to eat whole fruits instead or blend them in a juicer.

2. Whole Wheat
It is true that whole wheat is healthier than refined wheat.

But this does NOT mean that whole wheat is healthy.

It’s kind of like saying that because filtered cigarettes are healthier than unfiltered cigarettes, everyone should be smoking filtered cigarettes. It’s flawed logic.

There are plenty of good reasons to avoid wheat… both the refined and the whole variety.

For example, wheat is the main source of gluten in the diet and a large part of the population may be gluten sensitive.

The immune system of susceptible individuals attacks the gluten proteins in the digestive tract. This can cause damage to the lining of the digestive tract, pain, bloating, tiredness, stool inconsistency and other nasty symptoms.

One study shows that wheat fiber can make you Vitamin D deficient, making you burn through your stores of this important vitamin much faster.

Another study shows that whole wheat raises small, dense LDL (the truly “bad” cholesterol) by a whopping 60%.

Whole wheat is rich in gluten and can cause digestive problems and various symptoms. It may also cause Vitamin D deficiency and elevated small, dense LDL cholesterol.

3. Agave Nectar
In the health food isle at the supermarket, you will definitely find some “sugar-free” products that are sweetened with Agave.

This sweetener is touted as a healthy alternative to sugar because it is natural and has a low glycemic index.

But the harmful effects of sugar have little to do with its glycemic index, it is harmful primarily because it is loaded with unnatural amounts of fructose.

Too much fructose in the diet can cause all sorts of problems, especially in people who don’t exercise much.

All fructose is metabolized by the liver. If the liver is full of glycogen the fructose will be turned into fat.

This can cause non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and all kinds of metabolic problems like resistance to the hormones insulin and leptin, which will ultimately lead to obesity and diabetes.

While regular sugar is 50% fructose, the fructose content of Agave is as high as 90%. If anything, agave is even worse than sugar!

Agave nectar is loaded with fructose and therefore causes all the same problems as regular sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup.

4. Sports Drinks
Sports drinks were designed for athletes who have just finished an intense training session with massive sweating and glycogen depletion.

For this reason, sports drinks contain:

Water – to replenish lost fluid.
Electrolytes – to replenish electrolytes like sodium that were lost via sweat.
Sugar – because athletes need energy after an intense workout.
You don’t need any additional electrolytes unless you’ve been doing a very intense workout and most people are already eating too much sugar.

One bottle of Gatorade contains over 30 grams of sugar.

You’re better off sticking to plain water, which you should certainly drink plenty of, especially around workouts.

If you’re not doing super intense workouts, then you should avoid sports drinks. They are not needed and contain sugar.

5. “Heart-Healthy” Vegetable Oils
As the fear of saturated fat took hold of the world, consumption of all kinds of nasty ingredients increased.

Prime examples are industrial seed and vegetable oils like soybean, corn and cottonseed oil.

These oils are extracted from seeds using very harsh processing methods and include high heat, bleaching and the toxic solvent hexane.

These oils contain very large amounts of Omega-6 fatty acids, way more than humans ever consumed throughout evolution.

We need small amounts of these fatty acids in the diet, such as the amounts found in meat and nuts. However, if we eat way too much like is the case with Western populations, this causes problems.

Eating too much of these fats can lead to inflammation, which is a leading cause of many chronic diseases.

These oils get incorporated into our body fat stores and cellular membranes, where they are highly sensitive to oxidation and damage.

To top it all off, the industrial vegetable oils that you find in the supermarket contain 0.56-4.2% of their fatty acid as trans fats, which are highly toxic.

(This does not apply to olive oil, which is good for you!)

Vegetable oils are unhealthy and lead to inflammation. They are potential key players in the epidemic of Western diseases.

6. Low-Fat or Fat-Free Foods
Despite the last decades of propaganda against saturated fats, they have now been proven to be harmless.

When the anti-fat message first came out, food manufacturers started producing “healthy” products that were low-fat or fat-free.

The only problem is that foods that have had the fat removed taste like crap.

The food manufacturers then loaded their products with chemicals, artificial sweeteners and massive amounts of sugar.

What they basically did was remove the good stuff (fat) and replace it with bad stuff (sugar).

