Is Your Diet Healthy?

Many popular diets have massive marketing budgets, with millions of dollars spent promoting them.  The reason that many of these diets are successful is not because they are healthy, but because they can afford to make themselves highly visible.  In fact, some of the most popular diets out there contain some very unhealthy ingredients.  

Just because a diet sells well and is covered with savvy marketing claims, it does not mean it is good for us.  Most aren't.  Separating the facts from highly convincing marketing fiction can be difficult, not to mention that many diets may give us short-term weight loss but set us up for long-term chronic disease.

• Learn how to get off the diet merry-go-round for good! 
• Why diets cause disease

Let's take a few minutes to learn what makes a diet healthy, and what makes it a bad choice.  Then take a look at your diet and see how it stacks up and where there's room for improvement.

How Healthy is the Ingredient List?

It is always a warning sign when a food label contains a long list of ingredients that you do not recognize as whole foods, and many popular diets freely advocate highly processed and packaged frozen foods complete with assorted chemicals.  If your diet recommends foods in pre-packaged frozen meals, the only ingredients it should contain are whole foods (e.g. tomatoes, celery, carrots, potatoes, spinach, lentils, spices...).  The exception is extra ingredients that act as natural preservatives, including:

• Vinegar (acetic acid)
• Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols)
• Vitamin C (ascorbate)
• Rosemary, clove, or other spices
• Sea salt

Walk away from:

• Artificial colorings or flavorings  
• Artificial sugar substitutes, e,g. aspartame (NutraSweet®), sucralose (Splenda®) or saccharin (Sweet ’n Low®).
• Artificial preservatives
• All refined oils (e.g. safflower, soy, corn, vegetable, canola)
• The words "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated"
• ALL ingredients you don't recognize as natural

Are Most Of the Meals Frozen Or Canned?

Any diet that is composed primarily of frozen meals or canned food is sub-optimal at best.  These foods fall far short of their fresh counterpart.  Not only is the nutrition significantly depleted, but the amount of life force energy that is emitted from these foods is measured as substantially less than their fresh counterpart.

Learn more about the vibrational energy of food:
The Body Healer Protocol...

Most of the cans that contain food also contain a toxic product called BPA.  Always look for the BPA-free logo on the label or the bottom of the can.  If you do not see it, pass on the food.  ...Read about BPA

Do the Meals Require Microwaving?

When you microwave food, not only do you reduce the nutritional content and damage the molecular structure of the food, but microwaved foods also have a direct and immediate impact on the blood and biological systems of the body.  Irradiated foods are also foods that have been damaged by a process called irradiation.

• Microwaves & why you should ditch them
• Irradiated foods:  Why they don't belong in the body

Does It Include Plenty Of Fresh Foods?

Does the diet recommend a variety of whole foods from the produce section of the store?  Does it include plenty of raw foods (think salad ingredients, fresh fruit, and raw sprouted grains and seeds)?  If not, then it is not in the best interest of your health.

Does It Contain Processed Corn or Soy?

Processed corn and soy are two of the absolute worst offenders in the processed food world today.  

Soy

Processed soy has now made its way into almost every category of food in our supermarkets.  From meat substitutes and frozen meals, to cereals, crackers, cooking oils, soy milk, salad dressings, food emulsifiers (lecithin), condiments, soy protein bars, protein shakes, and supplements, to feed for farmed animals, and pet foods - heavily processed and refined soy is everywhere.  To add insult to injury, the majority of it is genetically modified.  Even though soy infant formulas are banned in some countries and carry serious warnings in others, it still flows freely in the US. 

Healthy food does not contain processed soy because processed soy is NOT a health food.  It is a sludge that does not belong in a healthy body.  The only soy that should be listed is from whole soybeans (edamame) and it should be listed as "non-GMO."  Unfortunately, processed soy is hidden using a variety of terms on food labels.  If you are purchasing soy sauce, always look for Nama Shoyu (unpasteurized soy sauce) sold in many health food stores, and make sure it is not genetically modified.  

