Earlier this month on my Facebook page, I asked you to share your biggest “ah-ha” moment when you started to read ingredient lists. I asked this question because I’m curious about what opened your eyes to the processed chemicals the food industry is dumping in our food.
There were over 1,500 responses on Facebook to my question, and I tried to read every single one of them. I found your comments insightful, really encouraging, and some were really funny! I’m glad to see that so many of you are changing your eating habits and reading ingredient lists! I saw several recurring ah-ha moments (the same ones I had when I started my journey), so I am summarizing the top 10 most popular ones here for you to share with your friends and family, just in case they haven’t had these “ah-ha” moments yet. You might even see your own ah-ha moment quoted below! If you didn’t already know about any of these major offenses at the grocery store, this will also give you tips for what to look out for next time you’re shopping.
10 Grocery Store Items You Should Never Buy Again:
1. Pickles & Relish That Contain Artificial Food Dye
- “WHY do they need to add artificial chemical coloring? Same with everything that adds chemical for coloring. It’s just WRONG” ~ Sara
- “Pickles started a food change in my house when I realized my children couldn’t even eat a pickle without eating yellow #4 & #5. Totally changed how we eat!” ~ Tracy
- “Yellow #5 in my Pickles…huh?? Why on God’s green earth is that in there?!!” ~ Carrin
- “There’s Yellow-5 in Mt Olive dill pickles!!” ~ Josh and Erika
- “Food dyes. It’s even in pickles! Really?!?! Couldn’t understand that one. Grandmas pickles were always green and she never used yellow #6” ~ Becky
- “This week it was Vlasic dill pickles, which we usually keep a giant jar of. Why do pickles need food coloring?” ~ Julie
- “Dyes. Especially items like food coloring in pickles. Um, WHY?” ~ Heather
- “Pickles have yellow #6! WTH?? Why??” ~ Amber
- “Why do we insist on putting artificial colors in everything?!! Pickles aren’t supposed to be fluorescent!!! Nature colors things beautifully on its own!” ~ ChelsLyn
- “Food dye in pickles..idk why but it pissed me off” ~ Tina
- “Relish…would never have thought there would be food coloring in relish. Blech!!!” ~ Kim
- “Omg pickles?” ~ Vanessa
Recently I looked at every single jar of pickles in a conventional grocery store, and only found one brand that didn’t contain artificial yellow food dye. Of course, there is no real reason to add dye to pickles, as it’s just used to make them look prettier and gives us no other benefits. Artificial colors are linked to health issues and have been banned or require a warning labels in several other countries – so food manufacturers often take them out of their products in other countries. Most pickles contain Yellow #5 or #6, which have been shown to contribute to childhood behavioral problems. Better Store-Bought Alternative: Real Pickles (brand) organic pickles, Woodstock organic pickles.
2. Canned Soups With MSG!
- “That all my favorite soups have MSGs in them”. ~ Teresa
- “When I compared a cream of chicken soup label to a recipe & realized how basic & easy it is to home-make with only 4 ingredients!…I literally got angry!!” ~ Brandi
- “I ate my usual Dr MacDougalls lentil soup today and then noticed it had “yeast extract” in it. Seriously??? Hidden MSG in “healthy” soup?? Ugh!!!” ~ Andrea
- “High fructose corn syrup in canned and boxed tomato soup. I couldn’t find any available product without sugar, so I had to make my own!” ~ Sara
- “When I realized that the chicken bullion I put in my soup was basically a block of msg.” ~ Kelly
- “Just how awful most canned and boxed foods are. And how extensive the naughty list is. I used to keep “cream of” soups in the pantry and use them in my casseroles. I just can’t bring myself to do that anymore.” ~ Christine
- “Campbell’s chicken and stars soup – shocked it has High fructose corn syrup and MSG! Never giving this to my kids again!” ~ Candice
- “Soy in 90% of soups in grocery stores” ~ Melanie
MSG (aka Monosodium Glutamate) is a really common ingredient in packaged soup, along with hidden MSG ingredients like hydrolyzed protein and autolyzed yeast extract. These flavor enhancers trick your brain into eating more than you should and have been linked to headaches, obesity, depression, and mental disorders. Better Store-Bought Alternative: Amy’s Organic Lentil Soup or make your own like I do. Here’s a recipe for one of my favorites – carrot ginger soup.
3. Salad Dressings That Are Full Of GMO Oils!
- “Salad dressings!! They all have soybean oil!!! And basically how EVERYTHING has soy in it” ~ Sierra
- “Gluten in salad dressings” ~ Davi
- “Yellow food dye in Italian salad dressing. Why?!?!” ~ Neeka
- “Can’t eat salad dressings because of soy/canola oils. I now must get over it and make my own.” ~ Norma
- “MSG is in a lot of foods even salad dressings no wonder I was getting migraines! I’m highly sensitive to it” ~ Caroline
- “That nearly every salad dressing has Xanthan gum or guar gum in it.” ~ Susan
- “SOYBEAN OIL and/ or canola in every single salad dressing or mayonnaise!! We just make our own now.” ~ Melissa
This is why I make my own salad dressing. It’s super easy to whip up a vinaigrette at home to avoid dumping GMO soybean oils all over your healthy salad. You might be surprised to know that even salad dressings that say they are made with olive oil (like Wishbone Olive Oil Vinaigrette) typically contain soybean oil as a main ingredient. Almost all store-bought salad dressings also contain emulsifier ingredients to help them stay blended on the shelf, but don’t do anything good for your health. Better Store-Bought Alternatives: Raw Foodz Salad Dressing (not available everywhere), Hilary’s Eat Well Salad Dressing & Wilderness Family Naturals Salad Dressing. If you are a Food Babe Eating Guide subscriber, you’ll get a new (and easy) salad dressing recipe every month as part of the plan. Check it out here.
4. Bread That Has Way Too Many Nasty Ingredients!
- “Many packaged breads and baked goods contain L-cysteine—a non-essential amino acid made from dissolved human hair (often from China) or duck feathers (mmmm). Food manufacturers use the ingredient as a commercial dough conditioner, meant to change the texture of breads and baked goods.” ~ Arthur
- “High fructose corn syrup in bread.” ~ Sean
- “Color and corn fructose in my 100% whole wheat bread. Argh” ~ Vanessa
- “GMO corn syrup in bread.” ~ Krystl
- “High fructose corn syrup in “light” wheat bread.” ~ Katie
- “Bread! Such a simple food is now a health hazard if purchased in most grocery stores.” ~ Farmhouse Blues Interiors
- “High fructose corn syrup and the long list of ingredients that go into bread.” ~ Arushi
- “Once I started noticing all the products (Baked items/Breads) that have Azodicarbonamide in them. Since quitting eating foods with that my respiratory issues have gone away. SO glad I found out about that horrible, unnecessary ingredient being put in food.” ~ Trae
- “Bread…something you think is a simple staple” ~ Laurie
- “One thing that drives me nuts it bread with 30 ingredients! Wth! It should have maybe 5! Egh!” ~ Jacqueline
- “How about store bought bread?! Can you believe all of the “stuff” that is in it?! Homemade is sooooo much better for you. Time consuming, yes, but way better for you!” ~ Darcy
It’s nearly impossible to find bread at the store without dough conditioners (like the yoga mat chemical azodicarbonamide), added sugars, artificial colors and GMOs – which is ridiculous because it really only takes 4 ingredients to make bread. Although I don’t eat a lot of bread, when I do I don’t want to be subjected to unnecessary and harmful ingredients. So, I generally stick to sprouted grain breads or gluten-free varieties that are made up of primarily seeds and healthy grains like millet and quinoa. Better Store-Bought Alternatives: Food For Life Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread, Manna Gluten Free Ancient Grains Bread. Here’s a list of more clean ingredient breads.
