In the last post we talked about the danger of junk food, what food to eat to reduce anxiety and depression. Now let’s talk about what to avoid like the plague and what to replace it with!
Chemicals in food
First, let’s look at another number.
In a review of nearly 4,000 industrial chemicals in food, 64 percent had no research showing they were safe for people to eat or drink./ wait what? Are you saying that over 50% of the shot they put in food isn’t safe? Here I am eating my microwave popcorn like a happy, happy guy, a happy happy happy guy, not realizing I am playing Russian roulette with my food! What the F#%K!
Fun fact, did you know that there is a word for the modern American diet? It’s called the standard American diet aka SAD
Now, here is a list of food to avoid and what to replace it with.
Sugary drinks
When you drink liquid calories. (Yep that’s what soda pops are!) Your brain doesn’t seem to register them as food. Because the liquid we need to function, aka water, Isn’t supposed to have any calories.
Thats why you end up drastically increasing your total calorie intake.
When you drink big amounts of sugary drinks, sugar can drive insulin resistance and is linked to fatty liver disease. Or as the French call it “foie gras”! That’s not true.
It’s also associated with serious conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Duuuh!
Sugary drinks are the most fattening item of the modern diet and the first thing you should let go to avoid obesity and heart issues.
This sucks cause I love me some Coca Colas. I usually drink Coke Zero but the fake sugar ain’t better for you!
Alternatives
Drink water, soda water, coffee, or tea instead. Add a slice of lemon to water or soda water to spice it up. Or mint. Hell, Make yourself a virgin mojito to get to the next level. Ai que rico papito lindo!
Most pizzas
Pizza is one of the world’s most popular junk foods. Thank you dominos, you ruined pizza for everyone!
Most commercial pizzas are made with unhealthy ingredients: highly refined dough and heavily processed meat. Pizza also tends to be extremely high in calories. Just look at the oil drizzling down the slices from your local dollar pizza joint.
-Hey Tony, what the hell is that?
-Oiiiiiiiiiiiil!!
Alternativiiiii
Alternatives
Some restaurants offer healthier ingredients. Try those instead. It may be a Bir pricier but hey, it’s cheaper that cancer! Or even better Make yourself a homemade pizza. Honestly it’s not that hard! Here is a healthy pizza recipe. As long as you choose wholesome ingredients, you’ll be fine, capischi?
White bread
Most commercial breads are unhealthy if eaten in large quantity. (Scott Pilgrim: Bread makes you fat?). Commercial Bread are made from refined wheat, which is low in fiber and essential nutrients and leads to rapid spikes in blood sugar.
Alternatives
For people who can tolerate gluten, Ezekiel bread is an excellent choice. Whole-grain bread is also healthier than white bread.
If you have problems with gluten or carbs, like most people in the world, then here are 15 recipes for breads that are both gluten-free and low in carbs. Try them . Make a lot and freeze it. Bam. You rock at life!
Sweetened breakfast cereals
Breakfast cereals are processed cereal grains, such as wheat, oats, rice, and corn. And they are usually hiiiiiiigh in sugar. You may as well eat a bowl of sugar.
And usually consumed with cow milk. You are basically eating candy and liquid fat.
Alternatives
Choose breakfast cereals that are high in fiber and low in added sugar. Even better, make your own oat porridge from scratch. I usually do oats with almonds, cashews and walnuts. I add fresh fruits, sometimes honey and unsweetened blueberry jam. I also add unsweetened raisins or goji berries. And add soy or almond milk. Sometimes soy yogurt. Ooooeee delicious and nutritious!
Pastries, cookies, and cakes
Packaged pastries are generally made with refined sugar, refined wheat flour, and added fats. And Shortening tends to be high in unhealthy trans fats. Not the good king of fat nor the good kind of trans.
These desserts might be tasty, but they have almost no essential nutrients, lots of calories, and many preservatives. I wonder why préservatifs … means condom in French…
Alternatives
If you can’t stay away from dessert, try Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, or dark chocolate. Or google low calorie deserts.
French fries, potato chips and popcorn
Whole, white potatoes are very healthy.However, the same cannot be said of French fries and potato chips. Did you know that fries are not French but Belgian? Thought you should know.
These foods are very high in calories, and it’s easy to eat in excess.
These foods may also contain large amounts of acrylamides, which are carcinogenic substances that form when potatoes are fried, baked, or roasted.
Also Popcorn!
