admin

Nutrition is full of all sorts of lies, myths and misconceptions.

What people believe to be true is often the exact opposite of the truth.

Here are 11 “diet” foods that are actually making people fatter.

1. Breakfast Cereals

So-called “healthy” cereals are the worst foods you can possibly eat at the start of the day.

They are usually loaded with sugar and refined carbs, which are some of the most fattening ingredients in existence (1, 2).

Starting your day off with a processed cereal will spike your blood sugar and insulin levels. When your blood sugar crashes a few hours later, your body will call for another snack high in refined carbs (3).

This is the blood sugar roller coaster that is familiar to people on high-carb diets.

Seriously… READ the label. Most breakfast cereals, even those with health claims like “low-fat” or “whole grain” on the package, are usually loaded with sugar.

If you’re hungry in the morning, eat breakfast… but choose something unprocessed and that has protein in it (like eggs and veggies).

If you really must eat cereal for breakfast, find one that doesn’t include sugar or highly refined grains.

Bottom Line: Most commercial breakfast cereals are high in sugar and refined carbs, which are highly fattening and extremely unhealthy.

2. Agave Nectar

Agave nectar (or Agave syrup) is often marketed as a natural alternative to sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

The problem with Agave, is that it is not healthy at all. If anything, it is even worse than sugar.

One of the main reasons sugar is so unhealthy, is that it contains excessive amounts of the simple sugar fructose.

Whereas sugar contains 50% fructose, Agave contains as much as 70-90%!

Of course, small amounts of fructose from fruit are fine, but consuming excessive amounts from added sugars can have devastating effects on metabolic health (4).

High amounts of fructose can cause insulin resistance and chronically elevated levels of the fat storing hormone insulin (5, 6).

It can also cause high triglycerides, elevated blood sugars, harmful effects on your cholesterol, abdominal obesity and a ton of other metabolic problems (7).

If you think you’re doing your body a favor by replacing sugar with Agave, think again. You’re actually making things worse.

Instead, use a natural sweetener that is low in fructose.

Bottom Line: Agave is even higher in fructose than sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Excessive fructose consumption is strongly associated with obesity and all sorts of metabolic diseases.

3. Whole Wheat Bread

Whole wheat is often recommended as a healthy alternative to refined wheat.

Well… it’s true. Whole wheat is, at the very least, “less bad” than refined wheat.

But one of the main problem with most whole grain foods, is that they aren’t made from actual whole grains. It is a marketing ploy.

Almost without exception, the grains have been pulverized into very fine flour that is just as easily digestible and spikes blood sugar just as fast as the refined grains.

In fact, whole wheat bread has a glycemic index (a measure of how quickly foods spike blood sugar) that is just as high as regular white bread (8).

Whole wheat bread might contain a little more fiber and some more nutrients, but there really isn’t much difference when it hits your system.

Plus, there really is NO nutrient in wheat (whole or refined) that you can’t get in even greater amounts from other foods.

There are some grains out there that seem to be healthy for people who can tolerate them, but wheat definitely does NOT belong in that category.

Many studies show that wheat (even “heart-healthy” whole wheat) can lead to health problems, especially in people who are sensitive to gluten (9, 10, 11).

Bottom Line: Whole wheat bread is usually not made with actual whole grains. It spikes blood sugar just as fast as white bread and can contribute to various health problems.

4. Granola

If granola is made with real ingredients, it certainly can be healthy.

But it suffers from the same problem as most other “health foods.”

When the food manufacturers start mass producing them, they alter them in a way that they aren’t healthy anymore.

Granola contains some healthy ingredients like oats and nuts, but when you add sugar and oil to it and combine it in a package that encourages overconsumption, then it isn’t healthy anymore.

Bottom Line: Granola is often highly processed and contains added sugar and oil. It is very energy dense and easy to overconsume.

5. Low Fat Yogurt

Yogurt is often considered to be a healthy food… and it is.

But the problem is that most yogurt found in stores is low-fat yogurt… which is highly processed garbage.

When food manufacturers remove the fat from foods, they taste terrible. That’s why they add a whole bunch of other stuff to compensate for the lack of fat.

In the case of yogurt, they usually add sugar, high fructose corn syrup or some kind of artificial sweetener.

But new studies are showing that saturated fat is actually harmless… so low-fat yogurt has had the good stuff removed, only to be replaced with something that is much, much worse (12, 13).

There is also no evidence that dairy fat contributes to obesity. In fact, one study showed that people who ate the most high-fat dairy products were the least likely to become obese (14)!

