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How Excessive Free Radicals Damage the Body and How Vegetables and Fruits Help Clean Them Up

Vegetables and fruit photoVegetables and fruits are full of antioxidants and phytonutrients that are literally a cure for excessive free radicals and oxidative stress in the body, which are one of the main known causes of cancer and heart disease among many other health challenges. In this article, I will give a brief overview of how you can maintain a healthy balance of these elements in your body.

Free radicals are unstable atoms that form in the body in relation to oxidation and can occur as a natural byproduct of many processes in the body. They can form in excess by external sources such as unhealthy dietary fats, stress, environmental toxins and more. A little exposure is actually good to build up your body’s internal strength, but too much causes a lot of trouble. In modern times, most of us have far too much exposure to these free radicals unless we are careful to take good care of our health.

When there are too many, free radicals can be extremely reactive and destructive to the body’s proper functioning. It’s important to be aware that our genes aren’t set in stone, they are highly susceptible to environmental factors like these. At the cellular level, free radicals can do serious damage to DNA, cell membranes, lipids, carbohydrates, and protein molecules. When the ratio of free radicals to antioxidants gets too high, along with other factors that help regulate them, oxidative stress can really get us into trouble.

Where do free radicals come from?

Some of the free radicals contributing to oxidative stress form from normal metabolic processes in the body. Even exercise can cause them to form. Some cooking processes can add to free radical production, like grilling meat. The blackened parts of grilled meats are chock-full of free radicals. In addition to the food-based free radicals relating to unhealthy fats (learn more about healthy fats here), we can get added exposure to them from environmental toxins, chemicals, water pollutants, radiation (like X-rays and air travel), cigarette smoke, pesticides, air pollution, and a whole host of other toxins. We are all exposed to these on a daily basis, to varying degrees.

Obviously, the more exposure you have, the more at risk you are of developing excessive free radicals along with their negative effects. It is of course important to minimize your exposure to these dangerous influences, but here is some good news. Antioxidants are the primary method of wrangling and neutralizing free radicals, thereby helping to shift oxidative stress.

Antioxidant molecules can safely interact with free radicals and terminate the chain reaction that causes oxidation before other fundamental and healthy molecules are damaged in the body. As such, they are essentially one of the body’s primary antidotes to disease-causing forces.

A natural solution for wrangling free radicals in the body

So, what is a primary source of antioxidants for our bodies? Yep, as I shared earlier, vegetables and fruit.

Since we know vegetables and fruit are full of antioxidants, then it goes to figure that the more vegetables and fruit we eat, the more hard work they can do to clean up free-radical damage in the body. If we get enough—depending on the toxic load, of course—antioxidants can stop damage before it even starts. This is why, in our modern life with so many toxic exposures, it’s so important that we eat as many vegetables (and some fruit) as we can, and in as many varieties as we can.

So enjoy a rainbow of vegetables and fruits in your diet to help maintain good health and keep those toxic forces in check!

Healing Our Individual and Collective Health Crises

I recently talked with seven times New York Times bestselling author, Marianne Williamson about my new book, Nourish Your Self Whole: A Guide to Core Dietary Pillars, with Achievable Steps for Vibrant Health. It was very fun to talk with her and I’ve gotten lots of good feedback. You can watch the recording on YouTube.

In the meantime, Marianne and others have asked me why I decided to write this book. Here is some of what I’ve been sharing:

For so many years in my adult life, my physical health and vitality were devolving to various degrees. In ways I was not enjoying. Over the years I tried so many approaches to try and change the course: supplements, medicines, all kinds of alternative health practitioners, etc. I would sometimes make improvements, but nothing that really allowed me to physically feel the way I wanted to.

But when I finally started to make serious dietary changes back in 2015, much to my surprise, I felt better than I had really in my whole life. In ways I didn’t anticipate or even really think were possible from diet alone. And my physiology is not that unique.

That’s in large part why I wrote this book, because I want others to feel the kinds of positive benefits to their health and vitality that I have from making these changes. It feels good to feel so good!

A collective health crises

And the truth is, millions of people are in various states of health crises. Today 60 percent of Americans have one chronic disease and 40 percent have two or more chronic diseases. In ten years at the current trajectory, if nothing changes, 83 million Americans will have three or more chronic diseases, compared to 30 million in 2015. And 70% of Americans are either overweight or obese! 40% are obese, up from 3.4 percent in 1962. And yet many of the health challenges that people are experiencing can be improved, or even overcome, simply by dietary changes.

