12 Foods That Should NEVER Be On Your Plate

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Our world is so much different than in our grandparent’s time. Our grandparents might not even recognize most of the so-called food we have on our plates. Our great grandparents certainly wouldn’t.

Many of the things we call food are not real food, but nothing more than processed chemicals and artificial colors with no real nutritional benefit for the human body.

Although food manufacturers will tell you that there is no real harm in their foods, this is absolutely not true. Some even try to pass this off their products as nutritionally healthy, but this is a lie, also.

How do we know that our modern day diet is neither a natural nor a healthy one? The increasing frequency of disease, the rise of chronic conditions in younger and younger people, along with the steady increase in the rates of cancer, all point to the truth.

Although there are literally hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of foods that could make this list, we have tried to narrow it down to 12 of the worst offenders.

Keep reading so you can be sure that none of these dangerously toxic foods ever pass your lips.

1. Sugar

This one really deserves the top spot as it is the main culprit behind most chronic diseases, including diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. Consuming sugar puts huge amounts of stress on the entire digestive system, the liver, and the pancreas. Even your central nervous system is compromised, sometimes by as much as 50 percent, every time you chow down on some of that white stuff. We aren’t speaking about the natural type of sugar that occurs in fruit, honey, or maple syrup, but the refined white sugar that is so prevalent in almost everything we eat. Avoid this one like the plaque! If you wanted to improve your health by doing only one thing, this is the one. Remove sugar from your diet like the poison that it is.

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2. Microwave Popcorn

Popcorn itself is a healthy snack, but microwave popcorn is another story. The bags are lined with substances called perfluoroalkyls. These chemicals are used to keep grease from leaking through bags. These substances, once heated, leech into the food, which would be your popcorn. Perfluoroalkyls disrupt your endocrine system and affect your sex hormones. The EPA lists them as carcinogens. One 2010 study found that these substances can lead to thyroid disease and even thyroid cancer. You don’t need to buy these toxic packages to enjoy microwave popcorn. Put popcorn and just one tablespoon of oil in a paper bag and fold it over several times. You can put a cup on the end of the bag to keep it from opening. Microwave for one or two minutes and there you have it. Using an air popper is even better!

3. White Flour

This looks fairly harmless, but white flour, and foods made from white flour, have almost the exact same effect on your body that sugar has. White flour disrupts insulin levels to such a degree that your body will immediately go into fat storage mode. This is also a huge source of stress for the pancreas. White flour has almost no nutritional value either, since the processing of the wheat involves removing the most nutritious part of the wheat as well as almost all of the healthy fiber. The grain really isn’t the problem; it’s the processing that is bad. Opt for whole meal grains for better health.

4. Vegetable Oils

Vegetable oils sound so healthy and wholesome but don’t let the name and that pretty picture on the label fool you. Vegetable oils are highly processed and seriously distort our omega-6 to omega-3 ratio in the body. When vegetable oils, such as corn, canola, and soybean oil, are heated, they oxidized cholesterol levels in the body. This causes serious harm to you on a cellular level. When these oils are heated and then mixed with oxygen, they go rancid. This leads to cardiovascular disease. Avoid vegetable oils or any food that lists partially hydrogenated oils in their list of ingredients. Use olive oil or coconut oil for better health.

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5. Fast Food

Fast food usually contains almost everything we are going to put on this list: sugar, vegetable oils, excessive salt, GMO foods, artificial foods, and processed meats. There is absolutely no redeeming value in any fast food. If you have ever watched the movie Super Size Me, you will understand this perfectly. If you have not, please watch it so you can see what a steady diet of fast food does to the human body.

6. Canned Tomatoes

Actually, all canned foods, but we will pick on tomatoes due to their high acid content. Almost all canned foods contain high levels of salt and some even contain sugar. Also, the cans are lined with a substance called BPA. This chemical has been linked to numerous diseases, including breast cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, diabetes, neurological problems and fertility problems. Consumer Reports published a study where even just a few servings of canned food each week exceeded the safety limits for BPA exposure for children. Tomatoes, in particular, are highly acidic. These high acid levels cause more than usual amounts of BPA to leach into the food. Stick to fresh foods or make the switch to glass containers, especially for acidic foods like tomatoes.

7. Processed Meats

Processed meats, such as hot dogs, bacon, and lunchmeats, are very high in salt and nitrates. The American Institute for Cancer Research has shown that consuming these meats on a regular basis is linked to an increased risk of colon cancer and stomach cancer. Once humans eat nitrates, the body converts them into nitrites, which form nitrosamine, a potent cancer-causing chemical.

8. Canned Soup and Ramen

Canned foods, such as soup, are literally overflowing with salt. Although these companies go to great lengths to make their products appear healthy, some brands of soup have as much as 900 milligrams of sodium, which is one entire day’s quota of salt. When you consume foods that have high levels of salt, your body retains more water. This can increase blood pressure levels and this puts stress on the body, especially the heart. Ramen is also loaded with salt, as well as unhealthy levels of fats. Your best choice is to make soup from scratch. This way, you can avoid excess salt, excess fat and BPA all at the same time.

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9. Doughnuts

Well, it doesn’t seem possible that anyone who eats these could possibly believe that they are healthy, but if that’s true, why are there doughnut shops on every corner? Doughnuts contain everything you want to avoid: trans-fats, white flour, refined sugar, and salt. Consumption of foods like doughnuts, with their high levels of trans-fats and sugar, have been linked in numerous studies to a much higher risk of developing diabetes and heart disease. Don’t do doughnuts. Just don’t.

10. Margarine

Margarine is really nothing more than processed vegetable oils, which means it’s high in trans-fats. Even those that boast that they don’t contain trans-fats still have chemicals to take the place of those fats. Margarine raises cholesterol levels in the body and damages the entire cardiovascular system. Any food, like margarine, that is super unnatural, puts a huge toxic burden on the body, including the liver. Avoid fake foods, such as margarine, and opt for the natural choice: butter.

11. Potato Chips

Foods that are fried at high temperatures form a known carcinogen called acrylamide. Numerous research studies link acrylamide to several thousand cases of cancer each year. Potato chips are high in fat and coated in salt, which makes them heart attacks in a bag. Potato chips really do taste good, but they really are bad for your health. Make your own baked fries at home instead.

12. Sodas

There is absolutely nothing healthy in that afternoon soda. It fills your body with sugar, or worse, high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors and flavors, which not only lead to diabetes and weight gain, but also exhaust your body of nutrients. In the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention, a study was published which found that drinking only two sodas each week doubled a man’s danger of developing pancreatic cancer. Sodas act like a corrosive substance in the body, which exhausts the minerals in the body. Avoid sodas and enjoy herbal teas or juices instead.

References:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org

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