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10 Worst 'Foods' and 10
Superhealthy Foods
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It's impossible to put the superhealthy
foods in precise order of benefit, but we've done our best!
With regard to the 10 worst foods, the
top half dozen could all compete for the dubious honour of first
place, but we've 'awarded' it to soft/soda drinks
due
purely to the vast quantities consumed.
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No. 1 |
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Bilberries, Acai and Pomegranate, and drinks made
from 100% fruit (e.g. Innocent range).
Studies show that the Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) is one of the
most nutritious and
powerful foods on this planet.
 Native to the
Amazon rainforests of Brazil, the Acai berry contains
more calcium than comparable amounts of milk and more
antioxidants than
blueberries. It has a sweet flavour with a
delicious chocolate overtone.
Acai
berries taste scrumptious, and are packed full of antioxidants,
essential fatty acids and amino acids. You may not find Acai
berries
easily, but it's one of the ingredients in one of the Innocent
range of fruit drinks. Also comes in
supplement form. (People
who need to watch their blood sugar should drink this in small
quantities only, and preferably dilute it with 50% water.)
Pomegranate After Acai, Pomegranate
juice contains possibly the highest antioxidant capacity compared to
other juices, red wine and green tea. They have been revered
throughout history, in many varied cultures.
More on
Pomegranate
Research suggests that blueberries and
bilberries have
the potential to prevent many diseases associated
 with
ageing. Indications are that a daily intake of 100 grams of
blueberries or bilberries can stimulate new brain cell growth and may help
with the prevention of memory loss. Blueberries are also rich in
the plant group called anthocyanins, which helps oxygenate the
skin, keeping it looking young. Scientists are also turning up
results that suggest bilberries and blueberries reduce cholesterol as
effectively as manmade drugs.
More on
bilberries
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No. 1 |
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Soft drinks, soda drinks, including the "diet" kind
The
average 12oz can supplies 10 teaspoons of sugar, which
contribute to obesity, tooth
decay and diabetes. Most supply preservatives, sodium,
sulphites, tons of calories, and some provide caffeine.
Studies have linked soda drinks to osteoporosis,
obesity, tooth decay and heart disease. Plus, drinking all that
sugar will likely suppress your appetite for healthy foods,
which pave the way for nutrient deficiencies.
If you think 'diet' drinks are a better option,
they're not. Most artificial sweeteners used in these drinks
have been linked with cancer. And they still contain the other
toxins of course. Drink water instead, or green tea,
Innocent fruit juice diluted with 50% water, up to one coffee or
a few cups of sugarless tea per day.
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No.
2 |
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Anything with transfats
(hydrogenated vegetable oil)
Not
all fats are bad - we all know by now that the oils in fish,
seeds, nuts and so on are very good for us. The problem arises
when man takes the seed into the factory and changes it into
something unnatural and extremely unhealthy. By the time man has
finished,
most refined oils are highly toxic and full of transfats.
Includes margarines, most cooking oils, many burgers, many packaged foods,
especially baked goods such as biscuits, cakes, crisps,
crackers, etc.
The label should state whether the product contains hydrogenated vegetable oils. Transfats clog your arteries, raise LDL cholesterol, lower good
HDL cholesterol, and increase risk of heart disease.
OK,
we didn't say NEVER indulge! So long as the vast bulk of the
diet comprises healthy foods, the body can cope with the odd
'indiscretion'. Just make sure you ENJOY it!
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No. 3 |
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Bacon and other 'processed mystery meats'
Called 'mystery meats' because it's anybody's guess what some of
these processed meats actually contain. Full
of nitrites and nitrates, fat
and salt. Nitrates are harmless, but can convert to nitrite,
which can form nitrosamines, which are a powerful cancer causing
chemical.
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No. 4 |
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Doughnuts
The
epitome of 21st century junk food - refined flour, refined oil
and refined sugar. Doughnuts will upset blood sugar balance, and
give a quick 'high' followed by a 'low' - before you know it
you're hungry again and reaching for another one, and a soft
drink to wash it down!
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No. 5 |
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Pizza loaded with cheese and processed "meat"
Refined flour, fat, salt, preservatives - token slithers
of vegetable. The tomato is good, of course, but that's often the
extent of the benefit.