So… eat real, full-fat yogurt, but avoid low-fat yogurt like the plague.

Bottom Line: Low-fat yogurt is yogurt that has had the good stuff (saturated fat) removed, only to be replaced with something much worse, like sugar.

6. Commercial Salad Dressings

Vegetables are very healthy. They’re loaded with nutrients, antioxidants, soluble fiber and various goodies.

For this reason, salads are usually very healthy meals.

However, a lot of people don’t like the bland taste of vegetables, so they add dressing to their salads.

The problem with most commercial dressings is that they’re made with nasty ingredients like soybean oil and high fructose corn syrup.

It is much better to make your own dressing. Something with extra virgin olive oil, vinegar and some spices is a much healthier option.

Obviously, salad dressings can also be very high in calories and it is easy to consume a lot of them, which can be a major problem.

Bottom Line: Most commercial salad dressings contain unhealthy ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and soybean oil. It is much better to make your own.

7. Fruit Juices

Fruit juice is often perceived as healthy… it comes from fruit, right?

Well, not always. Sometimes “fruit juice” is actually just fruit flavored sugar water.

There may not even be any actual fruit in there… it may just be water, sugar and some chemicals that taste like fruit.

But even IF you can get your hands on real, 100% fruit juice, you still shouldn’t be drinking it (or at least not much).

The problem with fruit juice, is that it’s like fruit except with all of the good stuff taken out.

Whole fruits do contain some sugar, but it is bound within the fibrous cell walls, which slows down the release of the sugar into the bloodstream.

But fruit juice is different… there’s no fiber, no chewing resistance and nothing to stop you from downing massive amounts of sugar in a matter of seconds. One cup of orange juice contains almost as much sugar as two whole oranges (15, 16).

The sugar content of fruit juice is actually very similar to sugar-sweetened beverages like Coca Cola.

So… eat whole fruit, but avoid fruit juice if you’re trying to lose weight.

Bottom Line: Fruit juice is high in sugar, but has no fiber. It is very easy to consume massive amounts of sugar from fruit juice.

8. Diet Soft Drinks

One of the easiest changes for many people to make, is to replace sugar-sweetened beverages with diet soda.

This is an effective way to reduce both sugar and calories in the diet.

However… the studies don’t support that this leads to actual weight loss. People who replace sugary soda with diet soda don’t end up weighing less (17).

The reason may be that artificial sweeteners can stimulate the appetite in some people. Even though the sweeteners themselves are calorie free, they may make you eat more of other foods (18, 19, 20).

That being said, a lot of people can lose weight drinking diet soda, but that’s probably because they’re changing a bunch of other things as well.

As with most things, this depends on the individual. On its own, just switching to diet soda is unlikely to help and may even make things worse for some people.

Bottom Line: Artificially sweetened beverages contain no sugar and no calories, but some studies show that they can stimulate the appetite.

9. “Organic” Processed Foods

Organic whole foods are excellent, but processed organic foods are not.

When you look at the ingredients labels for many of these organic, “healthy” meal replacement bars, crackers, snacks, etc… then you see that they really aren’t that much different from other processed foods.

Sure, they might contain Organic Cane Sugar instead of regular sugar… but organic sugar is just as bad as regular sugar. Your liver won’t tell the difference.

So… eat whole, single ingredient foods (organic if you can afford it) but avoid organic processed foods.

Bottom Line: Even though organic whole foods are healthy, a lot of organic but processed foods are made with unhealthy ingredients like sugar.

10. Trail Mixes

Trail mixes usually contain dried fruit, nuts or peanuts, sometimes along with some chocolate and grains.

This is a very energy dense snack. The dried fruit has a lot of concentrated sugar and the nuts are loaded with fat in a dense package.

For this reason, it is excellent when you need a lot of energy… such as when you’re hiking.

However, most people today are NOT suffering from a lack of energy.

Trail mixes are high-carb AND high-fat at the same time, which is a terrible combination if you are trying to lose weight.

That being said, trail mixes are fine if you don’t consume too much at a time.

Bottom Line: Trail mixes are very energy dense and are an excellent snack for people who need energy. However, they are high in both carbs and fat at the same time, which is a bad combination if weight loss is your goal.

11. Gluten Free Junk Foods

Gluten free is very popular these days.

According to one 2013 survey, a third of Americans are actively trying to reduce the amount of gluten in their diets.

The food manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon and brought all sorts of gluten-free replacement products to the markets.

The problem is that they are usually just as bad as their gluten containing counterparts.

These foods are usually made with highly refined carbohydrates, sugar and various chemicals.