Another big motivation is that I discovered that healthy eating doesn’t have to hurt. You can feed your body the nutrients it needs to thrive without sacrificing your taste for scrumptious flavors, rich and varied textures and portions that allow you to feel satisfied and full. If you feel like you are constantly hungry or unsatisfied by what you are eating, you are not really doing it right. I don’t think people really GET that. So many have this erroneous idea that it’s just carrot and celery sticks. I eat a rich diversity of flavors and have a really robust and delicious diet.

A more accessible book

I also wanted to create a more accessible book than a lot of books out there, that meets people where they are. So many books target a very purist, ideal approach. I wanted to help people see that they can enter this at the level they are at, and make meaningful changes that can improve the quality of life significantly.

I think for too many people, the 100% ideal diet feels so out of reach. So I wanted to write this to offer guidance and support, a blueprint really for those that feel they may not be able to achieve a perfect diet, but that can change their diet in meaningful ways and improve health and even have a dramatic and transformative outcome.

That being said, the information outlined in the book will prove very useful to just about anyone. Whether you are only ready for baby steps or are ready to dive deep, there is more than enough information within to be a powerful guide. I really homed in on the most core nutritional pillars that are particularly highly leveraged to help create improved health while maximizing time and energy.

And finally, and maybe even the biggest motivator to write the book, I was thinking of my loved ones: friends, family, etc. whom I love and want to have long, healthy happy lives with. They weighed heavily on my mind, as I want to keep us all healthy so we can keep on enjoying this life’s journey together.

There are a lot of other reasons, but in a nutshell, this sums up the key highlights.

Again, the book is called Nourish Your Self Whole: A Guide to Core Dietary Pillars, with Achievable Steps for Vibrant Health. I hope you will check it out!

You are what you eat, for better or for worse

Book Excerpt

From my new book Nourish Your Self Whole: A Guide to Core Dietary Pillars, with Achievable Steps for Vibrant Health

Book coverFood is one of the most important influences on your overall health. Many of us erroneously chalk our health trajectory up to our genes, which is the biological equivalent of the luck of the draw. However, scientific research shows that about eighty-four percent of disease is actually determined by our epigenetics.

Among other things, epigenetics can be heavily determined by nutritional, environmental, and lifestyle factors, with food being a top driver. This means that our health is not simply impacted by our innate or hereditary genes acting out. These epigenetic influences help decide which genes “express” themselves, that is, which ones are active or dormant, and ultimately impact our health. So for someone that eats fried fast food every day, they may have genes that are not ideal turned on and active, while another person eating a healthy diet may have those same dangerous genes remain in the “off” position. To sum it up, it’s not just the genes you have in your DNA makeup, it’s also how they are influenced and triggered by outside factors like food that influence your overall health.

As a culture, many of our health indicators are declining because of the impact of these negative epigenetic factors. Chronic disease rates are skyrocketing, and experts believe that changes in our collective food choices and culture-wide eating habits are some of the primary causes. This does not simply impact adults. Chronic disease rates among children between 1994 and 2006 doubled! This is a disturbing trend that cuts across the age spectrum, but especially seems to be growing with each new generation of children.

Why is this? Where food is concerned, diets high in sugar, refined carbs, and highly processed vegetable oils are not compatible with healthy genetic expression. That’s right, genes don’t function well on the heavy doses of these substances that most of us consume. The bad genes that we hear about in the news, such as Alzheimer’s & breast cancer genes, don’t necessarily cause their damage unless specific conditions activate them. When negative gene expressions are triggered, this in turn can cause many diseases and negative health conditions.

In other words, our genes aren’t necessarily our destiny. The choices we make have a powerful influence, but the good news is that bad gene expressions have the potential to be reversed when controllable factors like food consumption are improved.

The bottom line for most of us is that there are too many irritants and toxins and not enough nutrients coming into the body. Nutrients can powerfully counteract the negative stimuli we are pummeled with each day, from air pollution to stress and poor food choices, among others.

One of the most powerful antidotes comes in the form of vegetables and fruits, as they can help clean up and shuffle out many toxins, but all the steps within this book are critical. I will of course be discussing many tips on improving your diet in the bulk of this book. Additionally, the last quarter of the book will highlight other lifestyle and environmental factors that you can improve for maximal health results and more ideal epigenetic expression.

