A topic that is largely underrated is that our western diet of mainly processed foods is probably responsible for a large number of the modern diseases like diabetes, cancer, alzheimer and dementia.
There is a direct link between the lack of vital nutrients such as Omega 3 fatty acids and the modern office disease chronic fatigue or burnout.
It is thus so important to look at the food ingredients you buy in the supermarket and here are the top offenders you should really try to avoid if you want to stay healthy:
- Too much sugar is found in almost all processed foods from tomato sauce to pizza. Our palate has become used to it but it wreaks havoc in our body by robbing us of essential minerals. Alternatives to sugar are stevia and natural organic honey e.g in your tea or coffee.
- Artificial sweeteners are often food in foods labelled as sugar free or “diet” such as yoghurts but contain aspartame and acesulfame potassium – substances suspected of causing numerous health issues from digestive problems to Alzheimer and Attention Deficit Syndrome (ADS). You will also find artificial sweeteners labelled as fructose, glucose or sucralose.
- Trans fats or hydrogenated oils like the artificial sweeteners are basically a chemical compund. Mostly several naturally occurring oils such as palm, soya and corn are mixed and heated by several hundred degrees with other substances added to it, changing the molecular structure and making it closer to a plastic than to an oil! We find these trans fats in nearly all processed foods such as dressings, crackers, margarines and cookies.
A junk food diet or a diet consisting mainly of processed foods means that your body is using up a lot of energy and essential nutrients to fight-off these toxic substances, causing typical symptoms like fatigue, tiredness, lack of sleep and irritability. Almost all research done on healthy diets recommend fresh locally produced organic food.
The
Mediterranean diet is one of the healthiest you can get, typically consisting of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables. Bread is eaten mostly by dipping it into healthy locally produced olive oil. Nuts such as almonds, cashews, pistachios and walnut, as well as the herbs and other essential oils provide all the nutrients the body needs. The Mediterranean diet also includes moderate drinking of wine with meals. Wine in moderation is known to reduce heart disease.
A rule of thumb when looking at any list of ingredients: If you don’t understand the “latin” on the label just drop it. Like so many things I recommend on this Blog. Dropping a bad habit and replacing it with a good habit can have an enormous impact on your health and quality of life.
Reino Gevers – Mentor for Leaders and Achievers – Your Health Matters
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