Things to Avoid at All Costs!

I wanted to start off by giving you a list of what I feel are the most important things to avoid AT ALL COSTS! Followed by a list of things you should shy away from, and what I mean by shy away from is, to avoid them completely unless as a last resort. Then finally, a list of things you can really sink your teeth into...in moderation of course, and barring any allergies, religious, or personal beliefs. 

I believe very strongly in not just knowing WHAT to eat or not eat, but also WHY. I believe that if you are just doing something because someone said so, but you don't know the reasoning behind it, then you are less likely to have conviction behind your intentions. I want you to be educated in your choices, not just follow like a lost puppy. I want you to be able to answer with confidence when someone questions your choices, or to help pay it forward when a friend or family member needs help getting started. So, in order to do that, I will be creating many follow-up notes on individual subjects. If you would like to know more about a particular item that I haven't covered yet, or isn't on my list, please message me and I will work on getting to that right away.

This list is in no way complete and the information is always evolving. I will be here to help keep you up-to-date. 

ITEMS TO AVOID AT ALL TIMES:

• Sodas, regular or diet (fattening, heart unhealthy, bone depleting)

• Artificial sweeteners in the pink, yellow, blue, green or other little packets – (poison in a packet)

• Monosodium Glutamate (MSG is harmful, period)

• Hydrogenated fats or oils (canola [YES, canola], corn, cottonseed, peanut, soy, they contribute to heart disease)

• Fast food (if it's fast, or low cost, it's typically not nutritious and has empty calories)

• Microwavable food (alters the molecular content and nutrition of heated food or liquids)

• Soft Plastic Bottled Water. The kind that crackle when you squeeze them. (harmful chemical called BPA in the plastic that gets into the water)

• Deep Fried Foods (We all know this, even if we don't want to admit to it)

• High Fructose Corn Syrup AND Agave (triggers large elevation in blood triglycerides & serious weight gain)

•“Table” Salt (heart and blood pressure damaging)

• Mainstream Energy Drinks (heart damaging, central nervous system damaging)

• Tooth & Oral Care Whiteners (will make your tooth enamel brittle and increase your chances of broken teeth and dental care problems)

• Mainstream Breath Sprays, Mints and Mouthwashes (many typical use harmful and chemically based cancer causing sweeteners, colorings, and bulk agents)

• Margarines & Fake Branded Spreads (can you say "semi-edible plastic‟?)

• Skin Blocks (stops absorption of Vitamin D-3 from the sun, which most of us a highly deficient in)

ITEMS TO SHY AWAY FROM:

• Over The Counter Drugs (many are non effective and expensive)

• Prescription Drugs (only when medically prescribed and as a last resort, read THE TRUTH ABOUT THE DRUG COMPANIES by Dr. Marcia Angell, MD)

• Deli Meats (a chemistry set of harmful fillers)

• Sugary Breakfast Cereals (very costly, little nutrition, and potential allergic sensitivities)

• Granola Bars (full of harmful fats and refined sugars)

• Processed Poultry (a typical low cost roasted chicken at the supermarket is pumped full of salts, water sugars, modified food starches, preservatives, humectants, fake coloring, gelatins, etc., it gets worse from there, when talking about food service tenders/wings/skinned or restaurant poultry)

• The Center Aisles Of Most Grocery & Food Chains (yes, your chances of buying anything healthy or nutritious, loaded with harmful ingredients like High Fructose Corn Syrup, declines by 75%, of items on shelves in the center aisles of a typical supermarket or big box grocer, stay on the corners where the real food is found)

• Fat Free, Low Fat, Skim, and 2% (these are terms to make you think you are doing something good for your body, and it's just the opposite)

• Sliced & Whipped & Shredded (if it looks fake, it probably is, and contains polymer science)

• Scented Candles & Air Fresheners (chemistry, pure & deadly, for the most part)

• Energy Bars (far too many unfortunately are glorified candy bars, it takes some careful comparison-shopping to find brands that are decent)

• Potato Chips & Salted Snacks & Crackers (most sell the 4 most inexpensive & nutrient deplete ingredients = air, water, salt and HFCS).

• Frozen Pizza (mostly harmful ingredients)

• Frozen Dinners or Meals or Snacks (typically highly process empty calories at best)

• Bottled Salad Dressings & Bagged Salads = (hidden inert gases, aids to processing & bad for you ingredients in the bagged salads; lots of harmful chemistry in these bottles)

• Instant (translated from marketing terms means void of nutrition)

• Microwavable Popcorn (Full of cancer causing chemicals, salt and coloring combined with molecular manipulation of kernels and hot air by the microwave)

• Bottom Fish Or Shell Fish (can be loaded with harmful lead, mercury or other heavy metals, and/or high levels of iodine)

• Most Yogurts (Have you read the labels? Most are filled with artificial colors and sweeteners)

• White Sliced Bread (empty calories, refined carbohydrates)

• Canned Fruit (load with harmful sweeteners and void of nutrients)

ITEMS TO SINK YOUR TEETH INTO (IN MODERATION), FOR YOUR SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES:

• All Real FRESH Fruit 

• All Real Vegetables (dark, green, & leafy preferred)

• Nuts: Raw Almonds, Walnuts, Pecans, Roasted Macadamias

• Game Meats (meaning wild, hunted game such as venison, rabbit, squirrel, elk, etc)

• Pastured & Game Poultry (chickens allowed to roam free outside and wild caught birds)

• Most Wild-caught Seafood & Fish 

• Fresh Pastured Eggs (Check out my other Note Eggs: The Incredibly Good, Bad, and Ugly)

• Multi Grain Or Artisan Breads

• Fresh Tap Water and/or Filtered Water (non-bottled water)

• Citrus Fruits (lemon, orange, lime, etc., often, if not daily)

• Raw Cane & Brown Sugar (in moderation)

• Butter Ghee

• Olive Oil (Cold, First Pressed)

• Cocoa butter & Dark Chocolate

• Coconut & Coconut Oil (Virgin, cold pressed)

• Grape seed Oil

• Berries

• Fresh Salads

• Natural Vinegar (with "the mother" in it [Bragg's is a good brand])

• Spices & Natural Herbs

• Cinnamon

• Real Mayonnaise, Mustard & Sauces

• Pasta

• Unsweetened Teas

• Real Honey (Preferrably from a local source, it can help with some allergies)

• Real Maple Syrup (Sorry, Aunt Jemima is nothing but artificially colored and flavored corn syrup)

• Molasses

• Potatoes

• Yams

• Avocados

• Legumes & Beans

• Natural & Unprocessed Ethic Food (Mediterranean, Asian, Hispanic, etc.)

• Natural Jerky

• Home Made Pies (crust made with good old lard)

• Made from Scratch/Home Made Cakes

• Made from Scratch, Home Made Cookies & Baking with Real Butter

• Real & Natural, Jams, Jellies, Preserves

• Unrefined Sea Salt or Celtic salt

• Real Natural Favors & Extracts