10 health foods that cause weight gain,

faster aging, and fatigue.

Diet Soda

Granola Bars

Smoothies

Low-calorie Diet Foods

Muffins

Fat-free Diet

Foods

Gluten-free

Foods

Vitamin Water & Sports Drinks

Meal Replacement

Beverages

Wheat

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People often drink diet soda because they think it is going to help them lose weight. Since the product has

almost zero calories, the belief is that it won’t affect body weight. Unfortunately, this just isn’t the case. Not only does research show that diet soda makes us gain

weight, it also illustrates that it may cause many other health problems as well.

Let’s take a closer look at what diet soda is really made of to see if it looks good naked.

Diet Soda

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Diet Soda Actually Makes You Gain Weight!!

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but obesity is on the rise! According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 69.2% of Americans are overweight or obese (2010 statistic). This is shocking!!! One of the big culprits for this weight gain is an overconsumption of sugar and high-fructose corn syrup. One might think then that the invention of diet soda is an answer to our prayers. After all, it contains almost no calories. 

Let’s strip down the ingredients of a popular diet soda to see if it looks good naked.

Ingredients of Diet Coke:Carbonated water, caramel color, aspartame, phosphoric acid, potassium benzonate, natural flavors, citric acid, caffeine.

As far as beverage manufacturers are concerned, the real star of diet soda is the artificial sweetener (in this case aspartame). It is the big differentiator between this product and it’s sugar filled sibling. It allows these companies to market their beverage as calorie-free and create a product to market to the large population of people interested in losing weight.

The artificial sweetener used in Diet Coke, Coke Zero, and many other diet soda’s is aspartame. Let’s first take a look at what aspartame is.

What is Aspartame?

Aspartame is made from protein by-products. They then add methanol which is a very toxic alcohol. Examples of other uses for methanol included paint thinner and fondu fuel. It’s probably no surprise that methanol is not something we want in our body. When it goes through our body, our liver changes it into formaldehyde. YIKES! Formaldehyde is ultra-toxic to the human body. Some studies have shown that it can affect our brain cells, vision, etc. Another use for formaldehyde is for embalming bodies. You might be asking yourself, why would a product that seems so harmful to our health be allowed in our food/beverage products? The reason is that there isn’t enough evidence to prove that consuming this product in the recommended doses causes significant enough harm to the human body in the short term. Meaning that our bodies are amazing and have the ability to handle this in small amounts. However, there also are no studies that show the cumulative effect of a lifetime of exposure. This is a scary thought since many people are consuming this product daily or even multiple times per day.

Aspartame and weight gain

In addition to the potential health problems associated with aspartame consumption, it may not even be that helpful at helping us lose weight!

A study conducted at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonia found that people who drank both sugar-sweetened and diet sodas gained weight. However, they also found that diet soda drinkers were more likely to become obese. In addition, the more diet sodas the participants drank, the greater their weight gain. Consuming 2 or more

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cans per day increased waistlines by 500%. Although human studies of this nature are observational, animal studies have found the same effect.

Since diet soda contains almost no calories, experts believe that the sweet taste of the beverage tricks the body’s ability to properly regulate calorie intake. Therefore, the body senses that it is eating something sweet (something that contains calories) and prepares itself to manage it. When those calories never actually arrive the result is often increased cravings and overeating later on.

In addition, soda leads to weak teeth and bones

Soda is EXTREMELY acidic. When we consume highly acidic foods in our diet our body needs to use buffering minerals to neutralize the body so it stays balanced. One of these buffering minerals is calcium. If need be, the body will pull calcium from the bones and teeth to ensure it maintains its pH balance. This can lead to tooth decay and osteoporosis.

Some experts suggest that caffeine in soda interferes with calcium absorption and can also lead to tooth and bone density problems.

Other research illustrates that diet cola consumption leads to increased concentrations of parathyroid hormone (PTH) which can lead to bone breakdown and calcium excretion. It is thought that this is because the cola contains phosphoric acid as an ingredient which when consumed in excess can lead to PTH production and the loss of calcium from bones.

Other potential health concerns

Yikes!! This product is not looking too hot! If wight gain and bone loss isn’t enough, there are many other potential health concerns that could dissuade you from grabbing for a can of diet soda. Experts suggest that it could increase your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. It is also suggested that it could cause kidney function decline.

In conclusion, diet soda doesn’t provide us with any necessary health benefits. In fact, it only offers real and suggested health problems.

If your health is of any concern to you I would recommend staying far away from this harmful beverage. Plus, if weight is of concern to you, don’t be tricked into thinking this will help. The companies are very sneaky at making us think that it’s cool to drink their beverages, that’s why they use celebrities like Taylor Swift in their commercials. They are selling you an image and an emotion, in addition to a product that kills the human body. Not really my idea of ‘cool’.

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Granola bars are a very common snack food. Often thought of as being a healthy snack. While there are some

bars on the market that are made with healthy ingredients, it’s essential that you read the label to

understand what’s really inside the wrapper. In many cases, the bar is so unhealthy and loaded with sugar and other unwanted ingredients, it is comparable to eating a

chocolate bar.

Let’s undress a common granola bar on the market, the All-Bran bar, to see if it looks good naked. The

commercials definitely make us believe that they are going to be a healthy choice. One that is going to help

boost our fiber content and help with regularity.

GRANOLABARS

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5 Reasons I Avoid All-Bran Bars Like The Plague

I just finished enjoying my morning fiber-rich snack that I made myself with buckwheat, chia, hemp seeds, goji berries and cinnamon. As I was sitting here feeling my bowels thank me, I got to thinking, “what is it that many other people eat for a snack if they want to increase the fiber in their diet?” I asked around the office and a common response was All-Bran bars or Fiber1 bars. The names themselves scream, “You need to eat me! I’m healthy and full of fiber!” Being the skeptic that I am when it comes to product packaging and marketing, I decided to look into what these products contain to see if they lived up to all their claims. Let’s have a look at what I found out about the All-Bran bars when I started to undress their dirty little secrets.

Ingredient list for All-Bran Bars (Chocolate Chip)

Wheat flour, sugar/glucose-fructose, cereal (wheat bran, sugar/glucose-fructose, malt [corn flour, malted barley], salt, vitamins [thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, d-calcium pantothenate], iron), vegetable shortening (contains palm and palm kernel oils, TBHQ), chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, vanilla extract), oat hull fibre, dried whole egg, milk ingredients, natural and artificial flavours, salt, baking powder, soy lecithin.

Now that we’ve seen what is in this product, I’m going to share with you the 5 main reasons why they wouldn’t find their way into my grocery cart.

Reason Number 5 – Processed Wheat

The first ingredient is “Wheat Flour”. This is not whole-wheat flour, the type that actually contains fiber. This is the processed wheat flour that has the fiber removed.

This may lead to the question, “if they removed the fiber from the wheat, how do these bars contain fiber?” Great question! What they have done is they have processed the wheat and removed the bran (which is the fiber) and the germ (which contains a lot of nutrients). Then they went and added back in some of the bran so that the bar would have fiber and they could advertise it as such.

