Processed Food is killing you

How Processed food is killing us!

You can’t be whole food, plant based very long without realizing that processed food is unhealthy.

It is almost impossible to find anything pre-packaged that doesn’t have some unhealthy ingredient in it. Try to find something like pickles without Citric Acid!

First, we aren’t even certain what is in processed food!

We have deceptive labeling!

Labeling laws have gotten so relaxed that many ingredients defined as GRAS can be termed as “natural” or omitted altogether. GRAS, or “Generally regarded as safe“, is determined by the food industry!

Safe stuff!

You know, like  Asparatame, corn syrup, MSG, preservatives, artificial flavors and dyes,.. and thousands of other “natural” products. Over 4000 in fact!

Secondly, we don’t know how or where it was manufactured.

We don’t realize how foods could be unsafe.

Cooking oil is treated with such high temperatures that it’s carcinogenic before you even open the bottle. A bottle of ketchup is 2/3 sugar!

Soybean oil is linked to all sorts of diseases and it’s in everything!

Some of our food is imported from other countries. China was recently exposed for labeling products as organic. Their country is so polluted that it would be impossible to raise anything organic.

Our own country is getting that way. Glyphosates are so prevalent that even organically grown produce has glyphosates because of the water used for irrigation.

Frito Lay was cited for stating “All Natural” on their chip labels because they use GMO BT corn in their products.

Third, people take staples for granted.

We don’t think about the contents of foods we’ve used for years.

Worcestershire and soy sauce have fish in them.

Someone on Guy’s Grocery Games used Worcestershire and soy sauce in a vegan cooking challenge. They won, even though their meals were not entirely vegan. Professional judges didn’t even catch it!

Food labels are not even required for food and beverages supplied to restaurants. You can bet they give no thought to what they use from a package.

I love Trader Joe’s but I can’t just blindly trust their offerings. I was told by a TJ manager that anything with the Trader Joe’s label is organic. Yeah? Read the labels!

How are WE supposed to know? Manufacturers come up with many names for the same thing. Look up MSG sometime.

We need to be aware of WHY processed food is so bad for us.

What’s the big deal?

There is obviously a link between processed food, obesity, diabetes and such. Now they are thinking the is a neurological link?

Introducing Mark Hyman MD.

Mark Adam Hyman is an American physician and best-selling author. He is the founder and medical director of The UltraWellness Center. Doctor’s Farmacy is his blog on topics related to human health and welfare.

I attended a web conference from Dr. Mark Hyman about how processed food affects our mental health.

So how does processed food affect our mental health?

Currently, one in five Americans live with a mental illness. Mental illness rates have been increasing in step with the rates of metabolic disease!

Conventional psychiatric care does not typically consider diet to be a factor of mental health conditions.  Yet, metabolic dysfunction, obesity, diabetes or insulin resistance can be controlled by diet.

Metabolic conditions and diet should both be part of the evaluation and treatment of mental health conditions.

Introducing Dr. Shebani Sethi Dalai.

I am sharing a web conference where Dr. Hyman chats with Dr. Shebani Sethi Dalai about the relationship between mental health and metabolic disease.

We are coming to understand that inflammation, stress, and insulin resistance may be the root cause of many chronic brain illnesses.

Now we believe they are the cause of many psychiatric disorders as well.

Dr. Dalai specializes in Obesity Medicine and Psychiatry. She is the director of Stanford University’s Metabolic Psychiatry program. Likewise, she is the director of the Silicon Valley Metabolic Psychiatry.

Dr. Dalai leads a number of clinical trials investigating the relationship between nutrition, metabolic dysfunction, and mental health.

We often hear about food in the context of physical health—eating for a strong heart, healthy weight, and glowing skin. But what about the other impacts of food, like how it makes us feel emotionally and mentally?

The Connection!

Dr. Dalai and Dr. Hyman discuss metabolic psychiatry. This is the connection between psychiatry and overall metabolic health. Metabolic psychiatry considers how nutrition affects the brain. It focuses on reducing sugar, processed foods, and refined carbohydrates to improve mind and body health.

They discuss how the wrong foods can alter brain, appetite, and reward signaling. Dr. Dalai feels a keto diet can be an effective approach to mental illness.

Personally, I feel a long term, keto diet is unhealthy and taxing on the body. There is evidence that high animal protein in particular can trigger cancer. See my article on breast cancer. However, I am no doctor and not here to render medical advice.

Tune in and give it a listen.

Click here to listen on the web

Conclusion!

I still use a few things like canned beans, organic tomatoes in a jar, rice or quinoa pasta, vinegars, salsas, tamari and some condiments. It is difficult to get around it and who has time to make everything from scratch?

When Harry and I started avoiding processed foods, refined carbs, unknown additives and unnatural sugars, we saw 95% of the store as toxic! I make most of my own condiments and refuse to buy anything I can’t pronounce.

I also refuse to buy anything with the word “natural” in it.

Do what you can. Try to do four days a week of a healthful plant based diet. Gradually increase the days until you are transitioned!

Eat nothing from a can, box or package. Stay away from store bought bread products and avoid sweets. Most bakery items are loaded with chemicals!

Don’t beat yourself up if you use something processed ONCE IN AWHILE. Vacations, social outings, dinner out and special holidays. You know, when you aren’t in control.

Here’s to your brain health!