5. Coffee Creamer That Is Full Of Trans Fat!
- “Coffeemate coffee creamer. Omg???!!!!!!! Switched to organic half and half this week.” ~ Homaira
- “Coffee creamer…..silicon dioxide anyone?????” ~ Miriam
- “Coffee creamer. So gross to even think about how much of that I’ve consumed!” ~ Julie
- “Coffee creamer. I now make my own with all organic ingredients and couldn’t be happier!” ~ Cara
- “Coffee creamer…still breaks my heart!” ~ Crista
- “You’ve opened my eyes with carrageenan..I had no idea! I was drinking it every morning in my organic coffee creamer!” ~ Kate
- “Creamers with carrageenan!!” ~ Brandi
When I found out that Coffee-Mate Non-Dairy Creamer’s primary ingredient was partially hydrogenated oil I was disgusted. Millions of people are dumping deadly trans fat into their coffee every morning. Sure, they only use a bit in their coffee, but would anyone pour themselves a full glass of it? Of course not. Yet, they’ll eventually consume the entire container. This is the perfect example of why I think the motto “Everything in Moderation” is bogus. A FDA loophole allows Coffee-Mate to claim that it has no trans fat because it contains less than 0.5 g. per serving, although their “serving size” is only 1 tablespoon. According to the CDC, trans fats are linked to 7,000 deaths and over 20,000 heart attacks! Better Store-Bought Alternatives: Coconut milk – it’s thick and creamy and most only contain 1 or 2 ingredients if you stick to the culinary version like Natural Value and Native Forest. You can also make your own coconut milk by combining 1/4 cup coconut manna and 4 cups water into a blender. Blend on high for 1-2 mins and keep milk in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
6. Baby Formula That Contains Corn Syrup!
- “Baby formula. I was so upset I gave my kids this after I read what’s in it.” ~ Jennifer
- “Baby formula. For some the first ingredient is high fructose corn syrup. Ugh !” ~ Mary
- “Baby formula really made me angry when it had to become my daughters main source of food!!” ~ Krista
- “Corn Syrup in organic baby formula” ~ Carolina
- “Baby formula! Poor little ones! The victims of industry.” ~ Alle
- “Domestic baby formula. After I stopped breastfeeding at six months I wanted to find an organic formula that was free from ingredients that I discovered infants should not ingest. I was disgusted by what was included in the ingredients – even organic formula. I now purchase a formula from the U.K. as they don’t allow those same crap ingredients in baby formula.” ~Becky
It’s outrageous that most conventional baby formulas in the store contain GMOs and milk from cows treated with antibiotics or artificial growth hormones. Even organic formulas aren’t perfect, and can contain carrageenan, synthetic preservatives, refined sugars with detectible levels of arsenic, and DHA extracted with hexane. As put in this guest post by Nutrition expert, Charlotte Vallaeys other options include donor milk and this recipe from the Weston A. Price Foundation. Better Store-Bought Alternative: Baby’s Only Organic Formula and HiPP Organic Formula.
7. Canned Tuna That Has Hidden Soy (GMOs)!
- “Canned tuna in water may contain soy.” ~ Jeanne’
- “Soy in cans of solid white albacore tuna. Wtf.” ~ Hillary
- “I can’t believe gmo corn and soy is in everything!!! Please look at tuna. Why does it need soy?” ~ Christie
- “Tuna “packed in water”–which is actually broth, which contains soy!” ~ Diane
- “Soy in everything!! Even my tuna! WTH???” ~ Linz
Tuna is not a main staple in my diet because the practices largely used in the industry aren’t sustainable and are endangering marine species. Couple that with the fact that mainstream tuna brands typically pack their tuna in a soy-based vegetable broth, and not actually in “water” like it says on the front of the can. If you like to occasionally eat tuna, seek out a brand from a sustainable fishery that uses pole & line (and troll-caught) fishing methods, preferably from North American waters and packed without additives in BPA-free cans. When tuna are pole & line caught they are younger and much smaller, so they do not have the high mercury content that is found in most regular tuna. Better Store-Bought Alternative: American Tuna (brand) MSC Certified Sustainably Caught Albacore Tuna and Seafare Wild-Caught Tuna.
8. Soda That Is Full Of Artificial Ingredients!
- “Diet coke (and other diet sodas) being chemical nastiness in a can! Went cold turkey 4 years ago and haven’t been tempted once since that day…when you know better, you do better” ~ Andi
- “Ginger ale isn’t really healthy..all pop (soft drinks) are just chemicals!” ~ Elizabeth
- “Aspartame will cause seizures in those prone to them. For me: No diet coke=no seizures.” ~ Allisa
- “I will also never regret the day I gave up diet coke!!” ~ Katie
- “I had a “lightbulb moment” about the huge bottles of diet coke I’d drink daily. I had no idea that they were robbing me of my bone density. I quit that day and had another bone density test a few months later and it was amazingly wonderful. I never looked back.” ~ Chris
- “Mine was when I saw the women’s heart association label on Diet Coke cans several years ago. Made me think that’s like cigarette companies putting lung association labels on the package. Food/ drinks that come with warnings of what it contains….like gum, diet pop ….fair warning..it’s toxic.” ~ Beth
- “Aspartame. I use to be obsessed with diet coke and thought I was making a better choice cuz it was diet” ~ Denean
- “Hansens “natural” sodas containing artificial sweeteners in the diet varieties.” ~ Amber
- “It wasn’t what I read on a label, but giving up sodas has been an eye opening experience. I get full faster and I have no sugar cravings any more. Although I was drinking diet sodas I am amazed at how that crap was influencing my diet.” ~ Laurie
- “Boiling soda just once. Never drink another one.” ~ Thomas
- “Years ago when I worked in a marine store and sold ‘Fozz’, which is used to remove rust from metal. Then reading the ingredients in Coca Cola, which has the same ingredient: phosphoric acid! I stopped drinking soda from then.” ~ Maggie
A common ingredient in regular soda is high fructose corn syrup, which has been shown to be processed by your body differently than regular cane sugar. According to a 2007 study, high fructose corn syrup contains “astonishingly high levels of reactive carbonyls”, which are not present in table sugar, and these carbonyls are believed to cause tissue damage, and may contribute to the development of diabetes. Even more disgusting is the use of chemical artificial sweeteners (like aspartame and sucralose) in diet drinks, as these have been shown to stimulate your appetite, increase carbohydrate cravings, and promote weight gain. Better Alternatives: Homemade REAL Ginger-Ale, homemade iced tea or Kombucha.
