5 Healthy – Not-So Healthy Foods

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5 Healthy - Not-So Healthy Foods

It’s frustrating…

For you, when your body won’t change, the scale won’t budge, and your jeans…well why are they fitting MORE snug since you started finally “eating healthier…”

You might think, “Ok, so what the hell, I’ve started eating healthier foods, I’m not eating fast food, I even started exercising, and it’s been two freakin weeks, and NOTHING, I think I’m actually WORSE off…, this is NOT even worth it…!”

If you are exercising consistently (2x-4x per week) and you are still not seeing any results, then it’s time to change things up, because you obviously can’t keep doing the same thing, expecting the same results!

If something isn’t changing, it’s either related to your working not being very good OR your eating habits are not ideal, generally it is the latter and that’s where I am going to focus on today!

One of the biggest challenges I see in regards to “healthy eating” is women tend to have a hard time giving up processed food, because it’s cheap, quick, and easy!

And others give up one processed food for what they THINK is a healthier option, when in reality it’s just as bad, if not worse!

Over 80% of the foods in our supermarkets weren’t here 100 years ago and for good reason…

I will discuss in detail a few foods labeled as healthy by “experts” , the government, and/or clever marketers (charlatans?).

More and more processed, packaged, not-so-ideal foods are being marketed as healthy, good for you, guilt-free, skinny, {insert snazzy adjective that evokes emotion}.

Even sometimes OK foods labeled as “trans-fat free” or “gluten-free” or “organic” or “natural” are VERY processed.

Remember this: organic does NOT equal healthy!

Many of these “healthy” foods can significantly hinder your weight loss and healthy fat loss results.

Here are my top 6 “healthy” foods that might be keeping you from busting through a plateau or keeping you from seeing ANY results all together:

1.)    Cereal

The only thing healthy about cereal these days is the toy inside, but I would suggest buying a toy without the cereal!  Here is a bulleted list of reasons cereal should for the most part be avoided and then I’ll provide a cereal I’ve found to be OK:

  • Generic cereals are usually from genetically modified grains from wheat or corn.
  • Cereals are enriched and fortifies with synthetic vitamins because processing destroys any natural occurring vitamins.
  • Many are loaded with either high fructose corn syrup, sugar, and/or artificial sweeteners
  • Many contain genetically altered vegetable oils like canola, soybean, and/or corn
  • Most contain preservatives, additives, colorings, thickeners, binders, and dyes
  • Don’t contain enough good quality protein or NON-inflammatory carbohydrates; causing hunger to linger (because you aren’t giving your body proper nutrients)
  • We generally use conventional milk to eat our cereal, which multiplies the potential negative consequences

The ONLY cereal I would eat is Barbaras gluten-free cereals, here is the one I’ll eat occasionally, WITH adequate protein and I use grass-fed based raw milk or lightly pasteurized.

puffins

2.)    Pre-packaged snacks

fwfl_blog_6healthy not so healthy foods

100-calorie snacks is mostly what I am referring to, but you can think of chips, cookies, and other processed junkie type food also being in this category.

These “little” snacks have a MASSIVE impact on your health and body, and not in the good way portrayed by the companies that market and sell them. If the package says “low-fat/sugar/calorie” you can bet you are in for a toxic cocktail of refined oils, processed grains, artificial sweeteners, and preservatives.

You also get a false sense of how many calories you actually NEED to maintain or develop a healthy metabolism. 100 calorie snacks are OK, only if you are eating good quality foods, like a piece of grass-fed cheese and organic fruit (100 calories of awesome food), but if you consume processed, low-quality foods you will NEVER be satisfied and will continue eating until your 100 calorie snacks turn into 1000 calories of crap.

The ultimate 100-calorie snacks contain: a protein, a carb (fruit/potatoes/rice), and a mono or saturated fat (avocado or good qua I consider it good practice to avoid “energy/health/nutrition” bars altogether, however if you are ever in a pinch the things I would look for (AVOID) on the ingredient label are:

3.)    Energy Bars

I consider it good practice to avoid “energy/health/nutrition” bars altogether, however if you are ever in a pinch the things I would look for (AVOID) on the ingredient label are:

Soy protein: most likely GMO; Increases our bodies need for just about every nutrient; mimics estrogen in the body, inhibits thyroid function, and negatively affects digestion

Whey protein: usually conventional, which can lead to inflammation

High Fructose Corn Syrup – derived from genetically altered corn products; problematic for liver function, which can lead to lowered metabolic rate

Sugar alcohols – very disruptive to digestion, which can lead to endotoxin release (not ideal for liver health) and slowed metabolism; causes gas, bloating, etc…

Artificial Sweeteners – neurotoxic effects have been shown in many studies; chemically derived

Unsaturated fatty acids – significantly energy production by inhibiting thyroid function

Generally, the only bars I consider beneficial are meat (grass-fed/buffalo) based with very few ingredients. The amount of nutrients/minerals labeled on energy bars is deceiving as quality, transportation, and other factors influence availability.

