There are some foods that might have certain downsides, so they get called unhealthy, but they also have some benefits so they’re not totally unhealthy.
Think of coffee, wine and chocolate – they often get called out for being stimulants or harmful, but then there are studies showing that in small amounts they can actually protect you from certain illnesses.
Then there are some foods that are bad for people when they have certain health issues, like how raw cruciferous veggies (broccoli, cauliflower) can lower the activity of an already low thyroid gland.
But then are those foods that are just bad all around – for everyone. For the most part, those foods are ones that have been significantly changed from the way they grow naturally.
Foods are changed to different degrees, and there are some that have been changed a bit so that we can eat and digest them more easily.
Some examples of small changes would be a grain of rice, which is taken from the plant and then cooked, or a sesame seed that’s ground into a paste called tahini.
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The line where food crosses from good to bad is when there’s a lot of heat or chemicals used, or when a lot of the nutritional value of the food is processed away.
That level of processing is usually called ‘refinement’ – as if it’s going to an expensive school of etiquette – but the process of refining foods destroys nutrients and creates toxins – a lose-lose situation.
Not only are these foods lacking in nutrients, but their lack means that your body will use up its own stores of nutrients in digesting and using the food. That’s why these foods have no upside, and should be avoided as much as possible.
Stimulants, including caffeine, aren’t necessarily refined, but they have their own problems.
They stimulate your body’s systems, using up nutrients and energy in the natural way your body responds. Most of them also drain your body of water, which is so important to good health.
Although, as I said above, they have been shown to have a protective effect, but that’s in small doses and without any of the refined sugar and other unhealthy things that usually go along with them.
- Stimulants. Caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, drugs.
- Caffeine. Sodas, coffee, black tea, chocolate
Instead: toasted grain coffee-like drinks, green and herbal teas, carob, fruit juice mixed with sparkling water - Refined sugars. White, brown, turbinado, demerara, agave, corn syrup, glucose syrup, glucose-fructose, high fructose corn syrup, etc.
Instead: unrefined sugars (sucanat, coconut sugar, date sugar) - Refined grains. White rice, white flour, enriched flour
Instead: unrefined flours (whole wheat, spelt, buckwheat, kamut, etc - Refined salt. (Table salt)
Instead: sea salt, Herbamare - Artificial sweeteners.
- Preservatives.
- Processed foods. Frozen dinners, processed meats, prepared dips and sauces, sugary/oily condiments, canned soups and pasta sauces, etc.
Instead: Make your own awesome meals! - Toxic fats. Hydrogenated and trans fats, margarine, refined oils (particularly refined polyunsaturated oils like canola, sunflower and safflower), oils brought to high heat
Instead: whole food fats (nuts, seeds, avocado) or high quality unrefined oils (coconut, olive, sesame) - Non-organic foods. Pesticides can interfere with normal body processes, triggering allergic-type reactions and causing damage to your body
- Nitrates. Red meat, pork, processed meats like sausage and cold cuts
Chemicals and environmental toxins aren’t a food, but should be avoided too.
They come in the form of chlorinated water, exhaust fumes, detergents, dryer sheets, body lotions, creams, perfumes, household cleaning chemicals, air fresheners, scented candles, exposure to radiation, X-rays, cell phones and others.
Your body can neutralize and deal with toxins to a certain degree. It does have a limit to the amount it can process though, and when it reaches that limit your health will start to deteriorate.
Avoiding all of these foods as much as you possibly can will give your body the best chance of staying healthy and balanced.
But I think it’s more important – and easier – to keep your focus on getting lots of the healthy foods to keep yourself nourished. That’s what will allow your body to deal with anything not-so-healthy, and helps keep you from craving junk food.
And that’s exactly what I show you how to do in my 28 day healthy meal plan.
Are there any “bad” foods that you’ve successfully eliminated or decreased in your diet? Are there any that you think you’d never be able (or want) to give up? Let us know below. I really want to hear your thoughts on these things.
