7 IMPOSTERS: HEALTHY FOODS THAT AREN'T

DiamondDeb · 09-09-2009, 06:24 PM

This was in an email from Jonny Bowden & I thought it would be a good article to share. Can't post the link here or I would.

7 IMPOSTERS: HEALTHY FOODS THAT AREN'T

You can't open a newspaper, website or iPhone app without reading about the dangers lurking on our dinner plate (OK I'm kidding about the iPhone app.) Trans-fats and high-fructose corn syrup are the demons d'jour and with the modern diet being what it is, the food police don't seem to be in any danger of running out of new material to warn us about.

Fair enough. But what about all the "health" foods we've been told are our nutritional salvation? Are they all they're cracked up to be?

There's no better place to start than with salmon, generally thought to be one of the best of the superfoods. And it is-- when it's wild. Farm raised salmon have up to 8 times the level of carcinogenic PCBs as wild salmon. Kept in crowded pens, they're fed grain and fishmeal and a ton of antibiotics. Wild salmon are a health food. Farmed salmon... not so much.

Then there's cereal, believed by many to be the center of a healthy breakfast because of its high-fiber content. But with few exceptions, most supermarket cereals are fiber lightweights. Most are loaded with sugar (contributing to mood swings and energy dips). Whole grains are better, but those who are sensitive to blood sugar fluctuations will have still have to be careful. The best cereals are old-fashioned oatmeal, and a few standouts like Fiber One and All-Bran. Look for those that pass the "5 and 5" rule: less than 5 grams of sugar, more than 5 grams of fiber. (You'll be surprised at how few make the cut.)

Granola bars[/B] are simply candy bars masquerading as a health food. Most are simply chewy versions of candy bars--they have very little fiber, lots of processed carbs, and a ton of sugar. You're better off "rolling your own" out of raw oats, chopped almonds, coconut flakes, raisins and a dollop of raw organic honey or molasses to hold it together.

Frozen yogurt is a prime example of the triumph of marketing over good sense. The only thing frozen yogurt has in common with real yogurt is that they're both white. Real yogurt- one of the healthiest foods on earth-- is loaded with live cultures which support your digestive health. The live culture content of most frozen yogurt is precisely zero. What's more, frozen yogurt is usually filled with chemicals, and the artificial sweeteners in the non-fat kind can cause cravings just like sugar. You're better off with real, creamy, organic ice cream. Just don't eat too much.

Though most of us have been led to believe canola oil is the bees knees, it actually isn't such a health bargain after all. The high temperatures needed to extract the oil from the rapeseed plant from which it comes make canola oil's highly touted omega-3's rancid and foul smelling, requiring them to be deodorized, a process which creates some trans-fatty acids. It also goes through caustic refining, bleaching and degumming. Unless it's cold-pressed and organic, stay away.

And what could possibly be healthier than an egg-white omelet? Give up? Whole eggs! While an egg-white omlette isn't exactly unhealthy, it's hardly as good as the real thing. The yolk contains the superstars of eye nutrition, utein and xeazanthin which need fat to be absorbed properly. Egg yolks are an important source phosphatidylcholine an important nutrient for brain health.

Apples- healthy. Apple juice- maybe not. One cup of apple juice has zero grams of fiber, 117 calories, and 29 grams of carbs of which 27 are sugar (and your typical serving is a lot more than a cup). Sorry, but that's not a health drink, it's sugar water with apple flavoring. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Wish I could say the same about apple juice, but I can't.

So what's the take home? Simple: eat real food. Food your grandmother would have recognized as food. Food you could hunt, fish, gather or pluck. Food as close to its natural form as possible. Food without a bar code. Whole fruit (not the fruit juice). Whole eggs (not the egg whites). Meat, eggs and milk from healthy, grass-fed cows and chickens that roam around pecking at worms (free-range). Any vegetable in the world.

Even if you don't hit the "bulls eye" 100 percent of the time, you'll still be way ahead of the game.

WildflowerMama · 09-10-2009, 07:57 AM

Does he cite a source for the canola oil? I've been in debates with people about canola oil but, I can't find actual studies or information from credible sources.

SashimiMark · 09-10-2009, 01:21 PM

Even the so-called healthy cereals are toxic.

Quote:

Dry breakfast cereals are produced by a process called extrusion. Cereal makers first create a slurry of the grains and then put them in a machine called an extruder. The grains are forced out of a little hole at high temperature and pressure. Depending on the shape of the hole, the grains are made into little o's, flakes, animal shapes, or shreds (as in Shredded Wheat or Triscuits), or they are puffed (as in puffed rice). A blade slices off each little flake or shape.

