Healthy Junk Food or Junky Health Food?
What is worse? Well, it’s a trick question. Anything with junk in it is…well…junk!
Junk is my term for ingredients that harm the body, rather than sustain your life and allow you to thrive as God intended. That 100 calorie pack of cookies? Junk. That overpriced “heart healthy” granola bar? Junk.
Let’s explore three categories today. I think we all know that sugar is not optimal for good health, so I’ll save that for another time.
Preservatives: By their very nature, they are meant to kill bacteria to extend the shelf life of processed foods. So, what do they do in your body? They kill bacteria! Did you know that your body is made up of more bacteria than cells? Trillions and trillions of good bacteria. The good bacteria kills off the bad, bolsters your immune system, and ensures good absorption of nutrients to name a few benefits. Good bacteria is what makes you a healthy person. And your food…if you don’t read labels…is killing it off! Here are a few examples:
| Ammonium sulfate | Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) |
| Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) | Sodium nitrite |
| Sodium benzoate | Sulfites |
Bad Fats: For decades, we have been led to believe that fat is bad for us. Now we know that this is only partially true. Trans fats, and an overabundance of Omega 6 fats are examples of those that can harm us. Good old Omega 3s not only sustain good health, but can reverse damage and halt disease. Here are a few examples of what to look for:
|
DO WANT |
DON’T WANT |
|
Olive Oil Coconut Oil Avocado Oil Grass Fed Butter and Ghee |
Canola Oil Vegetable Oil Corn Oil Soybean Oil |
Exciototoxins – AKA Glutamates: There is a good chance that you haven’t heard of these toxic concoctions that are being added to your food. They are created in labs to obtain an addictive response in your brain. Their damage and relationship to many common diseases has been ignored by the FDA, although at least 80% of them are outlawed in most other countries. This quote tells it all by Richard C. Henneberry, PhD:
“I consider it ironic that the pharmaceutical industry is investing vast resources in the development of glutamate receptor blockers to protect [the central nervous system] neurons against glutamate neurotoxicity in common neurological disorders, while at the same time, the food industry, with the blessing of the FDA [Food and Drug Administration], continues to add great quantities of glutamate to the food supply.”
Here are some ingredients to look for:
| Monosodium Gutamate | Hydrolyzed Vegetable or Plant Protein |
| Carmel Coloring | Plant Protein Extract |
| Sodium or Calcium Caseinate | Yeast Extract |
| Natural Flavors | Carrageenan |
| Natural Beef or Chicken Flavor | Soy Protein Isolate Whey |
| Textured Protein | Autolyzed Yeast |
| Hydrolyzed Oat Flour | Soy Protein Concentrate |
| Malt Extract | Malt Flavoring |
As you can see, if you want to be healthy, the solution isn’t to take a drug, count calories or exercise like a crazy person. It starts by watching what you are put in your mouth. Food is information. I would like you to look in your fingers, at your fork, in your spoon or in your glass, and think before putting something in your body. Is this going to sustain my life? Or, will it endanger or even kill it? Did God make the ingredients in His perfect way? Or, is there a man-made food-like substance added? This is the start of health, disease prevention, and even weight loss.
