Posts Tagged ‘processed foods’
Paying Attention to Our Diets: Processed Foods
Do you remember the last time you bought margarine?
If you are like many of the patients that I have spoken to in my San Diego Chiropractic Center, you have probably bought margarine instead of butter because of the health benefits – right? Or maybe you bought it because it is easier to spread than butter.
Margarine is heavily processed – so much so that it is hard to even consider it a food product. I have made a big deal over avoiding processed foods in many of my blog posts in the past. In this post I will give some details about how margarine is made so you can better understand what the “processed” in the phrase “processed food” means.
Margarine begins as vegetable oil – a liquid at room temperature, obviously not what we buy at the store. This oil is boiled at high temperature until it becomes a congealed, lumpy mass of a grey colored material. This grey, lumpy mass is then hydrogenated where it picks up nickel oxide – which is not removed from the final product. Hydrogenation occurs under tremendous pressure and temperature and results in the formation of “trans” fatty acids. Of course we now know that trans fats interfere with your body’s ability to clear cholesterol from your blood.
After hydrogenation, the oil is then homogenized with soap-like emulsifiers and then infused with starch to produce a denser consistency. At this point the product is bleached in order to remove any remaining color. At this stage the margarine has no flavor and no color.
Obviously, nobody would buy margarine if it has no color or flavor so a sulfur based coal tar dye is added to give the product its nice yellow color and strong flavorings are added that make it taste like something that it is not. Preservatives are then added in order to prevent the margarine from becoming rancid. This is the final product that goes to market and is sold to us consumers as a healthy alternative to butter.
There are many processed foods that are fully hydrogenated and cause liver, heart and circulatory diseases. Margarine just happens to be one of many alternatives to natural foods – in this case, butter – that is sold under the guise that it is a healthier alternative.
I just recently heard a short interview with fitness guru Jack LaLanne who is now 96 years old. He ended his interview with these words “if it tastes good spit it out and if man made it don’t eat it!” Based on what we know about how processed foods are made, it would be difficult to find a better perspective regarding what we eat.
Have a Great Day!
Dr. Steve Jones
(619) 280-0554
The Evils of Sugar; A Chiropractic Perspective
Those of you who have read my recent blog post, “The Chiropractor Finally Gets Healthy” know that I recently experienced a significant improvement in my health as a result of a radical diet change that was part of the Standard Process Purification Diet. Through the course of this diet, I discovered the negative impact of the processed foods and sugars on my health.
As a doctor who is concerned for my patients health needs beyond the common complaints of neck pain, back pain and headaches, I always encourage them to do better for themselves where diet is concerned. With that theme in mind, I stumbled across this great list of all the bad things that processed sugars do to you. The list is composed by Nancy Appleton, Ph.D., who is a nutritional consultant, researcher, lecturer, and author of Lick the Sugar Habit, Healthy Bones, and Balanced Body Secret.
1. Sugar can suppress the immune system.
2. Sugar upsets the minerals in the body.
3. Sugar causes hyperactivity in children.
4. Sugar produces a significant rise in triglycerides.
5. Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection.
6. Sugar can cause kidney damage.
7. Sugar reduces high density lipoproteins.
8. Sugar leads to chromium deficiency.
9. Sugar leads to cancer of the breast, ovaries, intestines, prostate and rectum.
10. Sugar increases fasting levels of glucose and insulin.
11. Sugar causes copper deficiency.
12. Sugar interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium.
13. Sugar weakens eyesight.
14. Sugar raises the level of neurotransmitters called serotonin.
15. Sugar can cause hypoglycemia.
16. Sugar can produce an over-acid stomach.
17. Sugar can raise adrenaline levels in children.
18. Sugar can lead to anxiety, difficulty concentrating and crankiness in children.
19. Sugar can cause aging.
20. Sugar can lead to alcoholism.
21. Sugar causes tooth decay.
22. Sugar contributes to obesity.
23. Sugar can cause acidity in the stomach.
24. Sugar can cause changes frequently found in persons with gastric or duodenal ulcers.
25. Sugar can cause arthritis.
26. Sugar can cause asthma.
27. Sugar can cause Candida albicans (yeast infections.)
28. Sugar can cause gallstones.
29. Sugar can cause heart disease.
30. Sugar can cause appendicitis
31. Sugar can cause multiple sclerosis.
32. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.
33. Sugar can cause varicose veins.
34. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.
35. Sugar can lead to periodontal disease.
36. Sugar can contribute to osteoporosis.
37. Sugar contributes to saliva acidity.
38. Sugar can cause a decrease in insulin sensitivity.
39. Sugar leads to decreased glucose tolerance.
40. Sugar can decrease growth hormone.
41. Sugar can increase cholesterol.
42. Sugar can increase the systolic blood pressure.
43. Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children.
44. Sugar can cause migraine headaches.
45. Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein.
46. Sugar causes food allergies.
47. Sugar can contribute to diabetes.
48. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.
49. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.
Your’s In Good Health
Dr. Jones