This is how they managed to turn perfectly healthy foods like yogurt into very harmful products filled with unhealthy ingredients.

Avoid everything labelled “low-fat” or “fat-free.” These are highly processed products loaded with sugar and other harmful substances.

7. Gluten-Free Junk Foods
Many people have started to avoid gluten… a protein found in wheat, spelt, rye and barley (and a few other grains).

Almost a third of the U.S. population currently wants to cut back on gluten or go gluten-free.

Food manufacturers have caught up on the trend and have started offering all sorts of gluten-free “health foods.”

The problem with these foods is that they’re usually not healthy at all.

Instead of a gluten grain, they’re made with other starches like potato starch, tapioca starch or some others. These starches are usually highly refined, void of nutrients and spike blood sugar fast, just like wheat.

But these products are often also loaded with sugar and other harmful or artificial chemicals.

This does NOT apply to foods that are naturally gluten free, like meats or vegetables. If a product says “gluten-free” on the package, then it’s probably bad for you.

Gluten-free foods are highly processed foods that are not much healthier than their gluten-containing counterparts. It’s best to avoid them.

8. Margarine And Fake Butters
Nobody ever said that "I wish butter tasted more like margarine".

Another side effect of the anti-fat hysteria is a multitude of so-called “healthy” butter alternatives.

The most notable example of these is margarine. It used to be loaded with trans fats, now it tends to contain processed vegetable oils instead.

Butter consumption went down, margarine consumption went up.

The problem with this is that butter is healthy. Margarine is NOT.

Grass-fed butter, in particular, is an excellent source of the fatty acid butyrate and Vitamin K2, both of which can have powerful positive effects on health.

Margarine is a processed food with harmful ingredients that can make you sick.

In one large study, replacing butter with margarine lead to a drastically increased risk of death from heart attacks.

This is one great example of where blindly following the mainstream advice can put you in an early grave.

Margarine is a processed food that contains unhealthy, artificial ingredients. Avoid it, use real grass-fed butter instead.

9. Energy Bars
Energy bars are in the same boat as sports drinks – most people don’t need them.

If you’re an elite athlete who desperately needs to keep protein intake high and eat every 2-3 hours, then these bars can definitely be convenient.

However, most people don’t need to eat that often and these bars don’t contain anything that you can’t get from real foods.

Energy bars and protein bars are often highly processed products. Even though they may be higher in protein than chocolate bars, they often still contain the same unhealthy ingredients.

Sugar, white flour, artificial flavor… you name it, they’ve got it.

Of course, there are some healthier brands available, but if you want to avoid the harmful ingredients, then you must read labels!

If you’re starving and far away from home, then healthier types of energy bars can certainly be better than a burger and a coke, but your money is still better spent on real foods.

Energy and protein bars are often highly processed products. Most people don’t need them and they tend to contain sugar and other nasty ingredients.

10. Low Carb Junk Foods
As people have changed their mind on fat being the root of all evil, some people have started cutting back on carbs instead.

Again, food manufacturers have caught notice and brought all sorts of low-carb junk foods to the market.

Even though something is low in carbs and can help you lose weight, it may still be very unhealthy.

Great examples are the low-carb Atkins bars. These are nasty, highly processed products that nobody should be eating.

If you’re going to do a low-carb diet, stick to real, unprocessed foods.

There are some low-carb processed foods on the market that are extremely unhealthy and loaded with artificial ingredients.

11. “Healthy” Breakfast Cereals
Most highly processed breakfast cereals are not healthy.

In fact, they are among the worst foods you can eat.

They’re often loaded with sugar and refined carbohydrates.

Then the manufacturers fortify them with some synthetic vitamins and put tiny amounts of whole grains in the mix, then market their products as healthy.

Don’t be fooled by the labels… low-fat, fat-free, whole grain, etc. Just check the ingredients list on these products, they’re usually loaded with sugar.

Starting the day with a high-sugar cereal will set you up for a blood sugar crash later in the day, followed by hunger, cravings and another high-carb meal.



Be aware of what you’re putting into your body. Just like you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s cover or take a politician at his/her word, you shouldn’t choose the foods you eat by the words and pictures on the packaging. Take a few extra minutes to do some research; look at the ingredients labels and see if you can recognize everything on the list. If you can’t, you might want to consider skipping it.

