Bellisima Goddess

According to Dr. Mercola, there are five foods that are the absolute worst ones to put into our bodies. As background, Dr. Mercola is an osteopathic physician, board certified in family medicine, who is passionate about empowering people to take control of their health using solely natural means. He is considered an expert in natural health by many. Recently, in one of his emails–which we subscribe to in our home–he spoke about five foods that he considers so bad for us, he “can’t see any reason to eat them.” According to Dr. Mercola, these foods have zero nutritional value and actually put toxins into our bodies. He hopes that knowing more about them will make the thought of ever eating them again “really hard to swallow.”

So get ready to hear the rundown on the worst of the worst:

1. Doughnuts. Doughnuts are fried and full of white sugar and white flour. Additionally, most varieties contain trans fat. According to Dr. Mercola, store-bought doughnuts can contain as much as 35-40 percent trans fat. Trans fats are also referred to as trans fatty acids and partially hydrogenated oils. No matter how they’re named, they–along with highly processed white sugar and white flour–are horrible for us to consume. Research has shown that trans fats contribute to ischaemic heart disease and cancer.

Many people view doughnuts as a breakfast food. By starting off one’s day in this fashion, an individual’s blood sugar is thrown off. Also, the doughnut doesn’t stay with you for long so you find yourself hungry again long before lunchtime. According to Dr. Mercola, the cycle it sets up is so bad that one is better off not eating breakfast if the only choice is a doughnut.

2. Soda. “One can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, and is loaded with artificial food colors and sulphites,” according to Dr. Mercola. If you choose a diet soda to avoid the sugar, that is not really any better because diet sodas contain aspartame, a harmful artificial sweetener.

According to Dr. Mercola, studies have linked soda consumption with osteoperosis, obesity, tooth decay and heart disease. Sadly, the average American drinks an estimated 56 gallons of soft drinks per year! Drinking all that sugar can also suppress your appetite for healthy foods, which can lead to vitamin deficiencies.

Another startling statistic is that soft drink consumption among children has almost doubled in the U.S. over the last decade. Last year, our town’s local middle school replaced the soda-filled vending machines with bottled water; however, I suspect this is not the norm throughout middle schools and high schools in the U.S. Schools often make marketing deals with leading soft drink companies and receive commissions based on the percentage of sales or sometimes receive lump-sum payments. By having soda-filled vending machines, consumption of soda can increase by more than 50 cans per student per year!

Dr. Mercola believes simply eliminating soda from your diet can improve your health dramatically.

3. French Fries (and nearly all commercially fried foods). Potatoes in general are not good for us since their simple sugars convert to glucose which raises insulin levels. Add to that the cooking process of a french fry in trans fat at high temperatures and the detriment to our bodies is even worse. “Anything that is fried, even vegetables, has the issue of trans fat and the potent cancer-causing substance acrylamide,” according to Dr. Mercola. (In September 2002, researchers discovered that the amino acid asparagine, which is present in many vegetables, with higher amounts in some varieties of potatoes, can form acrylamide when heated to high temperatures in the presence of certain sugars. High-heat cooking methods, such as frying, baking or broiling, are most likely to result in acrylamide formation. Boiling and microwaving appear less likely to form acrylamide. Longer cooking times increase the amount of acrylamide produced when the temperature is high enough. Acrylamide is considered to be a probable human carcinogen. There are other ways humans are exposed to acrylamide, but exposure through food is one of the largest sources.)

Food fried in vegetable oils like canola, soybean, safflower, corn and other seed and nut oils are a problem because “the polyunsaturated fats become rancid when exposed to oxygen and then produce large amounts of free radicals in the body. They are also very susceptible to heat-induced damage from cooking. What is not commonly known is that these oils can actually cause aging, clotting, inflammation, cancer and weight gain.” Dr. Mercola even considers one french fry worse for our health than one cigarette! He suggests that if you really need those french fries, why not try making them yourself by cooking in a healthy fat like virgin coconut oil? This oil has a high saturated fat content, is extremely stable and isn’t damaged by cooking it at high temperatures. You’re still eating a potato, but at least it’s a bit “healthier.”

4. Chips. Most commercial chips–whether they’re potato chips, corn chips, or tortilla chips–are probably high in trans fat. Some companies however have started producing chips without them. Although the chips may not contain trans fat, they are still usually prepared by cooking at high temperatures. As explained above, this process can cause the formation of carcinogenic substances like acrylamide. Therefore, even if the chips do not contain trans fat, they can still be harmful to your health.

5. Fried Non-Fish Seafood. Fried non-fish seafood includes fried shrimp, clams, oysters, lobsters, and more. When we consume these foods, we are not only being exposed to trans fat and acrylamide, but we’re likely ingesting mercury. Seafood is loaded with toxic mercury. Dr. Mercola also warns that shellfish, such as shrimp and lobsters, can be contaminated with parasites and resistant viruses that may not be killed with high heat. Shrimp and lobsters are scavengers, so they consume foods that may be harmful to us. This group seems to be the worst of the worst because we may be ingesting a quadruple dose of toxins: trans fat, acrylamide, mercury and possibly parasites or viruses.

Dr. Mercola recommends that the only fish to eat is wild red Alaskan salmon. Wild Alaskan salmon has been independently proven to be free of harmful levels of mercury and other contaminants.

Next time you think about grabbing a doughnut or any of the other four foods listed here, stop to think about this: the harm may far outweigh any benefits, if in fact there are any benefits at all!