Download Maximizing Healthy Blood Sugar Levels

Exploring Processed Foods, Whole
Grains, Microwaves & the
Nutritional Facts Panel
1. Eat Fruit Alone
 Every morning have a breakfast of fresh fruit.
 Fruit is a powerful detoxifier.
 It has the highest water content of all foods and travels
through the body very quickly.
 The fiber in fruit acts like a brush to keep the intestinal walls
clean and clear.
 The soluble fibers in fruit also help to lower
cholesterol in the blood.
2. Do Not Combine Protein
with Starch Continued
 When protein and starch are eaten together, ptyalin is not
effectively produced in the saliva, and the starch is not
predigested in the mouth. It enters the stomach and begins to
ferment, producing gas.
 Protein needs to be digested in an acidic environment and starch
in an alkaline environment. When starches and proteins are
combined, the acid and alkaline digestive juices neutralize each
other.
2. Do Not Combine Protein
with Starch
 Protein foods and starchy foods require different digestive juices
in order to be properly broken down and used by the body.
 The digestion of starches begins in the mouth with the enzyme
ptyalin, which is found in your saliva. Proteins are mainly broken
down in the stomach by hydrochloric acid and the proteinsplitting enzyme pepsin.
3. Eat Protein Alone or with
Non-starch Vegetables
 Non-starch vegetables are high in water content and are
relatively easy to digest.
 They can be broken down in either an acid or alkaline
environment. Thus, they can be combined with proteins or
starches.
 The fiber contained in vegetables helps to move the non-fiber
protein foods rapidly through the intestines.
 Non-Starchy Vegetables Include: Leafy greens, broccoli,
asparagus, cauliflower, carrots, bok choy, cabbage, celery,
lettuces, green beans, garlic, fennel, onions, chives, turnips,
sprouts, red radish, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumber, beets
4. When Eating Starches & Grains,
Eat Them Alone or with Vegetables
 Since vegetables do not require their own specific digestive
juices, they can be digested in the alkaline environment
required by starches.
 Starchy vegetables include: Acorn and butternut
squash, lima beans, peas, corn, water chestnuts, artichokes,
sweet potatoes potatoes, yams
5. Do Not Drink with Meals
 Drinking water, tea, or any other beverage along with your
meal dilutes the digestive juices needed to break down the
food, therefore preventing it from being properly digested.
 The best time to drink fluids is between meals, at least half
an hour before or after eating.
 Eating fruits and vegetables high in water content, or beans
and grains prepared with water, then the food itself will
provide plenty of fluid, and one should not feel thirsty after
a meal.
 Using too much salt in food preparation could be the cause
of thirst.
1. They Ruin Your Taste Buds
 Processed foods contain refined sugar, extra salt, and other
flavor enhancers which desensitize taste buds from unnatural
stimulation.
 After eating processed foods, more processed foods are needed
to get taste and natural foods will no longer be appreciated.
 Taste buds are designed to seek out sweet, salty, and fatty
flavors, processed food manufactures take advantage of this by
making their products as unnaturally sweet, salty, and fatty as
possible.
 Taste buds have a life span of only about 2 weeks so if you
stop exposing your taste buds with artificial stimulation for 2-3
weeks they will heal and become more sensitive.
2. Deadly Additives
 Harmful chemical additives are added to foods to keep a
longer shelf life and to enhance taste and color.
 Processed foods would taste like paper if it were not for the
addictive and artificial flavorings that are added to them.
3. Hidden Harmful Ingredients
 Processed foods often contain hidden sugar, salt and
harmful fats. All three of these contribute to health
problems.
 Additives to Avoid: aluminum silicate, artificial colors,
artificial flavorings, Bisulfite, BHA, BHT, BVO, caffeine,
carrageenan, EDTA, metabisulfite, propyl gallate, salt,
sodium benzoate, sodium sulfite, sorbitol, sulfur dioxide,
sodium propionate.
 Food Colorings to Avoid: Red 3 & 40, Blue 1 & 2, Green
3, Yellow 5 & 6 have all been linked to cancer.
4. Mystery Ingredients,
Hair, Bugs and Sand, Just to Name a Few
 Human Hair: CNN has reported that most human-derived L-
cysteine (an amino acid used to condition dough for baking)
comes from Chinese women who help support their families by
selling their hair to small chemical-processing plants.
