10 HEALTHY foods that aren’t all they make out to be

At THE CLEANSE we encourage clients to take an interest in all things nutritional, we aim to educate and promote an overall healthy lifestyle. Diet, exercise and mindfulness go hand in hand in reaching our goals and feeling the best that we can.

Not everything is always as it seems…You try your best, aiming to eat healthy and clean and low and behold, it turns out that some of the so-called healthy choices we make aren’t actually healthy after all.

THE CLEANSE has compiled 10 of the most common culprits of healthy foods that actually aren’t healthy!!!!…. they may surprise you.

1.Orange juice (store bought): Unfortunately processed orange juice really is a prime example of advertising jargon literally fooling us!
It is full of sugars and additives.
Store bought orange juice contains very few minerals and vitamins as it is often made from concentrate and heated. This process removes all the nutrients from the juice!
Better alternative: Fresh squeezed orange juice or eat the orange itself!🍊

Soy is one of the most modified crops (it contains high amount of GMOS)
Unfermented soy (like tofu) contain xeno and phytoestrogens that can cause hormonal havoc!

This is a big problem. Soy contains plant estrogens in the form of isoflavones which effectively raise your estrogen levels and therefore lowers your testosterone levels. Those hormones are in competition so more of one means less of the other.
Messing up your estrogen levels has devastating effects for men and women as well as children and newborns.
Men
Improper balance of testosterone to estrogen in men can lead to a lower libido, fat accumulation around the waist and loss of energy, stamina and virility and even man boobs (gynecomastia).
Women
Having abnormally high levels of estrogen doesn’t mean you’ll be more of a woman. It could disrupt your periods, fertility and put you at risk for breast cancer.

Better Alternative: Organic, no-go fermented soy (miso, max once a week

Vegetable oils (like Canola) contain high amounts of Polyunsaturated fats which lead to bad cholesterol and cardiovascular disease.
They have a low smoke point making them potentially carcinogenic
Better alternative: Use Avocado oil or coconut oil for high heat cooking, and olive oil for low-temperature cooking

4. Microwave popcorn:I know it’s hard to say no to that buttery goodness but it turns out microwaved popcorn is really bad for us!!!

The bag almost all microwave popcorn varieties come in is lined with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). This chemical is the same toxic stuff found in teflon pots and pans. It can stay in the environment and in the human body for long periods of time. This chemical when heated has been linked to infertility, cancer and other diseases in lab animals. No long term studies have been conducted on humans, but the EPA lists this substance as a carcinogen.

Now, the popcorn itself, even though natural flavors and artificial flavors are listed on the ingredient label of microwave popcorn, we have no way of knowing what’s actually in these ingredients. Food manufacturers won’t tell you and they hide things in there like MSG, beaver’s anal glands and diacetyl butter flavoring. What’s so wrong with a little bit of artificial butter flavoring? Well a lot. This stuff is seriously toxic, which forced Conagra Foods to remove it from their Act branded Microwave popcorn recently because it causes lung issues in workers. This ingredient is also linked to brain issues which cause Alzheimer’s Disease too.

Better alternative:   Make it yourself!

Where to start?? Energy drinks have a list of potential and lethal dangers lets start with the big one…..

Cardiac Arrest:  Those with underlying heart conditions have gone into cardiac arrest after just a few energy drinks. Before drinking energy drinks or caffeine, be sure to know your heart’s health.-A new study showed that energy drinks cause more forceful heart contractions, which could be harmful to some with certain heart conditions.- One study showed that between 2009 and 2011 there were 4854 calls to poison control centers regarding energy drinks. 51% of these calls were involving children.
Headaches and Migraines: Too many energy drinks can lead to severe headaches from the caffeine withdrawal symptoms. Changing the amount of caffeine you ingest daily can cause more frequent headaches.
Increased Anxiety: Those with 2 different genetic variations in their adenosine receptors are prone to feeling increased anxiety when consuming caffeinated beverages such as energy drinks. Larger doses of caffeine can even spur on full blown panic attacks.
Insomnia: Energy drinks do a good job of keeping people awake, but when abused, they can cause some people to miss sleep altogether. This lack of sleep causes impaired functioning and can be dangerous to drive or perform other concentration heavy tasks.
Type 2 Diabetes: Because many energy drinks are also very high in sugar, they can eventually wear out the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, which leads to type 2 diabetes.
Drug Interaction: Some of the ingredients in energy drinks can interact with prescription medications especially medications taken for depression.
Addiction: People can become addicted to caffeine and energy drinks. This can lead to lack of functioning when unable to have the energy drink.