If you’re going to eliminate gluten, then choose foods that are naturally gluten free (like plants and animals)… NOT processed gluten-free foods.

Junk food with “gluten free” on the label is still junk food.

 

By Kris Gunnars, BSc

“Sugar scares me.” – Dr. Lewis Cantley, Cancer Researcher

Added sugar is the single worst ingredient in the modern diet.

Awareness of its harmful effects has increased dramatically in the past few years.

Despite what some people would have you believe, empty calories are just the tip of the iceberg.

Sugar, due to its high amount of the simple sugar fructose, can wreak havoc on your metabolism.

Consumed in excess, it causes high cholesterol and triglycerides, insulin resistance and fat buildup in the liver and abdominal cavity… in as little as 10 weeks (1, 2).

Added sugar (and its evil twin… high fructose corn syrup) is believed to be a key driver of some of the world’s leading killers… including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and even cancer (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9).

But today… there are all sorts of “healthy” sugar-based sweeteners on the market.

The problem with many of them, is that they are just as bad as regular sugar.

In some cases, these healthy sugars are even worse… and they are added liberally to all sorts of foods that are then marketed as “health foods.”

Here are 6 “healthy” sugars that are actually very harmful.

1. Agave Nectar

Agave nectar (often called Agave syrup) is a very popular sweetener in the natural health community.

This sweetener is touted as a healthy alternative to sugar because it has a low glycemic index.

The glycemic index (GI) is the potential of foods to lead to rapid spikes in blood sugar. Some studies show that eating a lot of high GI foods is unhealthy (10, 11).

But the harmful effects of sugar have very little to do with the glycemic index and everything to do with the large amount of fructose… and Agave is high in fructose.

Fructose doesn’t raise blood sugar or insulin in the short term, but when consumed in high amounts it leads to insulin resistance… a long-term effect that will chronically elevate blood sugar and insulin levels (12, 13).

Having blood sugars go up for a short time isn’t that bad, but having them chronically elevated (high all the time) is a recipe for disaster.

For this reason… the fructose content of sugar is a much bigger problem than its glycemic index. Regular sugar is about 50% fructose, while Agave is about 70-90% fructose.

Gram for gram, agave nectar is actually much, much worse than regular sugar.

2. Raw Organic Cane Sugar

I see a lot of “health products” sweetened with raw, organic cane sugar.

Do not let the name deceive you… this is just sugar.

Organically grown sugar is still sugar and whether it is “raw” or not doesn’t make any difference.

The way this sweetener is processed may be different from the “regular” sugar you find on the supermarket shelves, but the chemical composition is exactly the same.

Most importantly, your body won’t recognize the difference. It will break the sugar down into glucose and fructose in the digestive tract and it will have the exact same effects on your metabolism.

For all intents and purposes, raw, organic cane sugar is completely identical to regular sugar.

3. Evaporated Cane Juice

I often see “evaporated cane juice” on processed food labels.

Don’t be fooled by the name… evaporated cane juice is just a fancy name for sugar.

This is plain deception by the food manufacturers, done in order to hide the true sugar content of foods from the consumer.

Really… if you see “evaporated” and “juice” in the same word on an ingredients label, it should make you wonder what else the manufacturer is trying to hide from you.

When the sweetener reaches your intestine and liver, your body won’t recognize any difference between “evaporated juice” and plain old sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

4. Brown Sugar

When sugar is made, molasses form as a by-product.

Sometimes, after the sugar has been refined and processed, small amounts of molasses are added back into it.

This gives the sugar a brown color and it is then called brown sugar.

Molasses are about 50% sugar, but they also contain a small amounts of minerals (14).

Put simply, brown sugar is regular sugar diluted with a slightly less unhealthy, less concentrated sugar.

The tiny amount of minerals does NOT make up for the other negative health effects.

5. Coconut Sugar

Coconut sugar is derived from the sap (sugary circulating fluid) of the coconut plant.

The manufacturing method is very natural… it simply involves extracting the sugary fluid, then allowing the water to evaporate.

Coconut sugar contains a small amount of fiber and a few nutrients, while also having a lower glycemic index than regular sugar (15).

But again… the glycemic index is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the harmful effects of sugar. What really matters is whether this product is high in fructose or not.

Coconut sugar is actually very high in fructose. It contains a small amount of free fructose, but 75-80% of it is sucrose, which is half fructose (16).

Therefore, the total fructose content of coconut sugar is somewhere around 35-45%, give or take.