9. Very Controversial Ingredients That Are In Cereal!
- “Aspartame in Fiber One cereal” ~ Erica
- “BHT in so many cereals” ~ Jenny
- “I started noticing BHA & BHT in the kids cereal and various other foods and looked it up. I found out they are carcinogens and banned in just about every country but ours.” ~ Michelle
- “Breakfast cereals….BHT, sugar, preservatives…and many more. GROSS” ~ Rachel
- “Kashi cereal. Wondered what was on it to keep you full. First ingredient is soy. Now what to do with boxes i have. … throw away or donate and let this poison feed someone else? I think i just answered my own question…” ~ Rochelle
- “The amount of sugar in cereals I thought were healthy, & serving to my kids!” ~ Traci
- “Paint thinner in children’s cereal” ~ Kim
- “TSP in cereal!” ~ Michelle
- “Life cereal has RED FOOD DYE?” ~ Heather
- “Seeing BHT in almost all cereals. What? WHY?” ~ Don and Jen
- “Six different names for sugar (sucrose) in the ingredients list for a cereal, to hide the fact the main ingredient is SUGAR.” ~ Emilia
- “Fiber One original cereal. I just couldn’t believe I ate that junk for so many years almost daily with skim cow milk. Now I read the ingredients in all their new products and just hope nobody buys them.” ~ Jeezus
To think that this childhood morning staple is loaded with artificial colors, GMOs, preservatives, refined grains and sugar, makes me sick. One of the worst ingredients in many cereals is the preservative BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene). It’s a known human allergen that has also caused tumor growth in animal studies. Due to serious health concerns, it’s been banned or restricted in several countries, yet it’s widely used in cereals here in the U.S. Better Alternatives: Oatmeal, Parfait Porridge, Two Moms In The Raw Plain Grain Free Cereal (gluten-free), Homemade Granola, Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Whole Grain Cereal & Qi’a from Nature’s Path.
10. Juice That Is Full of Junk!
- “My 9 year old went from a juicebox a day to water. She sometimes asks for juice but when I look at the ingredients i put it right back.” ~ Ana
- “Corn syrup!! They put this in juices. Lol.” ~ Lorraine
- “Naked juice, just crushed!” ~ Tawny
- “Pasteurization kills all the benefits of orange juice and real fruit juice :(“ ~ Carol
- “‘Natural Flavoring’ = corn and/or corn derivative to which I am highly allergic. I am not allergic to apples or cranberries; however, I had to take a Benadryl after drinking Mott’s-advertised and Ocean Spray-advertised 100% pure juices. I reported this to the FDA requesting that these juice companies cease advertising their juices as 100% pure.” ~ Diane
- “Most orange juices now have natural flavors! That is just crap! We don’t need this crap in our orange juice!” ~ Nan
- “Naked juice… Something that’s supposed to be great for you is full of junk.” ~ Kate
- “All the crap in kids’ “juice” drinks.” ~ Heather
Most of the juice at the store is just glorified sugar water. They’re often made from concentrates, which means that the fresh juice has been heated down to syrup and reconstituted with water. During the concentration process, natural nutrients and flavors are lost, so they add those back in artificially. Even “100% Juice” often contains proprietary natural flavors that may be derived from anything natural, including animals. The juice is then heated up a second time to be pasteurized, which also denatures enzymes and destroys nutrients. So, after all that processing, it’s really not worth the money. Better Alternatives: Suja Essentials Line that is cold-pressed and organic or try making your own, this Ravishing Red Juice is a great one to start with! Also if you are looking for alternatives to Gatorade, please check out these ideas.
Help Others Avoid These Pitfalls – Share This Post!
I hope this post inspires you to choose better alternatives at the grocery store or to start making your own homemade versions of this overly processed food! If you know someone who could benefit from these swaps, please share this post with them. Thank you for changing the world with me one person, one product and one company at a time.
Xo,
Vani
P.S. If you like investigations like this, you will love my books. In my #1 best selling book The Food Babe Way – I teach you even more ways you can break free from the hidden toxins in your food, lose weight, look years younger and get healthy in just 21 days. In my 2nd book, Feeding You Lies, I blow the lid off of the lies we’ve been fed about the food we eat – lies about its nutrient value, effects on our health, label information, and even the very science we base our food choices on. And, my first cookbook, Food Babe Kitchen, contains over 100 mouthwatering recipes to show you how delicious and simple it is to eat healthy, easy, real food. Available anywhere books are sold.
Soy or Soybean? Is this bad for you? I always thought people said it was good? Should I not buy things with this in it?
The idea that soy (soybean) is good for you is a corporate and marketing poly used to lower the cost and nutritional content of your food. Basically everything about the soybean serves you no value. There are so many articles on modern-day use of soy which I would recommend reading. It’s scary! I’ve linked a few below…
http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/12697-why-soy-is-not-a-health-food.html
http://www.mercola.com/Downloads/bonus/dangers-of-soy/report.aspx
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/12/08/the-dirty-little-secret-hidden-in-much-of-your-health-food.aspx
http://chriskresser.com/the-soy-ploy
Totally agree! We completely avoid all soy. Fermented is the only way that it will not harm you (like miso)
Hi, that’s mean I should not drink soy milk?
thanks!
Yes. Especially genetically modified soy. One of the worst things out there. Wreaks havoc on the hormones. It is hidden in m I st goids even organic foods.
Soy in its whole form is good for you. For example, organic tofu and edamame are soy and they are a very healthy source of plant protein. Most soy added to processed foods is GMO- which may or may not be bad for you.
(If you live in America)
otherwise, eat away! 🙂
Do not eat the soy, It’s Genetically Modified, with bacteria or viruses or pesticides….In other words it’s poison…People who want to believe GMO’s are not harmful are FOOLS….
Thank you !
That’s the stupidest, most misleading comment yet. Kathy Boyle, you should be ashamed. You’re clueless.
(to EJACKSON)
Kathy Boyle is right on the money. YOU are the one who is clueless and uninformed. You might want research the facts before attacking another person.
Over 90% of the soy grown in the US is GM. If you don’t choose organic, you will be eating genetically modified soy that’s been pumped full of Roundup, which doesn’t kill the soy plant only because its DNA has been spliced and diced and turned into something that I personally don’t see calling a soy plant anymore.
If that’s okay with you, EJackson, fine, but I’ll fight to preserve my right to keep it off my own plate.
Any time someone tells me that a food is either good or bad, it’s a major red flag for me.
The “good food/bad food” dichotomy is false. (Chemical ingredients are another story, I’m talking about foods.) This is exactly the way the government recommendations go, and the people who follow these recommendations are confused, all over the place, back and forth like a yo-yo.
If you really want guidance on this, see a holistic doctor who can tell you what might be best in your particular situation. (An MD is likely to just give you info similar to gov’t recommendations.)
Organic soybeans and many things made from organic soybeans (did I mention organic?) can be a very nutritious part of your diet… and they are for many many people in the world.
The ubiquity of soy in our food system makes moderation a bit more of a challenge for a lot of people. You’re probably already consuming more than you realized so I’d probably skip the soy milk and get almond instead. Also… our portion sizes tend to be gigantic. Drinking glasses of soy milk is probably not the picture of “moderate intake” anyway.
I also avoid soybean oil because it’s high in omega-6, and I’m always trying to get my ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 lower (high level of omega-3s in relation to omega-6s).
