1. Fat-Free Foods Will Sabotage Your Weight-Loss Efforts
The introduction of more than 5,000 low-fat and non-fat foods over the past decade has contributed to an epidemic of obesity in America. The trouble comes when people think they can eat unlimited amounts of reduced-fat cookies, frozen yogurt and cakes. While these foods contain less fat than their full-fat versions, they tend to have more sugar and can be even higher in calories. Choosing fresh produce and other fiber-rich foods allows a person to eat a large volume for relatively few calories because it promotes a feeling of fullness.
2. Vegetable Oil
Polyunsaturated oils, which include vegetable oils like corn, soy, safflower and canola contain far more omega 6 than omega 3fat, and are thus the worst oils you can eat. Experts looking at the dietary ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, which are the healthy fats found in fish oil and cod liver oil, suggest that in early human history the ratio was about 1:1. Currently most Americans eat a dietary ratio that falls between 20:1 and 50:1. The optimal ratio is most likely closer to the original ratio of 1:1. For most of us this means greatly reducing the omega-6 fatty acids we consume and increasing the amount of omega-3 fatty acids. Further, polyunsaturated oils are the worst oils to cook with because they tend to become easily oxidized or rancid when exposed to heat from cooking. This results in the formation of trans fat and damaging free radicals. Unfortunately, the truly healthy oil, coconut oil, is regarded as the 'dangerous' oil and vegetables oils are regarded as healthy, when it should be the other way around.
3. Soy
In recent years soy has emerged as a 'near perfect' food, with supporters claiming it can provide an ideal source of protein, lower cholesterol, protect against cancer and heart disease, reduce menopause symptoms, and prevent osteoporosis, among other things. However, numerous studies have found that soy products may:
* Increase the risk of breast cancer in women, brain damage in both men and women, and abnormalities in infants
* Contribute to thyroid disorders, especially in women
* Promote kidney stones
* Cause severe, potentially fatal food allergies
Perhaps the most disturbing of soy's ill effects on health has to do with its phytoestrogens that can mimic the effects of the female hormone estrogen. These phytoestrogens have been found to have adverse effects on various human tissues, and drinking even two glasses of soy milk daily for one month has enough of the chemical to alter a woman's menstrual cycle. Soy is particularly problematic for infants, and soy infant formulas should be avoided. It has been estimated that infants who are fed soy formula exclusively receive five birth control pills worth of estrogen every day.
4. Orange Juice (and All Fruit Juice)
Fruit juice has about eight full teaspoons of sugar per eight-ounce glass. This sugar is typically a fruit sugar called fructose, which is every bit as dangerous as regular table sugar since it will also cause a major increase in insulin levels. Further, many commercial orange juices are contaminated with mold from damaged fruit that are processed. So if you drink commercial orange juice regularly you will be exposed to these mold toxins.This doesn't mean that you should avoid fruit, just fruit juice. When the fruit is intact and whole, its fiber will somewhat moderate the release of fructose into the bloodstream as well as somewhat moderate insulin release. However, if you are overweight, have high blood pressure or high blood sugar, it would probably be wise to avoid most fruits until you have these problems under control.
5. Diet Sodas
The prevalence of obesity has reached epidemic proportions and many Americans are making efforts to side-step extra calories. They are turning to diet soft drinks -- Diet Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper and Sprite -- as their beverage of choice. But is this a wise health choice? Perhaps not, for according to a study by researchers at the University of Texas San Antonio, middle-aged adults who drink diet soft drinks may be drastically increasing their risks of gaining weight later on. By itself, diet soda cannot be blamed for weight gain; however, various contributing factors may play a role. For example, a person who drinks a diet soda may feel it's acceptable to make up for those calories with another high-calorie food. And while the tongue is temporarily satisfied by the sweet taste of diet soda, the brain isn't similarly fooled and still craves calories for energy. Other studies have suggested people who drink an artificially sweetened beverage before a meal will eat more high-calorie foods than those who do not. Therefore, with diet soft drinks and sugar-sweetened beverages (even fruit juices) linked to weight gain and obesity, many people are left wondering, "What is safe to drink?" The answer, of course, is water.