The problem is that the wheat is not in its whole form and is not as nutritious. I would prefer to stick to the whole grain as nature intended.

Reason Number 4 – High-fructose Corn Syrup

The second ingredient is sugar/glucose-fructose. In Canada glucose-fructose is another name for high-fructose corn syrup. Eating a lot of processed sugars that are nutrient-depleted can lead to problems like high cholesterol, atherosclerosis, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, etc. These should be avoided at all cost.

I do want to mention here that just because processed and refined sweeteners (the ones that mess up our sexy bodies) should be avoided, doesn’t mean that we can’t have some sweetness in our lives. Honey and maple syrup when used in moderation are great additions to a healthy diet. They not only provide us with important nutritional benefits, they taste great too!

Reason Number 3 – Chemical Preservatives Made From Petroleum 

These bars contain something called TBHQ (Tertiary Butylhydroquinone). This is a chemical preservative, a form of butane, and is used to extend the shelf life of the bar and delay rancidness. The American and Canadian governments have allowed companies to put this preservative in foods but have strict restrictions on how much they are allowed to add.

I find it ironic that something could be deemed safe for human consumption and then so strictly regulated to

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make sure we don’t consume too much. What would happen if we did eat too much?

The problem as I see it is that when these limits are determined, they are determined for a ‘standard’ adult. What if you are a baby and are consuming these preservatives? What if you are consuming a large number of products that contain this preservative and are getting more than the amount found in one All-Bran bar? Or what if you are already full of toxins in your body and consuming this puts your body toxicity levels over the top? The truth is we don’t actually know the answers to these questions.

Everyone is different. We are different sizes, we eat differently, and we have different tolerability levels for toxins. What might be an okay level for one person is different for the next. Therefore, I have a hard time trusting the safety limits that are set for a ‘standard’ adult, especially when it comes to feeding these products to children or people who are ill/toxic (which unfortunately is a large portion of the population).

Personally, I try to stick to foods that are fresh and don’t contain chemical preservatives, especially those that are derived from petroleum.

Reason Number 2  – Artificial Flavors

When we heavily process foods, they lose their flavor. This is why processed foods contain added flavoring. If they didn’t, the food wouldn’t taste very good. These flavors are made in chemistry labs and often contain a

w h o l e h o s t o f v a r i o u s chemicals. For the most part they are considered safe until t h e r e i s s o m e c o n c r e t e evidence that they are harmful. Personally, I think this method is flawed. I think they should be deemed unsafe until proven safe. (Note: Some studies may have been done on a number of these added ingredients but not

enough to determine that they are safe when used cumulatively, long term and on various individuals)

The other issue with the term “artificial flavors”, is that we actually don’t know what this means and what chemicals are involved. They lump a whole bunch of chemicals into that one term and don’t have to list them separately.

An example of a chemical that hides under this name is by a company called Senomyx. They work with Kraft, Nestle, Coca Cola, and Campbell Soup. When this chemical is put in the food it helps to mask the bitter flavor of the food. It does this by turning off the bitter flavor receptor on our tongue. This allows the companies to reduce the amount of sugar and sodium in the product without actually affecting the flavor. It seems like these companies then grab their megaphones and proudly tell the world that they have low-sodium and low-sugar products. This all sounds fine and dandy, but is this new chemical that is being added to my food safe? Apparently there was a 3-month safety study done on rats that resulted in this being safe for long-term human consumption (including children). Seems odd to me.Personally, I would rather stick to the true natural flavors of foods instead of having my taste buds tricked by chemists in a white lab coat.

Reason Number 1 – There isn’t even that much fiber!!

The amount of fiber you get in one of these bars is 4 grams. This is the same amount of fiber you would get in 1 medium apple.

Conclusion

The next time you reach for an All-Bran cereal bar, keep in mind that you are actually getting processed, refined, and nutrient-poor wheat, high-fructose corn syrup, petroleum preservatives, artificial chemical flavoring agents, and the equivalent amount of fiber to a medium sized apple.

What will you have for your next snack?

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You may be surprised to see smoothies on this list! The important thing to be clear about is that not all smoothies are created equal.

Smoothies that you make at home can be extremely nutritious and beneficial for our health. The smoothies I’m talking about here are many of the store-bought or take-out smoothies. It’s important to

find out what’s in your smoothie to see if it looks good naked. Often times smoothies have added ingredients like sugar, high

fructose corn syrup, flavors, thickeners, preservatives, fruit concentrates or purees instead of real fruit, etc. These types of

unhealthy smoothies should be avoided. The best smoothies are the ones that contain only whole food, natural and unprocessed

ingredients.

Let’s undress the McDonald’s Real Fruit smoothie to see if it looks good naked. I think you will be surprised with how deceiving the

marketing for this product really is.

SMOOTHIE

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Undressing McDonald’s Real Fruit Smoothie

The word ‘smoothie’ sounds healthy doesn’t it? Keep reading to get the scoop on McDonald’s real fruit smoothies. Be prepared to take a big ‘gulp’ when you see it undressed. 

When I make a nutrient dense smoothie for breakfast I make sure to throw in high quality ingredients to start my day off right.

The best ingredients for smoothies:

Things like frozen fruit for antioxidants and fiber

Frozen blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes and acai are just some of the many kinds of fruits that are loaded with antioxidants. Antioxidants help to fight free radicals in our body and help prevent disease. They are extremely beneficial for our health.

Fruits are also a great source of fiber! Fruits provide so many great things, and they add a luscious flavor to your day.

High quality whey protein to feed muscles

Adding a high quality protein to your smoothie helps to slow down the absorption of the natural sugars from the fruit so that insulin levels  don’t spike out of control, leaving you in a slump later in the day.

Having a full spectrum of amino acids is great food for muscles and brain function.

There are also many high quality vegan proteins on the market for those looking for a vegan or vegetarian source. Be sure that there is a complete spectrum of essential amino acids to keep your body healthy, happy and strong.

Healthy fats like flax or chia seeds for brain function and to reduce inflammation

Fats are an important part of our diet. Eating fat is not only good for us it is essential for our health. The key is getting the right kinds and in the right amounts. Check out The Naked Label blog for more info on fats.

So, when we take a look at the smoothie’s offered at McDonalds, here’s what’s wrong with them in my opinion.

The Lowdown on McDee’s Smoothies

Cornstarch:

They add cornstarch to thicken the smoothie, this is an ingredient that is certainly not needed if you are using real frozen fruit.

Dimethyl what?!

In the smoothie there is an ingredient listed called ‘dimethylpolysiloxane’. This is an ingredient commonly used in silicones, adhesives, and caulking. Not an ingredient that I would ever recommend ingesting.

Sugar content:

The large blueberry pomegranate smoothie contains a whopping 70g of sugar! That much sugar will disrupt your blood glucose levels.

