The 9 Foods You Should Never Eat
June 10, 2013
Story at-a-glance
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Studies have repeatedly shown artificial sweeteners
stimulate appetite, increase carbohydrate cravings,
stimulate fat storage and weight gain. One recent study
found both saccharin and aspartame cause greater weight gain
than sugar
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Processed meats increase your risk of cancer, especially
bowel cancer, and NO amount of processed meat is "safe." So
ditch the deli meats and opt instead for fresh
organically-raised grass-fed or pastured meats, or wild
caught salmon
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Margarine and vegetable oils are two of the absolute worst
fats to eat. Both contain heart-harming trans fats, for
example. Your best alternative for cooking is coconut oil,
as it’s less susceptible to heat damage
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Microwave popcorn, table salt, non-organic produce like
potatoes, and unfermented soy products, including soy
protein isolate, are more harmful than beneficial as they
all contain hazardous contaminants
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Most canned foods contain BPA, a toxic chemical. Acidity
causes BPA to leach into your food. Stick to fresh fruits
and vegetables, or switch over to brands that use glass
containers instead—especially for acidic foods like tomatoes
BPA is a toxic chemical linked to reproductive abnormalities,
neurological effects, heightened risk of breast and prostate cancers,
diabetes, heart disease and more. To avoid this hazardous chemical,
avoid canned foods entirely and stick to fresh fruits and vegetables, or
switch over to brands that use glass containers instead—especially for
acidic foods like tomatoes.
Deli meats are typically made with meats from animals given growth
hormones, antibiotics and other veterinary drugs. These meats also
typically contain sodium nitrite and other chemical flavorings and dyes.
Processed should be avoided entirely as processed meats increase your
risk of cancer, and NO amount of processed meat is "safe." Fresh
organically-raised grass-fed or pastured meats, or wild caught salmon
are healthier options.
There are a myriad of unhealthy components to margarine and other
butter impostors, including trans fats, free radicals, emulsifiers and
preservatives, hexane and other toxic solvents. Raw milk butter, when
made from grass-fed cows, is rich in beneficial conjugated linoleic acid
(CLA), which is known to help fight cancer and diabetes.
Vegetable oils are highly processed, and when consumed in large
amounts, they distort the important omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. Vegetable
oils can oxidize good cholesterol, turning it into bad cholesterol.
Coconut oil is best for cooking as it is not very susceptible to heat
damage. It's also one of the most unique and beneficial fats for your
body. Olive oil is easily damaged by heat and is best reserved for
drizzling cold over salad.
Microwave popcorn bags are lined with PFOA, and when they are heated
the compound leaches onto the popcorn. These chemicals are part of an
expanding group of chemicals known to disrupt your endocrine system and
affect your sex hormones. The EPA has ruled PFCs as "likely
carcinogens," and has stated that PFOA "poses developmental and
reproductive risks to humans."
Your best bet is to buy only organic fruits and vegetables, as
synthetic agricultural chemicals are not permissible under the USDA
organic rules. That said, not all conventionally grown fruits and
vegetables are subjected to the same amount of pesticide load. Fruits
and vegetables with the highest pesticide load, making them the most
important to buy or grow organically, include apples, cucumbers,
spinach, kale and potatoes.
Regular 'table salt' and the salt found in processed foods are NOT
identical to the salt your body really needs. Table salt contains
chemicals like ferrocyanide and aluminosilicate, and added iodine, while
natural salt contains many naturally occurring minerals, including trace
minerals like silicon, phosphorous and vanadium. My favorite is
Himalayan salt, which contains about 84 trace minerals your body needs.
Most soybeans grown in the US are genetically engineered (GE) to be
"Roundup Ready." The active ingredient in Roundup is glyphosate, which
disrupts cellular function and can induce many of our modern diseases,
including autism. Unfermented soy has also been linked to malnutrition,
digestive distress, immune-system breakdown, thyroid dysfunction,
cognitive decline, reproductive disorders and infertility—even cancer
and heart disease. The only soy with health benefits is organic soy that
has been properly fermented, at which point their beneficial properties
become available to your digestive system.
Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame can stimulate your appetite,
increase carbohydrate cravings, and stimulate fat storage and weight
gain. The methanol formed in aspartame can wreak havoc with sensitive
proteins and DNA in your body, as humans do not have the protective
mechanism that allows methanol to be broken down into harmless formic
acid. Toxicology testing on animals is a flawed model, as animals have
this protective mechanism while humans do not, so the results do not
fully apply to people.
