13 Foods to Avoid
As a doctor I have made it my mission to educate as many people about the philosophical pitfalls of believing “if it’s on the shelf, it must be safe”. In the US we suffer from something called the “shortest healthy lifespan”. That means we spend more years battling chronic disease than our peers from the 12 industrialized nations. There are many factors leading to this problem, but one of the obvious is how loaded our diets are with artificial chemicals.
1.Soda. Ahh the good old American beverage. Soda is everywhere. It is marketed hard, and found at birthday parties to church functions. Nothing could be worse for the body than a splash of insulin overloading sugar soup. Almost every person I counsel on weight issues has a soda or diet soda addiction. 10 Diseases Linked to Soda Pop
2. Monosodium Glutamate. The word you need to know is excitotoxicity it is the pathological process by which nerve cells are damaged and killed by glutamate and similar substances i.e. (MSG). This occurs when receptors for the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate are bombarded and can cause excitotoxicity by allowing high levels of calcium ions (Ca2+) to enter the cell. Ca2+ influx into cells activates a number of enzymes. These enzymes go on to damage cell structures such as components of the cytoskeleton, membrane, and DNA.
Excitotoxicity may be involved in spinal cord injury, stroke, traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) such as Multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, Alcoholism and Huntington’s disease. It’s no wonder why the US leads the world in neurodegenerative diseases. Millions of people consume this product and don’t even know the side affects.
3. Aspartame. Is a non-nutritive sweetener about 180 times sweeter than sugar. When I speak people invariably want to argue this point. They want there artificial sweetener. I often get comments like “it’s FDA approved”. WARNING! WARNING! If the government has to “approve” something THERE IS A PROBLEM! It is simply approved until enough people die, than it will be unapproved. Your health is your responsibility. Guard it well.
4. Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup. If you have seen any of the advertising material for HFCS high-fructose corn syrup, the marketers are trying to convince us this is a natural product. HFCS or crystalline fructose or hydrolyzed fructose from inulin, convert to triglycerides and adipose tissue within one hour of consumption. The cheapest ingredient in the processed food industry is HFCS. The sad part about this debate is not whether HFCS cause problems, because that is settled with this research article. The fact that mercury is found at toxic levels should be more of a concern to every parent. What is happening to our children? Study Finds High-Fructose Corn Syrup Contains Mercury
5. No Hydrogenated Oil or Partially Hydrogenated Oil. Never buy foods with these ingredients since they are trans fats. Trans fats are deadly, causes heart disease, cause weight gain, and once more, other medical problems.
6. Avoid Sugar. In fact, the sweetener seems to prompt the same chemical changes in the brain seen in people who abuse drugs such as cocaine and heroin. Sugar that is processed turns out as refined white powder.
7. Don’t Be Fooled By “Natural” and “Artificial Flavor”. These words, most of the time, mean that the food is loaded with chemicals and grown with pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and herbicides. The bottom line-eating organic food is best.
8. Avoid Artificial Color. If anything has dye in it, stay away. A dye is really a chemical poison.
9. Avoid Palm Oil: This is a very unhealthy oil that is cheap to manufacture, but causes physical problems. So, stay away from it.
10. Dextrose, Sucrose, and Fructose. There are chemically made sweeteners. There are not good for the body at all. So, it’s best to avoid them.
11. Avoid Sucrulose and Splenda. This is a man-made sweetener that most people have heard of. In spite of the hype, it is unnatural, artificial, and man-made. The problems it can cause are increases in appetite, depression, allergies, etc., all depending on the person’s genetic makeup. It is best to avoid these products.
12. No Enriched Bleached White Flour. This flour has no fiber. It has no nutritional value, and is highly refined. Eat organic wheat flour or other organic flours such as rye, millet, etc.
13. Avoid Soy. Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food. Many patients in my office ask about soy products. This post is designed to help uncover some of the things many people are not aware of. Here is some of the research on soy. A 2001 literature review suggested that women with current or past breast cancer should be aware of the risks of potential tumor growth when taking soy products, based on the effect of phytoestrogens to promote breast cancer cell growth in animals.
A study found high consumption of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are found in most types of vegetable oil including soybean oil, may increase the likelihood that postmenopausal women will develop breast cancer. The most serious problem with soy may be its use in infant formulas. “The amount of phytoestrogens that are in a day’s worth of soy infant formula equals 5 birth control pills,” says Mary G. Enig, Ph.D., president of the Maryland Nutritionists Association.
Written By: Dr. Wegmann 
How right you are! Soy products have been consumed near daily for thousands of years Asia, so they must be bad for your health.
Very interesting on the soy. I didn’t know that and yet do read the Mothering magazine occasionally. My main consumption of soy comes from tofu about once a month and tamari – occasionally. I had been eating salads with the occasional edemine. From what I have read in the Mothering magazine article, I would agree that soy is not a fit infant formula. My preference for babies that can’t be breast fed or must be supplemented has always been first goat’s milk and then a dairy based formula.
What are your views on the occasional tofu? What do you think of goat’s milk vs dairy based infant formula when breast feeding is not possible?
I must say that I am shocked after reading about Soy in infant formulas. I breast fed both of my children (girl and boy) who are now 19 & 16, but supplemented with Soy. I, like any new mother followed the instructions of the peditrician because I was lactose intolerant, therefore it was presumed that each child would be as well. Could my daughter now be predisposed to breast cancer, God forbid? It’s terrible that american citizens cannot trust their own government to protect us as consumers. The FDA knows these things but allows the corporate giants to get away with murder!
Hello Teresa,
I sense your frustration in not having this information when you were making decision with your children. I hope you ingrained in your children a healthy lifestyle. Always remember the body has an incredible capacity to heal. If there is any concern with regards to your daughter, the next step would be a detox cleanse. I have a great program for you to look at.
Email me at drmike@thenewwellness.com