do you really know what you’re eating?

Ive done a lot of research on dieting and food over the years and I learned that there are many things I see people calling healthy that aren’t. I don’t necessarily blame anyone for not realizing, many millennials and gen z kids (especially americans) didn’t really learn practical life skills in school (like cooking) and many baby boomers and gen x people (the ones that raised millennials and gen z) have an outdated idea of what’s healthy or just trust what the food companies say is good for you; so here’s a little of what i’ve learned over the years:

-meat- meat is difficult to digest have growth hormones filled with nitrates which may cause cancer and can cause heart problems

-potatoes- difficult to digest, potatoes are actually part of the nightshade family and don’t really have any nutritional value

-milk- milk is filled with cystic bacteria, anti biotics, difficult to digest and barely any calcium and vitamin d

-most bread- they often use ‘food grade bleach’ to make white bread and it can have a lot of sugar

-tv dinners/microwave meals- even if it’s atkins or weight watchers, they’re over processed and filled with preservatives

-white rice- it’s got no nutritional, plenty of preservatives value and also ‘food grade bleached’

-salad dressing with dairy

-fat free food- whenever they put ‘fat free’ on something, they just put more sugar which your body just turns into fat

-veggie chips- over processed and deep fried

-protein bars- lots of sugar and soy in order to make it taste good

-low carb,low calorie- it doesn’t matter if it says low carb if it’s got lots of sugar, preservatives etc. in it

-yogurt- lots of sugar and there’s dairy in it

-vegetable oil- can raise your cholesterol

-corn,popcorn- also difficult to digest, little nutritional value and lots of salt

-soy- difficult to digest, lots of sugar and can mess with your hormones

-margarine- lots of fat and can raise cholesterol

-energy drinks- so much sugar, sodium and dangerous levels of caffeine

overall the trick is to pay attention to what’s in your food, don’t blindly trust the companies that make it and replace it with better alternatives. you don’t necessarily have to starve yourself, spend a lot or join a diet program, just learn to cook healthy (microwaving isn’t cooking) and choose the ‘lesser evil’ when you eat out. (americans especially need to pay more attention to sugar). I hope this was helpful

[Hidden]

Thanks for sharing this information.

[Kitten-whiskers Administrator Vegan star]

Thank you for sharing. It is a minefield out there. Due to very poor health I really had to look into diet and ingredients much more closely and it has to be said it was a real eye opener. I can say that my body has a big problem with potatoes and although they have vitamin C in them, they are not particularly healthy and are part of the nightshade family or maybe its that we consume too many of them .

In the end I had to cook most things from scratch and opt for organic when possible

[deejames]

There is a few things there that I am confused with. For instance yoghurt - eat plain and it has lots of good bacteria and protein. Milk, only difficult to digest for some people. Bread if bought from independent bakeries or home baked is delicious and problem free if eaten in moderation. Potatoes I have never known to be difficult to digest and are a delighful part of my diet. Vegetable oil is important in cooking and I would guess only raised cholesterol if eaten to excess.

You comments about sugar , meat and processed foods I agree with totally

Dee

[Hidden in reply to deejames]

yogurt has some nutrients but it’s got dairy in it that’s the same kind of milk you find in your regular gallons which is filled with hormones and ‘bad bacteria’ and in small amounts, most people can eat potatoes and not feel sick or have noticeable problems but that doesn’t mean it isn’t having negative effects on you. when i say difficult to digest, i mean it takes more energy and time for your body to process and during that time you can have minor constipation which some people are so use to, they don’t notice until they stop eating things that are ‘difficult to digest’.

[andyswarbs]

A good attempt at presenting a short summary with lots of good info. None of the food we eat these days bears any relationship to what used to be eaten and in all of it are pitfalls. Fruit have been selected over the years for sweetness. Vegetables have been selected for size. Meat is highly processed. Dairy milk is full with estrogen.

To navigate one must be aware and minimise risks and research because nothing is ever simple. Potatoes for example which you describe and having poor nutrition can not just sustain life but actually lead to a very healthy basis! There are several prominent youtubers who have documented their potato-only journey. These are not just stories where people look and feel great, but also document blood & gut test results one should be jealous of.