• Why soy is not a health food 
• The health dangers associated with processed soy 

Corn

Similar to soy, it is difficult to find a food item in the supermarkets, pet foods, and livestock feed that does not contain genetically modified and highly processed corn derivatives that in no way resemble the original healthful "whole food" state.  The ONLY corn ingredient that should be listed in your food is fresh sweet corn. 

Derivatives of processed corn and soy can be found in over 95% of processed foods as hidden ingredients:

Does It Require Calculations

Does your diet force you to keep count of calories, weigh food, or calculate nutrient percentages?  Does this sound realistic to you?

Does It Educate You About Healthy vs. Unhealthy Food?

As the majority of the foods on the standard American diet are highly refined foods that should be avoided, it is very important that any diet you choose educates you not only on which foods you should be eating, but about the foods you should walk away from and why.  

It should teach you the differences between natural and unnatural foods, and recommend fresh produce, as opposed to encouraging a reliance of frozen meals that require microwaving.

Does It Restrict Healthy Carbohydrates?

Any diet that does not promote a variety of fresh vegetables (which are naturally high in carbs) as a primary food source, with the addition of fruits and sprouted grains, will fall far short of being a healthy diet.  Depriving yourself of these vital foods deprives you from ever achieving the highest level of health and vitality, and a higher vibrational state of being.

Healthy, enzyme-rich and highly vitalizing carbohydrates include:

• Primary Sources
  Vegetables (including salad vegetables, leafy greens, root vegetables, and sea vegetables)
  
  
• Secondary Sources
  Fruits, sprouted grains/breads/cereals/legumes 

Depriving your body of carbohydrates deprives your body of its natural source of fuel.  The body is highly efficient at burning carbohydrates, and is energized and vitalized by eating the right types of carbs.  Contrary to what some diets preach, fat is NOT the primary fuel source for the body.  High fat meals result in sluggish digestion that drains our energy reserves, as opposed to meals high in water content that digest rapidly and efficiently. 

Why you should avoid low carb diets...

Restricting carbs is the #1 cause of food cravings on diets because the body will ALWAYS crave its primary fuel source. 

Does It Contain Factory Farmed Meat?

If meat is purchased in the US and it is not organic or pasture-raised, then it is factory-farmed.  Exceptions to this are animals such as game meat (e.g. bison, deer, elk, rabbit, pheasant, duck, and geese).  Factory-farmed meat is the meat sold in many popular diets on the market.  If your diet food advocates eating factory-farmed meat, please learn about the health consequences, about the irresponsible choice these diet companies have made to include factory-farmed meat, and why you should walk away from the diet and never look back:

• Why is factory farming banned in other countries? 
• Why is factory-farmed meat dangerous for your health? 

Eat Meat Responsibly or Choose Vegetarian

Does It Contain Genetically Modified Ingredients?

Foods that contain genetically modified ingredients (GMOs) are very different from their conventional counterpart.  Their protein structure has been altered, and controlled studies in rodents have revealed that GMOs cause a variety of serious health consequences ranging from organ damage, infertility, shortened life span, allergies, and food intolerances.  These are studies you will read about in Europe and other countries, and that have been withheld from the general public in the US.  There have been zero long-term health studies on genetically modified ingredients, and none of them have been tested by the government. 

GMOs are becoming so commonplace that most processed foods contain at least one genetically modified ingredient.  Unless you want to be a walking chemistry experiment, walk away from GMOs.  Look for the NON-GMO project stamp on the food label to ensure you are not eating genetically modified ingredients on your diet.

• What GMOs are & why you should avoid them 
• The 8 myths of GMOs

The SAD (S)tandard (A)merican (D)iet

The standard American diet (SAD) for many Americans is a sad one indeed.  Over 90% of the diet consists of junk, with the healthy food relegated to decorations and garnishments on the plate.  Obesity is now an epidemic, and this weight gain correlates with the rise of many diseases, including heart disease and diabetes. 