The introduction of more than 5,000 low-fat and non-fat foods over the past decade has contributed to an epidemic of obesity in America. The trouble comes when people think they can eat unlimited amounts of reduced-fat cookies, frozen yogurt and cakes. While these foods contain less fat than their full-fat versions, they tend to have more sugar and can be even higher in calories. Choosing fresh produce and other fiber-rich foods allows a person to eat a large volume for relatively few calories because it promotes a feeling of fullness.
2. Vegetable Oil
Polyunsaturated oils, which include vegetable oils like corn, soy, safflower and canola contain far more omega 6 than omega 3fat, and are thus the worst oils you can eat. Experts looking at the dietary ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, which are the healthy fats found in fish oil and cod liver oil, suggest that in early human history the ratio was about 1:1. Currently most Americans eat a dietary ratio that falls between 20:1 and 50:1. The optimal ratio is most likely closer to the original ratio of 1:1. For most of us this means greatly reducing the omega-6 fatty acids we consume and increasing the amount of omega-3 fatty acids. Further, polyunsaturated oils are the worst oils to cook with because they tend to become easily oxidized or rancid when exposed to heat from cooking. This results in the formation of trans fat and damaging free radicals. Unfortunately, the truly healthy oil, coconut oil, is regarded as the 'dangerous' oil and vegetables oils are regarded as healthy, when it should be the other way around.
3. Soy
In recent years soy has emerged as a 'near perfect' food, with supporters claiming it can provide an ideal source of protein, lower cholesterol, protect against cancer and heart disease, reduce menopause symptoms, and prevent osteoporosis, among other things. However, numerous studies have found that soy products may:
* Increase the risk of breast cancer in women, brain damage in both men and women, and abnormalities in infants
* Contribute to thyroid disorders, especially in women
* Promote kidney stones
* Cause severe, potentially fatal food allergies
Perhaps the most disturbing of soy's ill effects on health has to do with its phytoestrogens that can mimic the effects of the female hormone estrogen. These phytoestrogens have been found to have adverse effects on various human tissues, and drinking even two glasses of soy milk daily for one month has enough of the chemical to alter a woman's menstrual cycle. Soy is particularly problematic for infants, and soy infant formulas should be avoided. It has been estimated that infants who are fed soy formula exclusively receive five birth control pills worth of estrogen every day.
4. Orange Juice (and All Fruit Juice)
Fruit juice has about eight full teaspoons of sugar per eight-ounce glass. This sugar is typically a fruit sugar called fructose, which is every bit as dangerous as regular table sugar since it will also cause a major increase in insulin levels. Further, many commercial orange juices are contaminated with mold from damaged fruit that are processed. So if you drink commercial orange juice regularly you will be exposed to these mold toxins.This doesn't mean that you should avoid fruit, just fruit juice. When the fruit is intact and whole, its fiber will somewhat moderate the release of fructose into the bloodstream as well as somewhat moderate insulin release. However, if you are overweight, have high blood pressure or high blood sugar, it would probably be wise to avoid most fruits until you have these problems under control.
5. Diet Sodas
The prevalence of obesity has reached epidemic proportions and many Americans are making efforts to side-step extra calories. They are turning to diet soft drinks -- Diet Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper and Sprite -- as their beverage of choice. But is this a wise health choice? Perhaps not, for according to a study by researchers at the University of Texas San Antonio, middle-aged adults who drink diet soft drinks may be drastically increasing their risks of gaining weight later on. By itself, diet soda cannot be blamed for weight gain; however, various contributing factors may play a role. For example, a person who drinks a diet soda may feel it's acceptable to make up for those calories with another high-calorie food. And while the tongue is temporarily satisfied by the sweet taste of diet soda, the brain isn't similarly fooled and still craves calories for energy. Other studies have suggested people who drink an artificially sweetened beverage before a meal will eat more high-calorie foods than those who do not. Therefore, with diet soft drinks and sugar-sweetened beverages (even fruit juices) linked to weight gain and obesity, many people are left wondering, "What is safe to drink?" The answer, of course, is water.
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