[Hidden in reply to andyswarbs]

i get that. fruit and vegetables being selectiy bred to be a certain way isn’t inherently a bad thing, it can actually be a good thing done right. i don’t doubt there are people who can eat small amounts of potatoes on occasion paired with a diet that helps your body digest them better and be fine but that doesn’t mean it’s good for you. when it comes to food that’s bad for you, negative symptoms aren’t necessarily immediately noticed. often times it can cause minor symptoms that may be difficult to notice if you’re eating them all the time. like when i gave up meat and milk, i noticed small changes like less gas, constipation and i lost a few pounds and had less acne. when it comes to food, negative effects aren’t always immediate, sometimes it takes years of constantly eating it and the older you are the harder it is for your body to process certain foods.

[andyswarbs]

"...it can actually be a good thing done right"

Broccoli is considered man made, and yet is power packed with nutrition. Turn them into (homemade) Broccoli sprouts and you have a true wonder of modern nature with almost unmatched healthful properties. Certainly if I had cancer I would be chugging sprouts like there was no tomorrow.

[gddhlth]

I have to say Katie, you have given me a lot to think about. Apparently, almost all food I eat seems to be negative

Luckily I didn't notice anything related to fish or seafood in general.

[Hidden in reply to gddhlth]

i didn’t suggest all food is negative but there is plenty of things to look out for; ;my list is just some of the popular things that many people think is healthy. here’s the thing, big businesses like the milk and meat industry’s main priority is profit not your long term health so you still have to pay attention to what you’re eating and where it’s from.

[gddhlth in reply to Hidden]

You know I think its not the food items itself as the chemicals these animals are being injected. These are meant to make them grow faster, fatten the meat, add flavor and other unethical stuff by these corporations you mentioned.

I mean if you think about it, way back during the stone-age, people relied mainly on hunting game as a source of food. And they lived way healthier and longer than we do today. Because the food was 100% natural. Not the chemicals we consume today.

This is where I think the problem is: not the food but how the food is obtained. The farming practices

[Hidden in reply to gddhlth]

how food is farmed is definitely a factor but everything is made of chemicals btw (by chemicals people mean harmful or unhealthy additives) ;farming practices today are not as ethical and done efficiently as possible so quality of ingredients is lowered since it’s on such a large scale.

[gddhlth in reply to Hidden]

exactly

[JAS9]

I saw a few statistics: 74% of all products sold in grocery stores contain added refined sugar. Over 65% have added refined oils (aka fat). Almost 1 out of 3 children in the USA are obese, pre-diabetic, or diabetic. I think one has to do with the other. It's time to wake everyone up because this status quo isn't working.

[Hidden in reply to JAS9]

definitely. sugar can be addictive and the sugar industry knows this. it’s not a coincidence that diabetes and obesity are diseases fairly exclusive to developed societies. not to say you should completely eliminate sugar from your diet but you have to be careful.

[JAS9 in reply to Hidden]

I've eliminated all ADDED sugar (refined or processed) in my diet. What's in whole foods is great, as it is in fruit. Refined and processed oils are even harder to avoid because they're everywhere, but I do my very best. Again, the oil in natural real whole foods such as seeds, nuts, avocados, and veggies are great. Ground flax seed gives you tons of omega-3 and lots of phytonutrients.

[Hidden in reply to JAS9]

that’s some great discipline. good for you.

[JAS9 in reply to Hidden]

Well, it's paying off, so it's giving up some fake food (like twinkies) that made me sick and kept me from getting better for healthy, even tastier real foods that allow me to feel better and recover. So I get much more than I've given up, and I'm living a better life now.

I have Parkinson's, and my neurologist was blown away today when she asked me to walk so she could see how much worse I'd gotten. Instead, I'd gotten much better! She said "This is just amazing. I never get to see someone who has had Parkinson's as long as you have, walk like that!"

I started eating better a year ago, and I've been walking a little further and a little faster every day. It wasn't easy and I'm certainly not cured, and I wouldn't have been able to find the energy or clarity without getting rid of the junky food and eating real food full of nutrients and fiber.

Most people make a change because they're scared of what will happen if they don't. But fear is short-lived; it's too easy to undervalue any progress and slide back. Instead, once the fear gets you going, you have to find positive reasons to continue on the right path. Why do you want to live longer and be healthier? Seems like a dumb question, but the answer is what will keep you going forward. That means If you don't have them already, going out and finding new friends and things to keep you engaged in life. And, in case you missed it, once you get the junk out of your diet, real food tastes sooo much better than fake food! The food that most people eat smells like chemicals (or worse) to me now!

Have a great life!