Questions:

What are some of the biggest food label lies you have noticed?


What do you think are some of the most appealing ways marketers draw in customers?


Intuitively yours,
Laurel ♥

Slow Suicide By Drinking Diet Soda

A decade-long study of 60,000 women has confirmed that drinking diet soda sweetened with aspartame is linked with a 30 percent increase in heart attack risk and a 50 percent increase in death risk.

The findings, presented at the American College of Cardiology, have already been partially swept under the rug with the false explanation that diet drinks don't necessarily cause these risks but are instead merely correlated with them. "Women who toss back too many diet sodas may be trying to make up for unhealthy habits," claims an article on CNBC, while citing no evidence whatsoever to support the claim. Keep in mind that any time a synthetic vitamin is correlated with increased mortality, the entire scientific community immediately describes those synthetic vitamins as "causing" death. Correlation is causation only when industry-funded scientists say it is.

Aspartame is a Neurotoxin

What scientists refuse to explore -- even when the data clearly show a strong death risk association -- is that aspartame is a neurotoxin. The reason why women who drink diet soda have a 50 percent increased death risk is, of course, far more likely to be caused by what's in the diet soda rather than some lifestyle choice.

Aspartame, after all, is made from the feces of genetically engineered bacteria. It is not a natural sugar but rather a chemical compound created in an industrial lab. Used in diet sodas, it breaks down into a number of chemical compounds including formaldehyde and methanol. During digestion, the formaldehyde is oxidized into formic acid, a chemical known to cause toxicity in mammalian biology. Formic acid is also secreted by ants as part of their "chemical weapons" arsenal.

Aspartame linked to long list of neurological problems

Aspartame denialists try to pretend that all this formaldehyde, methanol and formic acid has no effect on human health. Their argument is identical to that of GMO denialists: "GMOs are harmless!" It's even the same argument as mercury denialists: "Mercury is harmless!"

Why, then, is aspartame so frequently linked to blurred vision, headaches and neurological problems when repeatedly consumed in the form of diet drinks? In fact, there are over 90 side effects linked to aspartame consumption, including headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, rashes, depression, irritability, insomnia, hearing loss, vision problems, loss of taste vertigo and memory loss.

Soda companies and misinformed doctors all try to pretend none of these side effects are real -- that people are all imagining headaches, blurred vision, numbness, insomnia and so on. That's how unethical the soda industry is: they poison their own customers with a neurotoxic chemical, then call them delusional when they suffer neurological side effects.

If you drink diet soda, you are murdering yourself

The bottom line in all this? If you drink diet soda, you are essentially murdering yourself. Call it "slow suicide."

There are a thousand beverages healthier than diet sodas: tea, fruit juice, mineral water, raw almond milk... even non-diet sodas are better for you than diet sodas! (And diet sodas have been conclusively proven to have no effect whatsoever on weight loss. So drinking them is a useless diet gesture to begin with.)




If for some reason you are still drinking diet soda, find a healthier beverage and stop poisoning yourself to death!


Intuitively yours,
Laurel♥

Getting Rid Of Cellulite The Natural Way

You know what cellulite looks like -"cottage cheese"- but you may not know what it is exactly. As fat cells accumulate and expand beneath skin, they push against tissue, causing an uneven appearance commonly found on the hips, thighs, buttocks and back of arms. But you don't need to stay inside during swimsuit season.  Adding the right foods and drinks to your diet can reduce cellulite.  Eat your way to a smoother-looking body with these nutritious foods:

1. Salmon
Try eating more wild-caught salmon.  It's rich in antioxidants, which break down fat cells in cellulite. The omega-3 fatty acids also in salmon reduce appetite and low-level inflammation and repair and strengthen skin tissue and fibers. This decreases the build-up of toxins inside blood vessels and improves circulation-the waste trapped in the tissues that push against skin filters out.

2. Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds are the new nuts because they contain vitamin E, potassium and zinc, as well as vitamin B6, a super lump-fighter.  Not only does B6 help metabolize proteins that strengthen and repair connective tissue but it's also a natural diuretic, eliminating excess water and bloating that can make cellulite more visible.

