I was talking to a friend yesterday from New Zealand. While filling her in on my new found love for clean eating, she asked if I had read a blog post about Starbucks. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Starbucks, I won't go into why as it is a mute point, but I asked her to send me the link. Despite my love for a product does not mean it's good for me, and I refuse to be blind anymore. Clean eating is not a fad, or diet, it's a way of life. I was fully prepared for my dreams of frothy sweet coffee to be crushed, but for the better of my health. This is what I learned in a nutshell. There are massive pesticides used for their coffee beans; almost everything they sell from coffee drinks to baked goods have GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms), MSG, and preservatives such as Carrageenan. I didn't know what Carrageenan was and will explain it further below. Before I do, please go to Foodbabe's article to read about all the ingredients in Starbucks products. If you are like me, starting a new journey of clean eating then not knowing this information is a simple way to sabotage your efforts. http://foodbabe.com/2012/07/18/sabotaged-at-starbucks/ Carrageenan (kar-uh-gee-nuhn) is defined by Cornicoopia.org as "derived from red seaweed, and is used as an ingredient in foods such as dairy, dairy alternatives (such as soy-based beverages and desserts), and deli meats as a thickening agent, stabilizer and/or emulsifier" (p. 11). The Cornucopia Institute wrote an article explaining the studies conducted over the years with this ingredient and it's effects in animals studies. They found "Degraded carrageenan... causes inflammation in the colon in rodents, which resembles ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease [in humans]. This inflammatory property of degraded carrageenan is not in dispute, especially since the medical research community has used degraded carrageenan for decades to induce acute inflammation in experimental trials conducted with lab animals, to test anti-inflammation drugs" (p. 11). In plain English according to Dr. Tobacman carrageenan can cause inflammatory bowl disease, heart disease, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's diseases, and cancer. (http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA401181/Is-Carrageenan-Safe.html) Okay, so I now know to stay away from Starbucks (even though I may fail once in awhile following the 80/20 rule). I have already switched from preservitive LOADED Coffee Mate creamer to Silk vanilla coffee creamer that is also bad for me. After reading how many dairy alternatives contain carrageenan I had to look at my label. Sure enough there it is. Great, now that I know my soy creamer has MSG & Carrageenan what am I going to do now? I found some YouTube videos on how to make your own coconut and almond milk. I posted the videos on my Movies, Books & Videos page. I will be trying to make my own vanilla almond creamer tonight. Stay tuned for the results.
Cornicopia.org has compiled a list of products that do & don't contain carrageenan. I have provided the link here. I hope you found this post informative as I did. Clean eating one day at a time. As always please feel free to add, comment or share information with me. Cheers! Jenniffer
4 Comments
Today I thought I will have little to no sugar. The reason is my trainer told me to cut my sugar intake and to not eat anything with more than 2 grams of sugar. This morning I walked into the kitchen at work and a box of doughnuts were awaiting. I haven't had much willpower this week, and before I knew it, I ate the entire apple fritter. Which by the way has around 12 grams of sugar. I wanted to know exactly what sugar does in prohibiting weight loss. According to slcfitcollective.com In order to maintain a healthy body and weight blood sugars in the body need to be regulated throughout the day. One of the biggest indicators of fat loss is learning to understand how to naturally regulate your blood sugar. The article above if you read it in it's entirety also states that eating more frequently and consuming low Glycemic foods will help keep a steady level of blood sugars. This article suggest eating foods with values under 55. This got me thinking about the foods I eat and how they compare on the Glycemic index. While trying to find the most comprehensive list online, I found this http://www.glycemicindex.com/, I was blown away with this website, and all the information that was available to me. The trick I discovered when using the search function is not to get too specific. For example if searching for a Fuji apple, it's better to type in "apple" to get a comprehensive list for you to review. One great feature on this website I personally like is the "less than or equals" option. I chose this feature and entered 55. I got a list of all the foods that have a Glycemic index of 55 or less. This will help when I go grocery shopping. Okay, now that I know I need to reduce my sugar intake and eat different foods, I then wondered how much sugar should I have in a day? I found that there is a difference between added sugar vs naturals sugars in fruits and veggies. It is the added sugar in processed or packaged foods that is important to pay attention to. Authoritynutrition.com states in women we should only eat a maximum of 100 calories per day in added sugars. What is a Safe Amount of Sugar to Eat Per Day? Now that I know how much sugar I should have in a day. I needed to do some math, since labels on food are measured in grams, I needed to find the conversion to from grams to teaspoon. Wow this is a lot of work. But don't fret, I am helping all you readers. Below is the conversion table I found on http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/convert/measurements.html
Let's put all this into perspective. Now knowing that I should only consume about 25 grams or 6 teaspoons a day of added sugar for women and according to the measurement chart there are 4.76 grams in 1 teaspoon. Let me break it down more simply. Remember sugar cubes? One sugar cube is 1 tsp. should only have 6 sugar cubes a day. Look at the picture below to see how many teaspoons are in everyday products we consume. Makes me think of what I eat, how I eat and knowing this information, how I can reduce my sugar intake, be mindful of the types of sugars I consume and now I feel as though I understand better how sugar can impact my weight loss.
I hope you too have learned something, please feel free to comment or ask questions. Cheers! Jenniffer What is MSG? If you are like me I have heard of it and know it's not good, but that was the extent of my knowledge. I mainly heard it was in Asian foods, so I tend to steer clear of those foods. Boy was I wrong! In this post you will hopefully understand what MSG is, how to recognize it in foods, and why it is bad.
