Some foods are wonderfully life promoting: “the Goods”. Some
foods are distinctly death producing: “The Bads”. With so many
opinions running here and there, it is very possible to become
confused in food choices. This report will help you to clarify
just who’s who, and to understand the three principles of
healthy eating.
There are some foods that have stood the test of time as to
their goodness. There are also some foods that almost every
author you read will agree as to their detriment if consumed.
“The Goods” that Can’t Be Denied
1. Pure water (not water mixed in coffee or tea, but only pure
water on it’s own.) In fact, let me tell you a simple strategy
here. Take your body weight, and divide that number by 2. This
is the minimum number of ounces of pure water you need daily.
2. Whole fresh vegetables and fruits and even some whole grain
foods, which contain a variety of powerful elements that
interact and bind to chemical carcinogens rendering them
inactive.
- Ideally vegetables and fruits should be grown organically and
eaten before they are frozen or canned.
- One fruit to three vegetables ratio is ideal.
- Vegetables are miracle foods containing that amazing eraser
called Fiber.
- Vegetables are complex carbohydrates which can hardly be
compared to their death-destroying counterpart: the simple carbs
of white flour and white sugar. Not all carbohydrates are
created equal.
3. Fiber
- Complex carbohydrates are rich in fiber. Meat and dairy
products have zero fiber. Eye opening research done by Dr.
Dennis Burkett reveals that fiber in fresh vegetables, fruits
and whole grains can trap up to 60% of the calories and
eliminate them through fecal material. Talk about an eraser!
- Fiber can also be obtained from a natural food supplement.
4. Good Essential Fats
- Just as not all carbs are bad, not all fats are bad. Many
fats are absolutely necessary for good skin, hair, and memory
and for emulsifying bad fat. Some of these good fats are:
olive oil, lecithin, GLA, EPA, flax seed oil, cold pressed
mayonnaise. Avocadoes and 1/2 good and 1/2 bad. Butter is 1/2 good
and 1/2 bad. - It is very difficult to convert these ever so important
essential fatty acids from our food into EPA and GLA. Heated
oils, margarines, processed oils, fried foods, stress, aging,
alcohol, environmental toxins and chemicals block them. Many
people are experiencing a variety of symptoms associated with
essential fatty acid deficiencies to include ADD/ADHD,
infertility, and PMS.
5. Stevia – A health filled herb that can be used in
wonderful ways as a natural sweetener.
- Stevia may be one of the great botanical discoveries of all
time. In the United States, the potential for stevia has not yet
been fully realized as it has in other countries.
- The long-term use of stevia is thought to product
mild strengthening of the heart and vascular system. Stevia has
been used in Brazil as an aid to digestive functioning.
Who are the Bads?
I’ve already mentioned some of the “bads”: white sugar and
white flour. Did you know according to the Kellogg Report that
every ounce of white flour steals B5 affecting nerves and
muscles, B6, robbing the brain; and phosphorus and magnesium,
robbing the heart and bones?
Because of the removal of nutrients from white sugar, sugar
becomes an anti-nutrient robbing chromium among other nutrients
from the body in order to be digested. Guess what this leads
to? diabetes.
Although many use artificial sweeteners, they may be correctly
grouped into the category of the “bads”.
Aspartame
When aspartame is metabolized, it releases methyl alcohol, a
known toxin highly dangerous to humans. Once in your cells, it
converts to formaldehyde, a cancer-causing agent. Can cause
allergic reactions To date FDA has received 6,026 complaints on
aspartame: blindness, seizures, coma, heart palpitations, severe
headaches, anxiety, fear, sleeplessness were the serious
complaints.
Trans Fats are the worst of the fats and Marvin M. Lipman, MD,
chief medical advisor for Consumer Reports tells us “they are
hidden in our food and they are not labeled.”
- Trans fats are used in fast food cooking because they don’t
spatter. They are cheap to produce and easy to use.
- Trans fat increased bad LDL cholesterol and has a tendency to
reduce the good HDL cholesterol. Trans fat works together with
saturated fat as a powerful team to clog arteries and promote
heart disease.
- You can uncover where the trans fats are by carefully reading
your labels. Take the amount of saturated fat listed on the
label. Subtract that from the amount of total fat and you have
it: the trans fat number.
Trans fats and Aspartame represent two of the fatal four
discussed in my Fabulously Fit Twelve Week Challenge. These are
foods that will seriously compromise our health if continued to
be consumed.
In summary, there are three principles for healthy eating as
stated by Dr. Rex Russell in his book: What the Bible Says
about Healthy Eating:
- Eat only substances God created for food. Avoid what is not
designed for food. (Observe what Jesus ate or served.)
- As much as possible eat foods as they were created before
they were changed or converted into something humans think might
be better……….filled with artificial colors, flavors and
preservatives.
- Avoid food addiction. Don’t let any food or drink become
your god. You become a slave to anything that overcomes you.
I challenge you: Begin now on a treasure hunt for the goods
that have stood the test of time.
“If you make no time for your health,
You may have no health for your time.”
