TheHolisticParent.ORG Foods to Avoid

                               What Should I Stay Away From?

Unfortunately, this list is much longer. I could have made it very quick and simply said,
"Don’t eat anything made by man." This would have encompassed a great deal of it, but
I feel it important to be a bit more specific.

1)        Fast Food
I put fast food first on the list for a reason. I don’t even consider it “food”. It would be nice
to have it both ways; healthy nutritious food lightning fast. This just simply isn’t reality.
Fast food is loaded with chemicals and toxins. It is virtually something you should
NEVER put into your body much less that of your children. This type of food is
chemically designed to make you addicted to it. It’s meant to be fast and easy. You get it
in a pinch, and then you get hit with massive cravings for it. The chemicals present
affect your body in drastic ways and make it do unnatural things. It’s almost like a
game. A game in the name of profits. I must admit I know about fast food first hand. I
used to eat a lot of it. Honestly, there was a time when I really didn’t know any better. I
gained a ton of weight very quickly. I didn’t really understand what had happened. This
was the start of my researching nutrition. I felt confused, and I had to know the truth.
Commercials for Taco Bell would come on the TV, and I would immediately salivate,
and literally have to go out and get some, even if I had not previously been hungry. This
type of food affected me very strongly. Eventually, I got to the point that I couldn’t tell
when I was hungry or not. If I did eat, my belly could feel stuffed, but I still felt hungry.
This is because the nutrient content in the food I was eating was very low. That’s why it
is much easier to overeat on empty calories and still be undernourished. When I
finalized realized why fast food had the effect on me that it does, I never touched it
again. My family does not eat fast food. Ever. We do not miss it. I haven’t been through a
drive through in several years. I feel like I can live normally again. I don’t have to run out
at midnight because a commercial came on. Now, on the rare occasions that I see a
food commercial, my reaction to the commercial is "gross". Why are they advertising
their food on TV anyway? Hunger is a biological need. They’re advertising to make
money, not because it is a good choice in food. Children are affected even more
drastically than adults.

2)        Food in Restaurants
Restaurant food is nearly as bad as fast food. Depends on what you’re getting. If you’re
eating at an organic juice bar that serves superfoods, well then I’d have no complaints.
Sadly, most restaurant food is right up there with fast food. Restaurant food can be just
as unnatural and addicting for the body.

3)        White Sugar
White sugar is processed and nutrient depleted. It is harmful to the body. Only 6
teaspoons of sugar can decrease an adult’s immune system functioning by 25%! This
number is astounding. Imagine the effect this has on children. Sugar is found in almost
everything processed. Americans typically eat 135 pounds of sugar per year! Why would
we possibly need that much sugar? Sugar can take several forms. There is the
common table sugar, but also sugars such as high fructose corn syrup. For more
information on how sugar affects our health, visit this website: http://www.healingdaily.
com/detoxification-diet/sugar.htm. You won’t ever want to eat sugar again.

4)        White Flour
White flour is also processed extensively. Not only does it not offer any nutritional
benefits, it actually strips nutrients away from the body. It is harmful to your body and
causes disease. White flour is sneaky too because it is listed under many different
names, yet it is still the same thing. If the label on the food says enriched, bleached,
unbleached, or wheat flour; it is still white flour! Only 100% whole flour is not white flour.
White flour is put into everything imaginable. It takes much diligence to look out for it.

5)        Diet Foods
Foods for dieters really do them a disservice. Did you really believe “diet soda” was
okay while you’re losing weight because it’s “diet”? If you’re putting nutrients in your
body and adhering to proper health principles, it is physically impossible for your body
to still be overweight. Your body actually is designed to maintain itself at its normal
weight, the foods we eat just simple get in the way. Diet food is still processed and
altered. It’s unnatural, and you’ll still be unhealthy and overweight.

6)        Fat Free or Low Fat Foods
It would seem that having the “fat” taken out would make it healthy. That is if you believe
fat is the ultimate assessor of health. Yet, it isn’t. Fat doesn’t actually make you fat;
sugar does. We need healthy fats in our diet. Fat is not the enemy, processed foods
are. Foods have to be processed to make them fat free, so in essence, they are still
unhealthy processed foods. To take the fat out of a food, something must also be
added back in to replace the fat. I’d be more scared of whatever it is being added back
in. Deceptive labeling also doesn’t even necessarily mean that there is any less fat, but
the manufacturers get away with it. Many people use the low fat labeling as an excuse
to eat more because “hey, it’s low fat”. It certainly doesn’t equate to “healthier”.

