Day 6
Pre-cleanse Prep Day 6
Nutritional bandits gum up our body signals, confuse our internal conversation, create a toxic overload in the body, and rob us of our health when consumed regularly. Today we take a look at "nutritional bandits" 9 and 10, unhealthy fats and chemical stressors, and a list of movies to watch for education and inspiration.
Nutritional Bandit: Unhealthy Fats
There are two kinds of fats: “good” fats that are absolutely essential to health, and "bad" fats that are extremely detrimental to our health.
When it comes to living a well-balanced lifestyle, fat can be a tricky nutrient to understand. Like proteins and carbohydrates, fats are essential to our diet. We definitely need a certain amount of "good" fat in our diet to stay healthy. It provides energy, stabilizes blood sugar, helps the body absorb important vitamins and minerals, is essential for cell and nerve health and blood clotting, reducing inflammation, makes food taste better, and helps up feel full after meals. However, while good fats can benefit your health in significant ways, other unhealthy fats can hinder your body's performance and have been linked to health problems, like high cholesterol, high blood pressure and even disease. Knowing the difference can help you determine which fats to avoid and which to eat in moderation.
Fats are determined to be “good” or “bad” depending on many factors: what kind of fat, how it has been “treated”, how old it is, how it has been used in food preparation, how much, and in what balance. But for the most part two types, saturated fat and trans fat, are responsible for giving "fat" a bad rap in the nutrition world. Unfortunately, these fats have increased in our diet as they make us fatter and contribute to inflammation, which plays a role in nearly every chronic disease on the planet.
Researchers have found that most saturated fats (butter, cheese, meat, — usually solid at room temperature) become unhealthy during cooking, charbroiling, artificial processing or poor storage. Trans-saturated fats or hydrogenated fats are oils with extra hydrogen pumped into them to cause a reconstruction of the chemical bonds and to delay rancidity (as in margarine and shortening) and are now known to be one of the worst fats we can consume. They are found in commercial baked goods, chips & crackers, fried foods, fast foods, coffee creamers, candy, and more. Oils that are used in cooking at high temperatures or left unused turn rancid (including fried foods, roasted nuts & coffee beans) and add to the toxic burden of the body. All of these fats are MAJOR culprits in many health problems, including all forms of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, PMS, and certain types of mental illness, and it is recommended to limit consumption of them in a healthy diet.
HERE ARE SOME LINKS IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION:
If you are consuming unhealthy fats frequently, begin to reduce the amount to lessen the withdrawal symptoms when you eliminate them completely for our 2 week cleanse.
Please note that although coconut oil is a “saturated fat”, it is an extremely healthy fat and very beneficial to the body - in small amounts!
HERE IS A LINK FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Nutritional Bandit 10: Chemical Stressors
Bottom line is if you are consuming a food or beverage created in a lab instead of by nature, you can be assured your body doesn't recognize it, and doesn't have the enzymes necessary to break it down, metabolize or eliminate it.
Chemical stressors refer to direct and indirect additives in our foods.
THEY INCLUDE:
Pesticides and fertilizers
Industrial pollutants
Contaminants in food processing
Chemicals and drugs used in raising livestock
Food additives such as artificial sweeteners, food coloring and flavors, mold inhibitors, bleaching agents, sulfites and more.
THE MAJORITY OF THESE ARE NOT DISCLOSED ON FOOD LABELS!!! And many interact and become even more toxic when combined. While the healthy body can handle SOME of these, the cumulative burden due to persistent bombardment of chemical stressors puts our health seriously at risk and we are even more vulnerable if our health is compromised to begin with. Repeated exposure damages our cells and tissues, endangering our health, and often leading to chronic disease such as cancer, immune, nervous system, hormone and reproductive system disorders, liver, kidney and other chronic health problems.
Artificial sweeteners such as Saccharin (Sweet-n-Low), Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal) and Sucralose (Splenda) are CHEMICAL compounds that have many long range health concerns associated with their use — NO MATTER WHAT THEY ADVERTISE!!!