The Proper Fuel for Our Bodies

It’s so important to give your body what it needs to function properly. You wouldn’t put diesel fuel in a premium unleaded engine. It would break down. And yet so many of us do just that to our own bodies by filling them with poor-quality foods.

You’ve also likely heard by now that consistently high levels of inflammation are unhealthy for the body. In fact, rampant inflammation is thought to be a primary factor behind heart disease, cancers, and other serious chronic health issues. (There is a strong correlation between excessive inflammation and negative gene expression as well.) The dietary tips within this book are largely anti-inflammatory. They will help you balance out your immune system, too, restoring your body’s capacity to do what it is supposed to at an optimal level of performance.

All that being said, every body is unique. You will discover for yourself which combination of foods and nutrients help your body perform at its best. There is no “expert” out there who can replace your own innate wisdom when you are tuned into what you really need. When you clean up your diet, your senses and awareness of how your body feels when you eat particular things that either work for or against it will become more astute. You’ll be better able to gauge what you most need. These pillars should be a solid starting point, but listen closely for what works best for you. This does not mean what your current taste buds or emotions want, but what your body systems want and need. Their signals are trying to communicate with you all the time, but the SAD diet (standard American diet) triggers so many disruptive signals that it’s much harder to figure out what is really going on until you give them more priority by cleaning up your health.

You can learn more or buy the book here!

My Favorite Healthy “ish” Junk Food Cheats

healthier junk foodsI take my health and nutrition very seriously.  That being said, I also love my comfort foods! One of the most daunting and even downright spooky parts of changing my diet years ago was the thought of having to give up the things I loved. My cheat junk foods.

The awesome news is that I have found some much better alternatives to some of the things that I had to take out of my diet. These healthier junk foods taste incredible, but without at least some of the negatives that their unhealthier counterparts contain. This page is dedicated to sharing with you some of my favorites. Most are organic, gluten-free, lower in carbs/sugars and keto safe.

These are now staples in my house. I know that there will be times in my life when I need to cave and indulge in some yummy treats.  Having them around keeps me from going even deeper into the dark side of some really unhealthy stuff. Check them out and let me know what you think!

MY FAVORITE HEALTHY “ISH” JUNK FOODS:

Most of these foods can be found in your local health food store. They are also available online at sites like Vitacost or Amazon (links are to Amazon).

Lesser Evil Organic Paleo Puffs: These delicious treats are made with quality, simple and nutritious ingredients – lower glycemic cassava root, sweet potato, coconut oil, Himalayan salt. They are baked not fried and come in a variety of flavors, including Salt ‘N Apple Cider Vinegar, Himalayan Pink Salt, “No Cheese” Cheesiness and Fiery Hot (these last two taste a bit like Cheetos).  All of them are super tasty! The brand Lesser Evil makes some other great products as well, like their Veggie Sticks.

Siete Grain Free Tortilla Chips: These are a fantastic replacement for standard corn chips. They are light and crunchy. Two big benefits: first, they use primarily lower glycemic gluten-free cassava flour instead of corn. Cassava is grain free, paleo friendly, a pre-biotic, and packed with nutrition. Second, they are fried in avocado oil instead of the highly inflammatory industrial seed vegetable oils most chips are fried in (which should be avoided at all costs!). They are deep-fried, so still not quite a health food but a much better alternative when you feel like you just can’t go without some chips.

Quinn Paleo-friendly Pretzel Chips: Grain-free and gluten-free pretzels that actually deliver on great taste. They are very crunchy and great with dips.  Made with cassava flour, a root vegetable. Baked and topped with rock salt.

Lesser Evil Organic Buddha Bowl Popcorn: A great popcorn that uses coconut oil instead of the highly inflammatory industrial seed vegetable oils most popcorn brands use (which should be avoided at all costs!). Very nice taste.

Birch Benders Paleo Pancake & Waffle Mix:  I’m addicted to this stuff! Their Cassava-root base delivers delicious, grain-free, low-glycemic, low carb, pre-biotic nutrition with the fluffy texture of traditional recipes, with almond and coconut flours adding fiber, protein, a hint of natural sweetness. Low carb and keto-friendly. I like to mix in some frozen blueberries or dark chocolate chips to the mix before cooking.

Birch Benders Paleo Toaster Waffles: These are pre-made, light and fluffy, and so incredible. You can find these pre-made frozen waffles at many health food stores, including Whole Foods.

Simple Mills Almond Flour Pumpkin Bread or Muffin Mix: Love this mix.  I’m a pumpkin freak, so hits my sweet spot. Lightly sweet and delicious.