7)        Trans Fat
I do believe most people know not to eat trans fats. This is becoming common
knowledge. The problem is that people don’t realize what contains trans fats in every
circumstance. Trans fat labeling is also extremely deceptive. Manufacturers can change
the serving size on their nutrition label to meet the FDA’s requirements, and the product
can still contain trans fat! It’s ridiculous. Partially hydrogenated oils are trans fat. The
link between heart disease (the number one killer in America) and trans fat is well
understood and undeniable. Still, manufacturers are allowed to put this stuff in foods
and deceive people about it. Is the FDA asleep on the job?

8)        Processed Foods
Processed foods are altered, unnatural foods. You can’t find them in nature, which
means they are worthless as nutrients. In fact, most of the nutrients are removed
purposefully to make the food taste certain ways. It’s funny that some people don’t even
realize how much processed foods they eat. Basically, everything in a typical grocery
store is processed. Go to a farmers market with fresh fruits and vegetables, and that’s
what you need to be eating right there. That’s it. Your body won’t miss everything else.

9)        Chemical Ingredients
This is a broad range, but it means any type of chemical. Chemicals are toxins. They do
not belong in the body. Chemicals were originally created during World War II as
biological warfare. Chemicals are not proven safe. Most are untested, and they certainly
have no business being on or in the food we eat to nourish our bodies.

10)        MSG
MSG stands for monosodium glutamate. It is an excitotoxin that disrupts neuron
functioning. It’s used to make foods taste good. It’s put in a whole lot of stuff. It goes
under many different names on food labels. Some of these names include hydrolyzed
vegetable proteins, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, yeast extract, soy extract, protein
isolate. It can even be under the labeling of spices or natural flavors. It truly astounds
me why MSG is allowed in so many foods, and why people still buy it. It’s dangerous. It
is in the same chemical class as aspartame. Read the book: Excitotoxins: The Taste
That Kills by Dr. Russell Blaylock.

11)        Natural Flavors
Natural flavors is a tricky concept. Many people read natural and think “Great!” Well, it’s
not. Natural flavors are anything but natural. There’s nothing natural about them.
Basically, natural flavors means the food manufacturer can dump in a bunch of different
additives, chemicals, and the like and lump it all together in the under the heading
“natural”. Stupid, huh? (This is true of natural fragrance labeling on personal care
products as well). In addition, when something is labeled as “all natural,” it virtually
means nothing. It’s simply a marketing tool to get unsuspecting consumers who are
looking for a little bit healthier of things sucked into a web of deceit. Don’t buy into it.

12)        Artificial Flavors and Colors
Basically, these are artificial which translates to chemicals. That’s all they are; some
dangerous concoction of chemicals. We’re being experimented with here. With obesity,
chronic diseases, diabetes, cancers, and autoimmune disorders growing steadily
every day, I’d say this experiment isn’t going too well. These artificial chemicals aren’t
food either. They don’t fuel the body. They’re just junk. Empty worthless junk that makes
someone money because they’ve manipulated it to taste good. We’re paying the price.

13)        Milk
Lobbyists for the dairy industry would like to have you believe milk is essential to every
diet. The slogan Got Milk? is known by practically all Americans. They make milk look
cool, sexy, desirable. If milk is truly so good for you, then why is it advertised so heavily?
Fruits and veggies are rarely advertised. Why then should milk be so special? It’s not.
Milk is designed for baby cows and that’s it. There is the dirty little rumor that milk has a
lot of calcium, so it is good for bone health. The truth is that most of the calcium in milk
is wrapped up in the protein casein, which is indigestible for humans. Therefore, the
calcium in milk is largely unusable to the human body. The protein casein is also a
foreign protein to our bodies, which may be the culprit in so many allergies to milk.
Interestingly, research has been showing in recent times that calcium seems to have
no effect on bone health, and the mineral strontium has been shown responsible for
strong bones. I am positive it is possible for children to drink absolutely no milk and be
in excellent health. Give your children salads with dark greens. Put fruit in it to liven it up,
and your children’s bones will be strong.

