Top 21 Worst Ingredients in Today’s Food – A-Z Guide for you & your Family!

Ever wonder what’s really in the food sold at grocery stores around the world? People keep asking me, “What ingredients should I avoid?” So I put together a short list that covers all the most toxic and disease-promoting ingredients in the food supply. These are the substances causing cancer, diabetes, heart disease and leading to tens of billions of dollars in unnecessary health care costs across America (and around the world).

If you want to stay healthy and out of the hospital, read ingredients labels and make sure you avoid all these ingredients:

Acrylamides – Toxic, cancer-causing chemicals formed in foods when carbohydrates are exposed to high heat (baking, frying, grilling). They’re present in everything from bread crusts to snack chips, and because they aren’t intentional ingredients, acrylamides do NOT have to be listed on labels.

Aspartame – Chemical sweetener that causes neurological disorders, seizures, blurred vision and migraine headaches. (http://www.naturalnews.com/030918_a…)

Autolyzed Proteins – Highly processed form of protein containing free glutamate and used to mimic the taste-enhancer chemical MSG.

BPA (Bisphenol-A) – A hormone mimicking chemical found in nearly all food packaging plastics. Active in just parts per billion, BPA promotes cancer, infertility and hormone disorders. It also “feminizes” males, promoting male breast growth and hormone disruption (http://www.naturalnews.com/032860_B…).

Casein – Milk proteins. Hilariously, this is widely used in “soy cheese” products that claim to be alternatives to cow’s milk. Nearly all of them are made with cow’s milk proteins.

Corn Syrup – Just another name for High Fructose Corn Syrup (see below). Frequently used in infant formula products (http://www.naturalnews.com/029863_S…).

Food Colors – FD&C Red #40, for example, is linked to behavioral disorders in children. Nearly all artificial food colors are derived from petroleum, and many are contaminated with aluminum.

Genetically Modified Ingredients – Not currently listed on the label because the GMO industry (Monsanto and DuPont) absolutely does not want people to know which foods contain GMOs. Nearly all conventionally grown corn, soy and cotton are GMOs. They’re linked to severe infertility problems and may even cause the bacteria in your body to produce and release a pesticide in your own gut. If you’re not eating organic corn, you’re definitely eating GMO corn. (http://www.naturalnews.com/026426_G…) Learn more at www.ResponsibleTechnology.org or watch my GMO music video (hilarious) at www.NaturalNews.com/NoGMO

High Fructose Corn Syrup – A highly processed liquid sugar extracted with the chemical solvent glutaraldehyde and frequently contaminated with mercury (http://www.naturalnews.com/032948_h…). It’s also linked to diabetes, obesity and mood disorders. Used in thousands of grocery items, including things you wouldn’t suspect like pizza sauce and salad dressings.

Homogenized Milk – The fats in the milk are artificially modified to change them into smaller molecules that stay in suspension in the milk liquid (so the milk fat doesn’t separate) (http://www.naturalnews.com/022967_m…). While it makes milk look better on the shelf, it’s also blamed for promoting heart disease and may contribute to milk allergies. Raw milk is healthier, which is why the government had outlawed it (http://www.naturalnews.com/029322_r…).

Hydrochloride – When you see anything hydrochloride, such as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride or Thiamin Hydrochloride, those are chemical forms of B vitamins that companies add to their products to be able to claim higher RDA values of vitamins. But these are synthetic, chemical forms of vitamins, not real vitamins from foods or plants. Nutritionally, they are near-useless and may actually be bad for you. Also watch out for niacinamide and cyanocobalamin (synthetic vitamin B-12). (http://www.naturalnews.com/032766_c…)

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein – A highly processed form of (usually) soy protein that’s processed to bring out the free glutamate (MSG). Use as a taste enhancer.

Partially Hydrogenated Oils – Oils that are modified using a chemical catalyst to make them stable at room temperature. This creates trans fatty acids and greatly increases the risk of blocked arteries (http://www.naturalnews.com/027445_f…). It also promotes what I call “sludge blood,” which is thick, viscous blood that’s hard to pump. This is usually diagnosed by doctors as “high blood pressure” and (stupidly) treated with blood-thinning medications that are technically the same chemicals as rat poison (warfarin) (http://www.naturalnews.com/023149_d…).

