Five Healthy Foods to Avoid: You’ve Been Misled

Americans have become too trusting in manufacturer’s food labels. Our grocery stores are now filled with “health foods” and “natural foods” that are anything but beneficial for us to consume. That’s why I’ve compiled this list of five Healthy foods to avoid.

Most people today are absolutely clueless about what to eat, what not to eat and how to tell the difference between the two and this situation has become very serious.

We Have Been Misled About Healthy Food

A study in the British Journal of Nutrition suggests that the main reason we have been duped into believing that unhealthy foods are good for us is how these products are advertised. (1)

The marketing deception secret is neglecting to portray foods in their proper context and portion size. In the words of Newcastle University researchers:

One method of ‘reflecting moderation in consumption and portion size’ and reinforcing the importance of a balanced diet in food advertisements is to position advertised foods in a wider food context. However, to date, no evidence describing the food context in which foods are advertised has been published. Manufacturers’ claims that their marketing positions their products in a ‘healthy’ context cannot, therefore, be confirmed or refuted. (1)

Children are particularly misled by this faulty advertising.

The end result of this mass deception is the creation of an entire culture, where each generation since the Baby Boomers have been basically eating out of a box and flock to anything labeled “all natural” without even a second thought.

The Five Worst Health Foods

Americans have been convinced that countless food items are actually good for them because of false, misleading advertising, and the five worst health foods and offenders are:

1. Vegetable Oils

Vegetable oils like canola have been heavily marketed as the “heart healthy” solution to the rise in cardiovascular disease, however, because most are usually genetically modified and partially hydrogenated they have been known to cause: (2,3)

• Birth defects
• Bone, skin, immune, digestive and vision problems
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Learning disabilities
• Liver disease
• Low birth weight
• Obesity
• Sexual dysfunction & sterility
• Stunted growth

These oils have actually been linked to atherosclerosis and increased cholesterol levels, which are two of the main contributors to heart disease; the very thing they are supposed to prevent. Definitely one of the “healthy” foods to avoid! Try quality coconut oil or olive oil instead.

2. Artificial Sweeteners

Recommended by many doctors and dietitians, artificial sweeteners are praised for being low on the glycemic index and supposedly are diabetic-safe. (4)

This is very curious because according to recent data, artificial sweeteners have been linked to actually causing diabetes.(5) That’s why we focus on natural sweeteners as often as possible.

In addition to creating a disturbance in gut flora that contributes to increased risk of developing diabetes, these sweeteners can also cause: (6)

• Allergies
• Cancer (bladder, brain, breast, leukemia)
• Headaches and migraines
• Hypertension and heart disease
• Seizures
• Weight gain/obesity

3. Unfermented Soy

If we were to take a survey and ask the average American citizen what the #1 health food item on the market is, tofu and soy products would most definitely be in the top 10.

You’ll find So Delicious soy milk and ice cream everywhere as “dairy alternatives,” because pasteurized dairy has been linked to a slew of health concerns. This, folks, has been THE deception of the health food industry.

Why is soy bad for you? Well, first of all, not all soy products are bad; just unfermented soy. For thousands of years, the Far East has fermented soy and has enjoyed the health benefits of Natto, miso and tempeh. However, eating edamame and drinking soy milk by the gallon is quite another story altogether.

Veritably 100% of all soy grown in the U.S. is “Roundup ready.” This means that it has been genetically modified to control weeds with the broad spectrum herbicide, which does not discriminate between harmless grass, garden plants, lawn, and bothersome weeds. This Frankensolution to a natural bug problem is arguably the reason why celiac disease, gluten intolerance, GI problems and learning disabilities have been on the rise the past two decades. (7)

In turn, most health experts agree that long-term use of soy products are unsafe because they have been linked to the following: (8)

• Asthma
• Breast cancer
• Cancer
• Cystic fibrosis
• Hay fever
• Kidney disease
• Thyroid disease
• And many, many more…

4. Conventional Fish and Meat

Like soy, not all fish and meat is bad for you, just the factory farm-raised varieties. Even salmon, widely regarded as THE healthiest protein and Omega-3 choice is harmful if farmed by conventional methods.

Why? Because of the genetically modified feed these animals are given in these farms. According to the non-profit organization Environmental Working Group (EWG):

“Seven of ten farmed salmon purchased at grocery stores in Washington DC, San Francisco, and Portland, Oregon were contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) at levels that raise health concerns, according to independent laboratory tests commissioned by Environmental Working Group.” (9)

Essentially, farmed-fish:

• Literally contains up to 40 times more PCB concentrations than all protein sources in the U.S.
• Is 16 times more likely to contain PCBs than wild-caught fish.

In addition to PCBs, farm-raised fish have been shown to contain the following known neurotoxins and carcinogens:

1. Dioxins – Waste treatment plant byproducts.
2. Toxaphene – A pesticide banned since 1982.
3. Dieldrin – Another banned pesticide.

And we see a similar picture with factory-farmed beef, pork, and poultry.

5. Fruit Juice

Most people are floored to learn that fruit juice is bad for them. There are many reasons why:

• Heating juice kills the chemical makeup of the fruit and, unless it is truly “raw,” juice is nothing more than flavored fructose. Most store bought versions are pasteurized, which renders them useless because they are void of nutrition.
• When you drink fruit juice frequently, it contributes to diabetes and other inflammatory conditions because it causes a major spike in blood glucose.
• Our bodies aren’t designed to consume large amounts of fructose in one sitting and it puts undue stress on the entire body.(10)
• Excessive sugar consumption causes unwanted weight gain and obesity allowing the body to store extra fat.

Think of it this way: Fresh, raw, whole fruit contains a considerable amount of soluble and insoluble fiber, which aids in digestion.

Helping us feel “full,” this fiber feeds the healthy bacteria in our gut. If you skip eating the fruit and drink the juice only, you are robbing your body of the fiber, which is why excessive juice drinkers oftentimes experience diarrhea and other GI issues.

You can’t believe everything you read on labels and especially on the Internet. The blessing of free speech has been adulterated with false, greedy advertisements and many “health” blogs are nothing more than a way to promote a product sales.

It’s essential to be a life-long student and stay tuned to trusted sources with which you resonate. We invite you to follow Natural Living Family newsletters for trusted natural health information as we continue our search for truth!