Due to the slightly smaller amount of fructose than sugar, and the tiny amounts of fiber and nutrients, you could say that coconut sugar is less unhealthy than regular sugar, gram for gram.

However… being “less unhealthy” than sugar does NOT make it healthy.

6. Honey

Honey contains some nutrients… including antioxidants and trace amounts of vitamins and minerals (17).

It is about 80% sugar, by weight (18).

That being said, several studies have compared honey and plain sugar and noted that honey had slightly less harmful effects on metabolism (19, 20).

Like coconut sugar, honey is “less bad” than regular sugar.

But again… being less bad than sugar doesn’t make it good.

If you’re healthy, having some quality honey in moderation is probably fine. It is definitely a better choice than plain sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

But honey is not a harmless sweetener and certainly won’t help you lose weight, like some people would have you believe.

Take Home Message

All the sugar you eat will go down to your intestine, get broken down into glucose and fructose and eventually reach the liver.

Your liver does not know (or care) whether the sugar you eat is organic or not.

 

By Kris Gunnars, BSc

Along with other fruits and vegetables, Christopher Columbus brought lemons with him on his second voyage to the New World in 1493, and they have been growing in Florida since the 16th century.

Besides large amounts of vitamin C, lemons also contain riboflavin, thiamin, iron, magnesium, pantothenic acid, fiber, vitamin B6, potassium, copper, calcium and folate.
Did you know? Lemons protected miners against scurvy during the California Gold Rush, and cost as much as one dollar each in 1849.

Although we may not be overly concerned about scurvy in America today, here are 21 extraordinary ways to put lemons to work in your life:

FOR HEALTH

Use # 1: Free radical fighter

Vitamin C is the most important antioxidant. This vitamin neutralizes free radicals both inside and outside of cells. Free radicals are responsible for damaging cells and cellular membranes which leads to inflammation, chronic disease and accelerated aging.

Free radicals can also damage blood vessels and alter cholesterol so that it builds up on artery walls. Vitamin C helps prevent this buildup, and consequently helps to stop the progression of atherosclerosis and heart disease in diabetics.

Use # 2: Immune system booster

When cold and flu season arrives, it is always a good idea to keep a bag of fresh lemons handy. The citric acid, bioflavonoids, vitamin C, calcium, pectin and limonene do a great job of boosting your immune system and keeping infections at bay.

Use # 3: Cancer protection

Lemons contain 22 anti-cancer compounds including limonene – an oil that has been shown to halt the growth of cancer tumors in animals. In addition, they also contain flavonol glycosides, which stop the division of cancer cells.

A 2005 study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that limonoids in citrus fruits protect cells from damage that can lead to cancer. Another study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry stated that limonoids can inhibit tumors in the mouth and stop the growth of cancer cells once a tumor has formed.

Use # 4: pH balance

Lemons are considered one of the most alkalizing foods you can eat. This may seem counterintuitive, as they are acidic on their own. However, in the body, lemons are alkaline; the citric acid does not create acidity once it has been metabolized.

The minerals in lemons actually help to alkalize the blood. Most people are too acidic, and lemons reduce overall acidity, drawing uric acid from the joints. This reduces the pain and inflammation which many people feel.

Use # 5: Oxygen uptake

Lemons have a purer concentration of negatively charged ions than any other fruit. Pierce J. Howard, PhD, author of The Owners Manual for the Brain; Everyday Applications from Mind Brain Research, says, “negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain; resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy. They also may protect against germs in the air.” The first man to reach the top of Mount Everest, Sir Edmund Hillary, said that he attributed much of his success to lemons!

LEMON FACT: One lemon tree can produce up to 600 pounds of lemons in a year. If you live in an area where you can grow a tree you should plant one or two!

Use # 6: Fiber

Most people fall far short of the 20 to 38 grams of fiber recommended daily. Without proper fiber, however, you can easily become constipated or develop hemorrhoids. Consuming adequate fiber has been shown to reduce the risk of developing health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and diverticulitis.

In fact, the American Diabetes Association includes lemons on their list of superfoods because of their high fiber content. In addition, the pectin fiber in lemons can help keep you from getting hungry and overeating.

Use # 7: Mood and energy

Have you ever gotten up on the “wrong side of the bed?” If you are often lethargic and cranky in the morning, or any time of the day, for that matter, you may want to consider munching on a lemon.

Our energy comes from atoms and molecules in our food. When positively charged atoms flood the digestive tract and mingle with those that are negatively charged, a positive reaction occurs.