Here are a few energy bars I like and recommend: Tanka Bars, Nick’s Sticks, and Epic Bars

4.)    Bread

The low-down on 100% Whole Wheat Bread

100% Whole Wheat Bread is healthy, right?

I have been studying flours for a while now and can tell you with 100% certainty and with GREAT confidence that “wheat bread” is NOT-Healthy for you.Here is the ingredient list for a popular wheat bread “Nature’s Own”:

STONE GROUND WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, WATER, BROWN SUGAR, YEAST, WHEAT GLUTEN, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: SALT, VEGETABLE OIL (SOYBEAN OIL OR CANOLA OIL), DOUGH, CONDITIONERS (SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, CALCIUM, STEAROYL-2-LACTYLATE, MONOGLYCERIDES, CALCIUM IODATE, ETHOXYLATED MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, CALCIUM PEROXIDE, DATEM), CULTURED WHEAT FLOUR, VINEGAR, CALCIUM SULFATE, MONOCALCIUM, PHOSPHATE, YEAST FOOD (AMMONIUM SULFATE), SOY LECITHIN.

Whole wheat flour is NO different, from a physiology perspective (meaning how it affects your body systems) than regular enriched flour. In other words, our bodies can’t tell the difference between the two.

Going to keep this short and sweet!

Three ingredients you should stay away from if you care about your health and want to lose fat:

Whole wheat flour. Starting in your stomach, phytic acids in wheat/flour block nutrient absorption. This means, that say you ate a few organic vegetables with a sandwich with the above mentioned bread. The chemicals in the bread will prevent to some extent your body from breaking down and utilizing the vital nutrients and minerals in the vegetables.

Soybean/Canola Oil. These oils are the absolute WORST oils you could let enter your body. They are probably genetically modified, which can alter your genetic makeup AND they cause accelerated aging. Eat these oils and age FASTER. Sounds awesome, right? NO

Conditioners. The same ingredients you see in the conditioner section are used in plastic and household items. Do you eat glue, Tupperware, and your cleansers? I didn’t think so!

You may be asking yourself, if these foods are SO bad for me why would the government allow them into MY food. Don’t they want to protect me? Look around folks, the government looks out for itself, especially in regards to your health and well-being.

If you are really into bread, go for rice-based bread. Here is the brand I recommend for a sandwich here and there:

foodforlife_brownricebread

5.)    Protein Powders and Shakes

I used to be one of those guys that thought protein shakes were the ultimate MUST have for fitness success, until I actually researched what was in them. Don’t you ever think, seriously HOW did my chicken breast get into powder form?

Well, processing and refinement, that’s the answer. And at what cost?

The cost of your health. Most protein powders and shakes are derived from conventionally fed animals, meaning these animals are mistreated, stressed out, fed genetically altered grains (corn, soy, grain) and there protein quality is significantly than the opposite animal.

If the protein source isn’t coming from a conventionally fed animal it is coming from GMO soy, which is an even worse option.

Just like all of the other processed foods, products like these contain added preservatives, synthetic vitamins, flavor enhancers, and unnatural ingredients that generally do NOT promote health.

The best protein shake is one that you shake around and cook in a pan!

If you still are a believer in  protein shakes, my advice would be to be sure to read your labels. Find a protein shake with a good quality whey protein preferably from a grass-fed, pastured source!

When you are looking to transform your body, you MUST transform you internal environment. You can do this successfully by being aware of what you are putting inside your mouth!

Eat real food, eat when you are hungry, and avoid processed foods! Start by getting rid of the junk!junkfoodhealthy

Keep things simple and plan, so you don’t impulsively purchase something you’ll regret later!

Any questions of processed snacks. There are some DECENT products out there, so ask me about them in the comments!

 

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