3 "Health Foods" That May Not Be Good For You

Posted on: 11 November 2014
By: jessica

Growing up I heard certain foods were healthy and certain foods were not. It wasn't until I was in my 20's that I took the initiative to look into the actual ingredients in these so called "heatlh foods". Something as simple as turning over the box has become a game changer in my eating habits. READ THE INGREDIENTS, FOLKS! I now focus on eating whole foods that are as close to their natural form as possible. Today I want to share with you some foods that I grew up thinking were healthy. Did you grow up thinking the same thing?

1. Low-fat Dairy

For many years we have been told that low-fat or fat-free dairy are part of a healthy diet. More recent evidence shows that this may be untrue. Low-fat, conventional milk can contain numerous harmful substances. "You’d be surprised that there could be 20+ painkillers, antibiotics, and much more lurking in your milk." 2 Raw, vat processed full fat dairy has many benefits for your body. "Saturated fats provide the building blocks for your cell membranes and a variety of hormones and hormone-like substances that are essential to your health." 1 Our bodies were created to need fat in moderation as part of a balanced diet. In Birmingham, AL we have the privelege of having a local organic dairy just a short drive from downtown.

2. Whole Wheat Bread

Conventional whole wheat breads contain added sugars, high fructose corn syrup, harmful preservatives, and some even contain the same chemical used to make the rubber in yoga mats! "They are full of ingredients that are not food, like azodicarbonamide (the same chemical in yoga mats and shoe rubber)." 3 This type of processing can lead to many health problems in the future. I choose to either make my own bread with flour milled at home and all clean ingredients or go with Ezekiel Bread. Ezekial Bread is loaded with health boosting foods such as proteint (as much as an egg), amino acids, vitamins C and B, and heart healthy fiber.

3. Cereal

Cereal is highly processed to the point where all nutrition has pretty much been lost. "Processing destroys much of their nutrients. It denatures the fatty acids; it even destroys the synthetic vitamins that are added at the end of the process. The amino acid lysine, a crucial nutrient, is especially damaged by the extrusion process." 4 The extrusion process depletes the cereal of its natural nutrients. Nutrients are then added back into the cereals. But our bodies may not properly absorb added nutrients. Unfortunately, even organic cereals go through this same process. When craving cereal, you are much better off going with a natural, steel cut oat that is minimally processed and provides you with true nutrition.