Just When You Thought You had this “Eating Healthy” lifestyle in the bag…
So we are four months into the new year and we are eating more real foods, spending more time in food preparation and trying to make better choices on our processed food selections. You’ve reduced the amount of sugar and snack foods you are consuming, and replaced your big bowl of breakfast cereal with some scrambled eggs. Pat yourself on the back as this is a huge step in your journey to better health.
You are beginning to feel better and may have even dropped a few pounds. However with all these changes things don’t seem to be moving forward as fast as you expected. So you ask, what is it we are missing?
I think one of the biggest challenges for most is that over the years we have become more dependent on processed foods. but you say, these are the same foods I have eaten for years…why all of a sudden would they be causing me to become unwell or gain weight? The simple answer is they are Not the same foods. Food manufactures are continuing to find ways for longer shelf life and larger profits in order to stay competitive and keep shareholders happy. Over the course of the last 30 years, we have seen an abundance of new food chemicals being added for the reasons I just mentioned. Food manufactures have to work overtime to create a more shelf stable product and a delicious taste that will keep us coming back for more. Their goal is not keeping consumers healthy…just keeping them coming back for more. Let’s look at a few things that have slipped into our foods and our undermining our efforts to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
First in line are Industrial Seed Oils. They include the most commonly used oils in our ultra processed foods. Corn, Canola, safflower, soy and sunflower. What is very concerning is most restaurants are using these oils to fry your food! Reason being is they are inexpensive and are neutral in flavor.
Contrary to what we have been told, industrial seed oils are not heart healthy or otherwise beneficial for our bodies and brains; in fact, plenty of research indicates that these oils are making us sick. Industrial seed oils are extracted using harsh chemicals and solvents like Hexane. They include the most commonly used oils in our ultra processed foods.
Here are a few reasons for health concerns with industrial seed oils which may be undermining your journey towards a healthy lifestyle.
The consumption of industrial seed oils represents an evolutionary mismatch
Eating industrial seed oils raises our omega-6-to-omega-3 fatty acid ratios, with significant consequences for our health.
Industrial seed oils are unstable and oxidize easily.
They contain harmful additives.
They’re derived from genetically modified crops.
When industrial seed oils are repeatedly heated, even more toxic byproducts are created.
So you ask, what oils should I be using? The answer is olive, coconut, avocado oil, butter, ghee (clarified butter) and lard.
For more information on these oils read on. https://chriskresser.com/how-industrial-seed-oils-are-making-us-sick/
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