By Dr. Mercola
Many foods have been heavily promoted as being healthy when they
are nothing more than pernicious junk foods. In the featured
article, Clean Plates1
founder Jared Koch shared his list of nine staple foods that are far
less “good for you” than you’ve been led to believe.
Here, I expand on the selections that are mentioned in the
featured article.
1. Canned Tomatoes
Many leading brands of canned foods contain BPA -- a toxic
chemical linked to reproductive abnormalities, neurological effects,
heightened risk of breast and prostate cancers, diabetes, heart
disease and other serious health problems. According to
Consumer Reports’ testing, just a couple of servings of
canned food can exceed the safety limits for daily BPA exposure for
children.
High acidity — a prominent characteristic of tomatoes – causes
BPA to leach into your food. To avoid this hazardous chemical, avoid
canned foods entirely and stick to fresh fruits and vegetables, or
switch over to brands that use glass containers instead—especially
for acidic foods like tomatoes.
2. Processed Meats
As Koch warns, processed deli meats like salami, ham, and roast
beef are not only typically made with meats from animals raised in
confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
This means they’re given growth hormones, antibiotics and other
veterinary drugs, and raised in deplorable conditions that promote
disease, these meats are also filled with sodium nitrite (a commonly
used preservative and antimicrobial agent that also adds color and
flavor) and other chemical flavorings and dyes.
Nitrites can be converted into nitrosamines in your body, which
are potent cancer-causing chemicals. Research has linked nitrites to
higher rates of colorectal, stomach and pancreatic cancer. But
that’s not all. Most processed deli meats also contain other
cancer-promoting chemicals that are created during cooking.
These include:
- Heterocyclic Amines (HCAs) which are
hazardous compounds created in meats and other foods that have
been cooked at high temperatures. According to research,
processed meats are clearly associated with an increased risk of
stomach, colon and breast cancers.
- Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs):
Many processed meats are smoked as part of the curing process,
which causes PAHs to form. PAHs can also form when grilling.
When fat drips onto the heat source, causing excess smoke, and
the smoke surrounds your food, it can transfer cancer-causing
PAHs to the meat.
- Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs):
When food is cooked at high temperatures—including when it is
pasteurized or sterilized—it increases the formation of AGEs in
your food. AGEs build up in your body over time leading to
oxidative stress, inflammation and an increased risk of heart
disease, diabetes and kidney disease.
The truth is,
processed meats are not a healthful choice for anyone and
should be avoided entirely, according
to a
2011 review of more than 7,000 clinical studies examining the
connection between diet and cancer. The report was commissioned by
The World Cancer Research Fund2
(WCRF) using money raised from the general public. Therefore the
findings were not influenced by any vested interests, which makes it
all the more reliable.
It's the biggest review of the evidence ever undertaken, and it
confirms previous findings: Processed meats increase your risk of
cancer, especially bowel cancer, and NO amount of processed meat is
"safe." You’re far better off ditching the deli meats and opting
instead for fresh organically-raised grass-fed or pastured meats, or
wild caught salmon.
3. Margarine
The unfortunate result of the low-fat diet craze has been the
shunning of healthful fats such as butter, and public health has
declined as a result of this folly. There are a myriad of unhealthy
components to margarine and other butter impostors, including:
- Trans fats: These unnatural fats in
margarine, shortenings and spreads are formed during the process
of hydrogenation, which turns liquid vegetable oils into a solid
fat. Trans fats contribute to heart disease, cancer, bone
problems, hormonal imbalance and skin disease; infertility,
difficulties in pregnancy and problems with lactation; and low
birth weight, growth problems and learning disabilities in
children. A US government panel of scientists determined that
man-made trans fats are unsafe at any level.
- Free radicals: Free radicals and other
toxic breakdown products are the result of high temperature
industrial processing of vegetable oils. They contribute to
numerous health problems, including cancer and heart disease.
- Emulsifiers and preservatives: Numerous
additives of questionable safety are added to margarines and
spreads. Most vegetable shortening is stabilized with
preservatives like BHT.
- Hexane and other solvents: Used in the
extraction process, these industrial chemicals can have toxic
effects.