The extrusion process used for these cereals destroys most of the nutrients in the grains. It destroys the fatty acids; it even destroys the chemical vitamins that are added at the end. The amino acids are rendered very toxic by this process. The amino acid lysine, a crucial nutrient, is especially denatured by extrusion. This is how all the boxed cereals are made, even the ones sold in the health food stores. They are all made in the same way and mostly in the same factories. All dry cereals that come in boxes are extruded cereals.

If you have a Trader Joe's in your area, they have pretty good prices on wild caught salmon.

As for Canola...

The Great Con-ola

WildflowerMama · 09-10-2009, 04:19 PM

Unfortunately, the Weston Price site doesn't hold much water for most scientific minds. The person I'm debating wants peer reviewed studies about the dangers of canola and there just aren't any.

DiamondDeb · 09-10-2009, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WildflowerMama

Unfortunately, the Weston Price site doesn't hold much water for most scientific minds. The person I'm debating wants peer reviewed studies about the dangers of canola and there just aren't any.

Google and you'll find a lot of others who also feel it is not healthy. Looks like you won't find long term studies done on humans though...

Quote:

Possibly the greatest danger of Canola oil is that no long term studies have been done on humans.

The oil is simply assumed to be "the healthiest" based on its composition of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. And also based on scientific understanding - as well as misunderstanding - about the value of these different types of fatty acids.

Personally, I feel there are enough proven healthy foods to choose from so I can easily avoid the ones that are questionable.

Lilly87 · 09-10-2009, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DiamondDeb

So what's the take home? Simple: eat real food. Food your grandmother would have recognized as food. Food you could hunt, fish, gather or pluck. Food as close to its natural form as possible. Food without a bar code. Whole fruit (not the fruit juice). Whole eggs (not the egg whites). Meat, eggs and milk from healthy, grass-fed cows and chickens that roam around pecking at worms (free-range). Any vegetable in the world.

.

thestreets · 09-10-2009, 07:51 PM

Great list, another one is agave nectar. Seems like all the "healthy foods" are sweetened with this little fat producing monster.

DiamondDeb · 09-10-2009, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thestreets

Great list, another one is agave nectar. Seems like all the "healthy foods" are sweetened with this little fat producing monster.

I know. I've checked out several products at the health food store that looked interesting and many contain agave nectar. A gal who worked there suggested it as a sweetener and I was like, No."

vli1127 · 09-13-2009, 06:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SashimiMark

Even the so-called healthy cereals are toxic.

If you have a Trader Joe's in your area, they have pretty good prices on wild caught salmon.

As for Canola...

The Great Con-ola

So, if you want a good generic oil what can you use? I know olive oil and coconut would be good, but what else? Basic vegetable? Soy?

SashimiMark · 09-13-2009, 07:16 AM

Check out rice bran oil.

Strawberry · 09-18-2009, 08:33 PM

Mark, what does rice bran oil taste like? Is it fairly neutral?

SashimiMark · 09-18-2009, 10:31 PM

It has a very mild taste, slightly nutty. We even use it in a few homemade salad dressings.

meno123 · 09-19-2009, 03:28 AM

My goodness!!! I've been taking Frozen yogurts and cereals for months now here it is, listed on the 7 impostors: healthy food!!!
oh crap!!!

how do we know if we have started menopause?

cowboyshootergirl · 09-21-2009, 11:28 AM

My Costco now carries "wild" salmon. Coho, I think?
Good stuff!!!!
I'll have to give rice bran oil a whirl.
Mark, salad dressing recipes PLEASE!!!!

Tea Cozy · 09-21-2009, 03:33 PM

Nice list

SashimiMark · 09-22-2009, 08:09 AM

I'll have to ask my friend for his recipes. He's in charge of the salad dressing.

Tesaje · 09-26-2009, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vli1127

So, if you want a good generic oil what can you use? I know olive oil and coconut would be good, but what else? Basic vegetable? Soy?

Olive oil, coconut oil, butter, lard, tallow. All real food and traditional food.

Just the question shows how brain-washed we have become to regard the industrial crap as food instead of our traditional foods.

fawn · 09-27-2009, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WildflowerMama

Unfortunately, the Weston Price site doesn't hold much water for most scientific minds. The person I'm debating wants peer reviewed studies about the dangers of canola and there just aren't any.