So, if our goal is to eat whole foods in their most natural state, then logically the most natural foods would be organic. The only way to avoid “chemical stressors” in your food is to MAKE SURE IT IS ORGANIC!!! All organic foods sold in the US must be certified to the USDA National Organic Standards, which prohibit the use of GMOs.
This is where folks usually say, “but organic is so expensive!” Actually, in the long run, it’s not. Most people are undernourished (even those who are overweight). When your body doesn’t get the nutrients it needs, it tells you that you’re still hungry. So, if you are getting adequate nutrition, you simply aren’t going to eat as much. The more satisfied you are with what you are eating, the less you’ll need to eat, AND the better you’ll feel!
HERE ARE SOME LINKS IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION:
22 ADDITIVES AND PRESERVATIVES TO AVOID
5 TIPS FOR CHOOSING ORGANIC FOOD
If you are consuming chemical stressors frequently, begin to reduce the amount to lessen the withdrawal symptoms when you eliminate them completely for our 2 week cleanse.
To be honest, with all of the cross pollination going on, it’s probably impossible to avoid GMO’s and toxic chemicals completely. Nor are organic versions of what you want always available. But at least by choosing organic food whenever possible you will be doing the best you can for your body as well as voting with your dollar for good, healthy food!
Movies To Educate And Inspire
Knowledge is power! The more you know, the more motivated you will be and the more you will be inclined to make healthier choices!
The documentary, Hungry for Change, educates you on how to make healthy food choices while helping you avoid health dangers from “fake foods”, how you can create vibrant health, abundant energy, and achieve your ideal body weight without dieting, and exposes deceptive tactics the food industry employs, but would rather you not know about… ways they create products that actually CAUSE cravings and keep you coming back for more.
In my opinion, it is the BEST movie on health and nutrition that I’ve seen, and actually was my inspiration for creating the 23 DAYS TO A HEALTHIER YOU Program. I highly recommend watching it ASAP!!!
Many movies about health are available online on Netflix or other streaming providers. Movies I recommend to support you in eating for optimal health are:
In Defense of Food - Journalist Michael Pollan examines the industrially driven Western diet to show how it has ruined our health, then offers solutions for the future.
What The Health? - This film examines the link between diet and disease, and the billions of dollars at stake in the healthcare, pharmaceutical, and food industries.
Food Matters — nutritionists, naturopaths, scientists, doctors, medical journalists & more take a look at how the food we eat is helping or hurting our health and what we can do to live and eat better.
Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead — 2 men attempt a rigorous healing diet of juicing fruits & vegetables to rescue their health.
Food Fight — Chef Alice Waters promotes local, organic & sustainable agriculture as a delicious alternative to mass produced fare.
Food, Inc. — Oscar nominated documentary exploring the food industries detrimental effects on our health & environment. (Good info but contains some disturbing stories & images.)
Forks Over Knives — 2 food scientists look at how a plant based diet impacts obesity, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, etc.
Fed Up — Childhood obesity has become an ever-more serious medical issue in the United States. This eye-opening documentary examines the underlying causes behind the epidemic, including the marketing strategies of major U.S. food producers.
Check-in:
Well, there you have it — the 10 “nutritional bandits” that rob us of our health when consumed on a regular basis. Tomorrow you’ll receive an Are You Eating For Health assessment questionnaire, an Cleanse Shopping List, Cleanse Tip #1 about the importance of making a plan, and my “famous” chicken soup and healthy smoothie recipes.
Please remember to continue to cut your intake of the “nutritional bandits” in half every few days and focus more on fresh organic vegetables and fruits, non-gluten whole grains, raw nuts & seeds, legumes, and good quality protein and fat - we're getting close now! If you want to get some ideas for “cleanse friendly” foods and recipes, visit:
Feel free to comment below or email me to ask questions or share your thoughts and experiences ~ I’d love to hear from you!
Blessings, JoAnn