4 Foods That Have Made Us Fat and Sick
by Kelly DuBois
Today, most people accept diseases like obesity, diabetes, infertility and Alzheimer’s as “normal”. Although these diseases are common, they are far from normal. Humans evolved about 2.5 million years ago, and for roughly 84,000 generations we were naturally free of the modern diseases which kill millions of people every year and gives many others suffering and poor quality of life. The natural human state up until a couple hundred years ago was to be lean and fit, fertile through out childbearing years,sleep peacefully and deeply and age gracefully without degenerative diseases like diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's, autoimmunity, osteoporosis and other modern diseases.
What transformed us from naturally healthy people free of degenerative disease into a world of fat, sick, infertile and unhappy people? There are several modern lifestyle factors that have contributed, but the greatest offender is the over consumption of food toxins.
Specifically:
- Industrial seed and vegetable oils (corn, cottonseed, safflower, sunflower, soybean, canola, etc.)
- Grains (especially refined grains which is 85% of the grains we eat)
- Sugar
- Processed soy (soy milk, soy protein, soy flour, tofu, etc.)
A toxin is something that can cause disease or damage tissue when it enters the body. Most of us won’t get sick from eating a small amount of sugar, refined grain, soy and industrial seed oil, but eating those anti-nutrients in excessive quantities, increases our risk of developing modern diseases significantly.
Vegetable oils: NOT "Heart-Healthy"
Industrial seed oils, commonly referred to as "vegetable oils" are the most concentrated source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA's) in the American diet. Polyunsaturated fatty acids are extremely fragile and unstable. They start to oxidize and become toxic the second they are exposed to light or oxygen. Cooking accelerates this rotting process, making them even more dangerous. Oxidation leads to free radicals in the body which damages cell membranes, DNA, RNA and blood vessels.
Vegetable oils are also very high in Omega-6 fatty acids which are pro-inflammatory and very low in Omega-3 fatty acids which are anti-inflammatory. Ideally, we should be eating a diet that provides a 1 to 1 ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids. Vegetable oil consumption has risen dramatically over the last 100 years and the changes in our Omega-3:Omega-6 ratios reflect that. Today, estimates of the ratio range from an average of 1:10 to 1:20, with a ratio as high as 1:25 in some individuals. These ratios are incredibly inflammatory. The bottom line is that elevated Omega-6 intakes are associated with an increase in all inflammatory diseases. The short list includes:
- cardiovascular disease
- type 2 diabetes
- obesity
- metabolic syndrome
- irritable bowel syndrome & inflammatory bowel disease
- macular degeneration
- rheumatoid arthritis
- asthma
- cancer
- psychiatric disorders
- autoimmune diseases
Sugar: The bitter truth
About 20 years ago, Nancy Appleton, PhD, began researching all of the ways in which sugar destroys our health. Over the years the list has continuously expanded, and now includes 141 points. Here are just a few:
- Sugar accelerates aging.
- Sugar feeds cancer cells and has been connected with the development of cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, rectum, pancreas, lung, gallbladder and stomach.
- Sugar can cause many problems with the gastrointestinal tract, including an acidic digestive tract, indigestion, increased risk of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
- Sugar can interfere with your absorption of protein.
- Sugar can cause food allergies.
- Sugar contributes to obesity.
- Sugar suppresses immune function.
- Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose and can cause reactive hypoglycemia.
- Sugar causes wrinkles.
Soy: Another toxin promoted as a health food
We were told that soy was an incredible superfood back in 1992 when the soy industry launched a massive campaign and spent millions in advertising. The investment paid off big time! From 1992 to 2006 soy food sales went from $300 million to $4 billion. The truth about soy:
- Soy contains phytoestrogens which mimic estrogen promoting infertility in men and breast cancer in adult women.
- Soy contains trypsin inhibitors that inhibit protein digestion and affect pancreatic function.
- Soy contains phytic acid, which reduces absorption of minerals like calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc.
- Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.
- Free glutamic acid or MSG, a potent neurotoxin, is formed during soy food processing and additional amounts are added to many soy foods to mask soy’s unpleasant taste.
- Soy can stimulate the growth of estrogen-dependent tumors and cause thyroid problems, especially in women.
- Soy is in most processed foods.
- 93% in America is Genetically Modified. If you're eating GMO's you're also eating a ton of herbicides.
- Soy has goitrogens which block the synthesis of thyroid hormones. Fun fact: Hypothyroid drug sales have paralleled the increase in soy food sales.
- Soy has phytates which bind to metal ions and prevent the absorption of calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc.
- Soy contains protease inhibitors which inhibit the digestion and absorption of protein.
- Soy is high in oxylates which block calcium absorption, disrupt kidney function and promote kidney stones.
- Soy has hemagglutinin which causes red blood cells to clump together making them unable to absorb and get oxygen to tissues.
Sad fact: Babies fed soy formula are taking the amount of estrogen in 5 birth control pills daily.
Grains: The "Health Food" that has ruined our health
Grains are seeds or baby plants that have one mission, to perpetuate the life cycle of the plant. Unfortunately for the grain, it has no legs, teeth, wings, or claws. It can’t fight or run from predators. Unfortunately for insects, animals and humans, grains have evolved chemical defense mechanisms to protect themselves. These chemical toxins or anti-nutrients affect us in the following ways:
- Damage the gut lining, which leads to leaky-gut syndrome, leaky brain syndrome and autoimmune issues.
- Bind essential minerals, making them unavailable to the body.
- Inhibit digestion and absorption of other essential nutrients, including protein.
Grains promote inflammatory diseases, obesity, and are very addictive.
Fun Fact: The Food Pyramid which recommended 6-11 servings of grains per day was not designed by nutritionists. The nutritionists who were hired by the government to evaluate the existing research on disease and nutrition formulated guidelines that included only 2-3 servings of grains. And they specified WHOLE grains like rice, oats, barley, etc., NOT cereal grains like crackers, pasta, breakfast cereal, bread, etc. Their plan was revised and they were told that the plan they submitted was not good for the U.S. economy.
Loise Light was the leader of the group of top-level nutritionists with the USDA who developed healthy nutrition guidelines that became the UNhealthy Food Pyramid.
Below is a link to her story.