Hu Hunks Vegan Chocolate Covered Cashews with Vanilla Bean: These chocolate-covered cashews are off the charts good! They contain organic cacao, unrefined organic coconut sugar, organic fair-trade cocoa butter, vanilla bean and sea salt. It’s that simple.

Absolutely Gluten Free Original Crackers: These are my favorite gluten-free crackers. they are made with tapioca and potato starch but taste shockingly like a classic wheat flour cracker. Wouldn’t call these the absolute healthiest choice, but very tasty if you insist on a better alternative.

UNREAL Dark Chocolate Coconut Bars: These are delicious for when I just think I can’t live without a little candy. Taste surprisingly like Mounds candy bars. They have three simple ingredients: Organic Coconut, Organic Cassava Syrup & Dark Chocolate. Only 3 grams of sugar. UNREAL makes other good alternative candy that tastes and looks like some of your favorites but are lower in sugar and other bad ingredients.

These are just some of my favorites, you can find a lot more like this at your local health food store.

Nourish Your Self Whole – The New Book

An overview of my forthcoming new book, “Nourish your Self Whole: A Guide to Core Nutritional Pillars, with Achievable Steps for Vibrant Health.”Book cover

Healthy food and lifestyle choices are more than virtuous practices. They are often the magic key to keeping our body running in its optimal and precision-tuned natural state of wellness. The poor choices we make are frequently the driving force behind our body’s undue degradation, far more than most people realize.

The encouraging news that I’m excited to share with you in this book is that vibrant and enlivening health are well within reach. Good food is medicine. Weaving the four nutritional pillars in this book into your life can help create substantial healing for your body and get you back into the shape in which you can thrive. This will inevitably lead to a more fulfilling and energetic life. And, I believe, it’s one of the ultimate acts of self-love.

Rather than write an exhaustive overview of nutrition and all the things we could do to be healthier, I have distilled the nutrition steps in this book down to the four most highly leveraged and important “pillars” for good health. Even those of you with a crazy busy modern life can implement some of these steps and start to improve. Every step you take, even small ones, make a difference. There is plenty within to get you on a great path to feel amazing!

These tips can help you:

  • Prevent disease and in some cases reverse,
  • balance weight without worrying much about calories (eat plenty of the good stuff!),
  • generate more energy and vitality,
  • improve blood sugar and cholesterol,
  • shed or reduce longstanding body aches and pains,
  • clear up foggy-headedness,
  • create vibrant skin,
  • improve your mood,
  • help you sleep better, and more…

 

My Favorite Healthier “Junk Food” Cheats!

We all have unhealthy junk foods we know we shouldn’t eat, but it can seem we just can’t help ourselves sometimes.

Over the years, as I’ve taken on healthy eating more seriously, I felt like I had to find some alternatives that would still allow me to feel like I was indulging in favorite treats, but without as many negative consequences. Thankfully, I discovered many fun and delicious alternatives to my favorites (corn chips and pastries at the top of the list).

The items listed below are a few of my favorite healthier cheat foods. They are all very tasty, paleo friendly, gluten free and on the healthier side compared to mainstream options. You can find more on my Favorite Foods Shopping List on my website.

They are linked to Amazon if you want to try some out. You can also find most of these items at a local health food store, like Whole Foods, or better yet a locally owned facility.

SNACKS & APPETIZERS:

Siete Grain Free Tortilla ChipsThese are AMAZING! So light and crispy. Tastes surprisingly like corn chips. They are made from Cassava and fried in Avocado oil. Both are much better for you than other chips made with cheap industrial seed vegetable oils which are rancid and toxic.
Sweet Potato Chips or Blue Corn ChipsJackson’s Honest chips are fried in coconut oil, which is a better option than cheap vegetable oils.
Mary’s Crackers: These are gluten free and relatively clean ingredients if you want a crackery snack. They have many flavors. Crunchy and nice.
Coconut Almond Butter: by Maranatha. This is so tasty! Creamy and delicious. A blend of almond butter with coconut cream. One of my favorite treats is a tablespoon of it.

ALTERNATIVE FLOURS/CARBS:

These are lower glycemic load “carb” alternatives that won’t wreak as much havoc on your body as many refined flours. You can bake with these or use them for a number of cooking needs. They taste great! They are paleo friendly and gluten free. You should still be mindful about how much you indulge.