Lemons contain more negatively charged ions than positive ions, which gives you a boost as the lemon enters your digestive tract. Just the scent alone of lemons can improve your mood and elevate your energy levels. Lemons also promote clear thinking and help reduce anxiety and depression.

Use # 8: Digestive health

Your body works hard to digest all that you give it. Lemon juice helps flush away unwanted materials and toxins left from the digestive process. Because lemon juice is similar in atomic composition to digestive juices and saliva, it does a great job breaking down material and encouraging the liver to produce bile.

Use # 9: Clear skin

Sometimes we forget that the key to clear and beautiful skin starts with great nutrition. Thanks to the vitamin C in lemons, these little citrus fruits can help decrease wrinkles and blemishes. Lemons help to push toxins from the body and support healthy liver function, which also keeps skin clear and supple.

Use #10: Kidney stones

When you don’t have enough citrate in your urine, you are at an increased risk of developing kidney stones. Eating lemons on a regular basis can help raise the citrate levels in your urine, and may prevent stones from forming by coating very small stones and keeping other material from attaching to the small stones and enlarging them.

Use #11: Blood pressure

Lemons are high in potassium, which is an important mineral that helps to keep blood vessels soft and flexible. This, in turn, helps to reduce high blood pressure. The vitamin B in lemons is also beneficial to heart health.
For home and beauty:

Use #12: Cutting board refresher

No matter how clean you try to keep your cutting boards, it is inevitable that they will capture the odors of the foods that you cut on them. After each use, cut a lemon in half and rub the cutting board down. You can also pour some lemon juice in a small spray bottle and spritz the board after each use. Rinse well and allow the board to air dry.

Try This: Rubbing a lemon on your lips before bed and washing it off in the morning will help remove dead skin cells and make your lips soft.

Use #13: Insect repellant for kitchen

If you have small children or pets you may be leary of using a chemical treatment for insects that decide to take up residence in your home. To keep ants and other insects out spray a little juice on door thresholds and window sills.

If you can see where the ants or other unwanted guests are coming from, squeeze a little juice into holes or cracks. You can also cut up small pieces of lemons outside of doors as well. To deter roaches and fleas, mix the juice of four lemons, with rinds left on, with ½ gallon of water and wash your floors.

Use #14: Lighten age spots

Age spots, also known as liver spots, are harmless spots that generally appear in persons over fifty. They can sometimes be the result of sun exposure and are completely harmless, although some people don’t like the way they look.

If you are one of those persons, you can lighten these spots naturally with lemon. Simply apply some real lemon juice to the dark area (a spray bottle works well), and let it sit on the spot for about fifteen minutes before rinsing off. Keep this up daily and you will see a lightening in no time.

Use #15: Natural hair highlights

Do you dream of beautiful hair highlights but dread using heavy chemicals? Using lemons for lightening your hair is a wonderful way to get lovely highlights without exposing yourself to toxins. Mix ¼ cup of lemon juice with ¾ cup water and use this mixture to rinse your hair. After you rinse, sit in the sun until your hair dries. Repeat this once daily for up to a week until you see the desired impact.

Use #16: Dandruff fighter

Many people are plagued with dandruff and tirelessly seek relief. Thankfully, there is a very easy way to ease dandruff using lemon juice. Massage two tablespoons of lemon juice into your scalp and rinse with water. Next, stir one teaspoon of lemon juice into a cup of water and rinse your hair with it – repeat this until you see an improvement in your dandruff.

Use #17: Breath freshener

For long lasting fresh breath rinse with straight lemon juice. Rather than spitting the juice out, swallow it. Citric acid, found in lemon juice will alter the pH level in your mouth, killing the bacteria that cause breath odor. Rinse your mouth and teeth well as longterm exposure to the acid can damage tooth enamel.

Use #18: Berry stain remover

Berries are a delicious and nutritious treat and so much fun to go pick yourself. If you find that your fingers become stained from the berries (and they will if you pick enough), you will also find that regular soap and water will not come close to removing the stains.

However, pour a little undiluted lemon juice on your hands, wait a few minutes, and wash with warm and soapy water. Repeat until your hands are stain-free – it shouldn’t take more than a couple of washes.

Use #19: Clean brass and chrome

Does your brass or chrome need a pick-me-up? If so, let lemons do the work for you. You can easily make a paste with lemon juice and baking soda. Just mix enough of each to make the consistency of toothpaste. Apply the mixture to your brass or chrome and let it sit for about five minutes. Wash it off with warm water – dry and polish with a clean cloth. You can also clean your kitchen sink with this mixture and the bonus is that it smells amazingly fresh. It will work to remove mineral deposits as well.