Do you want to get healthy once and for all? AND stay healthy for the rest of your life? Then don’t delay. Get reading the Top 10 Things You Must Do To Get Healthy (and stay healthy), Part 3. (There's even a game you get to play in #9 below.)
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This is the final week of our 3-part mini-series about The Top 10 Things You Must Do To Get Healthy (and stay healthy).
In Week 1 we learned you must:
1) Eat at Least 50 grams of Fiber a Day
2) Get At Least 1 hour of Exercise a Day (walking qualifies!)
AND some habits you need to stop or keep in check:
3) Don’t Smoke (and this includes vaping/e-cigarettes)
4) Limit or Avoid Alcohol
In Week 2 we learned 3 things you need to stop doing...
5) Don’t Eat Foods Cooked at High Temperatures
6) Don't Eat Processed Meat
7) Don’t Eat Refined Sugars
To read WEEK 2, CLICK THE IMAGE ABOVE
And now we're on to Week 3!
Today we'll be talking about red meat, processed foods and artificial sugars to end our Top 10 Things You Must Do To Get Healthy (and stay healthy) mini-series.
Let's get right into it!
Tired of facing your Prediabetes or Insulin Resistance alone?
Then our Healthy U Group is your health's new best friend...
8) Avoid Red Meat
By now you've probably seen the news stories that talk about how red meat might cause cancer.
These scary news stories also say how red meat is linked to other diseases like Diabetes, Stroke and Heart Disease!
Should you really avoid red meat?
AND what exactly is red meat? Beef?
I know this all sounds a bit confusing, so I'll tell you how this red meat warning came to be...AND what the term 'red meat' really means.
The Red Meat Cancer Warning:
In 2014 the cancer agency of the World Health Organization (which means a whole bunch of really smart cancer-scientists) studied over 800 research studies.
The scientists wanted to see if eating processed meat and red meat caused cancer.
But the cancer warnings didn't stop with just processed meat.
The cancer agency ALSO found considerable disturbing cancer evidence about another meat too: red meat.
AND the research group labelled red meat as being "probably carcinogenic to humans".
This all means there is strong evidence that eating red meat increases the risk for getting cancer.
Hmmm... this doesn't sound good at all!!!
What Specific Diseases are Linked With Eating Red Meat?
Scientists already know that eating red meat increases the risk of several cancers including colorectal cancer, pancreatic cancer and prostate cancer.
AND red meat consumption is also linked to increased risks of death from heart disease, diabetes, and many other chronic illnesses.
Though the cancer evidence for red meat is NOT as strong as for processed meat, the link between red meat and cancer still exists and is cause for concern.
Cancer Agency of The World Health Organization: Cancer Classifications |
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| Scientists know 100% for sure these things cause cancer | Processed Meat, Smoking, Arsenic, Formaldehyde, Asbestos, Alcoholic Beverages, Tanning Beds, and others |
Probably Carcinogenic to Humans | There is considerable evidence that links these things with cancer | Red Meat, Roundup (Glyphosate), Frying/BBQing Meat at High Temperatures, Eating Nitrates or Nitrites Consumption, Petroleum refining, and others |
Trying to eat healthy all on your own is too darn hard.
In the Healthy U Group we encourage each other to eat better...
Okay, So What Is Red Meat?
Red meat is beef...AND a whole bunch of other meats too!
- Beef (factory farm, free range, grass fed, it doesn't matter...ALL Beef)
- Veal
- Pork
- Lamb
- Mutton
- Goat
- Horse (yes, some people do eat horse meat in Asian countries AND I had to make sure my horse-loving daughter did not see me write this post!)
Should You Eat Red Meat?
You'll have to decide if you're willing to take the risk, but really, you gotta ask yourself this:
Why would I knowingly eat something that's so closely linked to cancer?
There are MANY other meat options available that are NOT considered to be "probably carcinogenic"!
Fish, chicken and turkey are NOT on the red meat list.
This means you have MUCH better choices than red meat.
Did you know that eating a lot of ANY meat is not a good idea? CLICK here to learn more.
9) Avoid Processed Foods
Walk down any aisle in the grocery store and you'll be bombarded with processed foods like:
- Ready-made meals
- Canned soups, canned fruits and canned veggies
- Dressings, sauces and spreads
- Boxed cereals and snacks
- Prepared, precooked meats
- Dairy products packed with sugary goopy syrups
- And pretty much everything you would ever need to make meals fast
You might not even have to cook at all!
But Is All This Processed Food A Good Thing?
No! No! No! I can not stress it enough.
Processed food is the worse thing you can put in your body!
But don’t take my word for it.
Every country that has ever adopted a diet high in Western processed foods becomes sick with alarmingly high rates of heart disease, diabetes and a whole host of other chronic diseases.
The reason for this is simple:
Processed food is NOT real food!
Processed foods are mostly salt, sugar, corn, soy protein, flavorings, starches, oil...
...AND a whole bunch of other nasty things like:
- Chemicals/substances that make the food appear bigger, look the same, and give you a great sensory experience when you put it in your mouth (oh brother!)
- Chemicals and flavors to make you want to eat more and more and more (yes, many processed foods are specifically formulated to be addictive)
- Chemicals that give the food a very LONG shelf life (sometimes years)
Salt, sugar, corn, soy protein, flavorings, oil, chemicals, colors, starches, preservatives...
Ok, can I barf now?
Processed Food Is NOT Good For You And Here's Why:
- Processed foods are packed with salt (high sodium diets increase the risk for Stroke, Heart Disease and Heart Failure, Stomach Cancer & Osteoporosis!)
