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Over the past twenty years, a lot has changed and the foods that we eat are creating a sicker generation of children. As a result, we now have epidemic increases in diabetes, heart disease, obesity and cancer.<\/p>\nOver the past twenty years, a lot has changed and the foods that we eat are creating a sicker generation of children. As a result, we now have epidemic increases in diabetes, heart disease, obesity and cancer.<\/p>\n
The commercialisation of nutrition has forced food companies to find newer, cheaper mechanisms to increase the shelf life of food, improve colour, taste and perceived nutritional value.\u00a0 The result \u2014 a dietary system heavily laced with preservatives, artificial colourings and chemicals.<\/p>\n
Processed foods are one of the greatest dangers to one\u2019s overall health as they provide little actual nutritional value.\u00a0 These foods are commonly loaded with unhealthy sugars, salts and fats that create inflammation, spike blood sugar and elevate blood pressure.<\/p>\n
Instant noodles topped with MSG<\/strong><\/p>\n There are many brands of instant noodles but few will win any health food awards. The immediate danger is in the flavour packet that comes with the noodles. This packet often contains monosodium glutamate or MSG and very high amounts of salt.<\/p>\n One of the most common causes of high blood pressure and kidney disease is eating too much salt.\u00a0 One can incorporate instant noodles into a healthy diet by simply leaving out the flavour packet.<\/p>\n Sweet addictions<\/strong><\/p>\n The vast majority of sweets and candy are high in saturated fat and a large portion of the calories come from sugars. They are also a very poor source of vitamins and minerals.\u00a0 Not only is the sugar bad for one\u2019s teeth, it\u2019s also a leading cause of inflammation and weight gain.<\/p>\n It is appalling to find a small sweet packed with over 234 calories, 25g of sugar and 12g of fat.\u00a0 Sugar is addictive as it manipulates one\u2019s taste buds, metabolism and brain into seeking out more.<\/p>\n Soda affecting heart beats<\/strong><\/p>\n People often drink soda in place of water. Soda has an alarming amount of sugar, calories and harmful additives that have absolutely no nutritional value. Studies have linked soda to osteoporosis, obesity, tooth decay and heart disease.<\/p>\n The caffeine found in soda can cause jitters, insomnia, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, elevated blood cholesterol levels, vitamin and mineral depletion, breast lumps and possibly even some forms of cancer.<\/p>\n Soda also contains phosphoric acid that can interfere with the body\u2019s ability to use calcium, which can lead to osteoporosis or softening of the bones and teeth. Phosphoric acid also neutralises the acids in the stomach making it difficult to properly utilise nutrients.<\/p>\n Crisps ousting healthier snacks<\/strong><\/p>\n An occasional handful of crisps may not cause irreparable damage to someone consuming an otherwise healthy diet but the real dangers arise when one consumes crisps on a regular or daily basis.<\/p>\n Crisps are typically low in vitamins and minerals, and they tend to replace things in the diet that have better nutrient values.\u00a0 They are typically high in fat and energy, which can raise the risk of weight gain and obesity. As an example, one ounce or 15 to 20 crisps of a popular brand contained 10g of fat and 154 calories.<\/p>\n Sugary cereals no better than biscuits<\/strong><\/p>\n Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It provides the energy for the day, nutrients needed to repair bodily tissues and activate one\u2019s metabolism to maintain a healthy weight.\u00a0 Junk food, also known as sugary cereals in the morning can do more harm than good.<\/p>\n According to a recent study, children\u2019s breakfast cereals should be in the chocolate biscuit aisle of supermarkets.\u00a0 One cup of a popular brand of children\u2019s cereal contained more sugar than three cookies.<\/p>\n Researchers looked at 50 cereals overall and 32 were too high in sugar. Even brands advertising themselves as healthy options tipped the scales.<\/p>\n \u2018Healthy options\u2019 usually indicates the fortification of vitamins or minerals.\u00a0 Fortification is a process of artificially implanting nutrients to improve product sales.<\/p>\n Boxed juices or boxed sugar<\/strong><\/p>\n Infants less than a year old should not drink any fruit juice, one- to six-year-olds should not exceed six ounces of fruit juice per day and older children ages seven to 18 should not consume more than eight or 12 ounces per day, ideally divided into two servings, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.<\/p>\n Sensationalist claims on the box make it difficult to figure out if the juice is actually healthy or not. Numerous studies detail the dangers of drinking too many high-energy, high-sugar, low-nutrient beverages.\u00a0 Consumers should be urged to check the food label before purchasing any of their favourite juices.<\/p>\n Processed meats producing cancers<\/strong><\/p>\n Many processed meats are made with unhealthy nitrates, nitrites, trans fats, saturated fats and large amounts of sodium and sugar. A recent study showed a 67 per cent increase in pancreatic cancer for people consuming moderate amounts of processed meat. The high level transfat and saturated fat content can sabotage one\u2019s heart and waistline as well.<\/p>\n Sodium nitrite can be found in nearly every packaged meat product imaginable. It\u2019s listed on the food label of products such as bacon, breakfast sausages, dried meats, pepperoni, sandwich meats, ham and even the meats found in canned soups.<\/p>\n Sauces and artificial colourings<\/strong><\/p>\n Processed and unhealthy, just the thought of the powdered imitation sauce alone should make one cringe. These products contain excessive amounts of salts and preservatives to ensure the shelf life of the product.\u00a0 Artificial colourings, stabilisers and emulsifiers are chemicals used to make the food more attractive and palatable.<\/p>\n Imitation powdered sauces often contain chemicals like artificial dye Yellow #5 and #6. Yellow #5 is a water-soluble artificial dye that is also known as Tartrazine. Other foods that contain Tartrazine includes cake, pudding, biscuits, cookies, muffins, breads, pie crusts, frostings, sand so on.<\/p>\n The problems do not stop there. Packaged sauces also contain a fattening secret known as partially hydrogenated oils. The entire process of partially hydrogenating an oil will produce unhealthy trans fats. Trans fatty acids are toxic to our systems, produce inflammation and allow diseases to develop.<\/p>\n Dr Cory Couillard is an international healthcare speaker and columnist for numerous newspapers, magazines, websites and publications throughout the world. He works in collaboration with the World Health Organization\u2019s goals of disease prevention and global healthcare education. Views do not necessarily reflect endorsement.<\/strong><\/p>\n Email: drcorycouillard@gmail.com
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\nTwitter: DrCoryCouillard<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Over the past twenty years, a lot has changed and the foods that we eat are creating a sicker generation of children. As a result, we now have epidemic increases in diabetes, heart disease, obesity and cancer. The commercialisation of…","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":90474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_cbd_carousel_blocks":"[]","footnotes":""},"categories":[90],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dr-cory"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n