Soy also contains isoflavones, which can help in some situations and hurt in others. This is the part that’s involved with hormone levels and gets just plain tricky. I might use more soy during my transition to menopause, unless I had breast cancer issues… it’s tricky…
Since there’s so much conflicting data, and I like to err on the side of caution, I opt for soy-free alternatives much of the time. But I eat miso soup (fermented is better), and enjoy tofu in my delicious homemade salad rolls once or twice a month. And I’m just fine:)
One needs more omega 6 and a little omega 3 in both organic and cold pressed in plant form..in a ratio of 2 -1 in favor of 6
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12442909
The link above describes our general ratio of about 15:1, which is very high in omega-3s, and the desirability of bringing that down… I don’t think there’s an “ideal ratio”, but I do think it’s best to eat less 6 and more 3 than the typical diet brings.
(sorry for typo above–
we’re getting about 15:1, meaning very high in omega-6s, & very low in omega-3s)
In the 1970’s when I discovered health food stores, soy was thought to be a health food and we were wondering whether farmers could be persuaded to grow enough of it. Then they genetically modified it. It is now a dominant crop.
Even organic soy contains phytoestrogens–hormone mimics that are harmful to health. Worse, once a species is contaminated with GMO’s, it will crossbreed with organic crops. It is essentially impossible to find truly GMO-free soy. Organic has an allowable limit to help Organic soyfoods maufacturers to exist. But even GMO-free project verified foods allow smaller traces–less than 1%.
Less than 1% just may be 10 000 times too much. Older readers may recall the L-tryptophan scandal. L-tryptophan in a nutrient, an amino acid. A protein is a chain of amino acids, so this is natural. It was widely used as a sleeping aid. Then people started dying.
The only way this supplement was found to be the cause, was because the illness had a weird new pattern never seen before. When the FDA figured it out. The first scandal was when only one manufacturer was found to cause every single case.
I just learned the horrifying truth this week from a Mercola.com article. That manufacturer had genetically modified a bacterium to treble the production. The bacteria produced many weird substances, but those were all filtered out in purifying. The manufacturer produced a very pure final product.
Well, in laboratory work, the chemicals used are over 99.9 percent pure and most are 10 to 100 times purer than that. This is terrific for students or researchers who mix 3 or 4 things together to produce a new product, and hope to get a nice high 75% yield. But biological substances sometimes have an effect at levels in the parts per billion. That was the story with L-tryptophan.
The GMO industry managed to suppress the findings, but this case proves beyond any reasonable doubt that GMOs have killed people. They are not safe, and the amount of research that would really be required to prove one safe would cost so much money and time that nobody would try.
We also know beyond a doubt that GMO’s do have some safety because 300 million Americans, and millions elsewhere, have been eating several GMO foods a day for decades and most are still alive. Infertility and autism and other things have been rising, but the data do not exist for a reasonable analysis of what “cheap” or “convenient” foods have been costing us.
But applying a little reasoning power to what we do know, all soy and corn should be totally avoided.
Dear Food Babe, I love reading your posts. You give so much information. The only problem I have is when you make a brand-name recommendation, none of the stores in my area carry it. Where do you shop?
Online. To your doorstep in 2 days hopefully.
Target carries Suja juice. Besides, I don’t think the brand is a huge deal, as long as the ingredients list match up in the “good” products you should be in the clear. Make sure to do your research on whatever brand you’re buying though, and make sure they’re not owned by Coca-Cola or some other big company.
Hi Annette; The simplest way I am able to get all kinds of great products that are safe is at Vitacost.com. In my own fight against cancer, I have carefully researched ingredients in foods, shampoos, soaps etc. I am able to keep these products on “my list” at the website so it is so easy and convenient. As I find new, safe products on Foodbabe.com like Hilary’s Ranch Dressing, I simply add it to my cart (and “my list”) and when I have enough products for free shipping I purchase it all. Hope that helps.
Finding organic anything where I live is hard. Walmart has started having more Organic produce but Not all the time – so when they have Organic produce I buy and eat soon or cut up & freeze to have available.
Otherwise I order different foods from online websites like vitacost & amazon.
And Organic Mountain Homes.
I also buy Grass-Fed, Grass-Finished (NO grains) Beef, buffalo (some pork) from Texas grassfed beed (Slanker Farms). GFGF chickens are really hard to find.
I’m still amazed at the difference in the grocery store ground beef and the GFGF ground beef I’ve been eating – Amazingly so different and the taste is really good. As for the fat, the leanest has little & what there is – is actually good for you.
If I were you, I would check online to find farms where you can find organic produce (& GFGF beef if you want that). I just wish there were some close to where I live.
OHHH Wouldnt it be nice to live in a world where a supermarket existed that
ONLY SOLD FOOD WITH INGREDIENTS THAT YOU COULD PRONOUNCE?
What a *new+ concept. Whole Foods, garbage. Trader Joes…natural flavoring everywhere, maltodextin there, carageeen.
Im so tired of reading labels. Even places like so called *health* food stores carry sh$# stuff.
Can someone please make this shop. thank you from the future
It would also be nice if companies that make foods with less junk would not charge an arm and a leg for it. But then we’re asking that our fellow man SERVE one another before seeing dollar signs in their eyes… Well in this country, it may not be possible, is it?
Organic Companies have their agenda too…They know they can hike up the prices…
Oh give me a break! Organic and other high quality foods are higher-priced because they cost more to produce. Would you really run them out of business?
Isn’t your health WORTH more than money? If you think productive enterprises are “greedy” if something costs more than you want to pay, look at yourself. Is ANYTHING worth more to YOU than the almighty buck?
Today’s high quality foods are actually cheaper than such food was a century ago. You are spoiled because the companies that take shortcuts are able to charge even less. They gave you incorrect ideas of what normal, healthy food actually costs.
Yellow dyes are in pickles and other creepy ingredients are in foods because far more customers will pay for the pretty color or taste-bud fooling food than will read ingredient labels. And because they trust the government to keep food safe. Manufacturers have way more money for lobbyists than you do–and they lobby regulatory agencies, not just Congress.
There is another factor: farm subsidies for billionaires. That’s right, welfare for the very, very rich. They can afford the lobbyists. The government subsidizes candy (half corn) and soy and many other junk foods. It won’t change until enough grass-roots find out.
Seriously! Enough of these products with ingredients like spirulina and L-phenylalanine!
What is wrong with spirulina? I thought algae was one of the most nutrient rich detoxifying foods out there.
Unfortunately, companies are just out for profit. Now the gov. has agreed that they can produce GMO apples, pears & other fruit.
Other countries throughout the world will NOT allow Monsanto or other GMO companies to sell their GMO products there UNLESS they are labeled as such. In the USA, the large food corp. pay Big Bucks to NOT have USA food labeled.
Recently I found out that in Korea where GMO was prohibited that there was some GMO foods that infected regular foods. — So people, get ready for all of our foods to be contaminated with GMO. (I think I need to build a Green House)
For those who don’t know – 88% or more of ALL corn & soybeans are GMO – including from the seeds. So if you want to grow your own produce, you need to make certain your seeds are Organic and or Heirloom.
YOU GUYS!!! HOW COME NO ONE HAS MENTIONED CRAP IN BOTTLE WATER?
Dasani adds magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride, and salt.
This is BS!!!!!
( ps Great post )
Why the hype and concern? These same minerals are found in sea salt and mineral water.
Hi Erin, only fermented soy products should be consumed and even then only as a condiment. Soy milk and the soy added to most foods is not fermented. Google it, you’ll be surprised, I was, I was drinking soy milk and soy lattes thinking I was doing myself good – not so
Pure water is actually harmful to humans because it leeches minerals from your bones and tissues. Minerals are added to drinking water to keep this from happening.