Popcorn is great as long as you don’t put too much sugar and salt on them. But microwaveable popcorn bags. That’s the devil. There are so many chemicals in there linked to kidney issues.
Alternatives
Potatoes are best consumed boiled, not fried. If you need something crunchy to replace potato chips, try baby carrots or nuts. Not as exciting as popcorn . Buuut you can annoy other audience members by loudly crunching on these bad boys just the same!
Processed meat
Pepperoni please! Studies show that people who eat processed meats have a higher risk of many serious health issues, including colon cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Actually no pepperoni please!
And Avoid bacon,
Part of the reason why bacon is so delicious is that it’s loaded with, sodium, preservatives and saturated fat. Saturated fat is linked to … death. Yep.
According to the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, processed meat such as bacon and hot dogs can be classified as carcinogens. This is because of the amount of nitrates they contain. The study deemed them as bad as cigarettes. What about smoking bacon is it good for you? No it’s not, who does that?
Alternatives
Avocado is a great alternative. It contains healthy fats and proteins. Or try soy options. Impossible meats and beyond meats do wonders!
Frozen dinners
classic frozen dinners are usually packed with sugars, fat, and sodium. Those additives lead to weight and heart problems. They also raise your blood pressure, putting you at danger for stroke.
If you do get frozen meals, focus on organic or low-sodium versions with an ingredient list containing foods you know and understand.
Some processed foods that may be a healthier choice include:
- canned fish, such as salmon, and tuna
- frozen fruits and vegetables
- all varieties of low-sodium canned beans
Low-fat yogurt
most yogurts found in the grocery store are bad for you. They’re often low in fat but loaded with sugar to compensate for the flavor that fat provides.
Furthermore. What? It’s a fun word to say. Many yogurts don’t provide probiotic bacteria as generally believed. They’re often pasteurized, which kills most of their bacteria What? I gotta learn more about pasteurization, I thought it was a good thing.
There was a time when margarine was considered the healthy alternative to butter. However, the truth is that some margarine contains a lot of trans fats.
Trans fats are considered to be unhealthier than any other fat, including saturated fats. Trans fats increase low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol. This can lead to heart disease and stroke.
We don’t want that.
Alternatives
Choose regular, full-fat yogurt that contains live or active cultures (probiotics). If possible, buy varieties from grass-fed cows. And it’ll basically be a salad/ just kidding it’s still fat.
Processed cheese
processed cheese products are nothing like regular cheese. They’re mostly made with filler ingredients that are engineered to have a cheese-like appearance and texture. /yep, it’s basically colorful salty cardboard/
Make sure to read labels to check that your cheese contains dairy and few artificial ingredients. Avoid boxed Mac and cheese, powdered cheese, those small thing shiny square of yellow cheese. That’s not cheese. It’s not cheese. Sorry I get passionate about this, I’m from Switzerland, we basically invented cheese /.
Alternatives
Eat real cheese instead. Gruyère, vacherin, emmental, brie, parmigiano Romano. Healthy types include feta, mozzarella, and cottage cheeses. Many vegan cheese alternatives can also be good choices. The best is to Go to Sunday markets and get cheese that’s not in little individual plastic wraps
Ice cream
Ice cream may be delicious, but it’s loaded with sugar. I meant, delicious AND loaded with sugar.
high in calories and easy to overeat. Tell me about it! If you eat it as a dessert, you’re usually piling it on top of your normal calorie intake.
-But if I eat it as my main course, that’s okay right?
-No it’s not, only if you go through a breakup and you really need a fix, but that’s it.
Alternatives
It’s possible to opt for healthier brands or make your own ice cream using fresh fruit and less sugar. Like put bananas in a blender, add soy milk, and then freeze it. Bam, banana ice cream. Add pure cacao powder, or nuts, or dates for healthy variations. I gotta write a recipe book.
“So called healthy food “
Most fruit juices
Fruit juices are often believed to be healthy. Wrooong!
Okay juices contains some antioxidants and vitamin C. But commercial juices packs have high amounts of liquid sugar.
In fact, fruit juice has just as much sugar as sodas like Coke or Pepsi — and sometimes even more. Wait what? You telling me I m basically drinking coke for breakfast?
Alternatives
Some fruit juices have health benefits despite their sugar content, like pomegranate and blueberry juices.
But these should be occasional supplements, not an everyday part of your diet. Always Check labels and make sure they don’t have added sugar!
Also ketchup is not tomato sauce, it’s loaded with sugar. Instead: make it yourself. A cup of tomato paste with a teaspoon of vinegar is what creates the consistency. You can then flavor the mixture to taste with sugar or salt.
