Dr. Angela Agrios, ND
My very talented Naturopathic Doctor
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Avoid Synthetic Food Abridged Version
Avoid Synthetic and Artificial Food One of the greatest threats to the human race is the all-pervasive, ongoing, deliberate manipulation of our food supply—from the farm to the shelf, and at every step in-between. The contamination of our food with synthetic chemicals, such as pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, preservatives, food dyes, stabilizers, artificial flavorings, artificial sweeteners, fake vitamins, growth hormones, tranquilizers, and antibiotics, combined with production techniques that utterly decimate the nutritional value of our food, such as genetic engineering, irradiation, high-temperature processing and hydrogenation, is the primary root cause of degenerative disease in America today. Only organically grown food is guaranteed to be free of human manipulation and synthetic chemicals, and that’s why we should eat organic food.
Avoid Pesticides & Herbicides There is overwhelming evidence that pesticides and herbicides cause cancer and are extremely dangerous to humans and the environment. They usually kill by attacking the nervous system or the hormonal system. Numerous studies funded by the U.S. government, universities and nonprofits indicate that when we eat regular food, we’re also eating micro-doses of these toxins. In fact, after extensive research of government data, the Environmental Working Group has concluded that more than one million preschoolers consume at least 15 pesticides per day in their food. Unfortunately, pesticides and herbicides accumulate in our body cells, fatty tissue and in the nervous system. And what do you suppose happens to your body after accumulating deadly poison for years or decades? That’s right, disease. Which is precisely why we should choose organically grown food.
Avoid GMO food According to most estimates, over 70% of the food found in grocery stores has been genetically modified. Genetic engineering involves viruses, antibiotics and DNA restructuring at submicroscopic levels. GMO food doesn’t taste or look better, nor is there proof that it has more nutrition, or that it can feed more people. These designer plants are not regulated or labeled, but they are patented. Farmers typically use seeds gathered from one crop to grow another, but if a farmer grows a GMO crop, he must continue to buy seeds each year from the GMO patent holder, or risk being sued. Farmers who have their regular crops contaminated with GMO pollen can also sued, for patent infringement. So if you’d rather eat non-patented, time-tested, nature-designed food and help stop the corporate takeover of our food supply, buy organic food.
Avoid Irradiated food Irradiation is a process that delivers deadly gamma radiation into meat and other foods to kill bacteria that can cause food poisoning or spoilage. The radiation may come from nuclear material, x-rays or electronic beams. Fecal contamination of slaughterhouse animals is the primary reason for irradiation since animal waste in food or water is the cause of most food poisoning. Irradiation creates free radicals, and diminishes or destroys vitamins A, B, C, E and K. Irradiation also destroys the chi energy, live enzymes and friendly bacteria required for good health. Lab animals fed irradiated foods have produced tumors, kidney failure, reproductive problems and miscarriages. Irradiated food is not labeled. So if you’d prefer to eat pure food, the way nature intended, eat organic food.
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Avoid Preservatives & Additives Artificial food additives such as stabilizers, preservatives and flavorings are used in food to ensure uniform color, flavor, texture and longevity. The average additive consumption, including pesticides, is about nine to ten pounds per person per year. Unfortunately, the body treats these chemical-based compounds as poison, since they have no redeeming value other than to trick our senses. Research has shown that many of these additives cause hyperactivity, behavioral changes, allergies, tumors, cancer and other serious ailments. Since 1959 over 25 chemical food additives have been banned because they cause cancer and other diseases in lab animals. Nevertheless, synthetic food additives continue to be used in our food supply. So, if you’d like to eat a chemical-free diet, go organic.
Avoid Aspartame Aspartame is 200 times sweeter than sugar and is used in over 5,000 products worldwide. Aspartame is created from two synthetic amino acids bound in methanol. When consumed, this man-made chemical acts as an excitotoxin. As Dr. Russell Blaylock has explained, an excitotoxin over-stimulates neurons and therefore causes nerve damage and brain damage. It is this over-stimulating effect that tricks the brain into sweetness. Aspartame causes weight gain because it stops the trigger of feeling full, and because the liver has less energy for fat burning when Aspartame is being processed. Hundreds of studies give conflicting reports about its safety. Those funded by the Aspartame industry suggest that Aspartame is safe, while most other studies conclude that Aspartame can cause health problems, especially with the nervous system.
Avoid Sugar Refined sugar is addictive, and can cause a variety of health problems when consumed on a regular basis. Sugar has no nutritional value, and in fact it’s actually an anti-nutrient since the body must use reservoirs of minerals, enzymes and vitamins to process it. Bacteria living in our intestines manufacture many B vitamins, but too much sugar kills them, which in turn depletes B vitamins and lowers immune function. Lower immune function opens the door to ear infections in children, and sickness in adults. Regular intake of sugar creates an acidic condition that quickly consumes the body’s minerals—especially calcium. It also releases cortisol, which is the fight or flight hormone that causes stress. Although derived from plants, sugar is a man-made substance that upsets the delicate balance of the body, to our detriment.
Avoid Refined & Hydrogenated Oils Virtually all oil and margarine products sold in supermarkets are processed to such a degree that if they’re consumed on a regular basis, disease can follow. For oil, the refining process often involves a chemical solvent for extraction and a very high temperature for processing and deodorizing. Margarine is hydrogenated, meaning that hydrogen has been added to the oil to make it hard at room temperature. The result in both cases is an abundance of very harmful trans-fatty acids. Trans-fatty acids in cell membranes weaken the membrane’s protective structure and alter normal transport of minerals and other nutrients. This creates an elevation of blood cholesterol levels, and metabolic disorders that can cause arthritis, heart disease and cancer. The alternative to these highly refined and toxic oils is unrefined, organic, cold-pressed oils found at health food stores.
Avoid Refined Salt Unrefined sea salt, meaning, it’s been dried at low temperatures and is not further processed, has about 4 percent trace minerals, which is a profile similar to that found in our blood. There are about 60 trace minerals in unrefined sea salt, all of which provide numerous health benefits. Sea salt has a purifying effect on toxic residues in food, aids in the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, and helps to build the immune system. However, highly processed salt is stripped of all trace minerals due to high temperature processing, contributes to high blood pressure, and has no redeeming value. Furthermore, potassium levels in the body, not salt intake, regulate salt content in the body. Therefore, for optimum health, avoid highly refined salt, use unrefined sea salt instead, and be sure to eat foods high in potassium.
Avoid MSG Monosodium glutamate, or MSG for short, is a drug. MSG has no flavor, and artificially enhances the taste of food by changing the way the tongue, nervous system and brain communicate. It does this by causing neuron cells in the mouth to over-react to different flavors. Unfortunately, these over-stimulated cells exhaust themselves and die. Within 30 minutes of eating high levels of MSG, neurons swell up like balloons and die after three hours, and with lower doses they die after 18 to 24 hours. For this reason, many researchers state that MSG is a neurotoxin. More than 500 million people worldwide react severely to very small amounts of MSG. And common reactions include dizziness, headache, flushing and burning sensations. MSG is never safe—even if you don’t react to it.