3. Chili and Cayenne Peppers 
These peppers' vitamin B6 restores and fortifies connective tissue, making them an excellent weapon in fighting unwanted dimpling.  Research also shows that hot peppers' capsaicin can boost your metabolism by up to 25% for three hours after you eat them.  This makes your body efficiently burn off calories, which aids in fat loss. It also improves blood flow, flushing out toxins and reducing fat deposits under connective cords, lessening the puckered look.

4. Dark Berries 

Blackberries and blueberries enhance collagen production, creating new skin tissue, and that improves skin's tone and texture. But that's not all: These dark berries also contain antioxidants, which break down fat attached to the connective tissue. This allows skin to keep fat beneath it at bay and not push forward and appear lumpy.

5. Apple Cider Vinegar 

Great for mixing into salad dressing and juice, this vinegar's potassium, magnesium and calcium flush out toxins and relieve water retention around the thighs and stomach. The result: reduced bloating and cellulite. Flushing out toxins also helps flush out stress hormones, detox your liver and rebalance estrogen production, which contribute to reducing or reversing cellulite. Plus, apple cider vinegar may also help you lose weight. Less fat means fewer bumps! 

6. Green and Herbal Tea 

The active ingredient Epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, in green, dandelion and ginger teas, speeds up metabolism and increases fat burn. That stops the expansion of fat cells that cause cellulite. Also, tea's small amount of caffeine works with EGCG to flush out toxins and dehydrate fat, which minimizes fat cells pushing against skin and reduces puckering.  So why not coffee? Its higher amounts of caffeine dehydrate you too much, causing your body to hold on to liquids and toxins that expand fat under skin.

7. Olive Oil 
Olive oil provides the body with not-so-heavily-processed monounsaturated fats and polyphenols that keep your thyroid healthy. A properly functioning thyroid boosts metabolism, burns fat and energizes skin-building cells-all things that reduce fat cell expansion and thicken skin to cover dents.  Cook olive oil at low temperatures and drizzle it on fiber-rich vegetables throughout the day for the biggest benefits.

8. Dark Chocolate 
Attention chocoholics! You don't have to sacrifice your favorite sweet for firm skin. Natural cocoa is full of antioxidants, which break down fat in cellulite and improve the function of all cells, including skin-building ones. The caffeine aids in dehydrating fat cells under skin, evening out the surface. Satisfy your sweet tooth with 1 square or ounce of at least 80% dark chocolate per day to metabolize fat and keep skin dimple-free.

9. Hummus 
This popular spread is a low-glycemic food, meaning your body can use it efficiently for energy, resulting in smaller fat cells and a decreased appearance of or prevention of cellulite.  While there's no particular component of hummus that fights cellulite most, the food puts only a small amount of glucose into the blood, causing a minimum insulin release. Since insulin is a fat storage hormone, eating low-glycemic foods prevents fat cells from expanding and forming cellulite.

10. Saffron 
Spice up your meals for a fat-bursting effect.  Saffron contains anti-inflammatory ingredients that discourage fat cell expansion. Just a couple ounces of this ingredient in spice or liquid form can suppress your appetite and increase circulation between tissues. Boosting circulation can reduce cellulite by increasing muscle tone under the skin, eliminating the valleys on the surface and creating a stronger, smoother look.  Sprinkle saffron onto avocado wedges for a healthy snack, or add it to your favorite salad dressing or sauce.

Eating these healthy foods is just a part of the big picture on eliminating cellulite~

Helpful Tips:

*Drink Pure Water:  Water cleanses and flushes the digestive system & toxins out of your body.  Therefore, preventing inflammation and increasing blood flow to your skin.

*Exercise: Calorie-burning cardio will help, but will not decrease the dimples of cellulite alone.  Toning your muscles with "strength training" will help reduce cellulite.

*Sleep: Get plenty of sleep every night.  A sufficient amount of sleep not only helps us get through the day, but can implicitly get rid of cellulite.  Sleep repairs damaged tissues, making our skin look better.

*DIY Cellulite Coffee Scrub:  Read my post for the recipe!