 Sand: is often added as an anti-caking agent to processed beef
and chicken to prevent clumping.
 Beetle juices: are a “natural” food dye used for red food coloring
that comes from the dried, crushed bodies of female scale
insects called cochineal.
5. Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS)
All food additives and chemical ingredients are considered to
be GRAS by the FDA, research has not been conducted on the
long term effects and quantitative damage that can be done
from a long term diet of processed foods.
6. Fortified with Synthetics
 To make up for the loss of nutrients during processing,
synthetic vitamins and minerals are added.
 These may appear healthy, but our bodies are not built to
process synthetic nutrients.
 Synthetic ingredients are stored in fat cells and make weight
loss difficult.
7. Supporting the Wrong Industry
 Spending money on processed foods, encourages growth in
this market.
 Money spent on organic fruits and vegetables instead,
encourages others to enter this market, therefore bringing
prices down.
8. Money
 Although fruits and vegetables often appear to be
expensive, they are often less expensive than processed
foods.
 The hidden expense of processed foods are included in the
costs of prescription medications, sick days lost at work,
doctor visits, and other detrimental health effects
experienced from nutritional deficiency.
 Eating well helps prevent disease and the associated costs
that come with it.
9. They Are Dead & So Are We
 The nutrients are cooked or processed out of manufactured
foods.
 We do not benefit from the enzymes and nutrients.
 Consuming processed foods reduce your ability to enjoy life
in the moment due to increased fatigue, low-grade health
complaints, obesity, depression and other health complaints.
 Whole grains are good sources of fiber.
 Whole grains are excellent sources of folate, B vitamins,
magnesium, iron, copper, zinc, chromium, selenium,
phosphorus and vitamin E.
 Folate helps decrease blood levels of the amino acid
homocysteine. High levels of homocysteine in the
bloodstream are associated with an increased risk of heart
disease.
 Whole grains are naturally low in fat.
1. Amaranth Seeds
 Often used as a cereal grain.
 Once a staple of Aztec royalty.
 Amaranth is an excellent source of protein, calcium, fiber,
iron, potassium and vitamins A and C.
 The seeds can be used whole, toasted, popped, flaked or
ground into flour and used in most types of baking and
pasta.
2. Millet
 A small, round, yellow, gluten-free, grain-like seed.
 Common ingredient in bird seed mixes.
 A staple in India, Europe, Asia and northern Africa.
 It’s nutritionally similar to other grains, and its bland flavor
makes it perfect for use in pilaf, as a cooked cereal, or even
baked into bread.
3. Quinoa
 Native to South America and was considered sacred by the
Inca Indians.
 Is a complete protein, and also contains larger amounts of
iron, copper, magnesium and fiber.
 Includes antioxidants, phytonutrients and can help balance
blood sugar levels.
4. Wheat berries
 Wheat berries resemble other grains such as barley.
 Wheat berries are an excellent source of fiber, vitamins and
minerals.
 Crushed wheat berries are known as cracked wheat.
 Wheat berries may be sprouted, which makes them
sweeter; cracked and added to salads; cooked as a grain or
side dish; and/or ground into a flour to be used in breads or
other baked goods.
5. Farro
 Has a nutty flavor and a chewy texture.
 High in fiber, protein, magnesium, and vitamins A, B, C, and
E.
 Farro grain must be soaked before use and takes hours of
cooking to become tender.
 Farro can be purchased in flour form and used to make
baked goods and pasta.
6. Spelt
 Available in whole grain or flour form with a nutty flavor.
 Spelt is a nutrient-rich grain that can be used in preparing
baked goods or purchased already packaged in the form of
spelt pasta, tortilla and bread.
 Spelt is rich in manganese, fiber, phosphorous, niacin, and
protein.
 Eating excess amounts of certain fats, notably saturated fat,
can increase risk of chronic disease.
 Unsaturated fats have important functions in the body that
promote health and well-being.
 Fats help to maintain skin and hair, store and transport fat
soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, protect cell walls, keep the
body warm, and protect vital organs.
 Saturated fats are amongst the most common and also the
most harmful fats in our diet.
 They are found in animal foods like meat, poultry, dairy
products and certain tropical oils.
 Diets high in saturated fats are associated with higher risks
of heart disease, certain cancers, and stroke.
 Found mostly in nuts, vegetable oils
and fish.
 Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) are found mostly in
vegetable oils such as olive, canola, and peanut.
 Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) are found in nuts and
vegetable oils such as safflower, sunflower, and soybean,
and in fatty fish.
 Our bodies cannot manufacture all the fatty acids
we need.
Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)
 ALA is part of the omega-3 family
 Is the precursor to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and
eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
 DHA is important for development of the brain and eyes
 Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring and the marine
plants they feed on
Linoleic acid (LA)
 LA is part of the omega-6 family
 Used to make another omega-6 fatty acid, arachidonic acid
(AA)
 Important for infant growth
How do microwaves work?
 Every microwave oven contains a magnetron, a tube in which
electrons are affected by magnetic and electric fields to produce
micro wavelength radiation at about 2450 Mega Hertz (MHz) or
2.45 Giga Hertz (GHz).
 Microwaves interact with the molecules in the food and change
the polarity from positive to negative with each cycle of the
wave. This happens millions of times each second.
How do microwaves work?
 As these microwaves generated from the magnetron bombard
the food, they cause the polar molecules to rotate at the same
frequency millions of times per second.
 This agitation creates molecular friction, which heats up the
food.
 The friction causes damage and deforms the molecules of the
food.
 Microwave ovens use an alternating current (AC) to create
frictional heat.
 Radiation, as defined by physics terminology, is “the
electromagnetic waves emitted by the atoms and molecules
of a radioactive substance as a result of nuclear decay.”
 Radiation causes ionization, which is what occurs when a
neutral atom gains or losses electrons.
 A microwave oven decays and changes the molecular
structure of the food by the process of radiation.
1.
Young Families, the Minnesota Extension Service of the
University of Minnesota, published the following in 1989:
Heating the bottle in a microwave can cause slight changes
in the milk. In infant formulas, there may be a loss of
some vitamins. In expressed breast milk, some protective
properties may be destroyed.
2.
In 1991, a lawsuit was filed in Oklahoma concerning a hip
surgery patient who died from blood warmed in a
microwave oven. Blood is routinely warmed for a
transfusion, but never in a microwave oven. In the case of
Mrs. Levitt, the microwaving altered the blood and it killed
her. This tragedy makes it very apparent that there’s much
more to “heating” with microwaves than we’ve been led to
believe.
3. Dr. Hans Ulrich Hertel published a research paper that
appeared in issue 19 of the Journal Franz Weber indicating
that food cooked in microwave ovens could pose a greater risk
to health than food cooked by conventional means. The article
stated that the consumption of food cooked in microwave
ovens had cancerous effects on the blood. The scientific
conclusion showed that microwave cooking changed the
nutrients in the food and that harmful changes took place in
the participants’ blood analysis.
 Free radicals were formed in microwaved plants, especially
root vegetables.
 60 – 90% decrease in food value of all foods tested.
 Among the changes observed were: decreased bio-availability
of vitamin B complex, vitamin C, vitamin E, essential minerals
and lipotropics factors in all food tested.
 Microwaving prepared meats sufficiently to consume caused
formation of d-Nitrosodienthanolamines, a well-known
carcinogen.
 Microwaving milk and cereal grains converted some of their
amino acids into carcinogens.
 Thawing frozen fruits converted their glucosides and
galactosides into carcinogenic substances.
 Extremely short exposure of raw, cooked or frozen vegetables
converted their plant alkaloids into carcinogens.
 Sugar consumption has risen 1,500% in the last 200 years.
 The average American consumes 150 lbs. of sugar annually
compared to the 12 pounds consumed in the early 1800s.
 According to the U.S.D.A., that is equal to 52 teaspoonful's
of added sugars per person per day.
 Sugar hinders the body’s immune system and predisposes
people to allergies and infections, including cancer.
Health conditions associated with the
over-consumption of sugar
 allergies, obesity, eating disorders, eczema, cardiovascular
disease, high blood pressure, kidney stones and failure,
learning disabilities, diverticulosis, irritable bowel syndrome,
depression, candida, anxiety, hyperactivity in children,
dental cavities, adult-onset diabetes, atherosclerosis, and
countless others.