Phosphoric Acid – The acid used in sodas to dissolve the carbon dioxide and add to the overall fizzy-ness of the soda. Phosphoric acid will eat steel nails. It’s also used by stone masons to etch rocks. The military uses it to clean the rust off battleships. In absolutely destroys tooth enamel (http://www.naturalnews.com/021774.html). Search Google Images for “Mountain Dew Mouth” to see photos of teeth rotted out by phosphoric acid: http://www.google.com/search?q=moun…

Propylene Glycol – A liquid used in the automotive industry to winterize RVs. It’s also used to make the fake blueberries you see in blueberry muffins, bagels and breads. (Combined with artificial colors and corn syrup.) See shocking “Fake Blueberries” video at: http://www.naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=7…

Sodium (Salt) – The processed white salt lacking in trace minerals. In the holistic nutrition industry, we call it “death salt” because it promotes disease and death. Real salt, on the other hand, such as “dirty” sea salt or pink Himalayan salt, is loaded with the trace minerals that prevent disease, such as selenium (cancer), chromium (diabetes) and zinc (infectious disease). Much like with bread and sugar, white salt is terrible for your health. And don’t be fooled by claims of “sea salt” in grocery stores. All salt came from the sea if you go far back enough in geologic time, so they can slap the “sea salt” claim on ANY salt!

Sodium Nitrite – A cancer-causing red coloring chemical added to bacon, hot dogs, sausage, beef jerky, ham, lunch meats, pepperoni and nearly all processed meats. Strongly linked to brain tumors, pancreatic cancers and colon cancers (http://www.naturalnews.com/007024.html). The USDA once tried to ban it from the food supply but was out-maneuvered by the meat industry, which now dominates USDA regulations. Sodium nitrite is a complete poison used to make meats look fresh. Countless children die of cancer each year from sodium nitrite-induced cancers.

Soy Protein – The No. 1 protein source used in “protein bars,” including many bars widely consumed by bodybuilders. Soy protein is the “junk protein” of the food industry. It’s made from genetically modified soybeans (often grown in China) and then subjected to hexane, a chemical solvent (http://www.naturalnews.com/026303_s…) that can literally explode.

Sucralose – An artificial chemical sweetener sold as Splenda. The sucralose molecule contains a chlorine atom (http://www.naturalnews.com/027491_a…). Researchers have repeatedly found that artificial sweeteners make people fat by actually promoting weight gain (http://www.naturalnews.com/024543_h…).

Sugar – The bleached, nutritionally-deficient byproduct of cane processing. During sugar cane processing, nearly all the minerals and vitamins end up in the blackstrap molasses that’s usually fed to farm animals. (Blackstrap molasses is actually the “good” part of sugar cane juice.) Molasses is often fed to farm animals because every rancher knows that farm animals need good nutrition to stay alive. Amazingly, conventional doctors don’t yet realize this about humans, and they continue to claim that eating sugar is perfectly fine for you. Sugar promotes diabetes, obesity, mood disorders and nutritional deficiencies.

Textured Vegetable Protein – Usually made of soy protein which is extracted from genetically modified soybeans and then processed using hexane, an explosive chemical solvent (see Soy Protein, above). Widely used in vegetarian foods such as “veggie burgers” (most of which also contain MSG or Yeast Extract, by the way).

Yeast Extract – Hidden form of MSG that contains free glutamate and is used in many “natural” food products to claim “No MSG!” Yeast extract contains up to 14% free glutamate. You’ll find it in thousands of grocery store products, from soups to snack chips. I even once spotted it used on fresh meat!

Food label tricks

Here’s a trick food companies frequently used to pack more sugar into their products without making sugar look like the first ingredient:

Ingredient labels, you see, must list the most prominent ingredients first, and some consumers might freak out of they saw a box of cereal that said, “Sugar, whole grain wheat, corn” and so on. Instead, the company uses 3 or 4 different forms of sugar to distribute them farther down the label, like this:

“Whole grain wheat, sugar, corn syrup, corn syrup solids…”

This way, the first ingredients looks like “whole grain wheat” when, in reality, the cereal might be over fifty percent sugars!

How to buy honest food

• Shop are your local farmer’s market, food co-op or CSA.

• In the USA, look for the USDA Organic label on foods. This is a legitimate claim to being certified organic. It’s one of the few programs run by the USDA that actually has integrity.

• Read the ingredients labels! If you see names of chemicals you can’t pronounce, don’t buy it.

• Buy more unprocessed food ingredients and make your own meals rather than buying ready-to-eat, processed foods, which are almost universally formulated with disease-promoting ingredients.