Huh? Really? So are you saying drinking water from a faucet , in theory, would be better for me than drinking water after being filtered with a Brita filter or filtered water from my fridge dispenser? Or do these filters add good minerals to the water?
Pure water H2O is distilled water, not filtered water. Filtered water retains the beneficial minerals. Water with no minerals leeches them from your body. That is why they tell you to never make formula with distilled water.
We are friends with a research doctor for USC in Los Angeles. They did a study that looked at bottled/filtered water vs. tap water and it’s relationship to osteoporosis. What the study showed is that tap water is full of minerals that help prevent osteo while bottled water is much less desirable. Additives to foods are almost always assimilated by the body in a much less effective way than foods/water with naturally occurring vitamins and minerals
I don’t know if you’re trolling or not but have you ever heard of the word ELECTROLYTES? Jesus. Brita filters remove impurities – you know, chlorine and lead. The only significant problems I see with drinking bottled water are 1) buying plastic water bottles are horrible for the environment and 2) possible BPA exposure? I own a Brita filter and as of now, it is the most cost-effective way for me to drink water.
I’m sorry but when people say that I think they aren’t very good at math. A whole house filter can be gotten for less than many people spend in a year or two on such basic filters like that because they only last about 40gal and cost $5/each for a unit that’s $20 to $30. For about $40 you can get a whole house filter system and a $10 pair of 5 micron filters that will last 15,000 gallons each. The idea that it’s somehow cheaper to use those disposable units than a serious filter system is simply false. It might be easier than reading directions and doing a bit of basic DIY plumbing but it’s not cheaper.
But if you want to go all out and get out as much of the chlorination >byproducts< and other hazardous substances as possible you might spend a few hundred bucks more for 0.5micron filters or revers osmosis.
But blowing your clean water budget on something that only removes the bad stuff you can taste is just ensuring you don't save and spend that on something that does it cost effectively or something that actually gets out the stuff you can't taste.
“AND AS OF NOW, it is the most cost effective way for ME to drink water.”
P.S. it costs me $3 for each replacement filter.
Great job on your talk at University of Florida.
http://guardianlv.com/2014/10/food-babe-speaks-at-university-professor-undoes-damage/
Someone bought me a Dunkin’ Donuts corn muffin today. I had not had one in a long time. I toasted it and took a bite. It was horrible!!! No corn taste at all. Instead, it had a weird sour milk oily taste. I had to throw that nasty thing out. I know what corn muffins and cornbread are supposed to taste like and Dunkin really missed it by a mile! I read that the company will not divulge the ingredients! How do they get away with this?
Trying to stay away from donuts, but when we do have them…no longer go to Dunkin, have been extremely disappointed in everything we tried there.
One reason they get away with it is because people continue to buy their product.
Ingredients are posted on the Dunkin Donuts website. Their muffin ingredients list is much longer than mine and contains stuff I prefer to avoid. Can’t expect a product like that to taste like the real thing.
Just last night I read the Mt. Olive label that was in my refrigerator. I admit that I had never read the whole thing as I thought pickles, just cucumbers, water, vinegar and salt…..I was dismayed about the Yellow #5.
Baking bread doesn’t have to be time-consuming: Get your hands on a bread-machine, and have your loaves baked for you over night! Just google it. I got two used ones for pennies on the dollar.
Loved this article.
I am surprised that it was not mentioned how the high heat used to make cereal makes the ingredients toxic..even the healthy choices.
I am posting this on fb. Love your research!
thank-you! this post was so helpful !!!! dropping coffee creamer and will start to make my own almond milk from now on!
xo
Thanks to the person who reminds us to think about this as elections approach.
Lets’s not forget the President signed legislation allowing Monsanto to do whatever out wants to our food supply for nearly forever.
http://m.aljazeera.com/story/2013428059717911
Worse, the republicans extended the act even further for their interests. Like our food, its unconscionable that nobody can be trusted. 🙁
Run a search on Monsanto Protection Act and become educated. And frustrated. The government no longer protects the lives of those who elect it.
Just to be clear on the article, it was Pres Obama who signed the Monsanto Act and the Democratic congress approved it.
You know Democrats got us in the worst economic downfall since the big crash of the 20’s, and Democrats are just plain idiots. You know that right? Yes, you do. You know that.
@ dude- lol
Yea, someone on his site has sensible politics!
Republicans supported (I voted Republican) Monsanto although the Dems passed it and Obama signed it. It really doesn’t matter who did what because both the Repubs and the Dems sold out the American citizen to the Big Chem Company Monsanto – I would just like to know just how much money did they receive, each and every one of them, and just how much each citizen of the United States life was worth to them? It is not just Monsanto who is interested in depopulation, when you get a chance check out Bill Gates and how he wants to help control population with vaccines. Global Depopulation. Poison our foods and for those who will not consume it get them through their medication. Watch our for Gardasil 9 and NEVER allow your children to have this put into their bodies.
Cornichons from Trader Joe’s has no food coloring. They are small, super sour (French) pickles, so maybe not for everyone. My kids love them. I found Roland brand cornichons on Amazon, not nearly as crunchy as TJ’s, but I can get a giant can of them for under $15 on Subscribe-and-Save. Chopped up small, they go great in a salmon/tuna salad!
Thank you so much for writing this article! It is only recently that I have tried to start buying and eating healthier and more natural. But there is so much information it’s overwhelming! Just started making my own flour. I plan to start my own almond milk as well. Thanks for the great suggestions! Now to get my husband on board with our grocery budget being a little bigger. Wish eating healthier was not so expensive!! And i wish harmful things like GMOs were LABELED!!!!
I just wanted to let you know that there is a brand of pickles and salsas named Frogranch that is all natural and the only ingredients are cucumbers, vinegar, Frogranch peppers (peppers, vinegar, salt) and garlic. They are excellent, especially the Hot & Spicy. They are made in Glouster, Ohio and carried by Kroger or ordered online. I moved to New Orleans for a year and a half and was devastated that I could not get them in Louisiana. I just wanted to pass that along to add to the list of safe foods!
In the juice round, I would have loved to have seen you use Naked’s Green Machine instead, as it would have been a much better comparison. Here is a list of it’s ingredients: apple juice, mango puree, pineapple juice, banana puree, kiwi puree, spirulina, natural flavors, alfalfa, broccoli, spinach, barley grass, wheat grass, parsley, ginger root, kale, odorless garlic.
okay okay I know that “natural flavors” ended up in the ingredient list but it still stacks up much nicer and actually gives a little healthy competition rather than looking for one of the worst choices from the company.
Naked brand is a bad but relatively common choice. It is owned by Pepsi and part of the grocery manufacturers association. Besides using g.m.o ingredients(which involves heavy pesticide,and herbicide use) they are pasteurized at high heat which lowers the nutritional content. Suja is non-gmo,organic and cold pressed.
If you bake your own bread, consider using heritage wheat flour. We get ours from Sunrise Flour Mill in Minnesota (they will ship to you): http://www.sunriseflourmill.com/. Completely different experience from baking with flour made with conventional wheat.
Was so proud of my 14 yr old son last night as we were talking with the grandparents and I was telling them not to buy Crisco. He jumped right in and said “it contains hydrogenated cottonseed oil and cottonseed oil is classified as a textile, so there are not any guidelines as to what its sprayed with and then they make food out of it”. Sometimes they do listen! Actually I have discovered they listen even when you think they aren’t or don’t care! Be encouraged…..