Intuitively yours,
Laurel ♥

Indoor Plants to Grow for Air Purification

http://healthyintuitions.blogspot.com

                                                                    PEACE LILY

Plants can offer amazing benefits!  Grown indoors, they'll easily allow you to experience better health.  Indoor plants can relieve tension, reduce stress levels, purify the air and even help with the healing process.  I like to have as many 'real' indoor plants that will fit into my tiny apartment.  I have a problem with plastic or artificial indoor plants!   Not only are they ugly, but they don't have the health benefits of living plants.

Indoor plants clean air naturally and return oxygen into the air you breathe.  They also regulate air humidity, eliminate toxins, filter chemicals, and some of them even kill viruses and germs, but not all of them do this equally well.  NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) have studied this and produced a list of indoor plants that are the MOST effective for eliminating indoor air pollution.


1) Areca Palm - A low maintenance and fast growing plant, the Areca Palm will bring the tropics into your home and purify the air.  This plant is rated among the best houseplants for removing toxins in the air.

2) Boston Fern - Also low maintenance and fast growing plant, the vegetative growth filters pollutants out of the air and controls humidity.

3) Peace Lily - A powerful air humidifier and cleaner, the Peace Lily was selected as the "Desk Plant of the Year" in 2007!  These beautiful plants love shadow and warmth, but not direct sunlight. This plant effectively purifies the air from cigarette smoke, the smell of printers and gasoline, while at the same time adds more oxygen to the air.

4) Rubber Plant - A popular houseplant and one of the easiest to take care of, the Rubber Plant loves medium light and heavy watering. The Rubber Plant is a great natural air humidifier and cleaner, and also absorbs toxins and pollutants from indoor air.  Warning: Rubber plants' leaves are toxic for people, so make sure to keep it out of reach for your children and pets!

5) Dracaena - Janet Craig is the most popular of Dracaenas grown indoors due to it's tolerance to shade and lack of water.  The Janet Craig can eliminate benzenes, ammonia and formaldehyde from your indoor air and also helps to soak up a little bit of the carbon dioxide your body naturally produces.


More air purifying plants for your home are:  Aloe, English Ivy, Snake Plant, Philodendron, Bamboo Palm, Golden Pothos, and the popular Spider Plant.  



As a rule, always keep children and pets away from your plants just in case you're not sure if they are toxic.

Doctors Oath "Do No Harm"

Anti-Psychotic drugs as well as Bi-polar medication are extremely dangerous and detrimental to your health.  In fact, those pharmaceutical drugs are considered a modern form of LOBOTOMY.  And most of you know what that means because it impairs your judgment and can make you into a vegetable.  Eating a healthy organic diet and living healthy will not only reverse illness but you'll feel and look better!   Doctors prescribe a course of chemotherapy for their cancer patients, when in reality if most doctors developed cancer they would use an alternative therapy for themselves.


People are dying or become ill every day from taking harmful medications prescribed by their own doctors whom they trust to help make them better.  In most cases, only one medication is prescribed for the wrong reasons and used for multiple ailments.  For example Celebrex is prescribed as an anti-depressant and for arthritis , when indeed it actually causes depression.

Seroquel is the market name of a drug called "Quetiapine," which is produced by AstraZeneca. It is primarily used as an antipsychotic for schizophrenia or to treat bipolar disorder. However, doctors and psychiatrists also prescribe this drug for off-label usage to treat alcoholism, insomnia, anxiety disorders and major depression.    Off-label medications that are prescribed by doctors are actually drugs promoted by representatives of the drug telling the doctors how to manage their patients.   Pharmacy Companies use commercial advertising to sell their drugs to the medical community, even though they are dangerous and harmful.  The doctors know this because of a [BLACK BOX WARNING] from the FDA , allowing them to prescribe these medications without the patient knowing. Therefore, people have died terrible painful deaths from this illegal practice.

Medical students should be retrained for Natural alternatives to a problem.  To treat the cause of a medical issue and not just the symptoms!   There is a Net Profit for the doctors to lie to their patients about these dangerous drugs.  They are paid a handsome profit for prescribing them to you.

So the doctors oath "Do No Harm" has no meaning for the doctors prescribing dangerous medications to their patients. 