MSG or Mono-sodium Glutamate, is a man made chemical that appeals to the 5th taste sensation called Umami. According to Dr. Joseph Mercola "MSG is more than just a seasoning like salt and pepper, it actually enhances the flavor of foods, making processed meats and frozen dinners taste fresher and smell better, salad dressings more tasty, and canned foods less tinny". (The Huffington Post) MSG was found to aid in making food for soldiers in WWII more filling and appetizing. The FDA deems MSG "Generally Recognized as Safe", despite side effects that many people have. Side effects of MSG can include: Obesity Eye damage Headaches Fatigue and disorientation Depression Further, even the FDA admits that "short-term reactions" known as MSG Symptom Complex can occur in certain groups of people, namely those who have eaten "large doses" of MSG or those who have asthma. According to the FDA, MSG Symptom Complex can involve symptoms such as: Numbness Burning sensation Tingling Facial pressure or tightness Chest pain or difficulty breathing Headache Nausea Rapid heartbeat Drowsiness Weakness (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mercola/msg-is-this-silent-killer_b_491502.html) I saw these side effects and thought they were pretty mild, then as my research continued I found a great video from neurosurgeon Dr. Russell Blaylock that explains there are more serious side effects from MSG. I would encourage you to watch this video. http://tv.naturalnews.com/v.asp?v=8C501468CA914ABEE2D9395667D5F200 Now that I understood what MSG was, how can I find it in my foods in order to reduce or eliminate the consumption. I was so angry to find there are over 40 different names of ingredients that contain MSG. I don't know how this can be legal. Since the FDA will not protect me, I have to do it myself. I put all the names of MSG into a list on my phone so when I go grocery shopping I can know how many ingredients contain MSG. If you do not want to consume ANY MSG then stay away from everything prepackaged. I personally and steering that way but as I have said before baby steps. Currently I am trying to reduce the consumtion for me and my family. Here is the list of MSG containing ingredients. Glutamic acid Glutamate Monosodium glutamate Monopotassium glutamate Calcium glutamate Monoammonium glutamate Magnesium glutamate Natrium glutamate Anything “hydrolyzed” Any “hydrolyzed protein” Calcium caseinate Sodium caseinate Yeast extract, Torula yeast Yeast food, Yeast nutrient Autolyzed yeast Gelatin Textured protein Whey protein Whey protein concentrate Whey protein isolate Soy protein Soy protein concentrate Soy protein isolate Anything “protein” Anything “protein fortified” Soy sauce Soy sauce extract Protease Anything “enzyme modified” Anything containing “enzymes” Anything “fermented” Vetsin Carrageenan Bouillon and broth Stock Any “flavors” or “flavoring” Maltodextrin Citric acid, Citrate Anything “ultra-pasteurized” Barley malt Pectin Corn starch Corn syrup Modified food starch Lipolyzed butter fat Dextrose Rice syrup Brown rice syrup Milk powder Reduced fat milk (skim; 1%; 2%) most things “low fat” or “no fat” anything “enriched” anything “vitamin enriched” anything “pasteurized” Annatto Vinegar Balsamic vinegar certain amino acid chelates (Citrate, aspartate, and glutamate are used as chelating agents with mineral supplements.) Malt extract (http://www.truthinlabeling.org/hiddensources.html) WOW right? Overwhelming? I know, I felt that way as well, but if you can remember the goal is to eat and live healthier than before then you just need to determine what you are comfortable with in regards to ingredients in food. I hope this has been informative and please feel free to comment anytime. Cheers Jenniffer SODIUM Looking at sodium levels after my trainer told my sodium intake was way too much I wanted to know how much I should have in a day. According to The Dietary Guidelines for Americans they suggest 2,300mg per day, yet The American Heart Association says we should be consuming less than 1,500mg per day. Below is a conversion table that tells you how many milligrams of sodium are in a teaspoon. Sodium chloride or table salt is approximately 40% sodium. Understand just how much sodium is in salt so you can take measures to control your intake. 1/4 teaspoon salt = 600 mg sodium 1/2 teaspoon salt = 1,200 mg sodium 3/4 teaspoon salt = 1,800 mg sodium 1 teaspoon salt = 2,400 mg sodium (http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/PreventionTreatmentofHighBloodPressure/Shaking-the-Salt-Habit_UCM_303241_Article.jsp) Why should we care? According to the Mayo Clinic “Your kidneys naturally balance the amount of sodium stored in your body for optimal health. When your body sodium is low, your kidneys essentially hold on to the sodium. When body sodium is high, your kidneys excrete the excess in urine. But if for some reason your kidneys can't eliminate enough sodium, the sodium starts to build up in your blood. Because sodium attracts and holds water, your blood volume increases, which makes your heart work harder and increases pressure in your arteries. Such diseases as congestive heart failure, cirrhosis and chronic kidney disease can make it hard for your kidneys to keep sodium levels balanced. Some people's bodies are more sensitive to the effects of sodium than are others. If you're sodium sensitive, you retain sodium more easily, leading to fluid retention and increased blood pressure. If this becomes chronic, it can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and congestive heart failure”. (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284) Besides retaining fluid especially for women, feeling bloated and fat isn’t a good feeling so if there is something we can do to reduce that – wouldn’t you do it? |