Food corporations and their savvy marketing tactics encourage people to overeat, offering food that directly conflicts with what is best for their health with the excuse that what a person chooses to eat is a matter of personal responsibility and certainly not the fault of the food corporations.  The fact that their deceptive labeling techniques are created to deliberately misguide consumers seems to be lost on them (did you know that "natural flavoring" can be comprised of over 50 different chemicals combined to create a variety of anything but "natural flavors"?).  The courts generally rule in favor of food companies favoring "free speech," even when many supposed "health foods" have mostly processed ingredients with only one or two ingredients in tiny quantities that are healthy.

Why do Americans spend more money on healthcare than Japan, France, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina combined, and yet are much sicker?  Because we have a medical system that medicates you with pills, and a government that subsidizes food that is unhealthy while providing no education on what to eat and what not to eat.  People are getting heavier, sicker, and hopelessly dependent on medication to put band-aids on problems that are never addressed.

What Happened?

What exactly happened to create such a catastrophic downfall where 1 in 3 people or overweight, 1 in 4 people suffer from diabetes, and 1 in 5 people will die of cancer?  Let's take a look at the 12 things that food industrialization has done to destroy a healthy food chain:

Processed & refined foods...

Factory-farmed meat...

Pesticides & herbicides...

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)...

Stress...

Food irradiation & microwaving...

Food from China...

Deceptive marketing tactics...

Large portion sizes...

Pressure for profit...

Government subsidies for processed food...

Supplements...

Why Many Americans Choose the SAD Diet

They Are Unaware of the Health Consequences
Many consumers choose the SAD diet because they are completely unaware of just how unhealthy it is.  They do not make the correlation between the dramatic increase in chronic diseases and the industrialization of our food chain.  They are unaware that the top 3 killer diseases (diabetes, heart disease, and obesity) are all entirely preventable by simply making different dietary choices.  Most processed junk food is high in unhealthy fat, high in sugar and salt, low in fiber, and contains excess condiments such as butter, mayonnaise, dressings, mustard, and ketchup which themselves are highly chemicalized and/or high in calories.  To add insult to injury, it is devoid of healthy nutrition.

Deep down, the average American may know that their food choices are not the best, but they are genuinely unaware that their chances of developing a chronic disease or illness rises exponentially on such a diet.  Sadly, the realization often sets in only when they or those they love become sick, and when the damage can sometimes be irreversible.

They Fall Prey to Irresistible Advertising
Americans have a tendency to trust food packaging to be honestly advertised, and assume that their government would protect them from dangers in their food supply.  But many food corporations routinely lie on their package labeling, and lax labeling laws do little to protect the American public.  Some of the chemicals in American food are so unhealthy that they are banned by governments in other countries.  Even though our food habits are the biggest contributing factor to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, the government is not stepping up to the plate to educate and promote a healthy lifestyle free of processed and chemicalized food.  On the contrary, it freely allows it.

Unfortunately, millions of people are exploited every day through irresistible advertising from food companies.  The ads can have a very powerful psychological effect on the viewer, and some chemicals (excitotoxins) in the foods are made to create biochemical and physiological addictions.  We eat when we are not hungry and are constantly encouraged by advertisements to eat more.  

In a win-win for the food and pharmaceutical giants, the junk food market provides the food, which in turn contributes to the chronic diseases, which in turn keeps the pharmaceutical companies in business and America a medicated nation. 

They Assume Only Fast Food Is Junk Food
Many Americans mistakenly assume that if they do not eat "fast food," then they are not on a junk food diet.  But junk food is not just from fast food joints.  It consists of ALL FOOD that is heavily processed and refined.  Canned, pre-packaged and frozen foods that are highly refined and contain chemicals, additives, artificial colorings and flavorings, hydrogenated oils, and refined ingredients such as sugar and bleached flour - all junk.  Junk foods are the majority of foods sold in typical supermarkets.  Diet drinks, sodas, pasteurized milk-based drinks and fruit drinks are also loaded with added sugar and artificial chemicals - junk.  The only way to get away from them is to eat fresh foods, and if you buy packaged foods, then read the ingredient lists very carefully.