Paleo Pancake and Waffle Mix by Birch Benders. This mix is sooo good. Totally hits my need for occasional pancakes, without the giant carb hit.
Cassava Flour by Otto’s Naturals: This flour is made from Yucca root. Another great alternative baking flour that is a staple in low glycemic non-wheat flour baking.
Bob’s Almond Flour: so great for baking. Makes yummy chocolate chip cookies (see my recipe)!
Cassava and Coconut Flour Tortilla’s by Siete. These taste good and are a great alternative for those that really want some kind of carb alternative for wraps or other uses. I love to use them with enchiladas and tacos.

Again, you can find more on my Favorite Foods Shopping List on my website. I’d love to hear what your favorite healthier cheats are, respond to this email and let me know! I’m always on the lookout for more good stuff.

Nonstick Cookware: Teflon Not as Safe as Proclaimed, but There are Alternatives!

I know how much many of us love the handiness of non-stick coated pans. They don’t require as much greasing, and they are easier to clean up. Unfortunately though, while handy, the substances used to make most of the nonstick cookware you find in stores have been shown to also give off toxins that are not good for us, and they pollute our water supplies and environment. Some of these toxins are in a class called “PFAS” and they don’t easily break down, and can persist in your body and in the environment for decades.

There are some toxins that are released from cooking with non-stick cookware on too high a heat. These noxious gases, when released, are particularly potent and problematic.

But even at so-called “proper temperatures,” nonstick cookware can create problems, leaching chemicals into your foods as they cook, or if you accidentally scrape off some of the material when stirring.

Animal studies have shown that the base chemicals used to make Teflon, one of the most commonly used nonstick materials, can cause:

  • growth defects,
  • cancer,
  • liver damage,
  • immune system damage, and
  • have even caused death in lab rats and monkeys.

An EPA advisory panel also reports it as a “likely carcinogen” in humans. 

Promising Alternatives

The good news is there are some non-stick coatings that look more promising. One is made by a company called Scanpan. They make a full line of pans that uses a whole new coating technique that they call GreenTek, which allows them to bond the nonstick surface without using the noxious chemicals known to be of greatest concern. Their classic line uses a titanium ceramic surface that can even withstand metal cooking utensils. They are made from 100% recycled materials. I use their pans and LOVE them. They are a bit pricey but very sturdy and long-lasting.

Best Cooking Materials

While Scanpan looks promising, we know what the best non-toxic materials are, they include: stainless steel, enamel, ceramic, glass, and cast iron. These are non-toxic options that should be your main staples for cooking. A little olive or avocado oil at medium heat will do just fine to help lubricate the pans for food!

What are the healthiest fats to eat?

Good-quality, whole food based fats are essential to our existence and an important part of a healthy diet.

My generation grew up hearing a major fallacy. We were told that eating fat made you overweight and sick. Because of this, so many people are scared of eating fat in their diets. But this has been a long, falsely perpetuated misconception, at least where healthy fat is concerned. And the science is now proving it.

Healthy fats provide fuel and energy for the body’s proper functioning and can have many additional health benefits:

  • Lowers your risk of heart disease and stroke,
  • Reduces unwanted inflammation and blood pressure,
  • Decreases bad LDL cholesterol levels, while increasing good HDL,
  • Promotes healthy functioning of the brain and nervous system,
  • Balances metabolism and helps establish healthy weight,
  • Required for the absorption of some critical vitamins, the essential fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K.

Now, here’s a big caveat. Highly processed, easily oxidizable, and inflammatory industrial vegetable seed oils, which we’ve been told for decades are so much better for us, are actually a big villain and should be avoided. See the list below.

So, which specific fats are good and not good?

Whole food sources like avocados, olives, nuts, seeds, and even quality animal-based fats can all be part of a healthy diet.

Oils should be attained through expeller-pressed methods, in which the oil is extracted from the nut or seed in one step, relying on force. Unlike toxic chemical processing, expeller-pressed oils are safe and provide a nourishing food. The industrial vegetable seed oils, though, are typically extracted through chemical processes, often using toxic substances.

Another key risk of consuming bad industrial seed fats occurs because of a process called oxidation. Oxidation is a disaster for the body, and another main driver of diseases, including heart disorders, cancer, and strokes. This is one reason that most vegetable oils are a problem. The bad ones oxidize easily.

The good news is, by replacing bad fats with healthier ones, you’re not having to cut something succulent out of your diet. Instead, you’re simply swapping it with a form of fat that is much healthier and actually tastes better. It’s a win-win!