Very little protein:

Last but not least, these “real fruit smoothies” only contain on average 4g of protein, which is just not enough to counter the excessive sugar.

Although the word ‘real fruit smoothie’ sounds healthy, it’s important to take a look at all the ingredients when undressing any kind of product. In this case, make your own smoothie using the guidelines above to create the best healthy smoothie for your body. They’re super easy to make and your body will love you for it.

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Article Contributed By: Dr. Seth Yates, ND

I see a lot of products marketed as low-calorie. Since weight-loss is the number 1 health goal, these types of products tend to

attract the diet shopper. Often times these diet foods contain harmful ingredients (like the artificial sweetener aspartame) which are calorie-free but extremely unhealthy. Or they put the product into smaller packages so they can market it as a

low-calorie diet food. The important thing to remember is that calories are essential for our health. If we are eating low-calorie

diet foods we may be doing more harm than good.

Below is an article that undresses the 100 Calorie Diet Foods to help you understand what a calorie is, why is’s so important,

and why low-calorie diet foods are tricking you into believing they are something they are not.

Low-CalorieDiet Foods

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100 Calorie Snacks Have Attacked! Find out why they are harming us.

When it comes to promoting low calorie snacks it appears that the magic number is 100. I have noticed that calorie counting has become a very popular trend in the diet industry. This has opened up a great opportunity for food processors to profit from this by creating low-calorie snack options. Unfortunately, many of these snacks are doing more harm than good. Let’s undress this low-calorie trend to see what’s happening behind the scenes. 

First things first. What the heck is a calorie?

B e f o re we d i ve i n t o u n d r e s s i n g t h e s e products, it’s important to m a k e s u r e w e f u l l y understand what a calorie actually is and what it does in the body. I often hear people say that they are on a low-calorie diet, or that they are avoiding certain healthy foods (e.g. nuts, avocado, oil, etc) because they are high in calories. I’ve also heard people ask how many calories are in a specific food because they are determined to avoid high-calorie foods since they equate them with weight-gain and poor health.

I wanted to bust through these myths to show you just how bogus this way of thinking really is.

So, what is a calorie? In simple terms a calorie is a unit of measurement that indicates the amount of energy that food will produce in the human body.

Therefore, the more calories a food item has, the more energy it produces in the body.

Based on this explanation of a calorie you can see that calories are good! Not only are they good, they are essential for the human body. If we don’t consume calories, we won’t have any energy, and we won’t survive.

So if calories are so important for us then why does the ‘diet’ industry demonize calories and tell us to reduce them?

Great question! The important thing about calories is that we only need a certain amount of them. If we get too few calories from our food then our body can’t function properly. However, if we consume more calories than our body needs it has to do something with the excess calories. What it does, is it stores them as fat.

So as you can see, calories are VERY important, however, we want to make sure that we are consuming the right amount. Since the majority of people in North America consume more calories than they are using (or put another way, consume more energy than they are burning), we end up storing excess fat in the body. This is why the diet industry focuses so much on calorie-cutting. When we stop consuming too many calories we can start to burn the fat stores in the body and lose weight.

Just Kidding ;-)

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How do I know how many calories I should be consuming?

A quick way to figure this out is to calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). You can find calculators online for free that allow you to calculate your BMR.

The BMR is a calculation of how many calories your body will burn if you stayed in bed all day. It’s important to make sure you consume that many calories because that is what your body needs to function. The more physical activity you do the more calories you should consume during the day.

Consuming the right number of calories is only half the picture!

I get frustrated when I hear people assessing the health of a food item solely based on the number of calories it contains. For example, you may have heard someone say that a specific food is ‘bad’ because it is high in calories. Or heard someone compare two foods and say one is better than the other specifically because it is lower in calories.

There is one more VERY important piece of the puzzle I need to explain so you can understand why this type of thinking frustrates me so much.

There are only 3 macronutrients when it comes to food.

They are carbohydrates, proteins, and fat. When it comes to calories:

• Every gram of carbohydrate ALWAYS contains 4 calories

• Every gram of protein ALWAYS contains 4 calories

• Every gram of fat ALWAYS contains 9 calories

This is an essential part of the puzzle because it shows that when we see how many calories are in a specific food it is not an indication of how healthy that food is, it is just an indication of how many grams of these macronutrients are in the food, multiplied by the number of calories per gram.

The most important lesson here

The key takeaway I want you to get from this is that the number of calories a food item contains is not enough on it’s own to determine the health of that food. The most important thing to look at is the nutrient density of the food.

We want to make sure we are eating foods that contain a high amount of micronutrition (vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and enzymes) per gram.

For example, if you take 100 calories worth of Doritos chips (which is only a few chips) and compare that to

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100 calories worth of apple (2 apples) you can see that although they are both 100 calories, you are going to get far more nutrition from the apples. The apples are going to be nutrient dense (meaning they contain high amounts of micronutrition per gram), where as the Doritos would be considered a processed food that is nutrient depleted.

The key is that if you only have a certain number of calories to consume in a day, it is important to make sure that you are getting as many micronutrients into your body without going over your calorie limit.

Often times people are only focused on weight loss as a goal. When they eat these low-calorie unhealthy foods and they start to see weight loss, they get excited. However, even if weight loss is important to you, your health should always be number 1. Being skinny but sick is no fun.

The choice is yours. If your health, how you feel, your energy levels, skin, etc are not important to you and all that matters is the weight on the scale then only focusing on calories could do the trick. However, if you do care about your health and how you feel, then focusing on eating foods that are nutrient dense is going to rock your world in a good way!

Why I hate these 100 calorie snacks

Food manufacturers wanted to profit off of the diet industry and it seems that 100 calorie snack packs was one of their tactics. The marketing that goes along with these products makes you believe that these snack packs are the solution you have been looking for. You can

now have the cake, cookies, chips, etc you want but in a portion size that leads to you weighing your dream weight. Often times people feel better about themselves just by buying this product!

The problem is that these are the same manufacturers who spend millions of dollars trying to make their products so irresistible that you CAN’T just have 1 bite, 1 cookie, or 1 snack pack. These products are specifically designed to convince you to eat more, more, more. After finishing the last bite you will likely find yourself licking your fingers and reaching for

another. If you are able to hold yourself back, you may feel emotions of deprivation. One part of you will be feeling like you really want more and the other side is telling you that you can’t have it because you need to lose weight. This is not a very enjoyable experience. These products don’t satisfy us and as a result can lead to weight gain, poor health, and emotional eating.

In addition these products may contain only 100 calories per package, but they are also nutrient-depleted, bad for the environment (because of all the excess packaging), and on top of that the companies charge a premium so you actually pay way more per gram of food.

My recommendation is that you ignore the marketing hype. Turn the package over and read the ingredients. If it contains food that is processed, refined, nutrient-depleted, synthetic, or artificial, leave it on the shelf. Instead, aim to fill up your calorie tank with foods that are going to actually fuel your body, not just feed it.

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Muffins are commonly thought of as a healthier breakfast or snack option. Often times people view them as healthier alternatives to donuts and cake.

