Food and health controversial topics, do you enjoy the occasional glass of wine or a beer? Do you eat cheese, spinach, tomatoes and peppers…
Drink Coffee or Tea?
Many of the foods I just mentioned are clouded in controversy…some are assumed to be good for you.
Others…not so much. What’s the truth? You’re about to find out…
But before I dive in let me start by saying that just because something is considered to be good for you…it doesn’t mean you should eat it in mass quantity every single day.
For example, spinach, tomatoes and tea are often considered healthy but as you’re about to see…
Too much in certain cases can actually be bad for you. And many of those things often assumed to be bad for you like beer, coffee butter and cheese… Can also be good for you…
Confused? Don’t worry…in the next few minutes I’ll clear it all up for you. So let’s get started, and the first thing we’ll have a look at are “toxins” …
Now you’re probably thinking… Aren’t all toxins bad? Well, not exactly. See, in small doses, some of the substances commonly labeled as “toxins” can sometimes be good for you.
Take alcohol for example.
Technically, alcohol is a toxin. However, for some reason, research shows that light to moderate drinkers actually live longer than both non-drinkers or heavy drinkers. Strange, right?
It’s weird to think that something normally considered to be toxic, can actually help you live longer, even longer than if you didn’t drink at all. But drink too much and those longevity benefits quickly disappear.
Now just to be clear…
I’m not saying you should start drinking if you don’t. There are still some variables that we still don’t fully understand. For example, we still don’t know if drinking hard alcohol is worse for you than sticking with wine and beer.
Although it’s assumed that wine and beer are better for you due to their high antioxidant content. We really don’t know for sure.
In one recent study researchers found that drinking 1-2 glasses of red wine per day can actually increase the good bacteria in your gut while decreasing the bad bacteria…
…but hard liquor didn’t show the same benefits.
Now, obviously drinking 7-8 glasses of wine or beer probably doesn’t have the same benefits, in fact it’s probably toxic…
But drinking just 1-2 glasses of a quality organic wine or a quality dark beer does seem to provide some health benefits.
And don’t worry, if you’re a non-drinker you don’t have to start drinking in order to live longer. There are a wide range of reasons why some people outlive others. And every individual comes with their own set of health related factors.
Things like your diet, your lifestyle, your social status and stress levels all play a role. Once again, if you do drink moderation seems to be best.
Let’s talk about cheese.
Now you’ve probably heard from some well-meaning nutrition experts out there that cheese is too high in fat and that you should choose low fat or nonfat cheese instead.
Well, if you’ve read the article posted to my blog about grass-fed dairy. Then you already know that’s just not the case. If you haven’t read that article, I’ll give you the cliff notes. Full fat grass-fed dairy is super high in powerful nutrients.
Three nutrients in particular.
The first of which is vitamin K2, which has been shown to increase heart health and protect your arteries.
CLA or conjugated linoleic acid which helps you burn fat, build muscle, and fight cancer. And omega 3 fatty acids…which are also super heart healthy and fight inflammation too. And if you have trouble digesting dairy products like casein or lactose…
Keep in mind that fermented dairy products like kefir, yogurt, and aged cheeses are generally the easiest to digest since they've already been “pre-digested” by microbes in the fermentation process.
And kefir is 99% lactose-free in most good brands because the microbes consume and digest the lactose in the fermentation process.
Just make sure you stick with grass-fed cheeses and avoid the cheap processed cheeses like American cheese, salty cheese spreads and those cheese loaves made for spreading…
Those are NOT good for you and won’t give you the health benefits like real grass-fed cheese products will.
Next Let’s Talk About Spinach
Spinach is good for you right? Everyone knows it’s chocked full of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, all of which are really good for you…
And of course there is Popeye, right? Well, here’s the thing. Spinach and other dark leafy green veggies contain a lot of oxalic acid. And oxalic acid can cause kidney stones or lead to kidney damage if you get too much of it.
Now don’t worry… The truth is you’d have to eat a whole bunch of spinach every single day to actually see the negative benefits.
So, much like alcohol…moderation truly is key. My suggestion is to stick to a small mixed greens salad with your dinner. Don’t wolf down massive greens salads 2 or 3 times each day…everyday. It could cause you some problems.
Next up are Nightshade Vegetables.
The most popular nightshades are things like eggplant, tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers. Some wild versions of nightshades can be highly toxic…
While our common agricultural nightshades are a lot safer, however they still contain certain compounds that can be very problematic.
Some of these compounds have been linked to Arthritis and other inappropriate calcification type effects in people who are sensitive to them or who consume them in high quantities over time.
Now don’t get me wrong…
Tomatoes and peppers are high in the antioxidant lycopene. Eggplant skin has powerful antioxidants being studied in fighting cancer, Potatoes are full of vital minerals and are fine to eat in moderation for some people…
On the other hand, potatoes also contain toxins called glycoalkaloids that are not good for you if you eat them too often.
So while these plants do have health benefits, they also contain small traces of toxins that can cause problems if consumed in quantity or too frequently.
Ideally, you’ll want to keep your intake of things like tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes down to 2 or 3 times a week.
Now Let's Talk About Tea
We all know that certain types of tea including white, green, black, oolong, red, and other herbal teas are all full of unique antioxidants.
Some also contain certain phytochemicals that can cause an increase in fat loss, although just how much remains to be seen.
Unfortunately, there have been reports out that show a lot of the commercial teas we buy are loaded with dangerous pesticides and other harmful chemicals.
That’s why it’s so important to choose organic teas, because they’re grown without pesticides. It’s also a good idea to rotate the types of tea you drink. That way you’re getting a wide variety of antioxidants and phytochemicals giving you much broader health benefits.
And What About Coffee ?
For some reason coffee gets a bad rap… But the truth is if you avoid the sugar and fake creamers it's actually a fairly healthy drink loaded with beneficial antioxidants and all sorts of other healthy compounds.
And lots of studies have linked coffee consumption to a multitude of health benefits including a reduced risk of cancer.
A Harvard study showed that men who drink 1-3 cups of coffee daily reduce their risk of prostate cancer by 30%. And other studies have linked coffee consumption to a reduced risk of diabetes.
However, once again choosing organic is the way to go. Apparently coffee is one of the worst crops in terms of pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides, so stay away from the commercial brands.
To summarize, the biggest thing you can take from this video is the fact that there are a lot of foods and drinks out there that contain negative compounds… However, those same foods and drinks can also contain some beneficial compounds too.
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If you keep good variety in your diet, and don't over-consume any particular type of food or drink, the health benefits can be amazing from many of these delicious foods and drinks.
But even some healthy foods can have their problems if over-consumed. Thanks for watching and be Sure to Like Our Channel and Click the Bell so you don’t miss any of our future FIT SQUAD videos.
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