Often times when we start a new healthy lifestyle we know what we should and should not eat, yet we still have a difficult time sticking to it. One reason may be that we don’t understand why we need to avoid certain foods.
When Rebecca Katz got me started on my new healthy lifestyle, she explained to me that we should avoid foods containing high fructose corn syrup, monosodium glutamate, and partially hydrogenated oils. Just telling me what I should and should not eat wasn’t good enough for me. Like a two-year-old, I needed to know why.
Rebecca explained that our bodies don’t know what to do with these chemically processed foods, so it stores it up as fat. I later did some research and discovered that what she said in such simple terms were so true and then some. All three are chemically processed and have no nutritional value; additionally, all of them have been linked to obesity as well as many other diseases.
I found out that monosodium glutamate is a neurotoxin (a brain poison) that is found in many of our canned goods. It has been linked to many diseases involving the brain and nervous system. It has also been associated with obesity, as it affects the pituitary gland which governs the hormone that controls our weight.
High fructose corn syrup is a glucose that has been chemically processed into fructose and added to corn syrup. It makes our foods taste sweeter and is found in many processed foods and beverages. This fructose solution, however, increases obesity as it induces insulin resistance.
The last of the three ingredients is partially hydrogenated oils. These can be found in many of our chips, cookies, and fast foods. Partial hydrogenation is an inexpensive way to produce better tasting foods that have a longer shelf life. The problem with this is there is no nutrients in these trans fats, so we will continue to eat until our bodies receive the essential fatty acids that it needs for our cells.
The double bonding created during the processing of partially hydrogenated oils interferes with the metabolic function of life. Our cells become blocked by the trans fats, and, as a result, they keep our essential fatty acids from entering the cells, thus storing up as fat to be used later. Not only do these trans fats affect our metabolic function, but they also may produce other diseases such as multiple sclerosis and arthritis.
Once I understood the “whys” of staying away from these types of foods I found myself carefully examining the labels of all packaged ingredients. I have now discovered that it is just as simple to eat healthy as it is to eat the convenience foods. In fact, it is easier for me to stay within my calorie limits when I eat healthy natural foods than what it was before when I didn’t. The reason is because my body is receiving the nutrients it needs to survive, resulting in my not feeling hungry all the time.
Hopefully the answers to these questions of why we should and shouldn’t eat certain foods will encourage you to eat a healthy balanced diet just as it did me.
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