Hello Everyone,
If you are what you eat, then read the ingredients list on your food labels. I have been talking a lot lately to my patients about how to read a food label. I am excited because more and more people are asking me, which means the awareness is growing about what we are putting in our bodies. This makes me a very happy doctor. Please ask any questions that you may have, I am here to help. Remember that food without a label is best (fruits, vegetables, etc) and the longer the food ingredient list, the further away it is from being real food... and the more likely it will make you or your children feel hungry minutes after eating it, or worse, tired, irritable, or sick.
So, here are my rules about reading labels on what you eat... so please, do NOT consume products if you find any of the ingredients I have listed below!
#1 My first rule...If you can't pronounce something in the ingredients, don't eat it! No exceptions to this rule.
#2 Stay away from anything that reads hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated because it means that it contains trans fats.
#3 Know what you are consuming and in what quantity. The ingredients are listed in the order of most to least concerning product by weight. This means that if the first ingredient is sugar, the product is mostly made of sugar. If the second product is corn syrup, the second most ingredient is corn syrup, etc.
#4 Sugar can be easily disguised. Here are the code names: high fructose corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, invert sugar, turbinado, sucrose, glucose, etc.
#5 Artificial sweeteners are no good to say the least. They are listed also in disguise as surcalose, saccharin, aspartame, and acesulfame. These are all heavy preservatives and neurotoxins. So, if you are trying to lose weight by switching to "diet" drinks, you are preserving your fat, you will not lose it! A good alternative to artificial sweeteners is Stevia, an herb that is 300 times sweeter than sugar, and all natural at that.
#6 If there is a color and number do not consume the product or give it to your kids. Artificial colorings are often found in cereals, candies, sodas, and snack foods. They will be noted no the ingredients list with their color and name such as Yellow 5, Red 40, Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, and Orange B.
#7 Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). Notorious for causing headaches, sweating, a fluttering heartbeat, and shortness of breath... why would anyone knowingly consume this product?
#8 Meats are often preserved with a chemical sodium nitrate. These chemicals make meat look red rather than gray, and gives meat an overly long shelf life. This also poses a huge cancer risk. Be very aware of these as they can make you feel awful and have long term health effects.
#9 Please do not eat anything that has the word "bleached", "enriched", or "modified". If you look at the ingredients list and it says something like "bleached flour", or "modified corn starch", or "enriched pasta", put the product back on the shelf. Food is not meant to be bleached and it is extremely toxic!
#10 Soy. Contains several naturally occurring compounds that are toxic to humans and animals. Soy foods block calcium and can cause vitamin D deficiencies. One health agency estimates than 100 grams of soy protein provides the estrogenic equivalent of the pill. Processing and all modern soy foods contain MSG, which cause neurological problems. Soy products inhibit thyroid function, which may lead to fatigue and mental issues. Infants on soy formula are vulnerable to developing autoimmune thyroid disease when exposed to high amounts of isoflavones over time. These Isoflavones have been found to have serious health effects, including infertility, thyroid disease or liver disease, on a number of mammals. Long term feeding with soy formulas inhibits thyroid peroxidase to such an extent that long term elevated thyroid stimulating hormone levels can also raise the risk of thyroid cancer. It is said that two glasses of soy milk a day over the course of a month contains enough of the chemical to change the timing of a woman’s menstrual cycle.
If you make these changes to your diet, you will look and feel a lot better. Guaranteed. You may not even know how good you can feel until you get the toxic ingredients in your food out of your mouth! Remember you are what you eat.
Be well,
Dr. M
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