All energy drinks obviously contain loads of sugar and other not so healthy additives (like food colouring)
Can also contain sugar alcohols which have been linked to cancer
Better alternative: Try substituting an Espresso, green drink, Yerba mate or green tea powder!

When taken at face value, diet soda seems like a health-conscious choice. It saves you the 140-plus calories you’d find in a sugary soft drink while still satisfying your urge for something sweet with artificial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose. But there’s more to this chemical cocktail than meets the eye. Artificial sweeteners have more intense flavor than real sugar, so over time products like diet soda dull our senses to naturally sweet foods like fruit. Even more troubling, these sugar stand-ins have been shown to have the same effect on your body as sugar. “Artificial sweeteners trigger insulin, which sends your body into fat storage mode and leads to weight gain,”
Diet sodas often contain aspartame, food coloring and other dangerous additives

Better alternative: Kombucha or a cold pressed juice!

Low-fat muffinsThese contain more calories than donuts!
“Low-fat” foods are loaded with sugar and other additive to make up for a lack of taste
Better alternative: Reach for some sliced apple and nut butter as a midday

snack or try protein power balls!

 7. Whole wheat breadNo bread is the goal!

It has been known for a long time that white bread and refined grains in general aren’t particularly nutritious.Nutritionists and dietitians all around the world have encouraged us to eat whole grains instead.But grains, especially gluten grains like wheat, have been under intense scrutiny in recent years. Even whole grain bread usually isn’t made with actual “whole” grains. They are grains that have been pulverized into very fine flour. Even though this process reserves the nutrients, it causes these products to be digested rapidly. The starches in bread get broken down quickly in the digestive tract and enter the bloodstream as glucose. This causes a rapid spike in blood sugar and insulin levels. Even whole wheat bread spikes blood sugar faster than many candy bars. When blood sugar goes up rapidly, it tends to go down just as quickly. When blood sugar goes down, we become hungry. This is the blood sugar roller coaster that is familiar to people on high carb diets. Soon after eating, they become hungry again, which calls for another high-carb snack. Elevated blood sugars can also cause glycation at the cellular level when the blood sugars react with proteins in the body. This is one of the components of ageing.Studies on carb restricted diets (which eliminate/reduce starches and sugars) suggest that individuals who are diabetic or need to lose weight should avoid all grains. Many respected health professionals now claim that bread and other sources of gluten grains are unnecessary at best and potentially harmful.

Most bread on the market contains refined wheat (and gluten)which can cause a leaky gut, inflammation, and other digestive issues!
Better alternative: Ezekiel bread or Sprouted Spelt bread🍞

Fruit drinksBasically, these are sugar water! Fruit drink offer NO nutrition value!
Better Alternative: Infused water! Try adding fresh cucumbers, mint and lemon for a tastier water.

8. Gluten free/ sugar-free/ fat-free branded food:Stir away from diet/ sugar-free/ fat-free foods! They are often the unhealthiest foods out there
Labels do not mean anything! They are just a very good marketing strategy.
Read your ingredients! These products often have lots of sugar, additives, preservatives and chemicals to make up for taste which leads to digestive and other health ailments.

Over farmed and contains high amounts of mercury which can lead to mercury poisoning
Better Alternative: Limit to light Light flaked tuna (smaller the fish the less mercury – made from meat, not mulch)

Filled with crap (chemicals/ other additives) 2 teaspoons of peanut butter come in at a whopping 190 calories!!!!!
Natural (sugar and salt-free) is always better
Better alternative: Try Natural peanut butter, almond butter or try sunflower seed butterMargarineMade from refined vegetable oils like canola oil
Even the “olive oil”, “hearty healthy” versions of margarine are mostly made from refined vegetable oils
Better alternative: Organic raw butter or ghee

We hope these tips have been helpful in making educated choices.  Good nutrition, exercise and mental wellness all add to a healthier, happier, lifestyle.

Colonic hydrotherapy can play an important factor in helping our bodies aim for optimum health.