They Do not Realize It Is Addictive
Processed junk food is filled with highly addictive and stimulating flavors, sugars, and caffeine content.  These addictive excitotoxins are great at hooking us in.  They are the foods eaten at a football game, around a campfire, at parties, or the movies.  Like recreational drugs, junk foods are recreational foods that we also come to associated with fun times.  It becomes easy to see why we are chemically addicted.

They Are Unaware They Are Undernourished
The irony is that the typical American is overfed, but very undernourished.  The SAD diet contains very few fresh foods, with some Americans eating none at all.  It is high in the bad stuff, and completely lacking in all the healthy stuff such as vitamins, minerals, and enzymes.  It is also caffeine and alcohol rich, and water poor.  

It is Cheap & Convenient
Unhealthy food is cheaper to produce and has a high profit margin, which means cheaper for the consumer, which unfortunately makes it more appealing to those on a budget.  It is also convenient and requires a few minutes in the microwave, or can be eaten right from a container.

• Learn more about healthy food choices 
• How to tell if a diet is healthy 

SAD & the High-Stress American Lifestyle

The American culture encourages a lifestyle that is compulsive, rushed, competitive, eat-on-the-go, high-stressed and high-paced, demands instant gratification, and expects large portions.  Food is often gulped down rather than chewed and enjoyed.  Those not suffering the effects of their unhealthy food choices are often hooked on alcohol, tobacco, or drugs because they are so overwhelmed by their stressful lifestyle.  It is easier to collapse in a heap in front of the TV.  For others, there is no time to slow down - no time to simply stop.  Many jump on the computer to either continue working, or play computer games all evening when they get home.  Video games are now a class of addiction that has become a primary topic in family/divorce counseling.

Somewhere along the way, moderation fell by the wayside.  Stress levels have created a generation addicted to anti-anxiety and insomnia medications.  Sleeping and eating disorders have become par for the course, and eating a diet of junk food is a serious eating disorder.  When we have a normal, healthy relationship with food, we digest and eliminate our food easily and with no digestive discomfort.  In contrast, those who eat junk and/or are high stressed are bloated, thirsty, and suffer from acid indigestion, heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, IBS, and other gastrointestinal disorders.  These discomforts are so common that Tums and Rolaids are now a household name.  

Digestive issues are NOT normal!
They are a sign of an internal imbalance.

Compared to other cultures where there is a strong family and community dynamic that offers an emotional, spiritual, and psychological support system, many Americans are more socially isolated and disconnected from their families and suffer dysfunctional family dynamics.  Many steer clear of neighbors and avoid eye contact with strangers.  The sense of isolation and loneliness can be debilitating for some.

Sickness or Health:  It's Your Choice

There is no doubt about the link between diet and disease.  Your diet can influence your long-term health more than any other action you can take.  Eating a healthier diet will not just help create a healthier body, help prevent disease, and make you feel like you are on a natural high.  It also will save you thousands in the long run due to the lack of healthcare needs and medications (many of which are very toxic and can contribute to secondary conditions worse than the condition they are treating).  It is only once we understand that the long-term cost of a bad diet is our health and longevity, that we can begin to make important changes.

The food corporations have no interest in creating a healthier food supply, so the change must start with each and every one of us.  It begins with the choices we make.  When people are educated about how important nutrition is to their health, they become inspired, enlightened, and empowered to make a difference at every check-out counter in every food store by changing the foods they buy.  It is simply a matter of supply and demand.  What we demand will be supplied because food manufacturers are in business for a profit and to keep the customer satisfied.  When more and people demand natural and organic foods, food manufacturers and stores respond by providing more and more of them.  Slowly but surely, it is happening all across the nation in even the biggest supermarket chains.

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