Unfortunately, most muffins we see on the market today are no better. They are loaded with

refined flour, sugar, genetically-modified oil, artificial flavor, and chemical preservatives. Not

only should they be considered a dessert, they fall into the category of unhealthy desserts I avoid.

To give you an example, let’s undress the Tim Horton’s Blueberry Muffin to see if it looks good

naked.

MUFFINS

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Tim Horton’s: they’re everywhere in Canada and have now started to expand in the US. An easy morning grab-and-go option (or a convenient mid-afternoon snack attack remedy), this chain of coffee shops has become ubiquitous in Canadian culture.

The ‘always fresh’ giant has a wide array of goodies, some obviously not great for us (donuts, cookies, timbits), and some whose health factor is a little harder to figure out. In fact, the menu features a “healthier options” section, made up of yogurt + berries, bagels, and muffins.

But how healthy are these, really?

Today, we tackle one of Tim’s biggest sellers – and one of the more deceptively unhealthy items on the menu – the blueberry muffin.

Tim Horton’s Blueberry Muffins Undressed – Do they look good naked?

So what’s in it?According to the nutrition calculator on the company’s website, one blueberry muffin contains:

330 calories460g of sodium25g of sugar (which is the equivalent of 5 teaspoons)

Although Tim Horton’s doesn’t list their ingredients on their website, they have a customer service line where a cheerful representative will read you a list of exactly what’s in your favorite products. I called to inquire about the blueberry muffins, and here’s what I found they contain:

Enr iched wheat f lour (niacin, th iamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid, reduced iron)SugarBlueberriesWaterSoybean oil and/or canola oilHigh fructose corn syrupDried liquid eggsLevening (sodium bicarbonate, sodium aluminum phosphate)Modified corn starchMonodiglyceridesCorn syrup solidsNatural and artificial flavorsSodium benzoateSoy lecithin

Let’s break this down

A look at the Enriched Flour

As any devoted reader of The Naked Label knows, refined, enriched flours aren’t real food. Synthetic vitamins and minerals aren’t the same as the real thing, and the body doesn’t absorb them in the same way. Plus, refined, milled grain delivers an instant shock of sugar to the bloodstream and can create blood sugar irregularities if consumed in excess. This type of sugar in the bloodstream often converts to fat and stores as such, usually in those places we don’t want it.

Holy moly that’s a lot of sugar!

Sugar and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) are the second and sixth ingredients on the list (no wonder that sugar count is so high!). Corn syrup solids also appear towards the end of the list. Sugar has been linked to all kinds of health problems, from diabetes to cancer to immune suppression. Swapping refined white sugar – including HFCS – out for natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, dates, or molasses can lessen the stress placed on the body, as these natural alternatives also break down more slowly in the system, preventing that spike-and-crash we experience with the white stuff.

What about Modified Corn Starch?

Modified corn starch is likely genetically modified, and as a simple sugar, doesn’t provide a ton of

Tim Horton’s Blueberry Muffin Undressed

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Article Contributed By: Amy Height, Holistic Health Coach

nutrition to the body. The ‘modification’ comes from a chemical or enzymatic process that changes the nature of the starch: it’s not the same as eating a kernel of corn, as the starch produced is tougher to break down. This is not a real food.

What’s the deal with Soybean and Canola oil?

Soybean oil and canola oil are highly refined derivatives of plants, often used in commercial baking to extend shelf life and provide an unusually moist texture to goodies. While the representative was unable to tell me if the oil used in these muffins was hydrogenated or not, the nutrition calculator on the website indicates there’s 0.2g of trans fat per muffin (and it likely comes from these ingredients). While some trans fats occur in animal products, most found in commercial products come from a man-made process: oil is infused with hydrogen, rendering it solid at room temperature. The resulting substance is difficult for the body to break down or use and it can hang out in the body for years, causing arterial blockage and toxic overload. A better option – in cooking and baking in general – would be non-hydrogenated unsaturated oils: olive oil, pumpkinseed oil, or sunflower oil. Or a saturated oil that is made of medium-chain fatty acids (which converts easily to energy in the body) such as coconut oil.

What are monodiglycerides?

Monodiglycerides is an artificially created substance that improves the crumb texture of baked goods. It’s essentially a fatty acid that acts as an emulsifier for other ingredients (usually to hold oil and water together). Monodiglycerides can come from cows, pigs, or plants, or can be synthetically created from non-foods. Most companies, like Tim Horton’s, won’t disclose where theirs come from; best to avoid if you’re following a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle, and best to avoid in general if you’re trying to eat real food and not chemicals.

How about the natural and artificial flavor?

Natural and Artificial Flavor – this could include anything from mink oil (extracted from the animal), soaked charred sawdust, to extracts of crude oil or tar that – to our senses – taste or smell the same as a ‘natural substance’. While anything labeled ‘natural flavorant’ must be derived from something commonly considered edible, artificial ingredients don’t have to come from a food source.

Sodium Benzoate undressed

Sodium Benzoate is a chemical preservative commonly found in processed foods and drinks, especially those with high acid content. In these conditions, sodium benzoate inhibits growth of bacteria, mold and yeast, extending a product’s shelf life. While benzoic acid is found naturally in low levels in some whole foods like cranberries, the sodium benzoate listed on a product’s nutrition label is typically synthesized in a lab. Introducing any ingredient whose purpose is to starve bacteria and create an inhospitable environment isn’t going to be ideal when introduced to the human body. I like to use a simple rule when it comes to these kinds of ingredients: if it wouldn’t help a single-celled organism to survive, it probably won’t be great for my cells.

Soy lecithin

Soy lecithin is the final ingredient on the list. Like monodiglycerides, it’s an emulsifier, and acts to create even product texture. Lecithin is extracted from soy using a chemical solvent (usually hexane), which allows the lecithin to separate from the rest of the oil when it’s mixed with water. The dried product we might see in the bulk food section, protein powders, or in baking, is the end product following drying and bleaching. Because lecithin is not a substance the body naturally encounters in isolation, it can cause confusion and imbalance within the system. Our bodies are unable to identify the strange substance and can create relative deficiencies in other nutrients as it searches for the pieces it’s missing. This can mean an increase in cravings, too. Also, since there is no regulation on the amount of hexane that can be present in a food product, we run the risk of ingesting residual noxious compounds leftover from the extraction process.

So what can we do instead?

Baking at home – and knowing just what’s going into your muffins – is always a better option than p u rc h a s i n g s o m e t h i n g p re - m a d e . Av o i d preservatives, synthetic emulsifiers, artificial flavors, and trans fats by selecting ingredients you can purchase individually: real eggs instead of dried liquid ones, non-hydrogenated oils, and organic produce and natural sweeteners where possible.

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Back in the 1980’s food manufacturers started taking the fat out of food because people believed that the fat they were eating was making them fatter! Over the years we have proven this

theory to be false, however, producing these foods is still a massive industry today. The problem is that when we take the

fat out we need to replace it with something else. Ironically, the ‘something else’ they replace it with leads to more weight

gain than the fat did when it was in the product.