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No. 6 |
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French fries
Contain saturated fat, or worse, hydrogenated vegetable oil, and
salt. The heat of deep frying destroys the vitamin C naturally
found in potatoes.
Anything that is fried or cooked with high heat has the issue of acrylamide, which has
been shown to cause cancer and neurotoxic effects in animal
studies, and damage to nervous system in humans.
Acrylamide is formed when high carbohydrate foods are cooked at
high temperatures.
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No. 7 |
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Fried Seafood
Some of the
problems with seafood (e.g. shrimps, prawns, lobster, clams,
etc.) are: they can be loaded with toxic mercury; can be
contaminated with parasites; can be contaminated with salmonella
and campylobacter.
Furthermore,
frying them in refined oils adds transfats, and produces
acrylamide (see no. 6 above).
If you want to eat
fish, wild Alaskan salmon is still a good option.
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No. 8 |
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No.
9 |
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Sweeteners such as Aspartame, Acesulfame-K and Saccharin
have been linked with cancer.
Preservatives such as BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole), which
is considered to be possibly carcinogenic to humans by the
International Agency for Research on Cancer Institute. The State
of California has listed BHA as a carcinogen.
Flavour enhancers, such as Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) - can
lead to headaches, burning sensations on the skin and tightness
in the chest ('Chinese Takeaway Syndrome')
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No. 10 |
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Pork Scratchings
are typically heavy, hard and have a crispy layer of fat under
the skin. Some still retain the hair of the pig, and are
flavoured only with salt. The pig hair is usually removed by
quickly burning the skin of the pig before it is cut into pieces
and cooked in hot fat. Hair removal is not 100% effective which
is why some retain a few hairs!
They're very high
in salt and, of course, fat.
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Acai |
Bilberry |
Pomegranate
and spirulina |
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No.
2 |
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Broccoli and broccoli sprouts
Also Brussel
sprouts, cauliflower, spring greens, curly kale, watercress, and
all other vegetables
Read more about broccoli here
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No. 3 |
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Seeds and Nuts
Especially almonds,
pumpkin seeds and flaxseeds (also called linseeds).
Buy fresh, keep in dark
place and refrigerate when possible
Almonds contain lots of vitamin E, magnesium and protein,
as well as potassium, fibre and healthy fats. Buy organic if
possible and eat the skins, which are full of flavonoids. The
vitamin E, magnesium and flavonoids help reduce heart disease
and high blood pressure, as well as lowering LDL cholesterol.
They're also very low in sodium. Can be added to foods, whole or chopped,
or eaten as a snack. Soaking overnight in water makes them more
digestible.
Pumpkin seeds Good for everyone, but particularly older
men. They've been shown to be good for the health of the
prostate gland, and reduce incidence of hip fractures in men.
Pumpkin seeds have anti-inflammatory action and are helpful with
arthritis. The phytosterol content lowers cholesterol. They
contain minerals, fibre and healthy fats. Can be added to foods,
whole or ground, or
eaten as a snack.
Flaxseed (linseeds) are very high in omega-3 essential
fatty acids which have potent anti-inflammatory action. The
omega-3 in flaxseed is one step away from the EPA found in fish
oil, which has so many known benefits. Not everyone is able to
make EPA from flaxseed's omega-3 (e.g. people with diabetes, or
those who drink more than a little alcohol or eat more than a
little saturated fat. However, even if this conversion does not
take place, the omega-3 in flaxseed has benefits of its own. To
be sure of getting EPA it's usually best to rely on
fish oil. Whole linseeds, taken with a big glass of water,
are very helpful in constipation.
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No. 4 |
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Green Foods
Green foods like
wheat and barley grasses,
spirulina and
Klamath Lake
Blue Green Algae can be bought in powder,
tablet or juice form, and offer greater levels of nutrients than
green leafy vegetables. They also help cholesterol, blood pressure
and immune response.
Read more about Green Foods here
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Beyond
Greens |
Omega-3 fish oil |
Udo's
Choice Oil |
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No. 5 |
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Organic eggs
Eggs contain all the right nutrients for health of the brain,
nerves, glands and hormones.
We like Colombo, which are free-range and high in omega-3 fatty
acids.
Read more about
eggs here
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No.