Make your own pickles!! Turmeric(a spice, but now that I’ve written it out, it looks like it could be mistaken for a chemical!) will turn anything yellow!! I don’t really care about the color….but there are better ways to color your food if that is something you feel is necessary.
Hmm, call the pickle companies and tell them you want the chemical replaced with turmeric (organic, non-irradiated). Turmeric is a very healthy spice and cheap enough that they will listen if we make enough calls. They’ll probably send you a nice coupon to thank you for calling, too.
To Mark-
Thanks for thinking my comment, (or ‘tirade’ as you put it) was cute :), but I still prefer the orange coloring in my food to come from CAROTENE rather than artificial yellow and red food dyes, thank you.
Energy drinks not only make people sick but also kills http://www.foodpolitics.com/tag/energy-drinks/
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/283929.php
and search “Monster energy drink deaths and hospitalizations”, “do children allow to buy energy drinks in europe”, “the world to ban the sale of energy drinks to minors” … for more information.
They are banned to minors in Europe http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/35680/#.VFzKy_nF-hM
http://www.businessinsider.com/lithuania-bans-energy-drinks-for-minors-2014-11
I recently came across this product it’s organic and non GMO
What is you thought about this company…
Thank you
I contacted Amy’s Soups about the word “spices” on their labels. I specifically asked if there was MSG, or spice extractives, or yeast extract included in the word “Spices”. They replied that if I were looking for a product without added “free glutamic acid”; that I should probably not buy their products. So no Amy’s at our house.
Just curious about the flouride in the HIPP formula. Is it okay to use?
To any of you that don’t know the truth about our Monsanto issue, here is a little clarity of why Obama signed it. dailykos.com/story/2013/04/26/1204944/-Monsanto-Exempt-from-GMO-Prosecution
An item we have in Canada that I like for breakfast is Red River Cereal, made with wheat rye and flax seed, needs about 15 to 20 minutes to cook in a medium heat microwave or about the same in a double boiler, or 10 minutes aicrowave safe dish, let it cool the add more liquid refrigerate and warm it up in the morning. To cook I use a 50/50 mix of water and 2% milk.
We live on the border of Texas and Mexico – about 40 mile away from any store that sells the brands listed in this newsletter.
Also, we are a poor community and often can’t afford organic or natural foods.
Any suggestions? I try to do DIY for dressing, but I don’t have an oven right now so breads and others items are hard to come by. Thanks!!
http://www.wikihow.com/Bake-Bread-on-the-Stovetop
“Soda that is full of artificial ingredients.” Ya think? Some of these are surprising, but anybody who didn’t know this is brain dead.
Brominated oil has been shown to inhibit the absorption of iodine into the thyroid gland. It’s the worst thing about Mountain Dew and Squirt. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/01/11/brominated-vegetable-oil-in-us-soda.aspx
Is Evolution Fresh a good brand of juice? It seams to be from the research that I have done.
http://www.evolutionfresh.com/
I am currently working on a blog post about cereals, and what’s safe and what’s not… this definitely helps to give me “food” for thought for my post! Thank you!
No mention of BPA in all of those cans. As far as I know, only Eden has no BPA so that means you can’t eat Amy’s or anybody elses canned foods, including Whole Foods.
Anyone know if Eden has lined their cans with BPS or any of the other bisphenols? They are all bad, so just because they say BPA free doesn’t mean they haven’t lined it with something similar.
Mt Olive is a small town in North Carolina! My husband is from there! It’s disappointing to hear that the one place holding this town together puts additives in its product! Imagine the boost they could receive to be the first pickle company to go 100% natural!
I 100% support these alternatives but have a huge problem with the packaging. Plastic? Really? My bigfest disappointment is with Suja juice. Ditch the plastic. Please.
The best thing for your baby is breast milk :). Bag formula altogether. Mom’s milk is specially formulated for optimal growth and health. It is the ultimate whole food!
I live in Florida and found BUBBIES Kosher dill pickles which are amazing and also BUBBIES sauerkraut. Really good! REAL FOOD in a conventional supermarket. Publix is really stepping up to the plate and giving its customers lots of organic choices. Prices will come down when more people buy organic and stop putting money into the pockets of corporations who make JUNK FOOD!
Eat the pickles made by
DGREENPICKLES.COMPANY
NO CHEMICALS
NO PRESERVATIVES
HOMEMADE
THEY ARE CALLED
“THE LOVE PICKLES’
How about Silk Soy milk and organic shelled Edamame? I serve these to children for soy protein are these harmful too?
Food Babe
You should read a book Wheat Belly by William Davis, MD. He is a cardiologist.
Calcium Lie 2 is also a great book to put on your reading list.
No grains should be eaten unless without having been fermented first. Sprouted grains might also be safe.. Real sour dough is the only bread that’s fermented, not the kind that’s flavored with vinegar to smell like sour dough.
Ezekiel bread has soy but it is recommended?
Hi Everyone ~ Please read my last lecture. I think it will help clear up the confusion regarding “SOY”.
THE DANGERS OF SOY…….totally opposite from what you’ve heard and read from the profit mongers of “Big Ag” and the propaganda campaigns from the grocery association. Even our doctors didn’t know any better and some still have no clue of the “Dangers of Soy”……
Are you convinced yet about the dangers of soy? Many aren’t. “Is soy bad for you? …Really?” I hear the question so often I want to scream!!!!!!!!!
After decades of hearing marketing spin about how soy is a wonder food, a protein-rich legume able to rescue us from our dependence on meat, I suppose it’s understandable why so many people have yet to understand fully the dangers of soy. Really, you’re not going to get the full story unless you research it on your own. And why would you, when soy is “universally” touted as a health food?
Well, it isn’t.
Dangers of Soy
Thankfully, more and more independent research has been done regarding the dangers of soy, and what it’s revealed should scare you.
Soy Danger #1: Phytoestrogens
Soy is higher in phyto-estrogens than just about any other food source. Phyto-estrogens are plant-based estrogens that mimic estrogen in our bodies. In recent years, you may have read about studies which indicate phyto-estrogens are good for you. But ask yourself, who funded those studies? The soy industry, that’s who. Independent research has clearly shown that consuming phyto-estrogens is downright dangerous for the human body.
It’s only common sense. No one argues, for example, that a leading cause of breast cancer, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, infertility, and low libido is unopposed estrogen, or estrogen dominance. Why, then, would anyone argue that we should consume more of a food high in estrogen?
An infant taking the recommended amount of soy formula is consuming a hormone load equivalent of 4 birth control pills a day! Is it any wonder we’ve seen such a dramatic rise in precocious puberty with young girls starting their periods at 6 and 7?
Soy Danger #2: Goitrogenic
Soy will destroy your thyroid. Many foods are goitrogenic (thyroid suppressing), but soy is king of them all. Goitrogens work by preventing your thyroid from getting the necessary amount of iodine. Friends, I believe this is what happened to Oprah’s thyroid. She pushed soy for years, featured it in everyone one of her “healthy” diets, and it destroyed her thyroid. If your thyroid fails, what happens? You gain weight. You have a harder time regulating your moods. You get colder more easily. You’re more easily fatigued. You demonstrate an inability to concentrate and remember details. The list goes on. You simply don’t want to mess with your thyroid.