Those are the hard headed one way thinkers I don't even begin to waste my time with. You're not going to find peer reviewed studies as you stated. I admire your tenacity.......what you might find more helpful mama is to focus on the omega 3 rancidity at high temps which cannot be denied.

I trust the words of the actual lipid expert, Enig.

Great contribution Deb, I hope it is read and understood. Especially regarding farmed salmon. Dirty stuff!

Mark, great recommendation as well! I buy rice bran oil by the case.

amidala64 · 09-27-2009, 04:20 PM

Ooops. I was just about to site The Great Con-ola
then I saw that you said "most scientific minds" apparently don't
respect their research.

Ah well.

ellenwyo · 09-27-2009, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WildflowerMama

Unfortunately, the Weston Price site doesn't hold much water for most scientific minds. The person I'm debating wants peer reviewed studies about the dangers of canola and there just aren't any.

Here's a link on how vegetable oil is made.. the processing of oil seeds does use toxic chemicals, including hexane and Fuller's earth. There are links to resources at the bottom of page: How cooking oil is made - Background, Raw materials, The manufacturing process of cooking oil, By products/waste

And another page with references on polyunsaturated oil health effects: Unsaturated Vegetable Oils: Toxic

jlieb62 · 09-27-2009, 07:27 PM

Canned salmon is wild-caught and a great value for those on a budget.

fawn · 09-28-2009, 02:55 PM

and Jim, if you get the one with the bones, it's a great source of calcium!

jlieb62 · 09-28-2009, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fawn

and Jim, if you get the one with the bones, it's a great source of calcium!

You bet it is. A lot of folks overlook canned salmon, but where else can the average Joe get wild-caught Alaskan salmon for about 3 dollars per pound? Less if you find it on sale. Traditional is definitely the way to go, and the bones mash up so easily you don't even notice them. Plus a whole week's worth of Vitamin D (700%) in one can and a substantial amount of B12.

fawn · 09-29-2009, 04:20 PM

It's called doing the very best you can with what you can spend and Jim, that's the value of the week! I applaud you!

babetteq · 10-03-2009, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Ooops. I was just about to site The Great Con-ola
then I saw that you said "most scientific minds" apparently don't
respect their research.

Ah well.

Although I'm not arguing whether "most scientific minds" respect or don't respect their research (although I'm curious who the 'most' are), I think it's important for all of us to do *our* research to the best of our abilities. Use our critical reasoning skills, compare who's saying what and why. My question is always "what's in it for them?".

Even from the best sources a few things remain constant:
a) there haven't really been much in longitudinal human studies involving diet. Particularly with the variables taken out that we feel are important (ie: low/no carb)
c)everyone's studies are started with a premise. That premise colours the study. Hence, we have many conflicting studies. Many are as good science as any other.

babetteq · 10-03-2009, 04:43 PM

oh, here's some stuff on coconut oil anyway...

Coconutoil.com - Peer-Reviewed Research

Chelveston · 10-03-2009, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by babetteq

oh, here's some stuff on coconut oil anyway...

Coconutoil.com - Peer-Reviewed Research

This paper listed there is very interesting. May of 2009

SpringerLink - Journal Article

Quote:

...It appears that dietetic supplementation with coconut oil does not cause dyslipidemia and seems to promote a reduction in abdominal obesity.

The paper also noted that the other test group supplemented with equal amount of soybean oil had higher total cholesterol and lower HDL at the end of the study, while the coconut oil group had higher HDL.

oliveoyl · 10-14-2009, 01:48 PM

Canola oil is high in ALA (alpha linolenic acid) which interferes with the production of hormones responsible for lowering blood pressure, improving the flow of oxygen and reducing inflammation, along with many other vital functions. If you're looking for a light, flavorless, inexpensive oil, peanut oil is your best bet, followed by sunflower and safflower oils. Light olive oil is the best choice, but it's pricier and can still have too strong a flavor for some recipes. Hazlenut, sesame and almond oils are also good, but even more expensive.

