The three ingredients you should avoid

So what are the three worst ingredients you can put in your body?  High fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, and artificial colors and preservatives.

I'll start with the first one, high fructose corn syrup.  First, let's look at what happens when you consume sugar from a natural source like fruit.  When you consume fruit, the hormone Leptin is triggered.  Leptin tells our bodies to stop eating because we are getting full.  When you consume high fructose corn syrup Leptin is not triggered, that is why it is much easier to overeat when high fructose corn syrup is on the ingredient list.  Also, most foods that contain high fructose corn syrup do not contain soluble fiber which is found in the peels of fruits and vegetables.  Soluble fiber forms a gel-like consistency and releases the sugar into your body gradually.  So not only is it easier to overeat foods that contain high fructose corn syrup but you will also get a blood sugar spike and later crash from it.  So what do you do when you get a sweet tooth?  If regular fruit won't satiate it try mashing and freezing a banana; dried dates are also very sweet.

Hydrogenated (or partially hydrogenated oils) are big offenders.  Let me start by pointing out a loophole in the nutrition labels that companies can use to their advantage and to your disadvantage.  Hydrogenated oils are also referred to as trans-fats and have a special place on the nutrition label.  However, companies can put 0g of trans-fats as long as it contains .5 grams or less.  On the ingredient list they have to list hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils if their product contains them, so a good rule of thumb is to check the ingredient list before the nutrition label.  So why are hydrogenated oils so bad for you?  Well not only do they slow down your metabolism and are easy to over-consume, but they can also cause the following:  cardiovascular disease, dementia, and obesity.  You see, hydrogenation is great for manufacturers because it gives their product a longer shelf life, but it's not so great for your health.  During the process of hydrogenation, manufacturers take an oil (such as vegetable oil) and add hydrogen to it, this gives the oil a semi-solid state rather than the liquid one it usually has.  Doesn't common sense tell you to stay away from these foods?  

I will talk more about specific artificial preservatives in another post, so for now I'm only going to write a little about artificial colors, also known as food dyes.  If you see a # sign followed by a number in your ingredient list, put it down and continue shopping.  Food dyes are now linked with ADHD and other disorders in children.  They have been shown to chemically alter the brain after consuming them!  I'll keep my brain just the way it is, thanks.

So there you have it, check your ingredient lists prior to purchasing any product and if you see any of the three biggest offenders it's a good policy to put down the product and keep shopping!

A word about MSG

I was going to wait to write this post but I believe that it is extremely important given the nature of MSG.  If you are not already familiar with MSG (monosodium glutamate) it is an ingredient that is used to enhance the flavor of food products.  It is unnecessarily added to tons of food products such as soups, crackers, bread, canned tuna, salad dressings, processed meats, ice cream, frozen yogurt and most TV dinners.  A good rule of thumb is: if the product is processed it more than likely contains MSG.  There are tons of health affects associated with MSG, the biggest one being obesity.  Here is a list of other symptoms you or your child may experience after consuming MSG:  headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain.  Wow!

Here's the thing, manufacturing companies know that consumers are getting smarter about what they will eat so they have developed ways to hide MSG in the ingredient list.  It isn't a conspiracy, it's as simple as this: foods containing MSG sell.  It is a flavor ENHANCER, that means it tastes better so you and your children are more likely to buy it.   Here are food additives that may behave like MSG:  autolyzed yeast, calcium caseinate, gelatin, glutamate, glutamic acid, hydrolized protein, monopotassium glutamate, monosodium glutamate, sodium caseinate, textured protein, yeast extract, yeast food, and yeast nutrient.

These ingredients contain MSG most of the time, but not always:  flavors and flavorings, seasonings, natural flavors and flavorings, natural pork flavoring, natural beef flavoring, natural chicken flavoring, soy sauce, soy protein isolate, soy protein, bouillon, broth, malt extract, malt flavoring, barley malt, enzymes, pectin, powdered milk, anything protein fortified, citric acid, corn starch, anything ultra-pasteurized, powdered milk, and protease.

It may be impossible for your family to avoid MSG all together, but every little bit helps.  The more you avoid, the more beneficial it will be to your health.  It would be a shame to avoid some health benefits simply because you cannot receive all of them.

Your child is not a soldier!

Don't feed him/her like one!  The RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) on your nutrition labels does not apply to your child and may not even apply to you.  This system was developed during World War II by a committee that was supposed to look into nutrition as a matter of national defense.  They came up with RDA's and even the 2,000 calorie diet for soldiers at war!  The whole purpose of the program was to insure that the government was giving their men at war everything their bodies needed for fuel!  So when you look at nutrition labels to try to give your child 100% of the RDA you may be seriously over-feeding or under-feeding your child, depending on which part of the nutrition label you are reading.  This is why it is important to throw out calorie counting and only focus on the QUALITY of your calories instead of the QUANTITY.  If you are only serving healthy foods you can encourage your child to eat until he is full; don't push him to "finish his plate" though.

The importance of peels

Are you peeling your fruits and veggies?  You may be throwing out the most important part!  Not only are you throwing out tons of important nutrients, but you're throwing out the majority of the fiber as well.  Let's use an apple for an example.  A lot of the vitamins and minerals from an apple are in the actual peeling of the apple.  The peel is also full of fiber, which helps to regulate blood sugar.  When you take the peel off of the apple, the sugar from the rest of the apple absorbs directly into your blood stream much like it would if you ate a candy bar (though an apple, even peeled, is much better for you than a candy bar.)  If you leave the fiber, or peel, on the apple it triggers an extended release of the sugar, leaving you fuller longer and not giving you the crash that is normally associated with spiking blood sugar.

Have trouble getting your kids to eat the peels?  Try cutting the apple into slices and using either an all natural peanut butter dip for most fruits, or a yogurt dip for vegetables and fruits.