Check out the article below that undresses this fat-free food phenomenon to see why these foods do not look good naked

and why they should be left on the grocery store shelf.

Fat-FreeFoods

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Fat-free foods actually make us fatter!

Back in the 1980’s the government started telling everyone that we should be avoiding fat in our diet. The general thought was that fat is bad and is making us fat. Unfortunately, this was not the whole story. We were grossly mislead and as a result got fatter than ever! Let’s undress the fat-free product craze and see what went down. Do these fat-free products that line our grocery store shelves look good naked? Do they actually make us fatter!? Let’s find out!! 

Let’s start by getting one thing clear about fat

The general statement or opinion that “eating fat makes us fat” is completely wrong. It’s not like the fat in the avocado goes straight to our butts and bellies. There are only 3 macronutrients: fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. All of them are essential for our survival. If we cut any of them out of our diet our health will suffer. People tend to gain weight because they are eating more calories (from fat, proteins, and carbohydrates combined) than they are burning in a day. In addition, the foods they are eating that make up their daily caloric total often lead to increased fat gain. For example, processed high-glycemic foods like sugar, white flour, high-fructose corn syrup, pasta, bread, etc spike our blood sugar and promote fat creation in the body.

YIKES!!! High-glycemic foods are actually more of a culprit for packing on the pounds than fat is. Later in this article you will find out why this insight is completely ironic and shocking, especially when looking at fat-free foods.

First, let’s look at some of the benefits of fats so you can see why they are friend, not foe:

• Brain: Essential for brain function.• Cells: Fat helps cells stay moveable and

flexible.• Heart: 60% of heart’s energy comes from

burning fats. Healthy fats help keep the heart beating in a regular rhythm.

• Nerves: Helps insulate and protect the nerves.• Digestion: Fat slows down the digestion

process so the body has more time to absorb nutrients. It also helps provide a constant level of energy and keeps the body satiated for longer periods of time. Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) are absorbed with the presence of fat.

• Organs: Cushion and protect internal organs.• Immune System: Some fats ease inflammation,

helping our metabolism and immune system stay healthy and functioning.

Fat is definitely important, I think we have confirmed that. So what is the deal with these fat-free foods. It’s starting to look like they aren’t that healthy for us!

Undressing Fat-Free Foods

Food processors absolutely love when there is a new dietary trend that they can capitalize on. This is exactly what they did when fat-free became a health trend. People thought they should be reducing fat in their diet and food processors were right there with an answer to their problem. Suddenly you could buy your favorite cookies, cheese, salad dressing, buttery spread, etc all in fat free! People started buying these products thinking they were opting for healthier options.

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U n f o r t u n a t e l y , t h e s e products are not healthier. In fact, these new fat-free products often lead to weight g a i n a n d m o r e h e a l t h problems than their original sibling.

Let’s look at why that is.

As I mentioned before, there are only 3 macronutrients: fat, carbohydrates, and protein. If you take out the fat, you need to replace it with something. The problem is that fat provides a specific type of texture and flavor to the product. So if you want the product to still taste

good and have a similar consistency you need to add things like sugar, flour, thickeners, gums, emulsifiers, salt, etc.

Typically what you end up with is a product that is more heavily processed and higher in carbohydrates (the refined high-glycemic variety). These products don’t contain fat but the end result is a product that contains virtually the same number of calories (they replace the fat calories with carbohydrate calories). This increase in refined carbohydrates used to replace the fat can have a negative impact on blood sugar which can lead to fat development in the body.

WHAT!! People usually buy these products to lose weight but the product is actually causing us to pack on the pounds. We need to vote with our fork and stop buying these products. Companies won’t stop making them until we stop buying them.

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It seems like everywhere you look these days there are gluten-free options. More and more people are

developing allergies and sensitivities to gluten. As a result companies are coming out with many gluten-free

alternatives to our favorite foods. The problem is that many of these alternatives are actually worse for you

than gluten! It’s important to understand the whole story before deciding if gluten is right for you.

Gluten is a protein found naturally in many whole foods. So why is it considered bad for us? Let’s take a closer look

at what gluten is, why it get’s such a bad rap, and who should be avoiding it.

Gluten-FreeFoods

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Is gluten bad? Is it really the devil it’s made out to be?

The other day I was walking through the grocery store in my neighborhood and I was pleasantly surprised to see so many gluten-free food options. For people who need to be gluten-free, these food products appeared to be an incredible alternative. From bread and cereals to cookies, waffles, and wraps, the options were many. With so many new gluten-free products coming to market it makes you wonder, are more people requiring gluten-free foods, is this just a health fad, are these gluten-free foods healthier or are they healthy at all? Let’s strip away the confusion and undress this issue. 

What the heck is gluten anyways?

First we need to understand what the heck gluten actually is.  Gluten is a protein found in grains like wheat, rye, barley, kamut, spelt, and triticale. You can think of it like a glue. In fact, the word glūten is actually a Latin word, meaning glue. It is the gluten that allows your favorite bagel to have that chewy texture, for your loaf of bread to rise and hold together, and for your waffles to be delicate and fluffy.

So what’s the deal with this gluten stuff? Is it good or bad?

There are a number of reasons that gluten gets a bad rap. For one, it’s very hard to digest. Also, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, it may increase your risk of heart disease and cancer. Furthermore, a review paper in The New England Journal of Medicine listed 55 symptoms/diseases that could be caused by the consumption of gluten. Yikes!! Some of these include, irritable bowel disease, fatigue,

osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune diseases, etc. It also has a negative impact on our brain and new studies are starting to link gluten to schizophrenia.

Years ago we didn’t hear that much about gluten. It seems like it’s a new fad. However, part of the reason we are hearing so much more about it is because more and more people are being negatively affected by this protein. Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity are on the rise! It is believed that this increase in sensitivity is due to the increased consumption of highly processed gluten foods and the tinkering with the genetics of gluten grains (like wheat), using sophisticated hybridization techniques. Wheat for example, is often consumed in the Standard American Diet at every meal and in a processed form. For example, cereal for breakfast, a granola bar for snack, bread at lunch, crackers for a snack, and a burger (with bun), pizza, pasta, etc for dinner. Plus don’t forget the cake, cookies, and pastries for dessert! Food science has tinkered with these foods and food marketers have pushed their consumption on us for years. It seems like our bodies may be retaliating.

So… should everyone avoid gluten or just people with Celiac disease?

This is a tricky question. One that sparks much debate in the holistic community. Based on everything that I’ve read and learned on the subject, my opinion is as follows.

Gluten for people with Celiac disease

For people who have Celiac disease, it is 100% necessary to avoid all forms of gluten. Celiac disease is a medical condition where gluten actually damages the surface of the small intestine. This impairs the person’s ability to absorb the nutrients from their food.  This is a very serious condition and therefore, no amount of gluten should be consumed by these individuals.