Soy Danger #3: Phytates
Phytates are enzyme-inhibitors that block mineral absorption in human digestive tract. They are naturally present in all grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes (which is why everyone should read my primer on how to eat grains, if you eat them at all.) But soy is so high in phytates that it’s almost impossible to get rid of them. Simply soaking soy overnight in an acidic medium won’t do the trick. Soy must be fermented in order to be digestible to humans. That means that if you eat soy at all, you should stick to fermented soy products like miso, tempeh, and natto. Organic fermented soy sauce like tamari is an acceptable choice.
Soy Danger #4: Trypsin inhibitors
Finally soy is rich in trypsin inhibitors. Trypsin is a digestive enzyme we need to properly digest protein. Without enough trypsin, you’ll experience many digestive problems including stomach cramps, diarrhea, and bleeding. You’ll also be leaving yourself open to future problems with your pancreas.
• #5 Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic and highly carcinogenic nitro-samines. Nitrates which are cancer causing chemicals are found in processed meats and poultry… Examples:
• plain hot dogs,
• kosher hot dogs,
• ham,
• corned beef,
• salami,
• bacon,
• beef jerky,
• pastrami, etc, etc.
Debunking The Asian Soy Myth
But, people say, what about Asians? They eat soy every day, and they’re so healthy!
Soy farming started around 1100 BC in China, where it was used to build soil fertility and feed animals. Soy beans were not considered fit for humans until the Chinese learned to ferment them, which makes them digestible. Asian diets now include fermented soy beans in the form of natto, miso, tamari, and tempeh.
Soy producers want you to eat more soy — more than the Asians eat, and more than what is good for you. The Japanese and Chinese eat 10 grams of fermented soy per day — about two teaspoons. Yet a soy manufacturer recommends Americans eat ten times what the Japanese eat — 100 grams of soy protein per day.
Did you catch that? Asians only eat 2 teaspoons of soy a day, usually as a condiment, and it’s highly fermented! Fermentation takes care of many of the dangers of soy. Plus, the typical Asian will also consume soy with mineral-rich and nutrient-dense foods such as fish broth (naturally high in iodine & other minerals which support the thyroid).
So, Is Soy Bad For You?
The short answer: YES! Let’s be clear on the recent history of soy. The soybean was a modest and unpopular crop until food manufacturers were intent on creating cheap vegetable oils convinced the U.S. government to start subsidizing it. The soy was turned into oil, and the industry was left with an industrial waste product. Then some mad scientist somewhere, working for a chemical company, had a brilliant idea:
Let’s take this industrial waste product full of toxins and carcinogens — isolated soy protein — and turn it into food that people will eat! Ah Ha!! They said people are ignorant so all we have to do is tell them how wonderful it is and they’ll believe us and buy it. We’ll even pay some doctors to indorse the product.
“Soy foods were born” and everyone in the industry saw the dollar signs!!
Soy Protein & Soy Milk Dangers
The FDA refused to approve isolated soy protein as a safe food additive with the designation “Generally Recognized as Safe.” “GRAS”
Agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland withdrew its application for the coveted GRAS status (Generally Regarded as Safe) for soy protein, after an outcry from honest scientists about the toxins and carcinogens that came with it. They can still put soy protein in your food, but they have to get pre-market approval for every product.
Isolated soy protein is no health food. But we don’t eat soy protein with a spoon. How do we eat it? It is the main ingredient in soy burgers, ice cream, milk shakes, and fake cheese. These soy protein products are phony foods — but they must look like the real foods they imitate. So the soy industry transforms a small yellow soy bean into something resembling a hamburger. They make soy “milk” and “ice cream” white and creamy.
The other ingredients in these foods are no better for you than the soy protein that goes into them. Soy milk, for example, is simply a cocktail of soy protein, sugar, and GMO vegetable oil. The “natural” MSG formed in soy processing is already bad for you, but even more MSG, and more flavorings, are added. Imitation foods need a lot of help to be tasty. Many savory soy foods are loaded with additives to give them the flavor of the real foods they mimic. Most imitation meat, for example, contains man-made MSG, which causes migraines and is associated with brain cancer and other fatal diseases.
Soy foods aren’t real food. They aren’t traditional foods, they aren’t safe foods. They are collateral damage to your health!
They’re industrial waste products dressed up in pretty clothes and marketed to an ignorant public.
What Do I Recommend As Alternatives To Soy Milk?
One alternative I particularly enjoy is organic coconut milk. Brand name : “So Delicious”. It’s full of the best kinds of saturated fat — medium chain triglycerides — which help speed your metabolism. It’s also exquisitely flavorful and perfect stirred into curries, soups, and sauces. I use it in my coffee daily. Organic Coconut milk ice cream (found in Publix) is a good source for a treat.
Below prompted me to include a couple of additions to my lecture.
The questions:
What about tofu or homemade soy milk? Their consumption is quite widespread in Asian cultures, and they’re non-fermented soy foods. Are they okay? The answers: Tofu originated around the 2nd century BC in China, and it was made from fermented bean curd. That is how it was traditionally made before the days of refrigeration. Most modern tofu isn’t fermented anymore. You can still buy varieties of fermented tofu (aka “Stinky Tofu” or “Pickled Tofu”) in some Asian markets, though. Also, according to the most comprehensive online account of soymilk’s history, its use was rare before the 20th century and widespread usage was highly unlikely. In other words, it’s not a traditional food. Nor is non-fermented tofu. They’re the Asian equivalents of margarine, hot bath canning, “vegetable oil,” or soda pop — something relatively new on the food scene which became very widespread with the industrialization of the food supply. And like these industrialized food products, they are extremely bad for your health.
New research indicates that soybeans and soy-based foods, a staple in the diets of many health-conscious consumers, may promote kidney stones in those prone to the painful condition.
The researchers measured nearly a dozen varieties of soybeans for oxalate, a compound that can bind with calcium in the kidney to form kidney stones.
They also tested 13 types of soy-based foods, finding enough oxalate in each to potentially cause problems for people with a history of kidney stones, according to Linda Massey, Ph.D., at Washington State University in Spokane.
The amount of oxalate in the commercial products easily eclipsed the American Dietetic Association’s 10 milligram-per-serving recommendation for patients with kidney stones, with some foods reaching up to 50 times higher than the suggested limit, she noted.
“Under these guidelines, no soybean or soy-[based] food tested could be recommended for consumption by patients with a personal history of kidney stones,” she said.
Non-fermented soy, which I do not believe is designed to be eaten, is just one more nail in the coffin. Soy protein powders and soy formula are the worst offenders and I don’t believe that they should be consumed by anyone.
If you are still brainwashed by the edible oil industry’s incredibly effective media spin on soy, then please review this article again or read this popular book.
It’s ironic that soy has become so accepted as a health food when, as Dr. Kaayla Daniel, author of the groundbreaking book “The Whole Soy Story”, states, thousands of studies link soy to malnutrition, digestive distress, immune-system breakdown, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline, reproductive disorders and infertility–even cancer and heart disease. This important issue is the premise behind her book, which is really a powerful exposé that reveals the truth about the soy myths that have infiltrated our culture.
If you eat soy ~ I hope this information has changed your mind and all your questions have been answered.
For Questions or comments : email [email protected]
“May this presentation inspire and empower you beyond your expectations”.
