TEN FOODS YOU SHOULD NEVER CONSUME

I believe the mouth is the WINDOW TO YOUR HEALTH. I also believe that as individuals we need to take care of our health-nobody else is going to do it for us. I like to look at health and nutrition from a simple common-sense approach and that is why I like the PALEO DIET so much. It is pretty simple and not oppressive. I read an article the other day that got my attention because it was so simple-JUST DON’T EAT THESE 10 FOODS!

The Standard American Diet (SAD) is very deadly and approximately 50% of all U.S, heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes deaths are connected to our poor eating habits. I have updated this list OF 10 FOODS to also include foods that cause dental disease such as decay and gum disease which is also linked to the same type of SAD foods. So here is my list of 10 unhealthy foods to avoid.

1. Foods that contain SUGAR. Please read the labels of anything you buy, and research says that 68% of anything in a package contains SUGAR. I found sugar in a container of salt the other day! Be careful as the manufacturers disguise the sugar as DEXTROSE or some other chemical ending in OSE. Almost anything ending is OSE is a sugar! DECAY!! They also call it things like Corn Syrup or high fructose corn syrup. As you know, SUGAR is linked to 45 other medical conditions such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease etc.

2. SODA-as in the above, soda is in a container and has TONS OF SUGAR- about 10-12 teaspoons per serving. Even the ones with artificial sweeteners can be very dangerous. I think this causes more decay than just about anything and in addition to all the other medical issues! NO SODA PLEASE!

3. CANDY-As you know there is tons of SUGAR IN CANDY and there is little to no nutritional value. Lot’s decay with this one! This can lead to additional weight gain, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and high blood pressure.

4. REFINED GRAINS-when manufacturers refine grains (think of breads, breakfast cereals, chips, crackers etc.) they generally remove the seed’s bran and germ and most of the valuable nutrients. They also add SUGAR!

5. FAST FOOD-I am of the opinion that about 95% of fast food is bad for you. In fact, I think it is quite harmful. This is because fast food is usually ultra processed, high in sodium, high in sugar, all kinds of additives and preservatives and of no nutritional value! DON’T DO IT!

6. ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS-What does that mean? It means that the manufacturer has added all kinds of chemicals, additives and preservatives to give this food a long shelf life as it is shipped around the world. These formulations usually contain way more salt, fats, unhealthy oils, preservatives, artificial colorings and SUGAR than anyone could possibly ever need. This leads to weight gain, chronic disease, and nutritional deficiencies, NOT TO MENTION DECAY AND GUM DISEASE!

7. FOODS HIGH IN TRANS FAT-The MAYO clinic calls trans fat the worst type of fat to ever eat! Dr. Charles Mayo also says that preventive dentistry can add 10 years to your life! To avoid trans-fatty acids, skip the processed and fried foods with hydrogenated oils. This would include French Fries, doughnuts, frozen pizza, and microwavable popcorn. And guess what, many of these foods either contain sugar (donuts) OR will begin breaking down into sugar while in the mouth-MORE DECAY and medical issues!

8. PROCESSED MEATS-Highly processed meats contain high levels of saturated fats, sodium and even some sugar! Next time you buy some lunch meat, read the labels. Another issue that I have with processed meats is that most of it comes from feed lots where the animals are fed corn and given antibiotics and hormones. This means that the meat will contain high amounts of OMEGA 6’S. These are chemicals called PUFA’s (PolyUnsaturated Fatty Acids). These PUFA’s greatly increase the risk of heart disease, cancer and stroke and some decay!

9. DEEP FRIED FOODS-We all know that fried foods are unhealthy but guess what? That delicious crispy, crunchy crust (think of fried chicken) is made of flour. Not to mention that these will clog your arteries and lead to heart attacks and strokes, but flour is rapidly converted to (YOU GUESSED IT) SUGAR. HMM!

10. FOODS HIGH IN SALT-Humans need salt but according to Harvard, Americans consume 5-10 times more than is needed. Current FDA guidelines recommend less than 2,300 milligrams per day. Me personally, I love salty foods such as chips and crackers and tortillas. But you guessed it, in addition to a tremendous amount of salt, most of these foods contain some SUGAR. Hard to believe, but chips can cause cavities!!

The study that I just read concludes that eating too much sugar can impact your overall health but also corroborates the idea that sugar in general is harmful for general health. In fact, the study found that elevated blood glucose levels from excess sugar consumption worsened gastrointestinal symptoms in Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) patients. Another study determined that reducing the intake of starch and sucrose (two types of sugars) would improve Symptoms in IBS patients! Since there is absolutely no nutritional value in SUGAR, if we just eliminate it then we should see improvement in IBS patients as well as 45 other potential HEALTH ISSUES. When I went on the Paleo diet I had about 16 different medical conditions that improved such as Sleep apnea went away, my blood pressure dropped from 120/80 (considered Normal) to 100/60 which is much better. So, to keep it simple, let’s just never eat those 10 food items!

So here are some other hints to help you avoid SUGAR and processed foods (Almost all processed foods contain sugar!).

1. Stay to the outer perimeter of the grocery store. That is where the fresh vegetables, fruits and meats are located. The inner part of the store is everything in a package/box or some kind of container.

2. Always read the ingredients before you buy. If it has anything with an “OSE” (All sugars end in “OSE” like fructose, glucose, dextrose etc.) or any big chemical words that you don’t know what they are-THEN DON’T BUY IT! The other day I found Dextrose in Morton’s salt! How can that be????

3. Look for the expiration date-Fresh foods will not last for months on your shelf or in your refrigerator. When it says, “USE BY DATE” and that date is months or years from now, that means that there are tons of chemicals and preservatives etc. in this container that will prevent the food from spoiling. I don’t want to eat all those chemicals! Many of them have been proven to cause or be linked to IBS, IBD, Crohn’s disease, bloating, diarrhea, gas etc. Try leaving all processed foods out of your diet for just one month and you will be shocked how much better you will feel.

4. When in doubt, the fewer ingredients the better. Fresh foods won’t have a label, but everything packaged and processed will to extend their shelf life.

5. Don’t let the words “ORGANIC OR NATURAL” fool you for ingredients in a container.

6. I HAVE BEEN THINKING ABOUT GETTING MY PATIENTS THAT ARE INTERESTED TO GO ON A SUGAR DETOX PLAN IN JANUARY (After the holidays). Would you be interested? If so, please send me an email and I will make sure you are on the list and you will receive info and a “HOW TO” sheet towards the end of the year.

SUMMARY-It is obvious that your mouth is the window to your health. In my opinion, we need to eliminate sugar and processed foods from our diet. So to keep things simple, lets just avoid the above 10 foods. Just do the best you can and learn to read the labels and avoid as much SUGAR AND PROCESSED FOOD as possible.

“THE MOUTH IS THE WINDOW TO YOUR HEALTH”. BRUSH AND FLOSS TWICE DAILY, AVOID SUGAR FOR 2023, AND SEE YOUR DENTIST AND PHYSICIAN REGULARLY.

Spiker Davis D.D.S. drspikerdavis@thepaleodentist.com John Seger M.D. Matt Guerre D.D.S.
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