14)        Kid Food
We’ve already discussed kid food briefly in the beginning of the nutrition section. Kids
require nutritious food in the same way adults do. If you won’t touch certain foods, but
think it’s okay to give them to your kids, guess again. Parents complain they can’t get
their children to eat their vegetables, so they hand them French fries and potato chips
instead. Start your children at a young age or correct habits that aren’t ideal. Children
can and should be eating the same food adults do. I’ve seen people give their children
a grilled cheese sandwich, and then go make themselves an elaborate stir fry. What's
wrong with the children eating the stir fry with the parents? It’s a parent’s job to figure
out what to eat for optimal health, and then change the family eating habits to reflect
this. Children will eventually follow suit. My son begs for carrots and tomatoes and
heartily drinks down his kale juice. His health reflects it too. He rarely gets sick. What
parent wouldn’t want this for their child?

15)        High Fructose Corn Syrup
I had thought until recently that just about all of America realized this stuff was bad
news. Granted, it’s in just about everything man made in the grocery stores, and people
do keep buying the processed foods, but I really thought people were starting to
understand. Maybe they were, which is why there is the newer commercial out
advertising, you guessed it, high fructose corn syrup. The commercial says it’s okay in
moderation. Many people will believe this from this commercial. That’s exactly what the
Corn Refiners Association wants you to think, which is why they sponsored this
commercial. They want their profits! We must look closer to the phrase “okay in
moderation”. It’s basically saying, eat too much, you can harm yourself. It’s not okay in
excess. Moderation means you just may or may not become diseased. It doesn’t mean
healthy. It doesn’t mean vibrant. It doesn’t mean living your best. It just means okay. It’s
mostly about what you want out of life. Do you want excellent health free from disease
or do you want to eat their product in moderation and feel just okay? Why put something
harmful in your body? The simple truth is Americans are not eating this stuff in
moderation either. It’s in everything, which means we’re basically drowning in it! I feel
this is one of the single worst things you can put in your body. Please steer clear of it.
Your children’s little bodies will thank you.

16)        Processed Fruit Juices
Unless the juice comes from a juicer, our bodies don’t want it. Unless you make fresh
juice yourself, it’s worthless. Even if a juice claims it is healthy, it may still be loaded
with sugar, additives, colorings, and lots of other scary stuff. Some juices will claim
“made with real juice”. Well, that’s scary. What else is it made with? It should be
labeled more like IS real juice if it is healthy. Even if juices contain nothing but juice,
most commercially prepared juices come from the rotten leftover fruit that has fallen
from the tree. They can’t sell it to consumers, so they make juice with it. In addition, this
juice is pasteurized, which basically zaps out the nutrition from the juice if it had any to
begin with. What you’re left with is condensed, processed, bottled junk labeled as “fruit”.

17)        Meat Especially Pork and Red Meats
It seems most of America just doesn’t get it about meat. Those who become a
vegetarian quickly notice that almost every dish is surrounded around some type of
meat. Here’s a shocker. Our bodies are not biologically designed to eat meat. I know
many will argue with this, but it is truth. Plain and simple. Your body will still digest the
meat as best it can. It will take your poor body up to 8 hours, but it will do its best. You
will most likely not notice disease or illness right away. The truth, though, is that we put
a lot of strain on our bodies when we eat meat. A diet that is plant based is how we are
biologically designed to eat. If you must eat meat once in a while because you want to,
then fine. But don’t be disillusioned you’re doing it to be healthy. The first and most
common question vegetarians get is “how do you get enough protein?” Meat is actually
a poor source of protein. Oh, it has a lot of protein in it, but our body can’t use the
protein in the same form. First, the body has to break down the animal protein, and then
assemble its own protein from the amino acids. It is very inefficient. Our protein needs
are also very low each day because our bodies reuse over 75% of our protein. The truth
is we consume way more protein than we actually need. It is easy to get enough
protein, making protein deficiencies quite rare. The only “risk factor” to not eating meat
may be an eventual Vitamin B12 deficiency. This can easily be corrected. Research in
this area I feel is lacking, however, as to why this is or even if this is the case. Children
can survive quite healthfully without meat in their diet, probably better than their meat
eating counterparts.

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