Good-old-fashioned
butter, when made from grass-fed cows, is rich in a substance
called conjugated
linoleic acid (CLA). CLA is not only known to help fight cancer
and diabetes, it may even help you to lose weight, which cannot be
said for its trans-fat substitutes. Much of the reason why butter is
vilified is because it contains saturated fat. If you're still in
the mindset that saturated fat is harmful for your health, then
please read the
Healthy Fats section of my
Optimized Nutrition Plan to learn why saturated fat is actually
good for you.
4. Vegetable Oils
Of all the destructive foods available to us, those made with
heated
vegetable oils are some of the worst. Make no mistake about
it--vegetable oil is not the health food that you were lead to
believe it was. This is largely due to the fact that they are highly
processed, and when consumed in massive amounts, as they are by most
Americans, they seriously distort the important omega-6 to omega-3
ratio. Ideally, this ratio is 1:1.
Anytime you cook a food, you run the risk of creating
heat-induced damage. The oils you choose to cook with must be stable
enough to resist chemical changes when heated to high temperatures,
or you run the risk of damaging your health. One of the ways
vegetable oils can inflict damage is by converting your good
cholesterol into bad cholesterol—by oxidizing it. When you cook with
polyunsaturated vegetable oils (such as canola, corn, and soy oils),
oxidized cholesterol is introduced into your system.
As the oil is heated and mixed with oxygen, it goes rancid.
Rancid oil is oxidized oil and should NOT be consumed—it leads
directly to vascular disease. Trans-fats are introduced when these
oils are hydrogenated, which increases your risk of chronic diseases
like breast cancer and heart disease.
So what's the best oil to cook with?
Of all the available oils,
coconut oil is the oil of choice for cooking because it is
nearly a completely saturated fat, which means it is much less
susceptible to heat damage. And coconut oil is one of the most
unique and beneficial fats for your body. For more in-depth
information about the many benefits of coconut oil, please see this
special report. Olive oil, while certainly a healthful oil, is
easily damaged by heat and is best reserved for drizzling cold over
salad.
5. Microwave Popcorn
Perfluoroalkyls, which include perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and
perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), are chemicals used to keep grease
from leaking through fast food wrappers, are being ingested by
people through their food and showing up as contaminants in blood.
Microwave popcorn bags are lined with PFOA, and when they are heated
the compound leaches onto the popcorn.
These chemicals are part of an expanding group of chemicals
commonly referred to as
"gender-bending" chemicals, because they can disrupt your
endocrine system and affect your sex hormones. The EPA has ruled
PFCs as "likely carcinogens," and has stated that PFOA "poses
developmental and reproductive risks to humans." Researchers have
also linked various PFCs to a range of other health dangers, such
as:
- Infertility -- A study published in the
journal Human Reproduction3
found that both PFOA and PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate),
dramatically increased the odds of infertility. PFOA was linked
to a 60 to 154 percent increase in the chance of infertility.
- Thyroid disease -- A 2010 study4
found that PFOA can damage your
thyroid function. Individuals with the highest PFOA
concentrations were more than twice as likely to report current
thyroid disease, compared to those with the lowest PFOA
concentrations. Your thyroid contains thyroglobulin protein,
which binds to iodine to form hormones, which in turn influence
essentially every organ, tissue and cell in your body. Thyroid
hormones are also required for growth and development in
children. Thyroid disease, if left untreated, can lead to heart
disease, infertility, muscle weakness, and osteoporosis.
- Cancer -- PFOA has been associated with
tumors in at least four different organs in animal tests (liver,
pancreas, testicles and mammary glands in rats), and has been
associated with increases in prostate cancer in PFOA plant
workers.
- Immune system problems -- Several studies
by scientists in Sweden indicate that PFCs have an adverse
effect on your immune system. As described in a report on PFCs
by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), PFOA was found to
decrease all immune cell subpopulations studied, in the thymus
and spleen, and caused immunosupression.
- Increased LDL cholesterol levels – A 2010
study in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine5
found that children and teens with higher PFOA levels had higher
levels of total cholesterol and LDL or "bad" cholesterol, while
PFOS was associated with increased total cholesterol, including
both LDL cholesterol and HDL or "good" cholesterol.
I strongly recommend avoiding any product you know contain these
toxic compounds, particularly non-stick cookware, but also foods
sold in grease-proof food packaging, such as fast food and microwave
popcorn. Clearly, if you're eating fast food or junk food, PFCs from
the wrapper may be the least of your problems, but I think it's
still important to realize that not only are you not getting proper
nutrition from the food itself, the wrappers may also add to your
toxic burden.
