Are You Unknowingly Keeping Yourself Sick and Miserable? Belief Without Research – Week 23 of 52 Weeks of Wellness

Are you feeling sick, unhealthy or miserable? Then you are likely (unknowingly?!) doing some counterintuitive health related things that have kind of be ingrained in us.

For the new few weeks I’d like to debunk and discuss these hidden roadblocks to wellness in an attempt to educate and empower for better health and wellness.

To start out I’d like to address the issue of Belief Without Research.

Are you believing the media, ad agencies and food packaging when they tell you what foods are healthy?

So many of us truly believe that the foods in our grocery stores are safe and ignorance is bliss, it’s also extremely detrimental to your health.

Do the words “fat-free”, “sugar-free”, “added fiber”, “All Natural”, “low carb”, “no trans fats” etc. make you feel good about buying a product?The product makers sure hope they do.

In fact, for most products, extensive research studies have been done to formulate the specific wording on and packaging design for products to maximized like-ability. They are literally designed and labeled to get you to buy them, not to inform or disclose product specific information.

Do you really think they have your best interest in mind when ultimately their decisions are stemmed in making money off you?

Usually these healthy claims are to make up for something bad, plus many of the claims aren’t even actually healthy. Why is added fiber better than consuming naturally occurring fiber in foods? Sugar free might seem like a good idea until you consider what the sugar substitute does to the body and your wellness efforts.

If you a blindly buying things based on what you’ve seen without doing due diligence and researching beforehand then this could be why you are feeling sick, unhealthy or miserable.

Don’t trust the food packaging, instead take a look at the listed ingredients for that food product. As a general rule of thumb I steer clear of anything listing:

• “Natural Flavors”  is another way for food manufacturers to fool you when it comes to disclosing ingredients because “natural flavors” are basically the result of something natural being toyed with in a lab and then put in your food. The flavors can contain any number of undisclosed preservatives, enhancers and the flavoring formulations are proprietary so they want to keep their details a secret.
• Artificial food colors. These have been shown to lead to allergies, asthma, and hyperactivity; they are possible carcinogens.
• MSG better known as “monosodium glutamate”. Common allergic and behavioral reactions include headaches, dizziness, chest pains, depression, and mood swings; it is also a possible neurotoxin.
• High fructose corn syrup or “corn sugar”. These may lead to obesity, dental cavities, diabetes, and hypo glycemia as well as to increased triglycerides (blood fats) or candida (yeast).
• Preservatives such as BHA, BHT, EDTA, THBQ and others. These may cause allergic reactions, hyperactivity, and possibly cancer; BHT may be toxic to the nervous system and the liver.

Week 23 Action Step:

Do your own “Pantry Purge” and check out the labels of the stuff you already have on hand. How much of it contains the above ingredients? What can these food items be replaced by? Tell us in the comments below.