Unhealthy food can come in a variety of ways, especially in the form of processed food. not only is this food hard on your body, it's hard on the environment. Here are some common things to avoid when trying to contribute to a more healthy you, and healthy earth.
Bad for you
1. trans fat
Trans fat is found in many fast foods, packaged cookies, cake frosting, buttermilk pancakes, microwave popcorn, and frozen meals. Also known as trans-fatty acids, trans fat is made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil in a process called hydrogenation, which makes oil less likely to spoil. Trans fat helps food stay fresh longer, have a longer shelf life, and have a less greasy feel. Consuming trans fat both increases your HDL, or good cholesterol and raises your bad LDL cholesterol. To locate trans fats in your foods, look at the ingredients to find "partially hydrogenated" vegetable oil.
2. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
HFCS is most commonly found in soda, sauces, ice cream, some breads, salad dressing, some yogurt, ketchup, and cereal. Its purpose is to sweeten foods and beverages. hfcs is made through an enzymatic process from glucose syrup that is derived from corn. hfcs is a highly desired food ingredient for many manufacturers because it is equally as sweet as table sugar, blends well with other foods, helps food to maintain a longer shelf life, and is less expensive than other sweeteners. But, even table sugar is made by human intervention. hfcs is essentially no different than most sweeteners and, according to the american medical association, there is no direct link to hfcs and obesity. so the real thing to avoid here is sweeteners in general. try limiting your intake of sweeteners to 2 tablespoons of honey or agave syrup a day.
3. Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
MSg is a flavor enhancer added to many foods. It is approximately 78% free glutamic acid, 21% sodium, and 1% contaminants. Even though the FDA lists msg as "safe", there are many accusations claiming msg does harmful things to the body, and can have many dangerous side effects. Dr.Russel Blaylock explains that msg is a excitotoxin meaning that it overexcites your cells to the point of damage or death, causing brain damage to varying degrees, and potentially even worsening other diseases. MSg's can be disguised on packaged food as "natural flavors" but other familiar names are glutamic acid, monopotassium glutamate, natrium glutamate, monoammonium glutamate, yeast extract, gelatin, calcium glutamate, magnesium glutamate, soy protein, calcium caseinate, sodium caseinate, autolyzed yeast, and textured protein.
4. artificial sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners are synthetic sugar substitutes but can be derived from naturally occurring substances. Artificial sweeteners are used widely in processed foods, especially those marked as "sugar-free" or "diet." Many artificial sweeteners have had severe health claims against them, and some were even marked with warning labels and taken off the market. Sweeteners like Saccharin were linked to cancer claims, and aspartame has been linked to many short-term side-effects headaches, dizziness, and mental confusion. It has also been linked to long-term effects like depression, and seizures, and joint pain. your body doesn't know how to process aspartame, so there is no telling what kind of side effects you will have. the best thing to do, is avoid artificial sugars at all cost, by not eating diet foods. but the regular versions of some diet foods may not be any healthier, so trying to avoid processed foods in general.
bad for the environment
around 19% of the total energy used in the united states is to package and ship food products. research shows that this high amount of use can be reduced by 50% if Americans will adopt traditional farming and following a healthy diet plan. growing your own garden may not be an option due to living arrangements or a busy schedule, but buying organic, naturally grown foods from a local farmers market rather than from a grocery store can make a big impact. But when processed foods are bought, usually in very clever, very protective packages, it must go somewhere when you throw it away! nearly 3.2 million tons of packaging waste thrown away yearly. eating and throwing away fast food is a major contributor to that high number as well.
Bad for you
1. trans fat
Trans fat is found in many fast foods, packaged cookies, cake frosting, buttermilk pancakes, microwave popcorn, and frozen meals. Also known as trans-fatty acids, trans fat is made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil in a process called hydrogenation, which makes oil less likely to spoil. Trans fat helps food stay fresh longer, have a longer shelf life, and have a less greasy feel. Consuming trans fat both increases your HDL, or good cholesterol and raises your bad LDL cholesterol. To locate trans fats in your foods, look at the ingredients to find "partially hydrogenated" vegetable oil.
2. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
HFCS is most commonly found in soda, sauces, ice cream, some breads, salad dressing, some yogurt, ketchup, and cereal. Its purpose is to sweeten foods and beverages. hfcs is made through an enzymatic process from glucose syrup that is derived from corn. hfcs is a highly desired food ingredient for many manufacturers because it is equally as sweet as table sugar, blends well with other foods, helps food to maintain a longer shelf life, and is less expensive than other sweeteners. But, even table sugar is made by human intervention. hfcs is essentially no different than most sweeteners and, according to the american medical association, there is no direct link to hfcs and obesity. so the real thing to avoid here is sweeteners in general. try limiting your intake of sweeteners to 2 tablespoons of honey or agave syrup a day.
3. Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
MSg is a flavor enhancer added to many foods. It is approximately 78% free glutamic acid, 21% sodium, and 1% contaminants. Even though the FDA lists msg as "safe", there are many accusations claiming msg does harmful things to the body, and can have many dangerous side effects. Dr.Russel Blaylock explains that msg is a excitotoxin meaning that it overexcites your cells to the point of damage or death, causing brain damage to varying degrees, and potentially even worsening other diseases. MSg's can be disguised on packaged food as "natural flavors" but other familiar names are glutamic acid, monopotassium glutamate, natrium glutamate, monoammonium glutamate, yeast extract, gelatin, calcium glutamate, magnesium glutamate, soy protein, calcium caseinate, sodium caseinate, autolyzed yeast, and textured protein.
4. artificial sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners are synthetic sugar substitutes but can be derived from naturally occurring substances. Artificial sweeteners are used widely in processed foods, especially those marked as "sugar-free" or "diet." Many artificial sweeteners have had severe health claims against them, and some were even marked with warning labels and taken off the market. Sweeteners like Saccharin were linked to cancer claims, and aspartame has been linked to many short-term side-effects headaches, dizziness, and mental confusion. It has also been linked to long-term effects like depression, and seizures, and joint pain. your body doesn't know how to process aspartame, so there is no telling what kind of side effects you will have. the best thing to do, is avoid artificial sugars at all cost, by not eating diet foods. but the regular versions of some diet foods may not be any healthier, so trying to avoid processed foods in general.
bad for the environment
around 19% of the total energy used in the united states is to package and ship food products. research shows that this high amount of use can be reduced by 50% if Americans will adopt traditional farming and following a healthy diet plan. growing your own garden may not be an option due to living arrangements or a busy schedule, but buying organic, naturally grown foods from a local farmers market rather than from a grocery store can make a big impact. But when processed foods are bought, usually in very clever, very protective packages, it must go somewhere when you throw it away! nearly 3.2 million tons of packaging waste thrown away yearly. eating and throwing away fast food is a major contributor to that high number as well.
For more information, check out:
http://www.breastcancer.org/risk/factors/unhealthy_food
http://bembu.com/most-unhealthy-foods
http://www.naturalnews.com/039970_cancer_junk_food_carcinogens.html
/healthy-food-characteristics.html
"How Eating Junk Food Threatens the Environment - Promoting Eco Friendly Lifestyle to Save Enviornment - Ecofriend." Ecofriend Atom. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2013.
"33 Most Unhealthy Foods You Should Avoid." Bembu. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2013.
Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Trans Fat Is Double Trouble for Your Heart Health." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 06 May 2011. Web. 02 May 2013.
"The Truth about High Fructose Corn Syrup." SparkPeople. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2013.
Mercola, Dr. "MSG: Is This Silent Killer Lurking in Your Kitchen Cabinets." Mercola. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2013.
Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Artificial Sweeteners and Other Sugar Substitutes."
Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 09 Oct. 2012. Web. 02 May 2013.
Mercola, Dr. "Artificial Sweeteners -- More Dangerous than You Ever Imagined." Mercola. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2013.
http://bembu.com/most-unhealthy-foods
http://www.naturalnews.com/039970_cancer_junk_food_carcinogens.html
/healthy-food-characteristics.html
"How Eating Junk Food Threatens the Environment - Promoting Eco Friendly Lifestyle to Save Enviornment - Ecofriend." Ecofriend Atom. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2013.
"33 Most Unhealthy Foods You Should Avoid." Bembu. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2013.
Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Trans Fat Is Double Trouble for Your Heart Health." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 06 May 2011. Web. 02 May 2013.
"The Truth about High Fructose Corn Syrup." SparkPeople. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2013.
Mercola, Dr. "MSG: Is This Silent Killer Lurking in Your Kitchen Cabinets." Mercola. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2013.
Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Artificial Sweeteners and Other Sugar Substitutes."
Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 09 Oct. 2012. Web. 02 May 2013.
Mercola, Dr. "Artificial Sweeteners -- More Dangerous than You Ever Imagined." Mercola. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 May 2013.