My antidote for today is to read your pharmacy prescriptions, pay attention to the side effects, and get a copy of your own medical records.  Make sure to be your own patient advocate! 

ADHD in Adults - Symptoms and Natural Treatments

I have an interest in ADHD because I had all the symptoms as a child and it has developed into Adult ADHD, which is usually the case. I absolutely refuse to take pharmaceutical medication for the symptoms because of the dangerous side-effects.  I know this first-hand because my son was diagnosed with ADHD when he was about 3 years old.  His pediatrician prescribed Ritalin (a stimulant medication) which made his symptoms much worse.  I have lived with ADHD for 62 years now, and it is not only challenging but extremely disruptive and annoying.

From the perspective of the medical community, they assume that it is genetic, and passed down from one or both parents.  But they also state that it might be acquired if a women smoked or drank too much alcohol while pregnant.

I recently spoke to Ryan, a consultant with the Sedona Wellness Retreat in Arizona, which uses the Gerson therapy to treat people with cancer and other illnesses.  The Sedona consultant stated that ADHD may not be genetic and the symptoms can be minimized with their treatment plan, which costs a whopping $7000 for a two week stay at the retreat!  I don't have that kind of money on hand, and it's not paid by medical insurance.

For anyone who suffers from the debilitating symptoms of adult ADHD like myself, I researched more thoroughly to find some less expensive options to minimize these symptoms with supplements, vitamins, herbal medicines and organic foods.

Symptoms of Adult ADHD:

* Hyperactivity - fidgeting, constant motion, inability to relax.
* Inattention - difficulty completing tasks, maintaining relationships, focusing attention, forgetfulness, misplacement or loss of things, distractibility, and impulsivity.        

The key to the diagnosis of ADHD for an adult is the presence of symptoms before he or she was 7 years old.


Natural Treatments for Adult ADHD Symptoms:

Proper nutrition is essential for ADHD symptoms.  In addition, some specific vitamins, supplements, minerals and herbs help improve these symptoms.  

These are some of the most beneficial supplements, minerals, and herbs to help with the symptoms of ADHD:

1) Omega-3 Fatty Acids (primarily from wild-caught fish)

2) Zinc (regulates brain chemicals)

3) Flax Seed Oil 

4) Krill Oil

5) Ashwagandha (also known as Winter Cherry and Indian Ginseng) soothes and calms down the stressed mind and nerves.  It is a world class herb that is beneficial in a tonic for nerve health, sexual well-being, stress, and insomnia.  

*These incredible 5 additives have helped me personally minimize my symptoms of adult ADHD. I've also learned to cut back on my coffee intake, get more sleep, and try not to worry so much.  I'm praying that in the future there will be a cure for this absolutely aggravating and frustrating illness.

• Please comment and add your suggestions - I would love to hear from you!

Intuitively Yours,
Laurel ♥

Canola Is The New Margarine - Throw it Out!

http://healthyintuitions.blogspot.com
http://www.naturalnews.com

Remember when margarine was the substitute for butter? Hey, I can't believe it's not butter!  Canola is the new margarine -

Margarine is a molecule away from being plastic, and we wonder why so many old folks in America have Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. The plastic fat is clogging their brain veins. No oxygen to the brain means expensive 24/7 nursing care, lots of pharmaceutical medications and hundreds of thousands of dollars for sick care. Do you see where this is leading?

America loves their canola! Who would really eat it if they knew that it was made with hexane vapor -- a gasoline constituent? Even organic canola that's "expeller-pressed" comes from something we're not even supposed to eat in the first place -- rapeseed. Canola is not a plant, or at least not until some mad scientists got a hold of rapeseed and altered it. Yes, I know, this is harsh for most people to address. Their canola oil food bar will be dead to them. Forget all those salads -- the potato salad, the chicken salad, the tuna salad and the egg salad. Forget the macaroni salad and the pasta salad, all creamy with chunks of other (GMO) food stuff.
(http://www.naturalnews.com)

Canola is like sodium benzoate, as it chokes your cells, ruins your immunity and requires extra "processing" by your body just to filter out the toxic synthetic oil that comes from rapeseed, whichMother Nature never intended as food -- that's why it stinks. You know, when manufacturing and processing companies and corporations make canola, they ALL have to put it through a DEODORIZING PROCESS to remove the stink. Look it up!
(http://www.naturalnews.com)

