5 health foods that we think are good for us but can be harmful
Ok I don't want to scare anyone but i'm always checking and double checking what I consume, I know that the health food industry is just a profitable business too and therefore many things are being sold with the pretense of being healthy but are not.
Some people really like these things and that's fine mostly I think our bodies can process some of the negative stuff (especially healthy people) but basically I wouldn't recommend to consume any of these things regularly.....
Here's why......
Spirulina
I'm really concerned about this one!
DONT GIVE IT TO CHILDREN, NOT FOR PREGNANT WOMEN
When I started getting into herbal remedies, I came across spirulina pills from then on I started buying powders and making green smoothies and suddenly I went off it. I didn't think anything of it, until one day when I was doing some research on b12 I was quite shocked by what I came across but then i'm not surprised as...
Spiriluna is an algae which means it has to grow on water much of the water is contaminated with heavy metals that spirulina absorbs readily, especially lead! It may also grow among other neurotoxin- producing cyanbacteria.
Some of these serious negative side affects include infant seizures linked to mothers spiriluna use, septic shock and neurodegenerative diseases, the list goes on.
If you really like it then check your sources, get the spiriluna you buy tested, be 100% sure its safe!
Agave Nectar
I only started consuming this product this year (after going fully vegan and giving up honey) I had my doubts about this product so had to do some research and it was enough to make me decide I won't buy it or recommend it anymore.
In principle this product is natural coming from the same plant they make tequila from the sugar has to be processed and is very high in fructose and therefore can lead to a negative impact on health (highest fructose sweetener product on the market)
In its original, natural form extracts from the agave plant contain strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, none of these beneficial elements are present in the agave that we see in the stores.
Yes agave is still better than white sugar and corn syrup but there are other vegan alternatives such as date syrup & coconut syrup, which seem to be healthier.
Stevia unfortunately can also be problematic for health depending what product you buy, some are very heavily processed please check the what you buy carefully!
Soybean
I used to enjoy tofu even when I wasn't vegan or vegetarian and its something I only eat very rarely. One big concern was if it is GMO but buying organic doesn't offer protection because it's actually the bean itself that is problematic. Like most other beans, nuts, seeds, grains, it contains protease inhibitors, normally they get deactivated in cooking but not with soybean unfortunately.
So what is protease inhibitors? well they suppress some of the key enzymes that help us digest protein, this is why I always recommend to have vitamin C, tomatoes or fresh lemon juice when eating beans and grains but unfortunately this is not the case with soybean and actually it puts our pancreas under a lot of stress trying to digest it and can lead to cancer.
Kambucha
It's quite a tasty and addictive drink, Ive only had it a hand full of times whilst traveling to sooth a dodgy stomach and has been quite effective but i'm not keen on the sugar and alcohol aspect for health reasons so I don't drink it often. It was just by chance that I was looking up articles to do with yeast and health that I came across some concerning things about Kambucha.
This drink is generally healthy and considered a cancer fighter but in some cases can be quite harmful and it's best to be aware and proceed with caution. (Again maybe it's not something needed for everyday but for certain occasions)
researchers warned against pregnant women, lactating mothers, and those with compromised immune systems drinking kombucha
Some of the negative side affects are, allergic or toxic reactions, bacterial poisoning, lead poisoning, liver damage that can be fatal
Garlic
Why... ? Italians eat it as a staple and are hailed for having a healthy Mediterranean diet but did you know they also rubbed bullets with it during world war II which made up for their bad shot, this is because raw garlic juice in the blood stream can kill you.
Garlic is basically a poison but it's also a healing medicine, so it's something we need to treat with respect and really should only be used sparingly.
A few years ago I was volunteering in a vegan kitchen in a yoga retreat and we had to work bare foot (which is the most awful, unpractical and dangerous thing ever and I will never do it again!) I got some kind of verruca from the wet floor, the skin was split between the crease of my toe and foot, it was so painful and barely healing, as I'm into natural remedies I took a suggestion from an uninformed hippy to put a garlic clove on it, it was the worst decision I made as I started to feel very sick and could barely walk.