6. Non-Organic Potatoes and Other Fresh Produce Known for High
Pesticide Contamination
Your best bet is to buy only organic fruits and vegetables, as
synthetic agricultural chemicals are not permissible under the USDA
organic rules. That said, not all conventionally grown fruits and
vegetables are subjected to the same amount of pesticide load. While
Koch focuses on potatoes, as they tend to take up a lot of
pesticides and other agricultural chemicals present in the soil, I
would recommend reviewing the "Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in
Produce"6
by the Environmental Working Group.
Of the 48 different fruit and vegetable categories tested by the
EWG for the 2013 guide, the following 15 fruits and vegetables had
the highest pesticide load, making them the most important
to buy or grow organically:
Apples |
Celery |
Cherry tomatoes |
Cucumbers |
Grapes |
Hot peppers |
Nectarines (imported) |
Peaches |
Potatoes |
Spinach |
Strawberries |
Sweet bell peppers |
Kale |
Collard greens |
Summer squash |
In contrast, the following foods were found to have the
lowest residual pesticide load, making them the safest bet
among conventionally grown vegetables. Note that a small amount of
sweet corn and most Hawaiian papaya, although low in pesticides, are
genetically engineered (GE). If you’re unsure of whether the sweet
corn or papaya is GE, I’d recommend opting for organic varieties:
Asparagus |
Avocado |
Cabbage |
Cantaloupe |
Sweet corn (non-GMO) |
Eggplant |
Grapefruit |
Kiwi |
Mango |
Mushrooms |
Onions |
Papayas (non-GMO. Most Hawaiian papaya is GMO) |
Pineapple |
Sweet peas (frozen) |
Sweet potatoes |
7. Table Salt
Salt is essential for life—you cannot live without it. However,
regular ‘table salt’ and the salt found in processed foods are NOT
identical to the salt your body really needs. In fact, table salt
has practically nothing in common with natural salt. One is health
damaging, and the other is healing.
- Processed salt is 98 percent sodium chloride, and the
remaining two percent comprises man-made chemicals, such as
moisture absorbents, and a little added iodine. These are
dangerous chemicals like ferrocyanide and aluminosilicate. Some
European countries, where water fluoridation is not practiced,
also add fluoride to table salt
- Natural salt is about 84 percent sodium chloride. The
remaining 16 percent of natural salt consists of other naturally
occurring minerals, including trace minerals like silicon,
phosphorous and vanadium
Given that salt is absolutely essential to good health, I
recommend switching to a pure, unrefined salt. My favorite is an
ancient, all-natural sea salt from the Himalayas. Himalayan salt is
completely pure, having spent many thousands of years maturing under
extreme tectonic pressure, far away from impurities, so it isn't
polluted with the heavy metals and industrial toxins of today. And
it's hand-mined, hand-washed, and minimally processed. Himalayan
salt is only 85 percent sodium chloride, the remaining 15 percent
contains 84 trace minerals from our prehistoric seas. Unrefined
natural salt is important to many biological processes, including:
- Being a major component of your blood plasma, lymphatic
fluid, extracellular fluid, and even amniotic fluid
- Carrying nutrients into and out of your cells
- Maintain and regulate blood pressure
- Increasing the glial cells in your brain, which are
responsible for creative thinking and long-term planning
- Helping your brain communicate with your muscles, so that
you can move on demand via sodium-potassium ion exchange
While natural unprocessed salt has many health benefits, that
does not mean you should use it with impunity. Another important
factor is the potassium to sodium ratio of your diet. Imbalance in
this ratio can not only lead to hypertension (high blood pressure)
and other health problems, including heart disease, memory decline,
erectile dysfunction and more. The easiest way to avoid this
imbalance is by avoiding processed foods, which are notoriously low
in potassium while high in sodium. Instead, eat a diet of whole,
ideally organically-grown foods to ensure optimal nutrient content.
This type of diet will naturally provide much larger amounts of
potassium in relation to sodium.
8. Soy Protein Isolate and Other Unfermented Soy Products
Sadly, most of what you have been led to believe by the media
about soy is simply untrue. One of the worst problems with soy comes
from the fact that 90 to 95 percent of soybeans grown in the US are
genetically engineered (GE), and these are used to create
soy protein isolate. Genetically engineered soybeans are
designed to be "Roundup ready,” which means they’re engineered to
withstand otherwise lethal doses of herbicide.