Best Types of Fats and Oils to Use:

(Diversity is important, so mix it up and get a variety each day.)

  • Olive Oil (always extra virgin, cold-pressed)
  • Avocado Oil
  • Coconut Oil (virgin)
  • Tallow and Lard (from good sources, like grass-fed animals)
  • Butter and Ghee (Clarified Butter) (grass-fed is best)
  • Palm Oil (sustainably sourced)
  • Smaller amounts of cold- or expeller-pressed, unrefined nut and seed oils, such as macadamia, walnut, and sesame. Flax, chia, and hemp are also considered to be decent sources.
  • Full-Fat Dairy. For those that can tolerate dairy, this can be a good source. (Organic, grass-fed sources are best.)
  • Quality, Grass-Fed Animal Fats.

Fats and Oils to Avoid:

(Almost all processed foods contain one form or another of these toxic fats.)

  • Canola
  • Soy
  • Corn
  • Sunflower
  • Safflower
  • Cottonseed
  • Grapeseed
  • Sesame (unless used cold-pressed in things like salad dressing, but never in processed foods or to cook with)
  • Margarine
  • Most non-stick cooking sprays (some new companies are using avocado or coconut oils, which may be better)
  • Anything labeled “Vegetable Oil,” “Shortening,” or with words “Hydrogenated” or “Trans Fat” on label.

There are so many benefits to getting enough healthy fat in your diet. Though it’s important to note that even with healthy fats, you want to make sure you reduce your sugar and refined carbohydrates (breads and pastas) in conjunction with eating more good amounts of fat. They do not make a good combination in excess.

Healthy(ish) Sugar Substitutes and Alternatives

Thought I’d write and share some tips on how to lower the sugar content of your diet without totally depriving yourself of the joys of sweet things. I put together some healthier alternatives below from careful research I’ve done (and testing!).
 
Most of you have heard by now that sugar (and refined carbs) are not a healthy part of our diet. For those that aren’t as familiar, let me share a little bit more about this before I get into the good alternatives.
 
Too much sugar is highly inflammatory in the body and is a hot bed for diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. It can disrupt the healthy functioning of insulin and other important hormones, and can cause weight gain by triggering the body to store fat, along with a whole host of other troubling consequences. In fact, high fructose corn syrup, the main sweetener in sugary soda and many other processed foods, is now believed to be one of the top disease creators on the planet. Highly processed grains, especially refined (or “white”) flours, quickly turn into sugar in your bloodstream as well, so they should be kept to a minimum.
 
However, it would certainly be no fun for most of us to fully avoid sweets in our life. Thankfully there are some tasty but still somewhat healthier options to sweeten your food for the occasional treat.
 

Three of the best alternatives are stevia, monk fruit, and allulose. 

These options contain no calories and won’t spike your blood sugar. Monk fruit and allulose looks like and converts into recipes just like sugar, and have a pleasant, sweet flavor not too dissimilar to refined sugar. Stevia comes now in many brands, and some have much more of an aftertaste than others. Look for a whole-foods source that isn’t overly processed for the best flavor and quality. The jury isn’t completely in on how these effect your body, but they are likely much better than real sugars.
 
You can check out my favorite foods shopping list, with links to some of these sweeteners.
 
Here are some other decent sugar substitutes, though they should still be used sparingly: 
  • Coconut Sugar
  • Maple Syrup
  • Maple Sugar
  • Raw Honey

It’s important to skip the bad stuff! 

Some of the big baddies are: cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, fruit juices (yup, bad!), and anything labeled simply “sugar” on a label. There are over 60 known names for sweeteners, so it can be tricky to look just at ingredients, look at sugar content. If it has more than a gram or two, that can add up.
 
Artificial sweeteners should be completely avoided also! We are talking aspartame, saccharin, etc. They are not healthy. These substances can actually cause weight gain, they can wreak havoc on your metabolism, and new research is showing that they can even mess up your microbiome (probiotics), among many other troubling health consequences.
 
Hope this information helps you to enjoy an occasional sweet with some tasty alternatives, while cutting back on the bad stuff.
 
 
This kind of information is part of my upcoming new book Nourish Your Self Whole: A Guide to the Core Nutritional Pillars, with Achievable Steps for Vibrant Health . I’m so excited to share that it will finally be out, right as the new year kicks off. (It’s not available for pre-order yet, but please keep your eyes peeled.)