I do not underestimate the power of this plant and if I do want to eat some I will only ever eat it cooked and very rarely. If you have or suspect you have a leaky gut then I wouldn't recommend eating it all because of it being able to enter into your blood stream.
listen to your body, be intuitive, know what's best for you
✌️Join the food revolution now✊
I find your posts very interesting and full of knowledge, thank you again for another one! I also had this feeling with both spirulina and agave!
U sound very intuitive person when u ever how doubts about something just research it and see what u find.
Thank you <3 Yes, I am. Very much so. Which is not easy, to be honest. The friction between my life and how I want to live it, and what I get to do with it, is getting bigger, thus more frustration as well. But it does also tell me to calm down, so haha, it's about how good I am at listening to it I guess.
I love garlic but it causes me heartburn, I use them too to get rid of the tags when they are starting to form, bookmarked to give a more thoroughly read.
I haven't tried Agave nectar but I've tried Aloe Vera and I was very reactive to it, caused me nausea and almost a visit to the hospital, some plants are powerful and have properties, but also strong chemicals.
Heartburn is a side effect of how strong they are, your not the only one. What are Tags?
Overgrowth of skin, sometimes caused bybvirus sometimes by benign tumours, normally referred as skin imperfections. Garlic burns them (topic use)
I eat raw garlic each day. Great. Love some of the other things too. Thanks for sharing, hehe. You are awesome. I'm Oatmeal Joey Arnold. You can call me Joey.
I used to grate raw garlic into my avocado when you use something everyday u build up a tolerance but that doesn't mean it might not be having am effect on you internally. Is it the flavour you like or the medicinal properties? I would recommend warming the garlic in hot water from now on and reducing your intake. If u are eating healthy anyway garlic is an unnecessary extra but obv it's up to u. Thank u for the compliment joey. :)
I eat it for the medicine. Why would you want to warm up garlic in hot water? Do you want to cook away too many of the enzymes and vitamins through cooking? We need to be more healthy than we know because of how messed up the world is in so many ways.
do you think that you dont get health benefits from warm food? indian cooking is full of spices tumeric garlic ginger cloves coriander and the food done the traditional way has many health benefits. i think its a bit f an over statement to say theres no benefits in cooked food, especially when cooked in soup, stew, curry everything is transferred into the mixture. of course there are benefits to eating stuff raw aswell, i think both are necessary but with garlic seeing as it literally burns, i would not recommend it raw at all. moringa is a lot healthier and safer if you want the benefits to fight infections and illness.
Cooking does something to the enzymes, vitamins. Yeah, not completely, but slowly, things start to happen as you start to cook it at least in some ways and things do change the longer it cooks. We are always sick and always fighting problems. Infections are always there even if we think we are healthy.
This post was so interesting to read! I had no idea about any of the super foods.
Thank you so much for enlightening us =) Resteeming this masterpiece <3
I agree with you that we should all be much more conscious of what we put in our bodies. I know here in the States there is so much marketing it is hard to know what is healthy since everything is labeled "all natural", "sugar free" or of course as a super food. I learned quite a while ago about agave not really being a healthy choice, so I've never regularly used it. I also have seen more info recently about some of the things you shared on spirulina. Kombucha I can take it or leave it--I prefer just diluted apple cider vinegar in lemon water for my gut. :)
As far as soy and garlic, I still feel comfortable including them in my well-rounded diet. As you said, garlic does have some medicinal qualities, but I do know quite a few people that can't consume it due to gastrointestinal issues. I think I use a pretty modest amount. Soy in processed form seems to be quite the opposite of health-promoting, so I only consume whole food organic soy like tempeh, edamame and tofu. Miso is supposed to have quite a few health benefits, as well. I usually feel quite well and energetic incorporating one serving most days of these types of soy, though there are weeks I don't use any. Besides just the soy, many of the pre-packaged vegan meat replacements have so many other questionable ingredients, too.
