March 20. First day of spring. Depending on where you live, you're filling the Space Bags with heavy sweaters or shifting your body-covering clothes to the back of the closet. Spring is all about renewal and preparing for the "baring" of arms and legs.
Instead of downloading the latest trend in diet books from Amazon or buying the magazine at the checkout that tells you how to lose ten pounds in five days, clean your diet and your pantry of the unhealthy foods. I'll share my list of the dietary offenders, which when eaten on a regular basis, give us more muffin tops than the local bakery!
1. Sugar: Cane sugar, beet sugar, high fructose corn syrup, fructose, agave, the blue, yellow, or pink stuff. A rose is a rose is rose. Sugar is the suspect for countless diseases and conditions, from Type 2 Diabetes and obesity to heart disease and increased LDL or "bad" cholesterol. Sugar consumption may play a role in promoting the growth of insulin-receptive tumors. The pastel packets are responsible for additional mischief.
2. Artificial Colors: The chemicals that give mac & cheese or Cheeto's their bright orange hue may also contribute to hyperactivity in children and a host of other problems. A recent Change.org petition asked Kraft to remove the colorant from the boxed favorite.
3. BHA and BHT: This pair of additives are used to prevent oxidation of fats and oils in processed foods. The verdict is still out on their safety. The Center for Science in the Public Interest places BHT on its watch list and recommends avoiding BHA.
4. GMOs: The safety of genetically modified organisms or GMOs is a dubious proposition at best. Whole Foods will be labeling all foods containing genetically modified ingredients by 2018. Check my previous blogs about GMOs for more information. In the meantime, avoid the following ingredients.
5: Non-organic Corn, Soy, Beet Sugar, Canola Oil: The who's who of the processed food lineup. An estimated 97% of domestic soy crops are genetically modified. In addition to the questionable safety of GMO crops, habitual consumption of any food can present risks. Since virtually all processed and fast foods contain derivatives of corn and soy, walk on the safe side.
6. Soy: Few other foods have shared equal time on both sides of the Most Wanted List. Not so long ago, the medical community and food processors were lauding the health benefits of the fuzzy green bean with presumptive heart disease and cancer protection. Not so fast. Studies have been inconclusive and processed soy as in soy milk, soy protein isolates, lechitin, texturized vegetable protein and the rest may cause hormone and endocrine disruption, which may lead to a multitude of diseases and conditions, including infertility, cancer, and thyroid problems.
7. Vegetable Oils: Canola, Mazola. An excessive amount of Omega-6 oils may lead to a variety of health problems, especially when heated to smoking point. Our per capita consumption of Omega-6 oils has increased from one pound at turn of century to 75 pounds today.
8: Trans fats: Food processors add hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make the oils solid at room temperature to increase shelf life. Trans fats throw a one-two punch on cholesterol levels, raising your LDL or "bad cholesterol" while lowering your HDL or "good" cholesterol. Trans fats are found in crackers, cookies, baked goods, snack foods, frozen dinners, and shortening.
Cleaning our your pantry means more than checking the expiration dates or near empty containers.
Need some assistance to switch out your pantry with healthy options? Contact me at info@bethckramer.com to find out about April's Clean Your Pantry Special.
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