Canola's polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) suppress thyroid function

Polyunsaturated fat is a prime source of DNA-disrupting free radicals, thyroid-killing omega-6 fatty acids and metabolism-squashing inflammation. What's worse for your health than processed white flour, refined sugar and high-fructose corn syrup? Try a distorted ratio of fats, like 16 to 1, where the omega-6s and -9s outweigh the -3s. (http://butterbeliever.com) I really don't care if organic canola oil is your new margarine, but what I do care about is false advertising, misleading health information and myths that are perpetuated by companies who don't want to give up their "easy money."

High in unsaturated fats, canola oil delivers more than a nifty name that was derived from Canadian rapeseed oil. Do expeller presses remove the stink of rapeseed? Erucic acid, the fatty acid in canola, causes heart damage in rats. Are you a rat? Your DNA is 99% the same. Consider this: "Since the year 1995, biotech giant Monsanto has manufactured rapeseeds that are genetically engineered to be resistant to the herbicide RoundUp.

"Today, about 90% of the world's canola crop is genetically modified."

So, do you trust the GMO giants of the world to continue serving you "organic" canola? Get smart on oils and do it now. Dr. John Bergman speaks about thyroid adrenal health, oxidation, inflammation and disease reversal. Stop eating canola and all the other processed oils. Learn how to keep a healthy thyroid and adrenals. Check out coconut oil, especially if you cook food with oil, only use real, organic olive oil and keep it raw! (https://www.youtube.com)



I read Natural News every day to stay informed of the most current health updates.  I want to thank Natural News.com and Mike Adams (The Health Ranger) for keeping me posted on all health news from around the world.   

BANNED Continued - BHA & BHT

NUMBER SIX:  

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are made from petroleum. These additives act as preservatives to prevent food from becoming rancid and eliminating odors.

California is the only state that recognizes the US National Institute of Health report that BHA may be a cancer-causing agent.

BHA and BHT affects the neurological system of the brain, alters behavior, and has potential to cause cancer.  Both of these chemicals are oxidants which form reactive compounds in your body to form cancer.

Studies have shown that organic herbs and spices proved to be efficient at preventing oxidative decay in meat, which essentially could improve the shelf life of those products.

BHA and BHT are found in potato chips, gum, cereal, frozen sausages, enriched rice, lard, shortening, candy and jello.

BANNED Food Ingredients Still Allowed In The US - Artificial Sweeteners (Finale)

NUMBER SEVEN:

Artificial Sweeteners - Aspartame, more commonly known as Nutrasweet and Equal are found in foods labeled "diet" or "sugar free".  Aspartame is believed to be carcinogenic and accounts for MORE reports of adverse reactions than all other food additives combined!  Aspartame is NOT your friend.  It's a neurotoxin and a carcinogen.  A neurotoxin is a substance that is poisonous to nerve tissue.  Black Mamba's deliver a bite that's neurotoxic!  

Known to erode intelligence and short-memory loss, this toxic sweetener may lead to brain tumors, lymphoma, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, fibromyalgia, anxiety and depression, dizziness, headaches, nausea and seizures.

Mostly found in sugar free gum, cereal, diet or sugar-free sodas, breath mints, pudding, Kool-Aid, chewable vitamins and toothpaste.

 These final additives are widely known to be harmful -
*High fructose corn syrup 
*MSG
*Trans-Fat


  

I hope you found this information helpful when choosing the foods you eat, and again read the labels!

BANNED Continued - Sodium Nitrate or Nitrite

Number Five:

Sodium nitrate-nitrite is used as a preservative, coloring and flavoring in bacon, ham, hot dogs, luncheon meats, corned beef, smoked fish and other processed meats.  This ingredient, which sounds harmless, is actually highly carcinogenic once it enters the human digestive system.  Once it reaches the digestive tract, it can enter the bloodstream and wreak havoc on a number of internal organs:  the liver and pancreas in particular.

Sodium nitrite is widely regarded as a toxic ingredient and the USDA actually tried to ban this additive in the 1970's but was vetoed by food manufacturers who complained they had no alternative for preserving packaged meat products.  The industry STILL uses this chemical because it turns meat bright RED.