Q. I’ve been asked….”What was your motivation for your lecture “The Whole Soy Story”?
A. Back in the late 60’s I was excited about the claims being made about soy. As an Executive Chef and CEO of a large soup manufacturing company at the time soy products hit the market, I was amazed of the possibilities that a simple, inexpensive food could prevent heart disease, fight cancer, fan away hot flashes and build strong bodies. The hype, however, did not match the reality of the many sick soy-eaters that I saw in my life. I talked to vegetarians who were not enthusiastic about their
enlightened diets, but who complained about loss of energy, “brain fog,” thinning hair, gray skin, weight gain and gas.
When I taught classes, I met health-conscious professionals who came to me confused and frustrated because they had been advised to eat soy but felt worse than they had ever felt in their lives.
As the years passed I studied Botanical and Environmental Medicine, became an “Herbalist and Healthy Eating Coach” working with many clients whose health improved dramatically after removing soy foods from their diets.
These observations led me to question everything I’d ever heard or read about soy and to research the subject for myself.
Q. “What was the most shocking piece of information you learned while writing and researching The Soy Story?”
A. I began my research thinking there would be pros and cons to soy. Instead, I found overwhelming evidence of harm. I was startled by the sheer number of buried studies that needed to come to light, by the flagrant misrepresentation of data and the soy industry’s talent for “spinning” unfavorable results. Right now, the
FDA is seriously considering… a soy- protein-prevents-cancer health claim… as proposed by the Solae Company.
The idea that the FDA could even consider soy for a cancer health claim was ludicrous!
Soy isoflavones–the plant estrogens in soy most often credited with cancer prevention-are listed as “carcinogens “in many toxicology textbooks.
They have also been proven to be mutagenic, clastogenic and teratogenic.
Recent studies have even shown that soy accelerates the growth of breast cancer.
Yet Solae stated that there is a “consensus” among experts qualified by scientific training and experience” that “soy protein products reduce the risk of certain cancers.”
This is so shockingly untrue that I joined Sally Fallon and Bill Sanda of the Weston A. Price Foundation to file two protest documents with the FDA. The FDA has delayed its decision.
“Change your food…..Change your Life”
~ the nurturechef ~ Joyce
RESEARCH PAPERS:
288 references to the toxicity of soy in the FDA’s poisonous plants database
77 studies showing the adverse reactions to dietary soy
174 studies showing the adverse reactions to isoflavones (phytoestrogens)
Please pass this article on to your friends and family as you may save someone from ill health……
Let’s commit to supporting ethical, organic and sustainable farmers and food companies who put people and the planet first”.
This article is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. This article is intended to provide helpful and informative material only.
Thank you!!!! Thank you!!! Thank you!!!!! I have read article after article regarding soy and the dangers of it yet then I continued to see it being used in baby formula, it is now known as vegetable oil, it is in just about everything that is out there, so I questioned it. My youngest daughter had a horrible reaction to soy when she was a baby. She couldn’t drink soy milk nor other baby formulas so I have to put her on Goat’s Milk. As she got older she decided to do her own thing and eat as she wanted to and each time she because very sick to the point of now having to carry an Epi-pen. I have been cutting soy out of my life for a while now and refuse to go back to it. The Big Food Companies will continue to push this as being healthy and good for you, the same as they will continue to push Canola Oil as being healthy when Canola is made from the rapeseed weed which is toxic to humans and bugs will not even eat it. They are now saying with the cross-breeding which has taken place with this toxic plant it has all of a sudden become good for you???? What they fail to mention with both soy oil and the canola oil is that they use hexane (Hexanes are significant constituents of gasoline.) in the processing of these so called oils which are meant for human consumption and for lubing your power tools with!!! I thank you again for your posting and for confirming what my conclusion of Soy Oil and Canola Oil has been for years!!!
Here is an article in “Natural News” about a store that is voluntarily testing their foods for GMO’s. They will not sell anything that contains even a small percentage of GMO’s.
http://www.naturalnews.com/048970_Tropical_Traditions_Roundup_testing_glyphosate.html
If we continue the fight maybe other stores will do the same. Wouldn’t that be great?
I notice comments made quite often about the cost of organic foods. Tis true…talk about sticker shock…but I realize raising organic vegetables sustainably, costs more. I personally believe most of us could make a few simple lifestyle adjustments that would free up money to buy healthy food. After all, aren’t we worth it? How about adjusting the thermotat a couple of degrees…use the energy savings for organic food. I can put on a sweater…not that much of a sacrifice to know I’m eating healthier food. Better yet, raise some of your own food. It can be done no matter where you live and foodrising.org shows you how to do it with very little work and cost. Do a search for urban permaculture for more ideas. We all agree that the only people who are looking out for our health is us, so working out ways to improve it just makes sense. Food Babe is helping us to know what to look out for. We need more like her.
the truth about GMO and roundup.
A good arsenal for you and your cause.
You will see the truth here by a good man, Thierry Vrain
Published on Mar 8, 2015
Thierry Vrain is a retired biologist and genetic engineer who went on a lecture Tour across Canada in 2013-2014, to raise public awareness about the link between engineered food and poor health.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiU3Ndi6itk
I am very confused – For the life of me I can not understand how a product with SOY in it, regardless of whether it is non-GMO or organic, how can that product be healthy for you? It has been proven over and over again that soy is not good for you. For both men and women it cause your hormones to go crazy. Soy causes problems with the thyroid gland/regulations of hormones and heart. Soy has also been proven to have isoflavones which are classified as endocrine disruptors, chemicals that interfere with the normal function of hormones in the body. The key isoflavones in soy are genistein, daidzein and glycitein. There are so many bad things said about soy, although, there are also some things which could be consider good (my opinion) although the bottom line to me would be are there enough good things about Soy, regardless of it being Organic and verified non-GMO to out weigh the bad??? Every day something new is being said and soon I am going to be concerned about EVERYTHING I eat. These companies need to be stopped – Money is the root to all evil!!
Thanks Food Babe for posting this on your site {I got it through my subscription via email}. I don’t have an account on Facebook…..much appreciated! 🙂
Ok let me make a comment here, first off buy a machine and make soy milk I have one and bought 35 lb bucket of organic soy beans easy to make and taste much better than any store bought soy whether its organic or not. Second I took a tour of the starkist tuna plant while working in American Samoa good luck eating tuna it was the most disgusting and nastiest place I have ever seen. I never ate tuna again after that. Don’t care what can it comes in natural organic or what ever tuna process is nasty. Don’t believe me take a tour of a plant and see.
Used to use Coke when tearing down an engine we would drop all nut, bolts and washers in an old coffee can and cover with Coke ,leave overnight , rinse off the next day , the phosphoric acid in Coke would clean the parts up shiny as new parts. Also ,I carry a bottle of coke with me on long motor trips. When your windshield gets streaky with road grime and washer fluid only makes it streaky, Coke poured over the windshield will clean it right up.
The best and healthiest salad dressing in a bottle is Tessamaes. I get mine at Whole Foods and it comes in many delicious varieties. All of them only contain olive oil, lemon juice and the variety of spices depending on the flavor you purchase.
The company just came out with a delicious mayo that has no omega 6, junky oils. They also sell on their web site.
You forgot FAMILIA as a terrific alternative cereal. It is MUCH better than your recommendations.