• GROW some of your own food! The best food you can ever eat is food from your own garden.

Source: Natural News

Blueberries faked in cereals, muffins, bagels and other food products – Video from Food Investigations

I wanted to share this important reminder about deceptive food because I realize that many people still purchase processed foods in high quantities for their families.

Recently, I posted an article I wrote on artificial food additives and colorings.  If you did not read it you can click here.

Food Investigations has created a helpful video exposing some of the companies that deceptively market their products as containing nutritious food when in fact they are poisoning you and getting richer by the day.

Don’t be fooled people.  If it did not come from the tree or from the ground and into your mouth then its not real life building food.  In most cases it has been processed, stripped of nutrients, loaded with sugar and soaked in hydrogenated oils.  As I have said before:  Please Read the labels.  And if reading is too much for you then just stop buying processed snacks/foods and replace them with organic raw nuts, organic dried fruit and raw fruit snack bars you can make your self.  For a great recipe on a raw desert we enjoy at home click here.


Happy, Healthy Eating

LCO

What am I Eating – Is it Poison? Part 1

Some people say I take it to far when I go on my rant about food and how it either kills or heals the body. But it’s true.

For centuries people have used food to either heal or destroy their health.  Hippocrates said “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”. We can learn allot from that quote and I believe that we would live healthier lives if we took that quote seriously.

I am surrounded by horrible stories of sickness and disease on the news and in the lives of friends and acquaintances.  A good number of them (in the US)  are sick due to their own innocent negligence.  I say innocent because not everyone knows the difference between a life building food versus a dead food.  We live in a society of dead fast foods and then we wonder why we are getting sick so much.  To read about a recent talk I gave on the subject of dead and living foods entitled “Are you Dead or Alive” click here.

Us inventor Thomas A Edison said: “The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest her or his patients in the care of the human frame, in a proper diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.”    I absolutely love this quote.  I know we have advanced so much since the late 1800’s but are we really promoting optimal health in our hospitals, clinics and doctor offices?  Do you walk out of your doctor’s office with notes regarding nutritional doctrine or with a hand full of prescriptions?  It’s unfortunate to think that the latter is true in most cases.

Well intentioned physicians tend to be prescription happy and they prescribe to treat a symptom, meanwhile the underlining problem is seldom fixed.  It’s like helping a man who has lost everything he owns due to gambling.  He is now broke and begging money from friends to pay debts and continue gambling. His story is true and his need is evident.  The symptom is his new found poverty but the disease in this case is his addiction to gambling.  So, you can give this man all the money in the world and give him a place to stay but until you attack the issue of his addiction you will not see a lasting change in this man.  You will only become an enabler unless you love and care enough to truly help him recover from his addiction.

I personally know many people who were strung out on drugs for years.  They did all the rehabs, prescriptions and jail time possible and they were never able to change their ways until they had an encounter with the Almighty God and were set free from their addictions through the God’s saving grace.   They now lead healthier lives both physically and spiritually.

Why aren’t we caring for the true health needs of our society in a way that aims to help find the problem and not simply mask it?

Today, society teaches us about every single kind of candy bar, soda, sugary snack, junk food, fast food and we still scratch our heads when we get sick.

More and more we are seeing adults and children with diabetes, cholesterol issues, allergies, digestion problems, irritable bowel syndrome, cancer and more.  Adults and children are consuming more sugar today than anytime in our history.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported in 2009 that the average American consumes anywhere between 150 to 170 pounds of simple sugars, also known as refined sugars (this includes glucose, fructose, and sucrose) or simple carbohydrates, in one year! That’s a whole lot of sugar people.

But why is sugar an issue anyway?  Well simply because it’s a cancer promoter.  Plus the real story of the Big Sugar industry is quite dark.  Find out about Big Sugar in a fantastic video and a short article, by clicking here.

You see, cancer tumors develop, in part, by feeding on sugar in the bloodstream. If you eat lots of sugary snacks, you’re loading your bloodstream with the chemical energy needed for cancer cells (and tumors) to proliferate, so cut out on so much sugar.  If you must have a sweet fix use stevia, xylitol, organic palm sugar or small amounts or Organic raw honey.

Make sure you avoid these ingredients on food labels: high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, sucrose, enriched bleached flour, white rice, white pastas, white breads and other “white” foods that contain empty carbs.

High fructose corn syrup is in everything from cookies to jello to ketchup so be on the lookout and don’t purchase anything that contains it.