09-09-2009, 06:24 PM	#1
DiamondDeb Fat Burning Machine Extraordinaire! Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 53,806 Gallery: DiamondDeb	7 IMPOSTERS: HEALTHY FOODS THAT AREN'T This was in an email from Jonny Bowden & I thought it would be a good article to share. Can't post the link here or I would. 7 IMPOSTERS: HEALTHY FOODS THAT AREN'T You can't open a newspaper, website or iPhone app without reading about the dangers lurking on our dinner plate (OK I'm kidding about the iPhone app.) Trans-fats and high-fructose corn syrup are the demons d'jour and with the modern diet being what it is, the food police don't seem to be in any danger of running out of new material to warn us about. Fair enough. But what about all the "health" foods we've been told are our nutritional salvation? Are they all they're cracked up to be? There's no better place to start than with salmon, generally thought to be one of the best of the superfoods. And it is-- when it's wild. Farm raised salmon have up to 8 times the level of carcinogenic PCBs as wild salmon. Kept in crowded pens, they're fed grain and fishmeal and a ton of antibiotics. Wild salmon are a health food. Farmed salmon... not so much. Then there's cereal, believed by many to be the center of a healthy breakfast because of its high-fiber content. But with few exceptions, most supermarket cereals are fiber lightweights. Most are loaded with sugar (contributing to mood swings and energy dips). Whole grains are better, but those who are sensitive to blood sugar fluctuations will have still have to be careful. The best cereals are old-fashioned oatmeal, and a few standouts like Fiber One and All-Bran. Look for those that pass the "5 and 5" rule: less than 5 grams of sugar, more than 5 grams of fiber. (You'll be surprised at how few make the cut.) Granola bars[/B] are simply candy bars masquerading as a health food. Most are simply chewy versions of candy bars--they have very little fiber, lots of processed carbs, and a ton of sugar. You're better off "rolling your own" out of raw oats, chopped almonds, coconut flakes, raisins and a dollop of raw organic honey or molasses to hold it together. Frozen yogurt is a prime example of the triumph of marketing over good sense. The only thing frozen yogurt has in common with real yogurt is that they're both white. Real yogurt- one of the healthiest foods on earth-- is loaded with live cultures which support your digestive health. The live culture content of most frozen yogurt is precisely zero. What's more, frozen yogurt is usually filled with chemicals, and the artificial sweeteners in the non-fat kind can cause cravings just like sugar. You're better off with real, creamy, organic ice cream. Just don't eat too much. Though most of us have been led to believe canola oil is the bees knees, it actually isn't such a health bargain after all. The high temperatures needed to extract the oil from the rapeseed plant from which it comes make canola oil's highly touted omega-3's rancid and foul smelling, requiring them to be deodorized, a process which creates some trans-fatty acids. It also goes through caustic refining, bleaching and degumming. Unless it's cold-pressed and organic, stay away. And what could possibly be healthier than an egg-white omelet? Give up? Whole eggs! While an egg-white omlette isn't exactly unhealthy, it's hardly as good as the real thing. The yolk contains the superstars of eye nutrition, utein and xeazanthin which need fat to be absorbed properly. Egg yolks are an important source phosphatidylcholine an important nutrient for brain health. Apples- healthy. Apple juice- maybe not. One cup of apple juice has zero grams of fiber, 117 calories, and 29 grams of carbs of which 27 are sugar (and your typical serving is a lot more than a cup). Sorry, but that's not a health drink, it's sugar water with apple flavoring. An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Wish I could say the same about apple juice, but I can't. So what's the take home? Simple: eat real food. Food your grandmother would have recognized as food. Food you could hunt, fish, gather or pluck. Food as close to its natural form as possible. Food without a bar code. Whole fruit (not the fruit juice). Whole eggs (not the egg whites). Meat, eggs and milk from healthy, grass-fed cows and chickens that roam around pecking at worms (free-range). Any vegetable in the world. Even if you don't hit the "bulls eye" 100 percent of the time, you'll still be way ahead of the game. __________________ Organic food isn't a luxury. It's how food's supposed to be, and a valuable part of any regimen intended to maintain, improve, or restore health. ~ Shane Heaton, Organic Food News Quarterly

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09-10-2009, 07:57 AM	#2
WildflowerMama Senior LCF Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Desperate for Fall Posts: 972 Gallery: WildflowerMama Stats: 185.5/162.4/145 Start Date: Nov 2006	Does he cite a source for the canola oil? I've been in debates with people about canola oil but, I can't find actual studies or information from credible sources.

09-10-2009, 04:19 PM	#4
WildflowerMama Senior LCF Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Desperate for Fall Posts: 972 Gallery: WildflowerMama Stats: 185.5/162.4/145 Start Date: Nov 2006	Unfortunately, the Weston Price site doesn't hold much water for most scientific minds. The person I'm debating wants peer reviewed studies about the dangers of canola and there just aren't any.

09-10-2009, 07:51 PM	#7
thestreets Guest Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: it's a band, not the ghetto Posts: 1,595 Gallery: thestreets Stats: 140/110 5'6 WOE: Atkins - it's a diet	Great list, another one is agave nectar. Seems like all the "healthy foods" are sweetened with this little fat producing monster.

