Know Your Food: Substances To Avoid For a Healthy Diet

words Al Woods

Harmful food additives are everywhere. If you want to be among the conscious consumers who know what they are buying and care about their health at the same time – it would be best if you started reading labels and comparing ingredients.

Some food additives cannot be avoided so easily these days. That is why it is worth finding out the risk of their consumption and in which products you can find them. Protecting yourself and your family from junk food will only have positive outcomes and will allow you to enjoy your health for a long time.

Flavor enhancers, stabilizers, emulsifiers, thickeners, and sweeteners – those additives are not natural and can disturb your organism’s functioning. They are, of course, approved for use but may be harmful to sensitive individuals.

If you want to make a good choice while standing in front of a shop shelf, you should be equipped with some knowledge. This article will surely be an excellent guide for you!

avoid foods

Alcohol

If you want to maintain a healthy diet, you probably should resign from drinking alcohol as it has no beneficial effects on your health. A small glass of wine indeed allows you to relax and stimulate creativity, but rarely anyone ends up drinking so little.

Alcohol blocks the production of the pituitary gland hormone, which, along with the kidneys, is responsible for filtering the water from toxins. When its production is blocked, the kidneys absorb too little water and excrete too much of it. The body dehydrates, which is what brings on the hangover. This is especially dangerous when you party on Sundays and expect an alcohol test at work on Monday. It is essential to drink plenty of water in this case, but if you are not sure if you can flush out all the toxins, you can purchase artificial urine at http://buyfakeurine.com/.

avoid foods

Sugar

Sugar can be found not only in sweets but also in syrups, drinks, bread, fruit juices, and even ketchup!

Unfortunately, sugar hurts the heart in the first place. Majority of people who have experienced a heart attack overuse sugar! Additionally, it causes the brain to age faster — Alzheimer’s disease is sometimes called “type 3 diabetes”. Sugar also negatively affects the liver, causes obesity, defecation problems, and dental caries.

If you want to consciously reduce sugar in your diet, first of all, start reading food labels. It is better not to buy products containing sugar, agave syrup, fructose, glucose, or glucose-fructose syrup in the first place on the ingredient list. Also, avoid fast-food restaurants and the sweetened sodas sold there.

Artificial Sweeteners

Just like sugar, artificial sweeteners can be found almost everywhere: in sweets, ready meals, breakfast cereals, or yogurts. They are also commonly added to products for athletes because they do not contain calories. However, sweeteners can be even more dangerous and harmful to health than sugar.

Scientists from Ben-Gurion University in Israel and Nanyang University of Technology in Singapore investigated the effects of sweeteners on the gut microflora. Their research shows that six artificial sweeteners (aspartame, sucralose, saccharine, neotame, advantame, and acesulfame potassium-k) are toxic to digestive gut microbes. Moreover, those sweeteners are harmful not only for us – they are also emerging environmental pollutants as they were found in surface water.

Trans Fats

Trans fats (hydrogenated vegetable oils) are considered the most harmful type of fatty acids. Hydrogenation increases the shelf life of vegetable oils, which are very sensitive to light and temperature. Consequently, manufacturers add them to products that have a long expiry date.

High consumption of trans fats promotes the development of type 2 diabetes and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Besides, they also lower fertility and can be harmful to pregnant women and their developing babies. Trans fats should be avoided at all costs, as its harmful effects are backed by many studies.

Artificial Flavors and Colorings

Artificial flavors and colorings are nearly everywhere and are therefore very hard to avoid. But you still should try to do everything you can to make sure you won’t get them in your products. You can expect them to be added to juices, sauces, and jams, so always check the label, and if you will find, for example, sodium benzoate – put it back on the shelf.

Sodium benzoate in sensitive people may irritate the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract. Even with a small level of consumption, side effects of eating artificial flavors may occur in the form of asthma, hives, seizures, and excessive sweating. 

Conclusion

In recent years, the importance of unprocessed food and health has been underlined. Unfortunately, products that cannot boast of natural composition but a high content of synthetic additives are the majority of goods on store shelves.

An improper diet consisting of harmful substances can significantly shorten your life, or at least reduce its quality. This can be prevented by introducing healthy solutions as soon as possible. Avoiding toxic food products is a great start!

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