Gluten for people with gluten sensitivity

For people who have gluten sensitivity / gluten intolerance, they experience unwanted symptoms when consuming gluten and feel better on a gluten-free diet. The severity is not as pronounced as people with Celiac disease but it is still advisable to avoid all sources of gluten in this case as well.

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Gluten for people who are not well but don’t have diagnosed Celiac disease/gluten sensitivity

If you are dealing with unwanted health conditions outside of Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, you may want to try avoiding gluten. As I discussed above, gluten can cause or irritate many other health conditions. Removing it from the diet may help the body heal faster and help you feel better too.

Gluten for people who are healthy

If you are feeling like you are in tip top shape, and you don’t notice any difference in how you feel after you eat gluten, you may be able to consume gluten in moderation. However, keep in mind, gluten is not an essential nutrient for the body, like water is for example. Therefore, if you don’t consume gluten, your health will not be negatively impacted, and in fact it may actually be positively impacted. If you are going to consume some gluten, I would recommended that you stay away from processed grains like white flour and instead stick to whole foods. I would also recommend that where possible, you opt for eliminating wheat and instead choose other grains like rye. This is because rye has not been as heavily altered through hybridization.

How is it possible to go gluten free? What would I eat?

Since the Standard American Diet is so heavily focused on gluten grains like wheat, you may be puzzled at first as to what you would actually eat if you went gluten free. The biggest mistake I see people make is going to the store and simply swapping out the same foods they ate before, with gluten-free alternatives. For example, instead of buying the wheat waffles, they opt for the gluten-free variety.  While it may be gluten-free it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthy. You still have to keep your label reading hat on and assess if the product is healthy or not.

Since so many people are in need of gluten-free foods, processors have started creating gluten-free options. Unfortunately, many of these products contain items  (e.g. potato starch and tapioca starch) that can have a significant impact on blood sugar levels and are heavily processed. They may be a good option when used in moderation (especially if you have Celiac disease or gluten sensitivity) but going overboard on them is not advised.

So if we were to minimize or eliminate gluten products as well as the heavily processed gluten-free alternatives, what’s left? The good news is, lots!! Vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, animal products, and many grains (e.g. rice, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, corn, amaranth, and teff) are all gluten-free!!!

Therefore, if you stick to a whole foods diet made of the foods I just listed in the above paragraph, you will find that eating gluten-free is not that difficult.

Speaking from experience, I find it actually pretty easy to consume a gluten-free diet at home. The biggest hurdles are when we go out to eat. Sometimes it’s easy to avoid the obvious sources of gluten like bread and pasta, but the problem is that gluten is often used as an additive in many sauces, gravies, breadings, etc. If you are a Celiac this can be especially dangerous.

Luckily, restaurants are starting to take notice and make some awesome changes to be able to offer true gluten-free options.

The burning question I always get is whether I eat gluten. So I figured in the name of transparency I would tell you what I do. At home I maintain a 95% or higher gluten-free kitchen. The 5% is made up of the occasional homemade spelt pizza, Dimpflmeier 100% rye bread with flax seed, or sprouted Essene bread. When I go out I often eat gluten-free but I’ll be honest, I’m not perfect and I try not to stress myself out about it too much.

Therefore, in conclusion, if you are a Celiac or gluten sensitive, avoid it completely. If you are not feeling your best, try eliminating it to see if you feel better. If you want to eat some gluten foods and you are a health machine who is feeling fabulous, then having some gluten from whole food sources should be fine. This is a personal decision everyone makes for themselves.

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Vitamin Water and Sports Drinks are marketed as healthy beverages. Companies want us to believe that drinking vitamin

enhanced water is a great-tasting way to get added vitamins into our diet. They want us to think that this is better than just drinking

water because of the added vitamins. When it comes to sports drinks, companies would love us to believe that these are the drinks of athletes and since athletes drink them they must be

healthy for us. At first glance this may make sense, but when we look a little closer at the ingredients used in these products we discover that they are full of processed sweeteners like high-

fructose corn syrup and artificial food coloring. Even the vitamin waters don’t contain that many vitamins to warrant the fancy

marketing hype.

VITAMINWATER does not look good naked. Let’s undress it to see what it’s really made of and why it’s so bad for us.

Vitamin Water& Sports Drinks

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VITAMINWATER Shame on you!Let’s face it, most of us like to reward ourselves with a treat once in a while. This may be a homemade chocolate chip cookie, a piece of pie, a few potato chips, soda, or maybe a handful of french fries. I don’t have a problem with the occasional (key word being occasional) treat of something that really brings a smile to my face. The trick however, is in understanding what goes in the treat pile and what belongs in the “good for me” pile. 

Unfortunately, companies work very diligently to blur the line between what is and isn’t healthy and they try to convince us that their product belongs in the “good for me” pile. VITAMINWATER is a classic example of this line blurring. The company claims it is healthy. They would like us to think it should be part of our daily routine to improve health because it contains vitamins. The facts show otherwise. Let’s undress this colorful product to see what it looks like naked. 

Below I have compared VITAMINWATER, Coca-cola, and Water.

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VITAMINWATER claims that we should drink their product every day to help ensure we get our daily vitamins. Here is what they say on their website about one of their products:

“In today’s multi-tasking world, it’s not easy getting all of the vitamins and nutrients your body needs. That’s why we created this product. VITAMINWATER 10 multi-v is packed with vitamins a to zinc … and it’s naturally sweetened … and it’s great tasting. We like to think of i t a s t h e j a c k- o f- a l l nutrients. And the best part is that it’s only 10 calories per serving…” 

As I read this, the two things that jumped out at me as marketing mumbo-jumbo were“naturally sweetened” and “jack-of-all nutrients”. I decided to look further into what the company had to say about these claims. Here is what I found.

COMPANY CLAIM about being the “jack-of-all nutrients”:

“It’s also packed with the vitamins and nutrients you need throughout the day. It is specially formulated with 11 essential vitamins and minerals, from vitamin a to zinc, to provide the body with nutrients needed to remain healthy and active.”

 Undressing the claim:

There is a lot of debate a b o u t h o w m a n y vitamins we need to consume and whether or not we get enough from the food we eat. I won’t open up this can of worms today, but assuming we do need to take daily vitamins, let’s look at how many

you really get in a bottle of VITAMINWATER. For this comparison I used the VITAMINWATER sold in Canada because it lists actual amounts instead of the percentages found on the USA bottles. Here is what I found when I compared some of the vitamins in VITAMINWATER (which aren’t many) to the amounts offered in the daily serving of a high quality supplement.

To put things in perspective. If you wanted to get the same amount of B6 that is offered in the daily amount of the Douglas Laboratories supplement, you would need to drink 200 bottles of VITAMINWATER per day. This would equate to 6,500 grams of sugar!!! I think I’ll stick to the supplements. 

COMPANY CLAIM about their main “natural sweetener”, crystalline fructose:

“Crystalline fructose is a pure, natural sweetener. It is the same as the sugar that’s found in many fruits, vegetables and honey, only in a crystallized form.”

