Healthy Recipes 360

Archive for the ‘Foods to Avoid’ Category

In December, 2010 Dr. Mehmet Oz did a segment on the Dr. Oz Show about genetically modified foods. The subject of GMO foods or “Genetically Modified Organisms” is an important topic for the everyday person to understand because GMO ingredients are used in most processed foods.

Much of the corn, soy and canola grown in the United States is genetically modified. These three crops are used in many derivative ingredients such as HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) a sweetener found in “processed foods and beverages, including breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments” (source: Wikipedia). Ingredients made from the soybean is also widely used – soy oil, textured vegetable protein, animal feed, etc. Canola oil is a major ingredient in the food industry. ... Read More

Plastic containers should never be washed with hot water or in a dishwasher or used to cook or re-heat food in a microwave oven. Nor should hot food be stored in a plastic container without first allowing time for the hot food to cool down. Plastic food containers have been found to leach the toxic chemical BPA (Bisphenol A) among other harmful chemicals.

An article at the Scientific American website has the following to say about this:

“The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found traces of BPA in nearly all of the urine samples it collected in 2004 as part of an effort to gauge the prevalence of various chemicals in the human body.”

The article goes on to say that BPA has been linked with “increased breast and prostate cancer occurrences, altered menstrual cycles and diabetes in lab mice.”

The article also states:

“If canned goods or clear plastic bottles are a must, such containers should never be microwaved, used to store heated liquids or foods, or washed in hot water (either by hand or in much hotter dishwashers).”

Plastics give off toxic chemicals whether heated or not. These chemicals will leach out into the contents of the plastic container. Heat only accelerates the process. The Scientific American article also states:

“When the polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins made from the chemical are exposed to hot liquids, BPA leaches out 55 times faster than it does under normal conditions”

Drinking bottled water is very popular nowadays. Try to avoid drinking water from plastic bottles and by all means, never drink from a plastic water bottle that has been sitting in the sun.

Canned foods should be avoided wherever possible because the lining of the cans nowadays contains a toxic chemical called Bisphenol A (BPA). BPA has been linked to “birth defects of the male and female reproductive systems in over half of 97 cans of name-brand fruit, vegetables, soda, and other commonly eaten canned goods,” states the Environmental Working Group (the EWG). The EWG also states that “BPA is associated with a number of health problems and diseases that are on the rise in the U.S. population, including breast and prostate cancer and infertility.”

This is a big reason for cooking your own food. Always try to buy fresh fruit and vegetables and prepare them yourself on the spot. Fresh cooked foods will be at their peak of nutritional value and is one of the main working principles of my eating plan to lose weight. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, but please, for your own safety and health,  try to avoid canned foods as much as possible.

Diet soda is not only ineffective for permanent weight loss it can actually make it more difficult for you to lose weight. Diet soda contains artificial sweeteners and other artificial ingredients. The body will only have to cope with artificial ingredients because they are not of natural origin. This will result in a loss of energy and will usually backfire, causing you to consume more diet soda, which results in more reduction of energy, etc., etc. into a dwindling spiral. Anytime the body is forced to cope with unnatural ingredients the resulting loss of energy will cause an increase in appetite. More calories will have to be consumed to beat down hunger.

Diet soda is addictive like sugar. It is not unusual for one to become so addicted to diet soda that it is consumed by the litre every day. As more and more diet soda is consumed, the body will demand more and more calories in an effort to obtain the energy it needs to dispose of the artificial ingredients.

It doesn’t sound like a very good deal, does it?