I know it may seem overwhelming but make a new decision everyday to cut out something unhealthy out of your diet.  Remember that if the food we are eating is not helping our bodies heal and function then it’s not doing its job.  You’re not meant to eat something only because it tastes good.  If that is always the case then you are doing a huge disservice to your body and sooner or later it will catch up with you.  Like I tell my kids, sometimes those things that taste good are better left on the shelf.

Check back for Part 2 later this week where I will cover more foods that promote cellular death and cancer as well as a list of foods you should be consuming on a daily basis.

Blessings to you and yours – LCO

Health News: What Dangerous Food Ingredient is Changing Names?

The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) has petitioned the U.S. FDA to allow manufacturers the option of using the term “corn sugar” instead of “high fructose corn syrup”. In their press release on the subject, they claim that “independent research demonstrates that the current labeling is confusing to American consumers.” They blame “inexact scientific reports and inaccurate media accounts” for the current stigma associated with high fructose corn syrup.

In reality, as opposed to the CRA’s dream world, if you need to lose weight, or if you want to avoid diabetes and heart disease, high-fructose corn syrup is one type of sugar you’ll want to avoid.Part of what makes HFCS such an unhealthy product is that it is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar not to mention that its made using GM (Genetically Modified) crops.

Stay away from it regardless of what they call it.

You can read The Corn Refiners Association cramppy, untrue, unfounded press release here.

Sources: PR Newswire September 14, 2010

5 Things You should Know About Insulin

Today there are millions of people suffering with diabetes and millions that will be diagnosed this year so I wanted to share these quotes with you from health books and experts around the globe.

1. It now appears as if insulin resistance is often triggered by inflammation. Therefore, inflammation is now linked closely to both obesity and diabetes. Inflammation has also been linked to many forms of cancer, and is intimately associated with autism, ADHD, and asthma.

- Kenneth Bock, Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders

2. Eat a low-fat, high-fiber diet including plenty of raw fruits and vegetables as well as fresh vegetable juices. This reduces the need for Insulin and also lowers the level of fats in the blood. Fiber helps to reduce blood sugar surges. For snacks, eat oat or rice bran crackers with nut butter or cheese. Legumes, root vegetables, and whole grains are also good. Remember to regulate your complex carbohydrate intake.

- Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements

3. Simple carbohydrates, or sugars, are quickly absorbed by the body, resulting in a rapid elevation in blood sugar level, stimulating a corresponding excessive elevation in serum insulin levels. It is thought by some that the natural, simple sugars found in fruits and vegetables have an advantage over sucrose and other refined sugars, in that they are balanced by a wide range of nutrients which aid in the utilization of the sugars. However, it is more significant that the sugars in whole, unprocessed foods are more slowly absorbed because they are contained within cells and are associated with fiber and other food elements.

- Michael T. Murray, N.D., Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D., Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Revised Second Edition

4. There is no question that a Type I diabetic requires insulin. Insulin preparations have been used in the treatment of diabetes since 1922. Since insulin is not absorbed orally, it must be injected. Insulin preparations come in concentrations of 100 units per milliliter (U-100) and 500 units per milliliter (U-500), but can differ in their source (beef, pork, or human synthetic insulin), duration of action (rapid, intermediate, or long-acting), and solubility (crystalline versus soluble). The human synthetic Insulin is gaining wider acceptance as the preferred source.

- Michael T. Murray, N.D., Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D., Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, Revised Second Edition

5. It now appears as if insulin resistance is often triggered by inflammation. Therefore, inflammation is now linked closely to both obesity and diabetes. Inflammation has also been linked to many forms of cancer, and is intimately associated with autism, ADHD, and asthma.

- Kenneth Bock, Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders

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About LCO

La Chica Organica is a fun loving mom of 3 beautiful children that enjoys sharing life building truth as a Health and Wellness Educator. Her passion is also seen in the creation of her own line of organic herbal products for her family. Quite often, she is asked to share with moms about the value of using herbs for healing everyday ailments. Part of her mission is to teach people all around the world about optimal health through proper nutrition and help parents make wiser food choices for their children. Her own life testimony of her families’ transition from bad health to better health has helped many families on their way to renewed wellness. To schedule a personal health and wellness at home visit or to invite her to speak at your church or office please email LaChicaOrganica@gmail.com

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All content written here is based on years of my own research, experience, and personal opinions and I will not be held responsible for any decision that you make concerning your own health, food choices, exercise choices, or life choices; so please act wisely.