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Undressing the claim:

In the USA, VITAMINWATER is sweetened with crystalline fructose (as mentioned in the claim above). Although they make it sound healthy in their claim, the truth is that it is actually an “unnatural” and highly processed product made from fructose-enriched corn syrup, not fruit. In Canada, VITAMINWATER is sweetened with cane sugar. Both are considered sugar and consuming too much of either overloads our system and our body turns the excess into fat. Yes folks, this eventually leads to weight gain, but more importantly it can also put you at risk for a number of serious diseases. 

Here’s a quick sugar overview showing a key difference between crystalline fructose (used in the USA product) and cane sugar (used in Canada). It’s a bit ‘sciency’ but try to bear with me. Cane sugar contains 50% fructose and 50% glucose (same as the sugar found in your baking cupboard). Crystalline fructose on the other hand contains almost 100% fructose. Now I know I am throwing a lot of percentages at you and you are probably wondering what this all means? Well, glucose and fructose are processed differently by the body. Glucose goes into the blood stream, insulin jumps in to lend a helping hand and the glucose is turned into energy for the body. Fructose on the other hand can only be processed by the liver and requires the body to work much harder before turning it into energy. Although having too much of either glucose or fructose leads to the body creating fat, studies show that consuming too much fructose is harder on our systems than consuming excess glucose. This is one of the main reasons crystalline fructose is considered worse for us than traditional sugar. 

With the above being said, it is important to note that this information does not mean fructose should be blacklisted. After all, many fruits and vegetables contain

fructose and we know that we need both to live a healthy lifestyle. The trick is quantity, quantity, quantity. Consuming too much of either glucose and especially fructose, is hard on our system and leads to poor health. Drinking VITAMINWATER too often will result in the consumption of too much sugar (aka fructose and/or glucose).  

Conclusion

In conclusion, VITAMINWATER should be placed in the treat category along with soda, cookies and french fries. It is a sugar filled drink with very small quantities

of very few vitamins.  It should not be part of a daily routine to boost health because in fact, it does just the opposite. 

The good news is that water is cheap and VITAMINWATER is expensive. Not only wil l drinking water be healthier for us, it will also put money back in our pocket. Cheers to being healthy and saving money!

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While there are some healthy meal replacement beverages on the market, sold by well respected supplement companies,

many of the meal replacement beverage products you see at the grocery store are garbage. Two popular brands that should

be avoided are Ensure (which claims to be complete and balanced nutrition) and Carnation Breakfast Essentials (which

claims to be a delicious and nutritious way to start the day right). Both of these products are LOADED with processed

sweeteners, preservatives, and other unhealthy additives and flavors.

Let’s undress Carnation Breakfast Essentials to take a closer look at exactly why this popular meal replacement beverage

does not look good naked.

Meal ReplacementBeverages

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Undressing Carnation Breakfast Essentials

Nestle recently launched an aggressive, celebrity-laden campaign to promote its Carnation Breakfast Essentials, a pre-made drink intended to make breakfast more well-rounded and convenient for adults and kids. Their marketing is particularly aimed at parents of young ones, and suggests that the drink has everything a child needs to thrive. 

There are definitely some key things to consider when preparing kids for the day with food: eating breakfast has been linked to higher performance at school, better social interactions, fewer instances of attention issues, and better weight maintenance. That is, of course, unless breakfast is a highly processed sugary cereal, toaster pastry… or the liquid equivalent. Carnation Breakfast Essentials is fortified with a number of synthetic ingredients suspended in not-so-nutritious f o o d - e s q u e ingredients, which makes them pretty much like liquefied Count Chocula. Let’s look at how these convenient cans and powders break down; then we’ll explore some other ways to w o r k t h e s a m e nutrition into your child’s day without q u i t e s o m a n y preservatives and artificial additives. 

Is Nonfat Milk really so great?

Nonfat milk is the transport device for all of the “nutrients” in Carnation Breakfast Essentials. Nonfat milk is a whitened, skimmed version of whole milk: when the full fat is removed, so are many nutrients. The nutrients have to be added back in artificially (read on for some examples of how Carnation does it). Manufacturers also add sugar to replace the flavor of dairy fat. Also, the removal of full fat means we’re less likely to feel full from consuming something, and the addition of sugar means we’re likely to need more of it to feel satisfied.

Sugar content

Sugar is listed as the second, third, and fifth ingredients: not promising for a product that claims to deliver “balanced nutrition so [kids] can be at their best”. Sugar is linked to attention deficit disorders and hyperactivity disorders, poor nutrient absorption, and

not surprisingly, childhood obesity.

Dicalcium phosphate 101

Dicalcium phosphate, the purported calcium supplement in this drink, is a compound formed when calcium and phosphoric acid are combined. The result is a substance virtually insoluble in water (meaning it doesn’t dissolve or absorb into the body’s tissues easily). Interesting to note, too, that this particular substance is recommended for use under doctor supervision only.

Flavors…

Natural and Artificial Flavor – this could include anything from mink oil (extracted from the animal) , s o a k e d c h a r r e d sawdust, to extracts of crude oil or tar that – to our senses – taste or smell the same as a ‘natural substance’. W h i l e a n y t h i n g labeled ‘natural

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Article Contributed By: Amy Height, Holistic Health Coach

flavorant’ must be derived from something commonly considered edible, artificial ingredients don’t have to come from a food source.

Vitamin sources

CBE also includes isolated synthetic supplemental sources of vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin A, B1, B6, B12, D, K, and folic acid.

Unspoiled on the shelf for months!

To remain unspoiled on a shelf for many months, as Breakfast Essentials must, the manufacturer adds emulsifiers and stabilizers: these keep the product’s consistency for upwards of a year. (What does that mean they’re doing inside our bodies?) Soy Lecithin is a yellow-brown fatty substance extracted from plant tissue. It’s often highly processed. It’s used here as an emulsifier, to hold all of the other compound ingredients together.

S i m i l a r l y , A l p h a -Tocopheryl Acetate is stabilized vitamin E. This form is more co m m o n l y u s e d i n cosmetics and is not generally effective as a source of nutrition.

Carrageenan

Carrageenan, which has seen much media attention lately due to studies that suggest it’s an unsafe food product, is a highly processed derivative of red seaweed. It has no nutritional value and is used as an emulsifier. It has been linked to inflammatory conditions and to glucose desensitization (a precursor for diabetes) in animal trials.

There are several ways to work these essential nutrients and lasting energy into your child’s morning without resorting to pre-packaged drinks like Carnation Breakfast Essentials. It’s important to know that your child doesn’t require ALL of the vitamins on the nutrition spectrum in each meal; rather, aim for representation of each across a 24-hour period. You have two more meals (and snacks) throughout the day to cover their nutritional bases, so don’t worry too much about working in everything in one meal.

