There are 5 Foods that you certainly should try to avoid if you want to be and stay fit and healthy!
- Eggs & Dairy Products
- Wheat & Gluten
- Meat
- Processed Foods
- Oils & Fried Foods
1. Eggs & Dairy
We are the only species on the planet that drinks another species’ milk for consumption. We’re designed to drink mother’s milk for the first few month of our life and its nutritional information reflects our status of a slow growing species. It is low in calories, low in protein and relatively low in fat, whereas cow’s milk is high in protein, so the newborn calf will turn into a full grown cow within a year. Now think about what this high protein product will do to our body!? Do you want to grow wide and high like a calf? Probably not! Furthermore cow’s milk contains much more minerals like sodium, selenium, potassium, phosphorus and chloride and less calcium which makes it harder for us to digest it and to absorb the nutrients.
Not only is cow’s milk hard to digest but it’s also highly mucus-forming and constipating. In fact milk and dairy products are the most mucus-forming foods besides refined sugar. This mucus clogs up our lymph system, our gastro intestinal tract, our glands, organs and tissues.
Studies have also shown that there’s a correlation between osteoporosis and dairy consumption. Countries with a high dairy consumption also have the highest incidence of osteoporosis. And the reason for this is that milk and dairy like all animal products acidify the body’s ph. In order to neutralize the acidifying effect, our body uses the calcium out of our bones to keep our blood alkaline. Once the calcium is pulled out of the bones, it leaves the body through the urine. So we’re not only barely absorbing the calcium of milk, but even worse, in fact it depletes our bones from its calcium storage.
If you’re looking for good milk replacements, banana milk (bananas + water) and nut milks, especially almond milk, are a very good option (see recipes). And if you love yogurt, try some plain, non-sweetened vegan versions from organic supermarkets or use my Coconut Yogurt recipe to make your own yogurt (it’s super simple).
2. Wheat & Gluten
3. Meat
The list of diseases that are associated with meat consumption seems to look like an index of a medical textbook: heart related issues, obesity, fatty liver, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, cancer, etc. The reason for this is that meat, meat products as well as eggs contain cholesterol and saturated fat. And it is the fat in meat that does the most harm. Some might think that they can avoid the fat dangers by eating no or less red meat but that is not the case. White meat like chicken and turkey has about the same amount of cholesterol as beef and even though it might contain a little less fat, its fat content is still pretty high. A good example here is if you cook a piece of meat in water and you can see the oily eyes floating on top. That might raise awareness if the good old chicken broth is really that healthy. Don’t you think? If not then think about what happens when you eat this broth. All of the fat will then enter your blood stream, clogs up your arteries and can lead to high blood pressure and a fatty liver.
Eating meat also makes it harder to maintain a healthy body weight because of its relatively high amount of fat and protein with a lack of fiber.
Besides that it has been found that eating meat promotes cancer in many forms, among the most common being colon, stomach, prostate and breast cancer. Meat has absolutely no fiber and putrefies within 4 hours after consumption. Even worse, its remnants can cling to the walls of our intestines for 14-21 days and if your diet is low in fiber and you suffer from constipation, the rotting meat can stay in your intestines for month or even years. (Side note: to get rid of meat debris in the colon eating papaya can be very helpful because its enzymes can help to clear undigested protein-based debris and waste products!)
The cooking, grilling or barbequing process of meat can also create chemicals in the meat which can increase the risk of cancer.
Animals are nowadays also fed with food that contains hormones to make them grow in an unnaturally fast rate. These hormones can cause health problems in people who eat the meat of these animals. But even if you’re eating hormone-free organic meat, there are still naturally-occurring sex hormones (progesterone, testosterone & estrogen) that you absorb.
By eating meat you’re also running a greater risk of making yourself resistant against antibiotics. It’s because almost 70% of the antibiotics that are used in the United States each year are given to farm raised animals in effort to protect them from rampant disease. And even though they are given to the animals in small doses, you ingest them and can become antibiotic-resistant.
Another reason to stop eating meat is because it puts you at a greater risk for food poisoning. Animal products, especially chicken products are often contaminated with fecal pollutions during slaughter of processing. This causes foodborne disease like E.Coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter.
So all in all, one of the best things you can do for your health, the environment and the well-being of the animals is to cut out meat from your diet.
4. Processed Foods
Processed foods are foods that have been altered from its natural state. This also includes foods that are cooked, pasteurized, packaged or otherwise changed from their natural state in which they’re found in nature. Not only are these foods altered but they may also include added preservatives, sugars, salt, fat, flavors or other additives.
Processing makes produce last longer and sometimes even enhances their taste but mostly foods are actually stripped of essential nutrients and vitamins. If you’re reading an ingredient label pay attention to the amount of ingredients that are in the product, the more ingredients the more processed it is. Try to avoid foods with artificial colors, artificial or natural flavors, MSGs, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and hydrogenated oils.
Buying fresh, whole unpackaged produce is always the best option for health. A great way to do that is by visiting your local farmers market or if you can even grow some fruits and vegetables yourself.
5. Oils & Fried Foods
Oils, no matter what kind (coconut-, olive-, flax-, almond-, walnut-, avocado-oil, etc) are very condensed fats. And just like refined sugar, extracted oils are basically empty calories because all that is left is 100% pure fat without fiber, proteins and carbohydrates. Plus many commonly sold oils like canola oil and soybean oil contain large amount of trans fats, which are highly toxic and associated with multiple diseases. In comparison to their whole food counterparts oil thus provide a nutritional value that is way much more inferior.
Eating the meat of a young fresh coconut in fact provides much more of a nutritional value then eating coconut oil. Even though coconut oil is promoted as a very healthy, anti-bacterial food, it’s still a refined saturated fat that will clog up our arteries and inhibit a proper movement of energy into and out of our cells.
However there are still very good ways to use coconut oil. I use it as toothpaste, because it kills bacteria that sit on your teeth and thus leave your teeth smooth and shiny after brushing. I also use it as an antiperspirant and as a body lotion.
Instead of eating oils consider eating the whole foods instead, like coconut meat, avocados, olives, nuts & seeds.
Meal Plan Day 4
Breakfast: ‘Nice’ Cream of your choice
Lunch: 1 big papaya or 1/2 of a big papaya with 1-2 bananas
Dinner: A big bowl of lettuce (1 head) with a Sweet Tangerine Basil Dressing and toppings of your choice (peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, berries,…)