 Agave, Amazake, Barley malt, Birch syrup, Beet sugar, Brown
sugar, Buttered syrup, Cane-juice crystals, Cane sugar, Caramel,
Caramel Coloring, Carob syrup, Corn sugar, Corn syrup, Date
sugarm, Diastatic malt, Diglycerides, Ethyl maltol, Fructose, Fruit
juice, Fruit juice concentrate, Glucose, Glucose solids, Golden
syrup, Grape sugar, Grenadine, Dextran, Dextrose, Diastase,
High-fructose corn syrup, Honey, Lactose, Malt syrup,
Maltodextrin, Maltose, Mannitol, Molasses, Raw sugar, Refiner’s
syrup, Rice sugar, Sorbitol, Sorghum syrup, Sucrose, Turbinado
sugar, Xylitol
Label Teases
 Fortified, enriched, added, extra, and plus: Nutrients,
minerals and fiber have been removed and vitamins added
back in the processing.
 Fruit drink: Little or no real fruit and a lot of sugar.
 Natural: The manufacturer started with a natural source,
but once it's processed the food may not resemble anything
natural. Look for "100% All Natural" and "No
Preservatives.“
Label Teases
 Organically grown, pesticide-free, or no artificial
ingredients. Trust only labels that say "Certified Organically
Grown."
 Processed products that contain at least 70 percent organic
ingredients can use the phrase "made with organic
ingredients."
 Products labeled "organic" must consist of at least 95
percent organically produced ingredients (excluding water
and salt).
 Sugar-free or fat-free: The manufacturer compensated with
unhealthy ingredients that don't taste very good and the
product may not have fewer calories than the real thing. Check
the calories per serving.
Low: 5% or less, can be labeled as low
 Examples: low-fat, low sugar, low sodium
Good Source: 10-19% can be labeled as a good source
 Examples: good source of calcium, good source of iron
High: 20% or more can be labeled as high
 Examples: high in fiber, high in vitamin C
 Nutrients by Weight and Percentage of Daily Value
(%DV): This symbol refers to the recommended daily
allowance for a nutrient based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
Moderately active women or a sedentary male. DV make it
easy to compare products.
 Serving Size: Check here for the portions sizes, generally
it is smaller than you think. For example one can of tuna is
2.5 servings.
 Calories per serving: 40 or less is considered to be low,
100 is moderate, 400 is high
 Calories from Fat: It should not be over 30% of the total
calories per serving.
 Saturated Fat & Trans Fat: linked to raising LDL and
cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart disease. Code words
to watch out for include hydrogenated or partiallyhydrogenated. Less than 65 grams daily, with less than 20
grams saturated fat.
 Carbohydrates: this is a large category and can include
anything from healthy such as whole grains to unhealthy
such as sugar. It is recommended to get 300 grams.
 Protein: .45 per lb. of body weight (68 grams for 150 lb.
person). % DV recommends 50 grams.
 Sugar: the label doesn't distinguish between natural
sugars, such as those found in fruit, and added sugar.
 Sodium: is linked to high blood pressure, keep this as low
as possible. Recommended daily limit is 2,300 mg, low
sodium is less than 140 mg
 Calcium: 1,000 mg = 100% DV
 Potassium: 4,700 mg=100% DV
 Dietary Fiber: Try to get 25-35 grams, a good rule is to
purchase breads and cereals that have at least 3 grams
 Ingredients: listed in order from the greatest amount to
the least.
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3 Quick Tips for Grocery Shopping
Quickly
1. Take a quick glance at the daily value percentages.
2. Then check serving size, if you eat twice the amount, then
double the %DV for accuracy.
3. Compare 2-3 items and pick the best one.
 Breyer, M. (2012, February 12). 8 Creepy Mystery Ingredients in
Fast Food. Mother Nature Network. Retrieved June 21, 2012,
from http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/8creepy-mystery-ingredients-in-fast-food
 Food Combining: The Little-Understood Secret to Optimal Health
& Weight Revealed. (2007, March 12). The Body Ecology.
Retrieved June 21, 2012, from
http://bodyecology.com/articles/food_combining_optimal_health
_and_weight.php
 Global College of Natural Medicine (2010). Dietary
Guidelines. The Global College of Natural Medicine.
 Hyman, M. (2009, August 14). Why Quick, Cheap Food Is
Actually More Expensive. Huffpost Healthy Living. Retrieved
June 21, 2012.
 The Whole Grain Council (2011). What are the Health
Benefits. The Whole Grain Council. Retrieved June 21, 2012,
from http://www.wholegrainscouncil.org/whole-grains101/what-are-the-health-benefits
Disclaimer: The information in the educational products is not intended to replace medical care or advice. Please
refer to medical providers for medical follow-up.