Sodium nitrite makes old dead meat appear fresh and vibrant!   Mmmm-

Higher consumption of processed meats is also associated with increased risk of colon cancer.  According to the American Cancer Society, studies have shown that people who eat even a relatively small amount of processed meats over the years can increase the risk of colorectal cancer.

BANNED Continued - Sulfur Dioxide

Number Four:

Sulfur additives are toxic and in the United States of America, the FDA have prohibited their use on raw fruits and vegetables.  It is the most common man-made preservative.  Though originally sulfur dioxide was thought to be safe for consumers, it was later found to be toxic.  Sulfur additives are widely used in the food and alcohol industry.

Sulfur dioxide is found in beer, soft drinks, dried fruit, juices, wines, vinegar and potato products.

Health risks include bronchial problems, low blood pressure, tingling sensations and anaphylactic shock.  It also destroys vitamin B1 and E.

BANNED, Continued - Potassium Bromate

Number Three:

Potassium Bromate (Bromated Flour) is a bulking agent that helps to strengthen dough reducing the amount of time needed for baking, therefore costing less for the consumer.

Bromated flour is found in rolls, wraps, flatbread, bread crumbs, bagel chips and white bread.

Potassium Bromate is know to cause cancer in animals.  Even small amounts in bread can create problems for humans.  This bulking agent can also cause kidney and nervous system disorders.

While the FDA has not banned the use of bromated flour, they do urge bakers to voluntarily leave it out.

BANNED Food Ingredient Still Allowed In The US - Food Dyes

Number Two:

Food dyes or artificial colorings that are found in soda, fruit juices, and salad dressings may contribute to hyperactivity in children and lead to a significant reduction in IQ.  Animal research has linked other food colorings to cancer and other illnesses.

Recent studies have shown that when food manufacturers left foods in their natural, often beige-like color instead of using these artificial chemical coloring agents, thought that the food tasted bland and ate less, even when the recipe wasn't altered.  Long ago, food coloring came from natural sources such as saffron and turmeric.  Today, most artificial colors are made from coal tar, which is also used to seal-coat products to preserve and protect the shine of industrial floors.

1)  Blue #1 and Blue #2  (It's not Dr. Seuss - I guarantee you)

Banned in Norway, Finland and France, these blue dyes may cause chromosomal damage. They are found in candy, cereal, soft drinks, sports drinks, and pet food.

2)  Red Dye #3 (also Red #40, a more current dye)

Banned in 1990 after 8 years of debate, this dye continues to be on the market shelves until the supplies run out!  Red dye has been proven to cause thyroid cancer and may also interfere with brain-nerve transmission.  This dye is found in fruit cocktail, maraschino cherries, ice cream, candy and more!

3)  Yellow #6 and Yellow Tartrazine

Banned in Norway and Sweden, these yellow chemicals increase the number of adrenal and kidney gland tumors.  They are found in American cheese, macaroni and cheese, candy, sodas, lemonade and more!



Definitely avoid these harmful dyes at all costs, and stay clear of processed foods.

BANNED FOOD INGREDIENTS STILL ALLOWED IN THE US

I will list the WORST banned food ingredients in a series of upcoming posts.


Number One:
Brominated Vegetable Oil (aka BVO).  Found in sports drinks and citrus-flavored sodas.  The FDA has approved this ingredient as safe.  BVO acts as an emulsifier, preventing the flavoring from separating and floating to the surface of a beverage.

Health Hazards:  Competing with iodine, elevated levels may lead to thyroid issues, such as hypothyroidism, autoimmune disease and cancer.  The main ingredient Bromine, is a poisonous chemical that is considered both corrosive and toxic.  Bromine has been linked to major organ failure, birth defects, growth problems, schizophrenia and hearing loss, which explains why it is banned in 100 countries.

Sports Drinks and Sodas:  Gatorade, Mountain Dew, Powerade, Fanta orange, Fresca, Squirt, and Sunkist.


Read the labels of all foods before you buy them to avoid toxic chemicals.  While it may seem like the US government is out to protect us from bad or "fatal food", and borne illnesses, they don't completely have our best interest or health in mind.