For me personally, I try to rotate out a lot of my foods. I like variety for one reason, but it can also make sure I consume a good array of nutrients while not over relying on any one source. There are so many wonderful plant foods available to find which ones make you feel the best. :)
Thank you for such a thoughtful and well-researched article! I am very appreciative to be able to discuss good health with people who care so much about it!
thank u for such a lengthy reply....
actually u are right about edamame and tempeh because in the traditional way the bean is fermented deactivating the protease inhibitors but i'm not 100% about tofu because its normally processed version that doesnt go through that fermentation, i guess it depends what brand you buy but it said even organic version of soy bean can be problematic. In the end as long as like you said you are rotating your foods and not ingesting large quantities of one or another thing then your body has the best chance.
U seem to be doing a great job with your health and fitness, which is really inspiring!
i'm glad to hear someone else who is also concerned about these faux replacement meat, im not sure its the best way to tempt non vegans to be vegans (after all its also the idea of meat needs to remove from the mindset) i also think many of the products are probably made by meat eaters, ppl concerned about making profits and health is compromised.
I'm happy to take a little time to respond to good content from people I respect. :) Yeah, I have mixed feelings about the faux meat. I came to the vegan lifestyle for health first before realizing all of the other components of animal and environmental injustices. So I still prioritize health in addition to the cruelty-free aspect. I still on very rare occasions may do a veggie burger or sausage in a pinch, but I don't think they should be a regular part of a meal plan. I have no desire to eat anything resembling meat anymore, but for some people it seems to aid in the transition. You're right in that so many of the vegan brands are getting bought out by companies who just want to profit on a "trend". Lots of tough aspects in the food industry anymore.
Great article.
I'll have to do updated research on organic Spirulina to see about the heavy metals aspect.
I think garlic is a powerful immune system builder and toxin remover due to the allicin in it. Many people can't handle it raw, but the good news is that the active ingredient, allicin, doesn't get destroyed in the cooking process, so cooked garlic is still very beneficial.
Interesting about kombucha. I used to make a lot of it and it felt right. I must've gotten the balance right, but many of the mass-produced drinks don't taste like they actually have much of the probiotic benefits in them. And the probiotics get destroyed in kombucha stored in metal. That also applies to miso (hence why Japanese do not put miso in metal pots or consume it from metal spoons).
Edemame and tempeh are good to consume, but other soy products seem to be problems, unless, of course, it was just the dairy industry that promulgated that negative information about soy to sabotage it and boost milk sales, which is what many vegan organisations claim.
Generally, if a health food item has been used for centuries or millennia in traditional cultures and you consume it in those traditional forms, then it should be ok. The problem is that we live in these modern capitalistic times of mass production and overprocessed food-like products. It is then that foods get distorted and/or toxified.
Good to keep abreast of the latest quality research (and who's funding that research to ascertain the reliability of the data), and balance that with intuition.
Awesome!
I liked what you said about millennia old traditions... We have taken soy WaAAAAy out of context, but miso and tempeh are special foods indeed. it's great to hear the traditional methods of processing and consuming foods being honored by those walking today. Thanks for bringing that up.
I didnt know that about garlic!! I need to use it more carefully, I eat it a lot!
Spirulina I only use sometimes just a little to colour my food blue. Agave is something I dont use either... And I almost never consume soy products, I have been very suspicious about it for a long time! It is so important to inform ourself about the foods we eat. Thank you so much for all this information!
Thanks for sharing the info. I have for sure overdone garlic, but still love the stuff. We grow oodles of it and find it to be very nice fermented, and blended with salt and oil and allow to age, which takes the bite down a bit. although not sure how my intestines are reacting as I haven't taken a look at them yet... But I gotta say, miso is a superb boss foods that doesn't have many parallels... Reducing body odor AND neutralizing and detoxing radiation.
What you're bringing up is important as we can all be duped by fads and the like, whereas like you say, listening to your body is Always a good idea! Keep up the good work.