Here is a list of things to clean out of your kitchen. Or you could just skip this list all together and just go straight to all-natural, organic, non-processed, whole foods. But the likelihood of that happening for any of us, let's be honest, is pretty small. So at least take these out of your life.
Hydrogenated Fats
These fats allow foods to sit on the shelf forever and still retain their "freshness". More than any other fats, hydrogenated fats increase your "bad" LDL and triglycerides and decrease your "good" HDL. They also shrink the size of your LDL particles, which makes them more likely to clot and dramatically raises your risk of heart attack. "The New England Journal of Medicine review of more than eighty studies found that trans fat is more dangerous to health than any food contaminant, even when it's only 1 to 3 percent of your total calorie intake. The study authors found that you'd need to eat only 20 to 60 calories from artificial trans fats a day to start damaging your health."
*Toss anything with shortening, partially hydrogenated oil (palm, corn, soybean)
*Always choose organic meats and dairy. Grass-fed cows produced milk and meat with 500% more CLAs than those fed grains. CLA's or conjugated linoleic acids, may reduce the risk of breast, prostate, intestinal, lung and skin cancers.
Refined Grains
Refining removes the bran and germ of the grain- with it, almost all of the fiber, vitamins, and minerals of the entire grain kernel. Then the B vitamins- thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid- and the iron stripped out during processing have to be restored by being "enriched".
* Barley packs more than 13 grams of fiber in a single cup, helps stabilize blood sugar, and is a fantastic source of selenium (essential for thyroid production). Also, it's rich in magnesium, which helps lower triglycerides and dangerous blood lipids in diabetics.
* Oats significantly lower blood sugar and enhance immune system function.
* Toss any processed grain that doesn't say 100% whole grain or wheat.
High-Fructose Corn Syrup
Toss all high fructose corn syrup products!!
The U.S. production of HFCS went from 3,000 tons in 1967 to 9,227,000 tons in 2005. Americans consume more calories from HFCS than any other source. It tricks the body into not releasing insulin and leptin, two hormones your body releases when you are done eating. It also increases triglycerides and high triglycerides prevent leptin from working in the brain, so it can't tell you to stop eating. So, when you are eating foods with HFCS, you are most likely going to over eat, not just over eat, but over eat foods that aren't good for you.
Artificial Sweeteners
Clean out all artificial sweeteners, throw them away. In a study, compared to those who drank none, people who drank just one diet coke a day had a 34% greater incidence of metabolic syndrome. The average American eats about 114 lbs of sugars a year. Aspartame, aka Nutrasweet, is an excitotoxin, a chemical that may cause permanent damage to our brain's appetite center. Artificial sweeteners or diet foods have trained our brains to associate sweet "diet" foods with low-calories. So when we eat those foods, we feel like we can eat a lot more calories. Once again fooling our brains into eating more than we should.
Artificial Preservatives and Colors
Avoid any soda with sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate and vitamin C (absorbic acid) as the combo of these two additives can create benzene, a carcinogen linked to serious thyroid damage. Benzene is created when the soda sits in a plastic bottle in sunlight or heat. So, IF you are going to drink a bottled soda, make sure to keep it in a cold place.
BHA- butylated hydrozyanisole, helps prevent food from spoilage, but is also an endocrine disruptor. Small amounts are "generally recognized as safe" by the FDA, but what about when it is in a lot of the foods you eat and products that you use. It can be found it: butter, lard, cereals, baked goods, sweets, beer, vegetable oils, potato chips, snack foods, nuts, dehydrated potatoes, flavoring agents, sausage, poultry and meat products, dry mixes for beverages and desserts, glazed fruits, chewing gum, active dry yeast, defoaming agents for beet sugar and yeast, and emulsion stabilizers for shortening. BHA is also found in food packaging, lipsticks, lip glosses, mascaras, eye shadows, and facial creams. BHA also goes by the names anisole, butylated hydroxy-; antioxyne B; antrancine 12; butylhydroxyanisole; tert-butyl hydroxyanisole; embanox; nepantiox 1-F; phenol, tert-butyl-4-methoxy; phenol, (1,1-dimenthylethyl)-4-methoxy; sustane 1-F; tenox BHA. Or you can just stay away from processed foods.
*After preschoolers and grade-school kids ate an additive-free diet for 6 weeks, then reintroduced additives into their diets, their hyperactivity levels rose dramtically. ADHD has risen to almost 1 in 10 kids.
*Always choose foods with the least amount of artificial chemicals for kids and watch for artificial colors. Many have been linked with thyroid, adrenal, bladder, kidney and brain cancer. Worst colors; Blue 1 and 2, green 3, red 3, and yellow 6. Choose color-free medications and opt for "real" treats. '
*Avoid any processed meats, especially those with nitrates or nitrites. Choose fresh meat, look for organic or nitrate free.
What to watch your labels for:
Safe or may even have health benefits
Alpha tocopherol (aka vitamin E)
Absorbic acid (aka vitamin C)
Citric acid, sodium citrate
Beta-carotene (aka precursor to vitamin A)
Inulin
Lactic acid
Oligofructose
Phytosterols or phytostanois
Thiamin mononitrate (aka vitamin B1)
Sometimes- risks are minor, but keep the consumption down
Carageenan
Gelatin
Lecithin
Maltodextrin
Mono- and diglycerides
Phosphates, phosphoric acid
Oat fiber, wheat fiber
Sorbic acid, potassium sorbate
Vanillin, ethyl vanillin
Avoid at all costs
Aspartame, saccharin, sucralose
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
Olestra
Partially hydrogenated vegetable oil
Potassium bromate
Sodium benzoate, benzoic acid
Sodium nitrate, sodium nitrite
Sulfites (sodium bisulfite, sodium Dioxide)
Glutamates
MSGs are not a preservative as many may think, but are a flavor enhancer. They do exist in some natural foods, but those are "bound" glutamates in low levels. MSGs are "free" glutamates. When added to foods, they enhance the savory taste. High levels of glutamates mess with your brain chemistry. They are a form of excitotoxin, which studies as far back as the 50's have shown to be devestating to the nervous system. Definitely stay away from MSGs, which are totally unnecessary , but just a way for food companies to make you want to eat their food more. Find natural ways to enhance the flavor of your foods.
List of code words for hidden free glutamic acids
Autolyzed yeast
Calcium caseinate
Gelatin
Glutamate
Glutamic acid
Hydrolyzed corn gluten
Hydrolyzed protein (wheat, milk, soy, whey- any protein that is hydrolyzed)
Monopotassium glutamate
Monosodium glutamate
Natrium glutamate
Sodium caseinate
Textured protein
Yeast extract
Yeast food
Yeast nutrient
"Master Your Metabolism" Jillian Michaels
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