Unless you’re living on a farm in the middle of nowhere, chances are you consume at least some packaged foods.
Food manufacturers around the world are always looking for new ways to extend shelf life at very low cost.
Unfortunately, their job is not to look out for your health. Many ingredients used to sweeten, preserve and emulsify foods also rob the body of critical nutrients. Here are the one’s to look out for.
“Even if you’re eating a well-balanced diet, you’re likely consuming some packaged foods, such as cereal, yogurt, and frozen vegetables, that are going to make you deficient in at least one micronutrient,” says certified nutritionist Mira Calton, who co-authored the book Rich Food, Poor Food with husband Jayson Calton, Ph.D. “The fact is, Americans are overfed, but under-nourished.”
Ridding your diet of the following toxins hem will help you retain more micronutrients with every bite.
1. Processed Sugar
Aliases: Agave nectar, cane crystals, cane sugar, caramel, crystalline fructose, dextrose, evaporated cane juice, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, glucose, invert sugar, lactose, maltose, malt syrup, molasses, raw sugar, sucrose, syrup, honey, brown sugar
Found in: Sodas, dessert items, candies, frozen fruits and vegetables with sauces or marinades, sauces, soups
Robs Your Body of: Vitamin C, calcium, magnesium
“Vitamin C and glucose use the same transporters to get into cells, so they compete with one another,” Calton says. Our body wants to absorb a limited amount of fructose, adds Paul Jaminet, Ph.D., co-author of Perfect Health Diet, and “when we consume more than that, the intestine rejects it and feeds gut bacteria, leading to bacteria overgrowth.” This extra bacteria tends to steal nutrients and damage intestinal cells, he says, inhibiting absorption of calcium and magnesium.
Increased Health Risks Due to Nutrient Depletion: Weaker immune system and bones, poorer night’s sleep, compromised cellular and nerve function, chronic inflammation
2. High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
Aliases: Corn sweetener, corn syrup, corn sugar
Found in: Packaged foods, cookies, cakes, breakfast cereals, soda, frozen veggies, yogurt, juices, condiments
Robs Your Body of: Chromium, magnesium, zinc
“Biologically this sweetener has the same effects on your health as sugar, including the formation of sintestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO),” Jaminet says.
This is a common condition found in most people suffering from IBS, according to a 2010 report published in the World Journal of Gastroenterol. Unlike sugar, however, HFCS doesn’t trigger the “I’m full” hormone leptin in the brain, Calton adds, making it easier to overeat, which may lead to obesity.
Increased Health Risks Due to Nutrient Depletion: Impaired immune function, hair loss, lowered blood sugar regulation, elevated triglycerides, discomfort, bloating, diarrhea, obesity
3. Soy
Aliases: soy lecithin, asian cuisine flavoring, hydrolyzed plant protein, shoyu sauce, protein isolate, soybean oil, textured vegetable protein, vegetable broth, thickening agents and many others.
Found in: Hundreds of packaged foods, soy milk, meal replacements, nutrition supplements, sauces, baked goods, dressings, spices, soups, pastas.
Robs Your Body of: Iron, enzymes
Soy has become a major source of toxicity for human beings, especially in the last three decades. Not only is more than 99% of soy genetically modified, but sources labeled organic or non-GMO are often exposed to the same problems as conventional soy.
If you consume processed foods, soy is almost impossible to avoid. With the exception of wheat, there are few foods that are causing as many health problems as soy in the food supply. Here are 4 reasons to avoid any kind of soy.
Increased Health Risks Due to Nutrient Depletion: Growth problems, cancer, infertility, thyroid hormone depletion, allergies, immunotoxicity.
4. Disodium EDTA
Alias: Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid
Found in: Processed foods
Robs Your Body of: Vitamin C, magnesium, iron, calcium, zinc, potassium
Disodium EDTA excels at preserving the color and flavor of foods. “It grabs any free metals that would normally promote oxidation, therefore increasing shelf life,” Jaminet says. That’s also the reason they prescribe it to people suffering from heavy metal poisoning: It clings to minerals in your digestive tract and pulls them out, leaving them to be disposed through your feces, Calton says.
However, just as in relationships, clinginess is a bad thing for healthy people because when you eat foods with the preservative, it pulls out both bad and crucial minerals and disturbs gut bacteria.
Increased Health Risks Due to Nutrient Depletion: Digestive issues, weaker immune system, compromised cellular and nerve function, anemia, cramps, kidney damage
5. Phosphoric Acid