- Processed foods are packed with sugar (read #7-Don't Eat Refined-Processed Sugar here)
- Eating processed food promotes malnutrition and disease. And this is so bad that Unicef issued a big report about how the world's children are becoming malnourished from eating processed food. (Adults can become malnourished from eating processed food too!)
Because processed food is such poor quality...you never get all the vitamins and minerals you need... you literally become malnourished...so you get sick with serious diseases.
National health programs in Brazil, the UK, Canada and other countries are trying to combat processed food malnutrition by recommending people eat unprocessed food and home cooked meals from scratch.
Let's Play A Game About Processed Foods:
You ready to play: 'What's this? Is this real food?'
Great! Just answer the following 2 questions for Box A, Box B and Box C below.
1. Can you guess what processed food is represented by this label?
2. Do you think this label describes real food?
(see the end of the blog post for the answers)
BOX A - What food is this? Is this real food? |
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BOX B - What food is this? Is this real food? |
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BOX C - What food is this? Is this real food? |
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Did you guess the right answers?
Did you know ALL of the products in our game are sold as 'health' foods?
(I'm not fibbing. These food manufacturers want you to believe they're doing you a favor by making these foods.)
Ladies, processed foods aren't food and they certainly are NOT health foods.
Processed Foods You Need To Avoid
BREAKFAST - Processed Foods to AVOID:
Boxed cereals, boxed granola, pre-made waffles/pancakes, cream of wheat, breakfast smoothies in a bottle, donuts, store-bought muffins / cakes / bagels, packaged dairy products, energy drinks, commercial jams and jellies, processed meat (bacon, etc.), rice cakes, commercial bread, gluten free breads, granola bars/energy bars, frozen potatoes/hash browns
Click here to make a healthy unprocessed Prediabetes BREAKFAST!
LUNCH - Processed Foods to AVOID:
Bagels, baked goods, bottled sauces, canned pasta / soup, coffee shop food, crackers, energy drinks, fast food, granola bars / energy bars, packaged cookies / snacks, pita bread, processed meats, instant noodles, rice cakes / crackers, store bought muffins and cakes, pre-packaged weight loss meals, white bread, white pasta, white rice, take out food, deep fried food
Click here to make a healthy unprocessed Prediabetes LUNCH!
SUPPER – Processed Foods To AVOID:
Pre-made deli foods, bottled pasta sauce, white pasta, bottled sauces, canned pasta / soup, fast food, pita bread, processed meats, instant noodles, packaged tortillas, rice cakes / crackers, store bought desserts, pre-packaged weight loss meals, white buns, French bread, garlic bread, white rice, take out food, frozen pizza, pre-packaged cooked meat products (chicken fingers, frozen deep fried meat, etc.), TV dinners, most take out food you can buy that's already cooked and ready to eat, deep fried food
Click here to make a healthy unprocessed Prediabetes SUPPER!
So, I think you get the picture that you need to avoid processed foods if you want to get healthy again!
Stick with food that comes from nature, not food that comes from a laboratory!
10) Never Eat Artificial Sweeteners (fake sugars)
As soon as a Prediabetes diagnosis happens, a lot of ladies ditch the sugar and run and get a big bag of Splenda and a Diet Coke.
This is a TERRIBLE idea.
Yes, artificial sugars were thought to be harmless at first...but we now know that artificial sugars are far from safe.
If you eat artificial sugars, you should expect:
- Increased A1C
- Increased Risk for Diabetes Diagnosis
- Increased Glucose Intolerance
- Increased Insulin Resistance
- Increased Fasting Glucose Numbers
- Increased Body Weight
- Increased Tummy Fat
- Increased Risk for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Why do all these terrible things happen when you eat fake sugars?
Because:
- Fake sugars change your gut microbiome, encouraging your cells to store fat rather than burn it.
- Fake sugars trick your brain into thinking you just ate sugar....so you release insulin! The problem is there isn't actually any sugar present for the insulin to send into your cells...so the insulin zips around your bloodstream causing inflammation AND insulin resistance.
- Fake sugars cause terrible cravings, so you end up eating much more food to satisfy the cravings.
If you are serious about reversing your Prediabetes and Insulin Resistance, NEVER eat artificial sugars.
AVOID all of these Artificial Fake Sugars |
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Acesulfame
Potassium (Ace-K) | |
| (new sweetener in Canada, USA, Japan) |
| Nutrasweet®
Equal®
Sugar Twin® |
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| Sweet and Low®
Sweet Twin®
Sweet ‘N Low®
Necta Sweet® |
| |
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Ladies, do yourself a favor and NEVER eat or drink artificial sugars... EVER!
To learn about Prediabetes and Baking, CLICK HERE.
To learn more about Refined Sugar, CLICK HERE.
Wrap Up: 10 Things You Must Do To Get Healthy (and stay healthy), Part 3 of 3
So there you have it! 10 Things You Must Do To Get Healthy!
(Helpful Tip: Save the image below to your phone or pin it!)
CLICK to READ Part 1 now
CLICK to READ Part 2 now
Learn everything exactly how to eat to reverse Prediabetes, Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes: CLICK HERE
Answers to the 'What's This? Is This Real Food?' game:
Box A: Lean Cuisine: Alfredo Pasta with Chicken & Broccoli
Box C: Atkins Bar - Dark Chocolate Cherry and Nuts Bar
Box C: Nutri-Grain Kellogg's Cereal Bar: Strawberry
All of the manufacturers of these foods claim to have passions for nutrition. Really? You've got to be kidding me.
Ladies, don’t be fooled. Processed food is NOT real food!
You'll have a heck of a time reversing your Prediabetes and Insulin Resistance AND regaining your health if you eat processed foods.
References: 3-part series, 10 Things You Must Do To Get Healthy (and stay healthy)