Gluten-free junk foods
About one-third of the U.S. population actively tries to avoid gluten Proud of you guys!
Yet, people often replace healthy, gluten-containing foods with processed junk foods that happen to be gluten-free.
These gluten-free replacement products are often high in sugar and refined grains like corn starch or tapioca starch. These ingredients trigger rapid spikes in blood sugar and are low in nutrients.
Also Dried fruits like raisins and mangos. They have a decent amount of fibers and vitamines but generally they’re almost as sugary as skittles. High calories and energy for a second.
Remember skittles? Good times…
Alternatives
Choose foods that are naturally gluten-free, such as unprocessed plant based food. Switch from dried to frozen fruits. Check labels to see any added sugars.
Low-carb junk foods
Low-carb diets are very popular. ”Guilt free junk yay!!!”
While you can eat plenty of whole foods on such a diet, you should watch out for processed low-carb replacement products. These include low-carb candy bars and meal replacements.
These foods are often highly processed and packed with additives.
Alternatives
If you’re on a low-carb diet, aim for foods that are naturally low in carbs, which include eggs, seafood, and leafy greens.
High-calorie coffee drinks
Coffee is loaded with antioxidants and offers many benefits.
Notably, coffee drinkers have a lower risk of serious diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.
Buuuut, the creamers, syrups, additives, and sugars that are added to coffee in certain chains *cough* Starbucks*cough* are highly unhealthy.
These products are just as harmful as any other sugar-sweetened beverage./also too expensive, do you know much you could save and invest if you didn’t buy daily coffee? Ask Graham Stephen!
Alternatives
Drink plain coffee instead. You can add soy, almond or oat milk if you want! I love an oat mil cappuccino, but I usually drink it black… like my soul.
Anything with added sugar or refined grains
It’s important to avoid, or at least limit foods that contain added sugar, refined grains, and artificial trans fats.
These are some of the unhealthiest but most common ingredients in the modern diet. Thus, the importance of reading labels .
This even applies to so-called health foods.
Like the granola bar. Good source of whole grains and fibers. Mountains and rivers on their packages.
However, these bars are full of added sugars for a quick fix of energy but has not much nutritional values.
Also they have ingredients with weird names no one can pronounce, and that’s never a good sign.
KIND bars have less sugar but you better make your own.
Also avoid funky flavored nuts like wasabi coconut butter maple mix or toffee coated truffly caramel nuts. Sounds delicious but they re full of added sugar and salt.
Alternatives
Aim for nutrient-dense, whole foods, such as fresh fruits and whole grains. Or eat raw nuts. Or make your own. Here is a recipe.
I know it’s always fun to eat junk food. However, I must say, once you establish a healthy habit, you start feeling the difference in your body. When I reduced dairy and then one day had milk in my coffee I was like …oh shoot! I never knew I was lactose intolerant. For the longest time I thought it was normal to have gross disgusting farts. But no! We are not meant to consume dairies as adults. No other species does it. Well no other species have cellphones and created the spork but still. Not good for you!
Supplements
Bio hacking is becoming more and more a thing. If you worry you may not have enough healthy food in your diet, according to Dr Steven Gundry, make you sure you get enough fat, especially from olive oil, and don’t worry you can cook with it. Get long chain fat omega dha dpa 1000 mg per day. You can get fish oil or for vegans algae capsules. Most people have vitamin d 3 insufficiency, and you can’t over dose, go ahead and take 1000mg. And vitamin C is important too because the body cannot create it. Here is a link to Dr Gundry s book. If you don’t have time for reading use my this link to get two free books with Audible.
To make sure you can keep your healthy habits. Research the delicious food you like that’s also healthy. I love bananas so I have a smoothie everyday with bananas and other fruits and sometimes greens. If you force yourself to eat disgusting but healthy food, it won’t last. Your life depends on it for god sake!
THE SAVING GRACE OF TIPS
As long as you keep the fatty, sugary, or salty processed foods to below 20 percent of your daily intake, you’ll be fine!
Conclusion
Finding the best diet for one self can be difficult. It’s important to have a balanced diet wether you eat meat or not. Now what matters the most, is that we keep sugar and salt to a minimum, that we avoid processed foods and to indulge on limited occasions. I hope this helps you on your journey to health. If you found any good info here, check out my YouTube channel and hit the subscribe button or support my work on my patreon page.
Luca Nicora 