The active ingredient in Roundup herbicide is called glyphosate,
which is responsible for the disruption of the delicate hormonal
balance of the female reproductive cycle. What's more, glyphosate is
toxic to the placenta, which is responsible for delivering vital
nutrients from mother to child, and eliminating waste products. Once
the placenta has been damaged or destroyed, the result can be
miscarriage. In those children born to mothers who have been exposed
to even a small amount of glyphosate, serious birth defects can
result.
Glyphosate’s mechanism of harm was only recently identified, and
demonstrates how this chemical disrupts cellular function and induce
many of our modern diseases, including autism. Soy protein isolate
can be found in protein bars, meal replacement shakes, bottled fruit
drinks, soups and sauces, meat analogs, baked goods, breakfast
cereals and some dietary supplements.
Even if you are not a vegetarian and do not use soymilk or tofu,
it is important to be a serious label reader. There are so many
different names for soy additives, you could be bringing home a
genetically modified soy-based product without even realizing it.
Soy expert Dr. Kaayla Daniel offers a free Special Report7,
"Where the Soys Are," on her Web site. It lists the many "aliases"
that soy might be hiding under in ingredient lists -- words like
"bouillon," "natural flavor" and "textured plant protein."
Besides soy protein isolate, ALL unfermented soy products are
best avoided if you value your health. Thousands of studies have
linked unfermented soy to malnutrition, digestive distress,
immune-system breakdown, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline,
reproductive disorders and infertility—even cancer and heart
disease.
The only soy with health benefits is organic soy that has been
properly fermented, and these are the only soy products I ever
recommend consuming. After a long fermentation process, the phytate
and "anti-nutrient" levels of soybeans are reduced, and their
beneficial properties become available to your digestive system. To
learn more, please see this previous article detailing the
dangers of unfermented soy.
9. Artificial Sweeteners
Contrary to popular belief, studies have found that artificial
sweeteners such as aspartame can stimulate your appetite, increase
carbohydrate cravings, and stimulate fat storage and weight gain. In
one of the most recent of such studies8,
saccharin and aspartame were found to cause greater weight gain
than sugar.
Aspartame is perhaps
one of the most problematic. It is primarily made up of aspartic
acid and phenylalanine. The phenylalanine has been synthetically
modified to carry a methyl group, which provides the majority of the
sweetness. That phenylalanine methyl bond, called a methyl ester, is
very weak, which allows the methyl group on the phenylalanine to
easily break off and form methanol.
You may have heard the claim that aspartame is harmless because
methanol is also found in fruits and vegetables. However, in fruits
and vegetables, the methanol is firmly bonded to pectin,
allowing it to be safely passed through your digestive tract. Not so
with the methanol created by aspartame; there it’s not bonded to
anything that can help eliminate it from your body.
Methanol acts as a Trojan horse; it's carried into susceptible
tissues in your body, like your brain and bone marrow, where the
alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) enzyme converts it into formaldehyde,
which wreaks havoc with sensitive proteins and DNA. All animals
EXCEPT HUMANS have a protective mechanism that allows methanol to be
broken down into harmless formic acid. This is why toxicology
testing on animals is a flawed model. It doesn't fully apply to
people.
Guidelines for Healthy Food
Whatever food you’re looking to eat, whether organic or locally
grown, from either your local supermarket or a farmer’s market, the
following are signs of a high-quality, healthy food. Most often, the
best place to find these foods is from a
sustainable agricultural group in your area. You can also review
my free
nutrition plan to get started on a healthy eating program today:
- It’s grown without pesticides and chemical fertilizers
(organic foods fit this description, but so do some non-organic
foods)
- It’s not genetically engineered
- It contains no added growth hormones, antibiotics, or other
drugs
- It does not contain artificial anything, nor any
preservatives
- It is fresh (if you have to choose between wilted organic
produce or fresh conventional produce, the latter may still be
the better option as freshness is important for optimal nutrient
content)
- It did not grown in a factory farm
- It is grown with the laws of nature in mind (meaning animals
are fed their native diets, not a mix of grains and animal
byproducts, and have free-range access to the outdoors)
- It is grown in a sustainable way (using minimal amounts of
water, protecting the soil from burnout, and turning animal
wastes into natural fertilizers instead of environmental
pollutants)
© Copyright 1997-2013 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.
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