So called health foods that get lots of attention and used in your favorite recipes could be the culprit behind your inability to lose the weight, especially around your tummy!
1. Agave Nectar: Talk about sugar! This is way sweeter than normal sugar and has a higher fructose sugar content than any other sweetener including high fructose corn syrup! Excessive and high amounts of fructose can damage your liver, and cause obesity and type 2 diabetes. This sugar alternative is usually in all so called healthy raw food bars and cereals and should be avoided if you want to keep your blood sugar stable and in its fat burning zone( the sweet spot where all the magic happens) you do this by eating low glycemic and low sugar foods and avoiding foods like agave nectar and syrups and go for whole, unprocessed foods instead.
If you need a sugar alternative opt for Xylitol which is great for the teeth and gut or Stevia, a natural sugar free sweetener. I prefer liquid stevia as it’s easy to add to shakes, yogurt and teas. You only need a little!
2. Soy Milk: if you want to stimulate your body’s estrogen with the phytoestrogens in soymilk and pack on more bellyfat this is the perfect way! Most soy is GMO and unless it’s fermented, most people have an allergy to it. If you suffer from gaining weight around your middle then stay away from anything that will stimulate your body’s estrogen dump. All the leading doctors in women’s health like Dr. Christian Northrup and Dr. Mona Lisa are on the anti-soy wagon as well… Especially for women who want to lose weight.
If you need a milk substitute opt for an unsweetened almond milk and add some vanilla and stevia, you can even make your own!
Just soak 1cup organic raw almonds overnight, then throw in a blender with about 3 cups clean spring water and blend for about 2 mins, add some yummy cinnamon, vanilla, stevia and voila!
There is also coconut milk which has even fewer calories and sugar content and good fats as well:)
3. Peanut Butter: Peanuts are so full of molds, chemicals and poisons I personally think it should be banned and not allowed to be fed to our children.
Peanut trees are planted after cotton crops, which are the most heavily sprayed crop out there. The peanut trees are planted to clean up the soil, pulling the pesticides, herbicides and fungicides out and into the nuts. When they are harvested there is a huge mold issue with these nuts and their skins, and this is why so many people have peanut allergies. It’s all then ground up and mixed with palm oil, a cheap oil that keeps it from separating, and sold to us to spread on our toast first thing in the morning…Isn’t that disgusting!!?
Here’s are just a few articles posted about the chemicals found in peanut butter:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/31/fire-retardants-food-peanut-butter-meat_n_1559062.html?ref=mostpopular
http://www.greenchipstocks.com/articles/toxic-peanut-butter-alert/1924
http://voices.yahoo.com/whats-really-peanut-butter-jar-2916567.html
Instead of peanut butter go for almond, sunflower, cashew, or macadamia nut butters instead. They are sooo yummy you’ll never miss peanut butter!
4. Protein Powder: lots of protein powders are made with cheap ingredients such as sugar, artificial sweeteners and flavors, fillers such as soy lecithin(GMO), oat fibers(full of gluten)as well as cheap protein sources such a s soy(GMO of course) and whey protein concentrate(proven to cause cancer and GI problems).
Why is this bad? The more stress you place on your liver, pancreas, gallbladder and GI tract the more your going to inhibit fatty acids from being burned up as fuel, as well as detoxing. Detoxing and fat loss happen when the body isn’t constantly being bombarded with chemicals and will balance out your hormones, metabolism and weight. If you are going to go for a protein supplement choose one that is all natural, free of anything artificial and is a clean protein such as a grass fed collagen protein powder, or hemp protein.
Much love, health and gratitude!
By Jannine Murray, Health and Fitness Specialist
“Be Inspired, Get Results’
250-383-6946
jannine.aura@gmail.com