Feeling bloated, fatigued, stomach upset, and generally a sense of blah? You are suffering from a food hangover. It’s the after effects of gorging on Doritos, Lay’s, bet you can’t eat just one, too much fat, sugar, salt and high fructose corn syrup. When your body is laden with additives, preservatives and depleted of water and enzymes to process them, you suffer a food hangover. However the health problems associated with processed foods are far worse than a food hangover.

Processed foods make up 58% of calories of our diets. Ultra processed food consumption is associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Aside from that fact chemicals found in processed foods also harm the immune system. Some examples of ultra processed foods are Pop-Tarts, Cheez-It crackers, Little Debbie Swiss rolls, and more than 1,000 others. The chemical preservative found in these products is TBHQ and negatively affects the immune system. Another group of chemicals PFAS leaches into food from the packaging. I won’t bother to spell out the unpronounceable names of these chemicals, but look on any of the aforementioned packaging and you will find them listed.

Most foreign countries ban these chemicals but here in the U.S. the FDA allows the food and chemical industry to determine which ingredients are safe for consumption. The very agency that is supposed to protect us? We may as well ask the drug cartel to regulate its product. We have numerous lobbyists groups that make sure the food and chemical industries get what they want. Sodium nitrate, Yellow #5, Brominated vegetable oil, you will find all of these on processed food labels. Our kitchens have become chemically filled, leading to obesity and damage to our health.

Processed foods make us ill, increases the risk of heart disease, and weakens our immune systems. Obesity is at epidemic rates in our country. The industry has gotten slick with tricking you by naming their products after healthy foods. Have you ever thought you were making a better choice by purchasing a bag of carrot flavored veggie puffs instead of potato chips? Guard your immune system by eating a carrot, there is no substitute. Processed meats may also lead to an increase in the risk of immune conditions.

Last year I wrote a blog entitled pink, yellow, or blue? It was in reference to sugar substitute products like sucralose and aspartame to name a few. You would do better using a small amount of sugar, versus these products. The best decision would be to use raw sugar, it is brown in color as it has not been processed.

In order to improve your health and maintain a well functioning immune system you have to eat right. Foods that are known to provide a boost to your immune system include citrus fruits, foods that contain zinc, such as peas, raw cheese, organically raised chicken breast, cruciferous vegetables, garlic, and ginger. Don’t torture yourself, eliminate these foods over a period of time and replace them with healthier choices.

The bottom line is read the packaging and labels carefully, don’t let processed foods be the majority of food in your shopping cart. If you cannot pronounce, understand, or have difficulty reading the listed ingredients, leave it on the shelf!

Until next time,

Peace, Love, and Blessings