Where to get your essential nutrients

When it comes to providing ample energy to get through until lunch, aim for healthy fats and lasting protein. Avocado, almond butter, and flax meal provide a good dose of filling fat; nuts, seeds, whole grains, and yogurt alternatives provide protein.

Calcium can be found in leafy greens, almonds, and yogurt made from soy or almond milk.

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Vitamin A is what gives orange veggies their bright color: think sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, and even apricots. Vitamin B can be tricky on a plant-based diet, but incorporating nuts, seeds, spinach, banana, avocado, and nutritional yeast in addition to a B12 supplement can round out this nutrient in the diet. Vitamin D is widely available in fish as well as in mushrooms, and our best source of Vitamin K1 is leafy greens. (Seeing a pattern?).

Folate naturally occurs in staple plant foods like beans and greens (think: foliage), and in this form is more absorbable than when it comes from synthetic folic acid.

And if you need to add some real natural flavor, try vanilla bean, cinnamon, or nutmeg.

Considering all of these, some easy breakfast options include:

In my opinion, the biggest benefit to avoiding premixed drinks like this one is the opportunity to limit sugar intake. Especially first thing in the morning, staying away from added sugars can promote better food choices throughout the day, fewer cravings, and better focus and attention at school.

Whole foods help kids develop a great relationship with real food and how it fuels them. It might take an extra minute to toss ingredients in the blender rather than pop open a can of Carnation Breakfast Essentials, but the long term benefits are worth it! Set your little ones up for a great day, and a healthy upbringing, by incorporating real foods as often as you can.

Smoothie with coconut water, greens, banana, almond butter, and flax meal

Quinoa with almond

milk, nuts or seeds,

berries, and apricot

Brown rice or quinoa flour pancakes made with berries andcinnamon

An egg or tofu scramble with greens, mushrooms, and sprinkle of nutritional yeast

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Wheat is a fairly controversial topic. There are many differing opinions, even within the natural health community. Some

people say that it’s okay to eat wheat in moderation and some say we should eliminate it all-together. At the end the answer

to this question depends on two factors: number one is how your individual body handles wheat, and the second is the type

of wheat you are buying. Unfortunately most wheat on the market today has been chemically altered and is not as healthy as it used to be. Due to this alteration and the overconsumption of wheat in the last century many people are sensitive to wheat

and to the protein inside wheat, gluten.

Let’s take a closer look at the history of wheat to understand why it used to look better naked than it does today.

WHEAT

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To Eat Wheat Or Not To Eat Wheat? That is the question!

To eat wheat or not to eat wheat…. That is the question! I find that the two most controversial foods today are dairy and wheat. This is interesting because they also have two of the most well funded lobby groups focused on convincing us that no matter what, we need to consume them to be healthy. Have you taken a look at the Canadian Food guide lately? It’s overloaded with these two food products. I find this interesting since some of the healthiest people I know don’t eat either! 

So What’s The Big Deal With Wheat Anyways?

You may be sitting there thinking, “I get it Briana, eating processed white wheat isn’t good because the processors have stripped away the fiber and nutrients, but what about whole wheat, it’s a whole food, it must be good!” That’s exactly what I thought too!!! Imagine my surprise when I found out that the whole wheat isn’t really so ‘whole’ after all and that scientists have been using wheat as a clever science project to benefit the wallets of big agribusiness.

Let’s undress this issue to see what’s been going on.

A Quick History Lesson That Will Blow Your Mind!

The very first wild wheat was called einkorn, it dates back to 3300 BC and contained only 14 chromosomes. Shortly thereafter einkorn and goatgrass more or less ‘mated’ and created a wheat plant called emmer that contained 28 chromosomes (when humans mate, our babies end up with the same number of chromosomes that we have, however, when wheat mates their chromosomes actually get added together resulting in twice as many as before!) These two varieties (einkorn and emmer) remained popular for thousands of years.

One day emmer got a bit horny (frisky little devil) and naturally mated with another grass called Triticum tauschii  which now resulted in a 42 chromosome offspring called Triticum aestivum – a grain that genetically is closest to what we now call wheat. People liked Triticum aestivum because it resulted in higher yield and was better for baking. This version of wheat changed very little over the next many centuries.

The year everything went to hell in a handbasket – or should I say ‘breadbasket’!

Everything was going great until 1943. At this time, in a town east of Mexico City, scientists at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, in collaboration with the Mexican Government and Rockefeller Foundation, started messing around with wheat. The goal was to generate greater yield and wheat that was resistant to heat, drought, and disease.

The attempts were successful however, we have manipulated wheat so much that it can’t even survive on it’s own in the wild anymore without human support (nitrate fertilization, pest control, etc). In addition, because the yield was increased, the plant was too top heavy. It was at this time that wheat was further manipulated by a geneticist named Norman Borlaug. His efforts yielded a shorter plant that wouldn’t topple over (referred to as “dwarf” and “semi-dwarf” varieties). For this discovery he won many awards including a Nobel Peace Price in 1970.

Today, Allan Fritz, PhD, professor of wheat breeding in Kansas State University, estimates that more than 99 percent of the wheat grown worldwide is of the dwarf and semi-dwarf variety.

So why is it bad for our health?

The question I often get from people at this point in the story is: “So what’s the big deal? Aside from the fact that wheat can’t grow without our assistance, most of these changes seem like a good thing.”

According to Dr. William Davis, when we create a hybridized version of the plant, approximately 95% of the proteins in the new plant are the same, however, roughly 5% of the proteins are completely unique. When you continue to hybridize the plant over and over again, the resulting product can actually be entirely different from it’s original parents. This is important because the new forms of wheat actually contain higher amount of gluten, which is a protein that has been causing a

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number of health concerns recently. Most likely because we are consuming WAY more of it than we ever have before. This is due to the increased amount in our wheat, in addition to the increased consumption of wheat.

Hybridization vs Genetic Modification

One interesting thing to mention here is that all these manipulations to wheat were not done using the current techniques of genetic modification. These changes took place before that science existed and were created using hybridization methods. The difference is that with hybridization you manually cross breed two plants together and cross your fingers that their offspring will have the characteristics that you are hoping for. Imagine two parents who continuously had children until they birthed a child who met the specific characteristics they wanted. In this method there is a lot more “crossing the fingers” and hoping for the best.

With genetic modification scientists actually have the ability to insert a very specific gene into a chosen place. This is a more precise method, however, a large number of studies are indicating that modifying foods in this way may result in a food product that is harmful to humans.

Unfortunately, with hybridization the assumption has been that since you are taking two plants and forcing them to mate (without the use of the more abrupt genetic modification techniques) it is healthy for humans. Since this was the assumption, studies were not conducted to determine if these new wheat varieties had a negative impact on human health.

For me, I find this topic fascinating. At The Naked Label we focus a lot on undressing the food people eat. Often times this involves stripping off the fancy marketing messages on product labels to show people how bogus they are. It is generally assumed that if we are eating whole foods we are healthy. When we hear stories like this we realize that we need to open our eyes up even further to really undress what is going on in our food system.

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