3 Unhealthy Foods to STOP eating!

A GREAT article I found on Facebook mirrors SO much of what I have written in my previous health and nutrition posts and have spoken about on national calls, online webinars and in person for years now. Read on to see this great article that Mike Leary, Certified Personal Trainer and Nutrition Specialist wrote below, and get ready for a shocking statistic...

Mike writes, "Currently, the average adult eating a typical modern western diet in countries such as the US, Canada, Australia, etc. consumes approximately 67% of their total caloric intake from only 3 foods: CORN, SOY and WHEAT (and their derivatives). What would be considered a reasonably healthy amount of corn, soy and wheat in the human diet? Based on tens of thousands of years of human history, and what the natural diet of our ancestors was (indicating what our digestive systems are still programmed to process), this would probably be in the range of about 1% to 5% MAX of our total calories from soy, corn and wheat.

Considering that modern humans are eating 67% of their TOTAL calories from soy, corn and wheat, you can see why we have MASSIVE problems in our health and our weight!

It's not a surprise that we now have SO many intolerances and allergies, specifically to soy and wheat (and gluten intolerance). The human digestive system was simply never meant to consume these substances in such MASSIVE quantities. Keep in mind that these massively high levels of corn, soy and wheat in our modern human diet is a relatively NEW phenomenon that originated from the economics of the multi-billion dollar corn, soy and wheat industries. It really HAS been all about the money and NOT about our health! {Tracy interjection: Unfortunately, much of the most unhealthy foods are the cheapest to buy, continuing the vicious cycle and booming the industries of these as well as the medical industry. I now see many of my current clients in their 40's and 50's with the heart issues, diabetes and hormonal issues that I had primarily seen in my clientele in the 70-80 year old range only 15 years ago.}

By "derivatives" of corn, soy and wheat, this means the food additives such as: High fructose corn syrup (HFCS), corn oil, soybean oil (hydrogenated or plain refined), soy protein, refined wheat flour, hundreds of other food additives such as maltodextrin, corn or wheat starch, soy lecitin, mono and diglycerides, etc. This doesn't surprise me... consider how much soda or other sweetened drinks (with loads of HFCS) that the average person drinks DAILY... this is a LOT of calories from just ONE sole corn derivative. Even marinades, salad dressings, ketchup, breads, and 100's of other foods contain loads of belly-fattening HFCS! {Tracy interjection: If you have not done so already, PLEASE Netfix the documentaries, "Food Matters" and "Food Inc."! Hugely impactful, informative and important for anyone who eats, drinks and breathes.}

ALSO, think about how many processed foods we have that are either fried in soybean or corn oil, and even if the foods are not fried in these oils, these oils are additives to almost every processed food: chips, candies, cakes, salad dressings, tomato sauces, burrito wraps, corn chips, breaded chicken, etc, etc... This is a LOT of calories from these two OTHER corn and soy derivatives... both of them EXTREMELY UNHEALTHY!

On top of that, think about how MUCH breads, cereals, pastas, muffins and other highly processed wheat products that most people consume each day. Again, this is LOADS of unhealthy, blood-sugar spiking, nutrient-poor calories, that more than half the population has some degree of intolerance to anyway.

It gets even WORSE! Not only are we eating 67% of our total calories from corn, soy and wheat, but because of the economics involved (specifically with cheap corn and soy) we are also feeding most of our farm animals corn and soy now TOO, again amplifying the amount of corn and soy that passes through the food chain and (from a biochemical standpoint) ENDS UP IN OUR BODIES!

Probably the two worst examples of this blatant mismanagement of our food supply is how our factory farmed chickens and cows are fed. Cows are fed mostly corn in factory feedlot farms, even though their digestive systems are only meant to eat grass and other forage. This makes the cows sick (hmmm... E-coli anyone?), alters the Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio of the fats to unhealthy levels, and also diminishes the healthy CLA fats that would occur naturally in grass-fed beef. All of these problems go away if our cows are fed what they were made to eat naturally - GRASS!

Our chickens are also fed a diet of mostly corn and soy and crowded in tight pens in horrendous conditions {Tracy interjection: Do not eat while watching "Food Inc."... you will thank me later for this tidbit of advice.} A chicken was meant to roam around the outdoors eating a mixture of green, insects, worms, seeds, etc. When chickens are kept inside tight quarters and fed only grains, it leads to an unhealthy meat for YOU to eat, and also less healthy eggs compared to free-roaming {free-range} chickens allowed to eat an outdoors diet.

Our food supply has gotten SO screwed up that we're even feeding our salmon and other farmed fish corn and soy, again because of the economics involved. How ludicrious is this, considering that fish are meant to eat a diverse diet of smaller fish, worms, bugs, etc... Again this makes farm raised fish unhealthy in terms of nutrition compared to their wild counterparts. {Tracy interjection: Go WILD and buy wild-caught fish and seafood! Buy organic grass-fed beef and free-range chicken/eggs. If you can, invest in purchasing a farmer-raised grass-fed cow and free range chickens for the consistent freezer access to a healthful supply of meat.}

So, even when you're eating chicken, beef and fish, you are still essentially getting even MORE corn and soy into your body, considering that the cows, chickens and farmed fish eat mostly corn and soy. So, it's actually WORSE than just 67%, isn't it?!"

WOW! Great article, right? We simply MUST have a smart and informed approach to food production, purchase and consumption! How? By reading product labels, making healthful food choices and creating a good meal plan. Focus on the key foods we need, and this statistic CAN be changed! The FIRST step? Look in your own refrigerator, turn the bottles and jars around and read the labels. Toss out the bad and refill with what you need for more healthful eating. Now, if you want to make a FAST jump start in replenishing what you need, while removing what you don't in cleaning out BOTH your body and your fridge, connect with me ASAP at tracy@vibrantdrinkactlife.com and I will assist you in getting your health status and body ignited very quickly to rid excess weight, replenish your system from the inside out and allow you to reclaim your health. You only have one body, so GET IT HEALTHY - I will show you how!