09-13-2009, 07:16 AM	#10
SashimiMark MAJOR LCF POSTER! Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Worcester, MA Posts: 2,704 Gallery: SashimiMark Stats: in love with myself WOE: organic whole foods with lots of fat Start Date: January 2008	Check out rice bran oil.

09-18-2009, 08:33 PM	#11
Strawberry MAJOR LCF POSTER! Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 2,053 Gallery: Strawberry	Mark, what does rice bran oil taste like? Is it fairly neutral?

09-18-2009, 10:31 PM	#12
SashimiMark MAJOR LCF POSTER! Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Worcester, MA Posts: 2,704 Gallery: SashimiMark Stats: in love with myself WOE: organic whole foods with lots of fat Start Date: January 2008	It has a very mild taste, slightly nutty. We even use it in a few homemade salad dressings.

09-19-2009, 03:28 AM	#13
meno123 Junior LCF Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 1 Gallery: meno123	My goodness!!! I've been taking Frozen yogurts and cereals for months now here it is, listed on the 7 impostors: healthy food!!! oh crap!!! how do we know if we have started menopause?

09-21-2009, 11:28 AM	#14
cowboyshootergirl MAJOR LCF POSTER! Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: High Desert - California Posts: 1,966 Gallery: cowboyshootergirl Stats: I'm PREGNANT!!!! WOE: Eating as healthy as possible.	My Costco now carries "wild" salmon. Coho, I think? Good stuff!!!! I'll have to give rice bran oil a whirl. Mark, salad dressing recipes PLEASE!!!!

09-21-2009, 03:33 PM	#15
Tea Cozy MAJOR LCF POSTER! Join Date: May 2007 Location: Fargo, North Dakota Posts: 1,223 Gallery: Tea Cozy Stats: 228/199/125 WOE: Atkins 72 Start Date: May 2007	Nice list

09-22-2009, 08:09 AM	#16
SashimiMark MAJOR LCF POSTER! Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Worcester, MA Posts: 2,704 Gallery: SashimiMark Stats: in love with myself WOE: organic whole foods with lots of fat Start Date: January 2008	I'll have to ask my friend for his recipes. He's in charge of the salad dressing.

09-27-2009, 04:20 PM	#19
amidala64 Junior LCF Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Clifton, NJ Posts: 46 Gallery: amidala64 Stats: 420/270/137 WOE: RNY '06/Weston A. Price Start Date: January 2009	Ooops. I was just about to site The Great Con-ola then I saw that you said "most scientific minds" apparently don't respect their research. Ah well.

09-27-2009, 07:27 PM	#21
jlieb62 Senior LCF Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 482 Gallery: jlieb62 Stats: 280/231/185 WOE: South Beach P2	Canned salmon is wild-caught and a great value for those on a budget.

09-28-2009, 02:55 PM	#22
fawn Way too much time on my hands! Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 12,209 Gallery: fawn Stats: sz 18/4 WOE: Whole organic, free range, wild caught, pastured Start Date: February 7, 2000	and Jim, if you get the one with the bones, it's a great source of calcium!

09-29-2009, 04:20 PM	#24
fawn Way too much time on my hands! Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 12,209 Gallery: fawn Stats: sz 18/4 WOE: Whole organic, free range, wild caught, pastured Start Date: February 7, 2000	It's called doing the very best you can with what you can spend and Jim, that's the value of the week! I applaud you!

10-03-2009, 04:43 PM	#26
babetteq Senior LCF Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: S. Surrey, BC Posts: 346 Gallery: babetteq Stats: 252.5/247/170 WOE: VLC Start Date: Sept 24 09	oh, here's some stuff on coconut oil anyway... Coconutoil.com - Peer-Reviewed Research

10-14-2009, 01:48 PM	#28
oliveoyl Senior LCF Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC Posts: 580 Gallery: oliveoyl Stats: 208/166/165 WOE: Atkins Start Date: August 2002	Canola oil is high in ALA (alpha linolenic acid) which interferes with the production of hormones responsible for lowering blood pressure, improving the flow of oxygen and reducing inflammation, along with many other vital functions. If you're looking for a light, flavorless, inexpensive oil, peanut oil is your best bet, followed by sunflower and safflower oils. Light olive oil is the best choice, but it's pricier and can still have too strong a flavor for some recipes. Hazlenut, sesame and almond oils are also good, but even more expensive.