(1) ASPARTAME --> STEVIA OR SUGAR IN THE RAW
Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that is known as NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure. I’m really sorry to break this to you, but pretty much anything that says “sugar free” has bad stuff in it. This means no more Crystal Light, sugar free gum, and diet soda. Side note on Soda, make this 1.5… you really shouldn’t drink soda because not only does it contain aspartame but also high fructose corn syrup. For those of you who don’t know what soda is, it’s also known as pop. If you’re in the South it’s called Coke. (There’s a joke there but only the Southerners will get it.) The only time you’ll see me drink pop is if it has rum in it…but I digress.
Aspartame is made up of three chemicals: Aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives! These adverse reactions have included seizures and death. There are 88 other symptoms also listed by the Department of Health and Human Services. Here are a few: Headaches/migraines, dizziness, nausea, muscle spasms, weight gain, depression, fatigue, irritability, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, memory loss, and joint pain. I think I’ve made my point. Next time you’re out and about, grab the sugar in the raw or Stevia. Stevia is derived from the leafy green foliage of the stevia plant. It’s a natural sweetener and non-synthetic, so it’s a better choice. When at home, I use Agave Nectar to sweeten my drinks.
(2) REFINED SUGAR --> AGAVE NECTOR OR EVAPORATED CANE JUICE
Refined sugar undergoes high levels of chemical processing. Need I say more on why you shouldn’t use it? Instead, use agave sweetener or evaporated cane juice. Agave is a natural sweetener that comes from the agave plant. This plant is also a main ingredient in tequila so it must be good. It is slowly absorbed into the body preventing spikes in blood sugar and is 25% sweeter than sugar so you can use less of it. The makers of this product claim that it has been used by ancient civilizations for over 5,000 years. Another replacement for refined sugar is evaporated cane juice. I get the organic kind from Costco. This switch is one you will never notice.
(3) REFINED/ENRICHED WHITE FLOUR --> WHOLE GRAINS
Avoid any flour, or product made with flour, that is refined or enriched. White flour occurs when the bran and germ have been removed and then is bleached using potassium bromated or chlorine dioxide gas! This process removes all the vitamins and bleaches your food. Basically, you’re left with nothing but pure starch. Pure starch = fat. Fat = big butt/gut. According to Wikipedia, “By the time the United States joined World War I, the lack of vitamin content had led to an increase in the proportion of failures on basic entrance physical exam for draftees and military recruits. In response to this, the United States, by law, directed that white flour must be enriched with vitamins, replacing most of the major vitamins removed by bleaching…” Common sense will tell you, taking vitamins out and then putting “most” of them back in but in a different form, is not a good idea. Exchange your white rice for brown rice, white pasta with brown rice pasta or whole grain pasta, white bread to whole wheat that has not been processed or enriched.
(4) SHORTENING --> COCONUT OIL
I am not going to go into detail here on how great coconut oil is. Please refer back to my article, “Nutz Over Coconut.” Instead, I will share with you why NOT to use shortening. Shortening is fat or lard from an animal or vegetable. It’s a partially hydrogenated oil that contains Trans fat. Can you say coronary heart disease? Anything that calls for shortening can be substituted with coconut oil. I even use it in my homemade pie crusts.
(5) PEANUT BUTTER --> NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER
“Choosy Moms Choose JIF.” Really? Because this choosy mom avoids JIF like the plague. Ingredients: Roasted peanuts, sugar, molasses, fully hydrogenated vegetable oils (Rapeseed and Soybean), mono and diglycerides, salt. On my count, six out of seven ingredients aren’t the best for you. Instead, use the ground roasted peanuts you find at the store. Ingredients: Roasted Peanuts! They are ground right in front of your very own eyes. My husband, the ultimate peanut butter connoisseur, put his stamp of approval on it. I actually think it tastes better without the lard in it. I usually rotate fresh peanut butter with almond butter, also a healthy alternative.
(6) COFFEE CREAMER --> HOMEMADE CREAMER
I have to admit this was THE very last thing I gave up. I loved my Coffeemate creamer! But sticking to my lifestyle of checking ingredients in my food, I had to admit this was truly one of the worst things I was putting into my body. (INGREDIENTS: Water, soymilk, partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil, sugar, dipotassium phosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium stearoyl lactylate, pollysorbate 50, gellan gum, sodium citrate, natural and artificial flavor, beta-carotene color.) I don’t think I need to explain to anyone that these are terrible ingredients. I now make my own coffee creamer by taking a salad dressing jar and putting half-n-half and 2 tsp. of vanilla extract in it. When making my coffee, I put a little agave nector in my cup, add cream, and then coffee. (I will sometimes put coconut oil in there. See article “Nutz Over Coconut.”) I don’t know why I didn’t make the switch years ago since I really don’t miss the dipotassium phosphate.
