Eliminate or Greatly Reduce
I just realized I promised to give you a list of foods you should greatly reduce or eliminate from your diet. And instead, I sent you over to take a Nutritional Typing Test.
And then I didn’t post at all yesterday (again). So sorry.
But I have much to say about this, so I'm lumping 2 days together again. Which totally reflects real life for me.
Days just running into each other.
To review, if you want to always want to be sure that you are eating the best foods for your body, stick to whole foods, preferably organic, and drink clean, pure water.
Beyond that, it gets very cloudy as to what is good and what is bad. I gave you a list of foods you should absolutely eliminate on Day 26/27. There is no controversy surrounding those foods. Unless, of course, you are the people who actually make those foods. Or you are personally addicted to those foods.
The following list is a little more iffy. Depending on which nutrition expert you are currently reading, some will tell you to eliminate these from your diet, some will tell you they are fine in moderation. Some will tell you they are healthy. I will offer my quick little opinion after each one. Do with it what you will.
Dairy: Most natural health advocates agree: Conventional dairy products are of little value to our bodies. The pasteurizing process heats the milk up to high enough temperatures to destroy not only all the harmful bacteria, but also all the beneficial organisms and enzymes in milk. It alters vital amino acids, reducing our bodies’ ability to access the protein, fats, vitamins and minerals. Then, milk producers add powdered milk and synthetic vitamin D to “low fat” milk to make it thicker. Finally, they “homogenize” the mixture so fat particles remain in suspension—making them indigestible in the intestine. In case you wondered, conventional milk is very highly processed.
Many natural health advocates (except for vegans) will recommend raw or fermented dairy products (like kefir and whole-milk yogurt), preferably from local farms, where the cows are grass-fed and not injected with hormones and antibiotics. Goats’ milk is also considered to be very healthy. (See The Maker’s Diet for more info)
What I do: I’m personally torn on dairy. I mostly purchase and consume organic dairy, including cheese, Greek yogurt and half and half. The more I read, the more I eliminate. I think raw dairy is a great option, but I have a mental issue with the whole “raw” thing. And goats’ milk? Same thing. Can’t quite get myself to try it. Is that just me?
Soy: I did a big ‘ole post on soy here . I won’t rehash, but I will say, I avoid soy as much as possible.
Sugar: 200 years ago, the average American consumed about 10 pounds of sugar per year. Today, the average American consumes about 170 pounds of sugar per year! That’s the equivalent of ¼ of our total calorie intake or one full bowl of sugar, every fourth meal. There is so much to say about sugar overload and how it’s hidden in everything…it really deserves its very own post. Suffice it to say, it’s a zero-nutrient food and we eat way too much of it.
What I do: I have drastically reduced the amount of sugar in my diet, but I have not completely eliminated it. I do enjoy having a dessert now and again (maybe once a week). I also use raw honey and pure maple syrup—both natural sugars. I eat fresh fruit every day, without regard to sugar grams. I feel much better physically when I do not eat refined, white sugar.
Wheat: The gluten-free diets are very popular right now. Some people have a genuine adverse reaction to wheat gluten and should eliminate it, but other people just think wheat is bad for you and choose to avoid it.
What I do: Like sugar, Americans eat way too much wheat, usually in the form of refined, enriched wheat flour (see below). However, when in doubt, I do tend to go back to what God told people to eat in the Bible. I really do. And people ate wheat in the Bible. It was usually in the form of sprouted grains, which I talked about here. So, mostly, if I do eat wheat bread, it’s sprouted grain bread. I use mostly whole wheat pasta and whole wheat flour for cooking. My kids’ diets are about 80% pasta/wheat based—which is terrible, I know. I’m working to change that.
Enriched flour: You know all of this already, but enriched flour is highly processed, stripped of all its nutrients and fiber, and then “enriched” with synthetic vitamins. It’s pretty much a zero-nutrient food.
What I do: Sometimes in a restaurant (like Subway), I will order a sandwich made with enriched flour. I may use it for baking, if whole grain flour ruins the texture (like a birthday cake). Otherwise, I don’t eat this.
White rice and white pasta: Like enriched flour, white rice and white pasta is stripped of all nutrients and fiber. You already know all of this, too.
What I do: My kids still love these foods, so I usually mix half-white/ half- brown rice for dinner. I will do the same with pasta. I only eat brown rice at home, unless I order sushi…sticky rice on veggies sushi is da bomb.
White potatoes: Many people lump white potatoes (pun intended) in with other “white” foods, like breads, rice and pastas. This started mainly with the “low carb” diets, because of their high carbohydrate/low protein content. However, potatoes are not bad for you. A large potato with skin has about 278 calories, 7 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein. It’s low in cholesterol and sodium and is also a good source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium and manganese. Plus, God made it…it’s a whole food.
What I do: I’m a fan of the potato, baked, mashed, boiled and roasted. I do not eat French fries. I usually do not eat chips.
Pork: Low Carb/high protein people will tell you to eat pork like you would chicken or beef—it’s “the other white meat.” On the opposite end of the spectrum, you will hear that pork is “unclean.” Pigs tend to eat anything, including their own young. They also have a limited excretory system, which means they retain a lot of toxins in their fat and meat.
What I do: Maybe 4 times a year, I will eat bacon. Other than that, I avoid pork.
Shellfish: Scientists gauge the contaminant levels of our oceans, bays, rivers and lakes by measuring the mercury and biological toxin levels in the flesh of crabs, clams, oysters and lobsters. Why? Because shellfish are the scavengers of the sea. They eat the excrement and waste of all other living creatures.
What I do: I do not eat shellfish.
Canola Oil, Soybean Oil, Corn Oil and Vegetable Oils: one of the biggest problems with highly processed and refined vegetable oils is that the polyunsaturated component of the oil is highly unstable under heat, light, and pressure, and this heavily oxidizes the polyunsaturates which increases free radicals in your body.
The end result of all of this refining and processing are oils that are highly inflammatory in your body when you ingest them, potentially contributing to heart disease, weight gain, and other degenerative diseases.(see this article for more info)
What I do: For cooking I use only olive oil, organic butter or coconut oil.
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Tell me what you think of this list? What foods do you avoid? Were you surprised to see anything listed here?
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We're down to the final two days of this series!
Time flies when you're blogging daily, that's for sure.
Oy! Lots to think about here.
ReplyDeleteOne food group you didn't mention: wine. What about the wine?? :)
I just don't like the whole grain pastas. Maybe I should try them again. Tastes change.
ReplyDeletePotatoes - I love them. For fries - I like the Alexia brand of sweet and spicy sweet potato fries. I should check the ingredient list though.
I do often roast potatoes, including sweet potatoes.
Sugar - I sometimes go for weeks at a time w/o sugar but the minute I start back on it, I have to limit how often I eat it.
I use a lot of olive oil and need to start cooking with coconut oil again. I ran out and haven't bought more.
I have also have given up pork for months at a time but not now as I am sitting here eating a salad with bacon in it!
Dairy - love Greek yogurt and real butter and good cheeses. Milk - not so much. I have heard and read that your skin will look better if you don't eat any dairy.
I'm thinking Sandy's going to say "yes to wine..in moderation, of course!"
ReplyDeleteThis is really helpful . . . especially reading what you actually do.
ReplyDeleteFondly,
Glenda