6 |
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Wild Alaskan Salmon
Unfortunately, due
to toxicity, we can no longer recommend most fish (other than wild
Alaskan salmon). Instead we
recommend omega-3 be obtained from fish oil supplements, such as
Eskimo-3 or Neptune Krill Oil.
(Be aware that many fish oil products are not free from toxins -
only buy
the
best)
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No.
7 |
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Coconut Butter
Coconut is one of the safest and healthiest
cooking oils. It’s also a great alternative to butter and margarine
for spreading on bread when kept in the fridge. Coconut
oil is rich in medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) that digest easily
and are an excellent source of energy and fuel for the body. In
America dieters and athletes prefer coconut for this reason. Unlike
saturated fats (e.g. butter), coconut doesn’t raise cholesterol. In
fact Polynesians who use coconut oil daily have low cholesterol. And
unlike margarines, coconut oil contains no toxic trans fatty acids.
Read more about coconut
butter here
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No.
8 |
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Plain, live yoghurt and kefir
These cultured foods contain healthful bacteria that aid immune
function, and the calcium helps burn fat. Try using them as a base
for a smoothie.
Read more about
yoghurt here including a recipe for
home-made yoghurt
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No.
9 |
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Brown rice, sweet potatoes, barley, millet, steamed new
potatoes
Brown rice is a good
source of B vitamins, manganese, selenium, iron and fibre, and
can help lower cholesterol, reduce risk of diabetes, heart
disease, heart attack, stroke and colon cancer, reduce severity
of asthma, and lower frequency of migraine headaches. Brown rice
may also help with weight management.
Sweet Potatoes
High in antioxidant activity and also help
to stabilise blood sugar. Sweet potatoes have good amounts of
beta-carotene, vitamin C, manganese, vitamin B6 and other
nutrients.
They're delicious baked in the oven,
either whole or in thick slices, or steamed with some broccoli.
Cook immediately after peeling or cutting, as they will oxidise
(turn a dark colour) when exposed to the air.
Barley can be used as a breakfast cereal, in soups and stews, and
as a rice substitute. Barley's also high in fibre, helping
metabolise fats, cholesterol and carbohydrates.
Millet is high in manganese,
magnesium and phosporous. It's also high in tryptophan which is
needed to make serotonin to help with sleep and good mood. Can
be cooked like rice, and used as base for porridge, or mixed
with stir fry vegetables.
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No.
10 |
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Water
OK, that's
cheating.
Quite often we
think we're hungry, when actually we're dehydrated and our bodies
are desperate for water.
Read more about water here |
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What a
Shame!
We would have liked
to add Heinz Baked Beanz to this list of superfoods. However, even the Reduced
sugar and salt variety still contains a large amount of
glucose/fructose syrup and sugar, so unfortunately it gets the
If Heinz were to substitute these sugars with a
mixture of healthy sugars (for example) xylitol, F.O.S. (fructooligosaccharides)
and a little apple juice and still appeal to our children, what a
joy that would be!
It's unfortunate, because haricot beans contain
protein, fibre, iron and calcium. They also contain
carbohydrates of a type which are low on the Glycaemic Index.
The tomato sauce covering baked beans is also a good
source of lycopene, another powerful antioxidant shown to help
prevent heart disease and prostate cancer.
The insoluble fibre in baked beans is not digested
but moves into the colon, and helps lower cholesterol, among other
benefits.
With all these benefits, what a shame that the beans
are swimming in sugar!
You could, of course, make your own version at home
and keep your fingers crossed the kids will love them! You'll
find a variety of recipes if you do a Google search - just keep the
salt and sugar really low.
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We
are required to inform you that there is no intention, implied
or otherwise, that represents or infers that these products or
statements be used in the cure, diagnosis, mitigation,
treatment, or prevention of any disease.
Any
references, studies or testimonials on this website do not imply
that similar results will happen with your use of products
referred to. Our web pages are not intended to recommend any
supplement as a drug, as a diagnosis for specific illnesses or
conditions, nor as a product to eliminate diseases or other
medical conditions or complications. We make no medical claims
as to the benefits of any of the products to improve medical
conditions.
We
always recommend that you work in conjunction with your primary
medical advisor, particularly if you have an existing medical
condition, and that you do not take any products during
pregnancy or breast-feeding without first referring to your
primary medical advisor. | |
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