(7) BEEF --> BUFFALO
I am not going to talk about how disgusting and depressing the practices of corporations/ “farmers” are. I will, however, recommend that you eat meat that is grass fed, is raised on pastured farms, and has no growth hormones or antibiotics. The simple solution is to switch to buffalo. It “meats” all of the standards above, is healthier, and tastes better. It has 70% to 90% less fat compared to beef, and on average it has 50% less cholesterol. It also is higher in protein, iron, and all the omega and amino acids. Buffalo, or Bison, is becoming so popular that you can find it in most of your local grocery stores. (I know Fred Myer sells it.) The other option would be to research online the nearest place you can order beef that meets the qualifications listed and have it shipped to you. This will probably be more expensive and labor intensive. It’s also a good idea to cut down on the amount of beef you have. We try to eat buffalo twice a month, chicken once a week, and fish once a week. The rest of the days are vegetarian meals. This change will make you healthier and actually save you money in the long run by reducing your beef intake.
(8) FISH --> BETTER FISH
Did you know that some farm raised fish are fed CORN! I’m pretty sure they don’t eat that in the ocean or lakes. One study I found said farm raised salmon were more contaminated than wild salmon because of what they were fed. Farm fish are fattier, provide less omega 3 fats, are doused with antibiotics, and are given salmon colored dye in their feed so their flesh won’t be grey when you eat it! But wait, there’s more. The Food and Drug Administration published the following statistics: The fat content of farmed salmon is excessively high--30-35% by weight; Wild salmon have a 20% higher protein content and a 20% lower fat content than farm-raised salmon; Farm-raised fish contain much higher amounts of pro-inflammatory omega 6 fats than wild fish.
It’s also a good idea to be choosy about the type of fish you buy. My marine biologist friend won’t be happy with this layman’s term but, “bottom feeding fish” should be avoided. There’s a reason they tell pregnant women not to eat bottom feeding fish during their pregnancy, it’s not healthy. Contaminants tend to build up in predators and bottom feeding fish. Examples include: halibut, flounder, sole, cod, carp, snapper, catfish, and shark. Oh, and let’s not forget the shellfish. Many cultures consider shellfish “unclean” and for good reason. They eat other rotting fish from the sea. There are so many other delicious choices of fish out there… go catch one of those.
(9) NON-ORGANIC --> ORGANIC
This is something that is getting easier and easier to do these days. A couple of years ago I would have to go to four different stores to get everything on my grocery list. Now I’m down to two and the second store is usually for 3-4 items. The large chains are waking up to the demand for organic and here’s why. It is healthier for you and better for the environment. I once read that you would have to eat three large non-organic apples to equal the same nutrients in one small organic apple. I will be going into much more detail in the upcoming weeks, on why it’s so important to go organic. Looks like you'll have that stimulating article to look forward to.
(10) BUTTER/VEGETABLE OIL/ OLIVE OIL --> FIRST COLD PRESSED OLIVE OIL
My sister-in-law, once again, shared with me an interesting “tidbit” about first cold pressed olive oil. “Tidbit” by the way, is legalese for interesting fact. OK, maybe not. None-the-less, I discovered that first cold pressed olive oil is better for you than regular olive oil. Cold pressed means that the oil wasn’t heated over a certain temperature and therefore retains more of its nutrients. Instead of cooking with butter, vegetable oil, or olive oil, switch to cold pressed olive oil. For even better health benefits, use it with a dash of balsamic vinegar for your salads instead of those fatty salad dressings.
CONCLUSION
In full disclosure, I have been known to eat a Krispy Kreme donut (Refined sugar) and partake in a Red Robin burger (Not buffalo). Living a healthy lifestyle is just that, a lifestyle. It doesn’t mean being legalistic about everything you put into your body. Now that you are more knowledgeable on the aforementioned, (couldn’t resist) here’s how to apply what you learned. Try one new thing a month. If you are really inspired try one thing a week. Either way, there’s no need to feel overwhelmed because ANY change is one step in the right direction.
No comments:
Post a Comment