The first culprit to go is MSG, a flavor enhancer developed in Japan and used extensively in processed foods to make it taste better. It has been linked to migraine headaches, cardiac arrhythmias, Alzheimers, autism... and the list seems to be growing. This is one of the trickiest of chemicals to eliminate because it comes under a list of about 25 different names. Many of these names seem innocent enough: vegetable protein extract, hydrolyzed plant protein, yeast extract, autolysed yeast... why you would think these ingredients were based on natural flavors. Guess what? Natural flavor is an allowable buzz word for all these ingredients. They are just new names for Monosodium Glutamate. All fast food restaurants use this ingredient and as well as promoting weight gain, it is also addicting. Profits over health... I have no use for that!
The second poison is high-fructose corn syrup. This is probably the biggest contributor to obesity and the diabetes epidemic. It is basically fake sugar made from turning synthetic corn to "cornstarch", heating it to a "corn" syrup (keep in mind the corn is fake... you can't eat it). It is added to foods to make them taste sweeter than sugar and has the ability to extend shelf life of all those sweetened goodies. As a matter of fact, check most labels on any processed food and you will be sure to see its appearance... even in food products that are not supposed to be sweet. This poison is the staple ingredient in soda ( unless it is diet soda whose ingredients are just as bad) and although this beverage is known to cause obesity, our government subsidizes farmers (i.e big business conglomerates) who grow this fake corn. This poison is like a foreign substance when it gets into the body and in large quantities has the ability to harm the liver. The cost of convenience can be deadly indeed. When I want a soda I put a small amount of fruit syrup (containing real sugar) in a glass with seltzer water. It is just delicious!
Last but not least is the hydrogenated vegetable oil or trans fats that increase bad cholesterol levels, clog arteries, and contribute to heart disease. It's a molecular modified version of oil that is processed using heavy metals such as nickel, cadmium, platinum... wouldn't this alone scare you from using the stuff? But buyer beware here, because now companies are using "no trans fats" on labels, when in fact products are allowed to have 0.5 mg of the poison and still be considered trans fat free. Even if the label says it's "free," the prudent thing to do is to severely limit the products that need to brag about their trans fat free label. I make all my baked goods from scratch using old fashioned butter, and although I like savory snacks like potato chips... I limit these items in favor of foods that are naturally missing the trans fat, like nuts and seeds.
My trips to the grocery store are much quicker now that I have omitted these chemicals from my diet... so many aisles are dedicated to the sale of products that contain them that most of the food that I actually buy comes from the outer perimeter of the store. I did my research... followed through on eliminating these three culprits, and can feel the difference in my weight, energy levels, and general well-being. I found that the more you eat healthy natural food, the more you will crave natural healthy food. It's that simple.
