LIV2DAY – Episode 68 – “Top 5 Toxic Offenders in Your Food”

Hi there. I'm Dr. Paula McDonald and I welcome you to my podcast Live Today. It's here that together we'll explore the concept of balance as God designed to it to be for us, his children, balance of the mind, the body and the spirit. And it's what I've named Theosynthesis. And it's here waiting for you.

Hello, everyone. This is Dr. Paula McDonald. And I'm excited to bring to you today the top five toxic offenders in your food. So now we have had two different shows talking about the top five toxic offenders in the products that you use in your home and in your personal products. And so today we're going to focus on that all important topic of food. And we're going to be drilling down to five main areas of food that are the biggest culprits. And again, as in with the other topics, it's hard to just drill down to just five because sadly, sadly, you guys, there's so many things that we have to look out for. And I've heard people say, well, I'm going to die of something. I might as well enjoy what I'm eating. And yes, that's true. You are going to die sometime of something. But my whole thesis has been about living today. And I speak from experience of having been so close to death, not once, not twice, but three times. And I am convinced that it's the level of life that I'm living. It's the quality of life that I'm living that's so important, so that I can live my life with vitality and strength and awareness and feel great so that I can go on with my work and enjoying my children and my grandchildren. So I hope this podcast resonates with you. It's not meant to scare you off. It's meant to wake you up. So here we go. We know that our mass produced foods have created quick and easy ways for us to have a fast meal. But the food industry has created food that is anything but real food. Many of the foods that are consumed on a daily basis are laden with preservatives. They're filled with additives, and they are teeming with unnecessary chemicals. All you have to do is look around at the number of obese individuals, including young children, to know that something is wrong. And you guys, I am not trying to call out this people group. I'm trying to call out that we have a problem. And it's not just that these people choose to be obese. We have a food problem. That's the underlying problem that is causing people to just blow up and carry these toxins in their bodies and lots and lots of pounds of them. And so the purpose of this is not to call you out if this is affecting you, but it's to bring about an awareness so that you can make better choices, so that you can help those that you love. Because that's what this is really all about. Is caring for our fellow man to get important information out that really could make a difference in how you are living your life. So you guys, we know something's wrong. People have become larger and larger, and it is due to the types of food that we are ingesting. The tissues in our body have just become laden with the toxins. As obesity continues to rise, then we start to see more and more disease that's associated with obesity. And guess what? God placed the beautiful plants on this Earth that are perfectly suited for the human body. And we have gone from eating clean, whole foods to consuming highly prepared foods. And the human body simply cannot process out the chemicals and the toxins. So guess what? They are deposited in the fat cells. They are deposited in your liver, around your heart, in your brain tissue, in your breast tissue, and over years of filling your body with these preserved foods, the fat storage of toxins continues to increase. And it doesn't just stay there in those fat cells. It is leaching out those chemicals that sludge and affecting every cell of your body. And I like to use the saying that before choosing a meal, you ask yourself this question, is this food life giving or is it life taking? It's one of the most important questions you should ask yourself each and every time you eat. And when you recognize that food can actually be killing you, it should cause you to rethink what you're doing each and every meal. So the top five toxic food offenders may surprise you in some ways. But as with the other shows in this series, I will discuss the issues, but also we'll provide you with some alternatives. I'm not going to just leave you out there hanging with nothing to eat. So offender number one, easy one. Everybody probably guessed this one. Fast food. And this food group, you guys, is ever increasing. It's become a huge business worldwide because of the convenience of simply whipping in and out to grab a quick meal. I get it. I'm a busy person too. But you know what? Many people are now choosing to eat most of their meals via fast food. And the end results are obesity and rampant diseases. Mass produced food is filled with preservatives and much of the meat is barely recognizable as meat. Have you ever seen the pictures of fast food that has been left out for years and years and yet it looks exactly the same as it did the day it was purchased. Now that I'm sorry, but that is downright scary. It's what I call plastic food, just like you play with your kids with their plastic food in their little make believe kitchens. Well, I think we have plastic food from a lot of our fast food restaurants. And this food is food that even insects or other animals and even mold won't eat. So that should be a huge red flag right there. If it's not decaying, that means it's not alive. Decay happens to living material. And so it really does beg the question of what is it that I'm putting into my body? Is it more like real food or is it more like plastic? And I for one, I don't want to be eating food like this. The overconsumption of these fast foods, it causes your body to go into an overtime drive all the time because it's trying to digest and break down these products that are anything but nutritious. These foods contain enormous amounts of preservatives, refined sugars, fats and salt, and then a whole lot of other stuff. So if you really want a huge wake up call about the fast food industry, watch a few of the documentaries that are out there about this industry and I promise you you will be horrified. But if you value your life and the quality of your life, you've got to determine that these foods need to be avoided at all costs. So what can you do when you're in a hurry, you're traveling or you have no other options? Well, the first thing to do is seek those foods on their menu that are the closest to whole and clean. Salads are a great option. The wraps and anything grilled is so much better than the fried, really heavily laden preserved foods. Stay away from all of those as much as possible. And it's a lot of this. It's just retraining. It's retraining your body. What to crave and retraining your body of what you think you want. And of course, the more carbohydrates and empty calories that you consume, your body says, I'm not getting the nutrition I need. So what does that make you do? It makes you want to eat more. And so people eat more of the bad foods and it's this vicious cycle when you start to eat clean, whole foods, you will find once your body starts letting go of the unwanted pounds and toxins along with those pounds that you're actually going to crave the good food and it fills you up and gives you energy. It will make a world of difference. Alright, let's get off of that one and go to offender number two, which are the preserved and highly processed foods. So when we head to the grocery store, we find the shelves that are packed with canned goods, packaged items, and highly processed foods that can stay on the shelves for months, if not years. But as we look more closely at these items, what are the longterm health costs for us when we consume mass quantities of these foods? And hear me out, not all of these products are horrible offenders. It is important that you learn to be a super sleuth when it comes to reading product labels. The problem with most processed foods is they generally contain harmful, preservative ingredients that our bodies do not need, nor do they want. And again, when you fill your body with these preservatives that are unnatural, your body goes into overtime trying to process these harmful ingredients out. And this places your body into a consistent fight mode and places stress on all of your systems. And it is certainly okay to substitute some canned foods with your meal planning, but the emphasis should be on ensuring there are more fresh food items than prepared and preserved choices. For instance, an entire meal of hamburger helper with some canned veggies on the side would not be a good meal choice option. Nothing is fresh. Nothing is living. It's all highly preserved. Living food is the food that God made that has not been altered through preservation methods. And a good start for anyone desiring to get away from the chemical laden foods is to incorporate just one fresh food item per meal. Just start there. And so next time when you go to the grocery store, start on the outer walls of the store, such as the fresh produce section, and then avoid the interiors as much as possible. These interior shelves are loaded with the preserved foods. So if you can really stick to the areas where you know you're going to get some good things and stay away from the others, it's going to help. Number one and then another, is to purchase a lot of large Mason jars to store your fresh produce and fruits in your refrigerator. And you will be shocked at how much longer these foods will stay fresh for you in your refrigerator when placed in these jars. And it's an excellent way to meal prep. You can choose a day to purchase all your fresh foods, clean them, chop them and store them in your jars. And now you have instant side dishes and salads ready to go. And then the last thing I will share on this is seek out your county and farmers markets to purchase your produce. Not only are the foods super fresh, but you're also helping to support your local farmers. So look for those things. All right. Offender number three. Sodas and bottled juices. Yes. You know, without a doubt, there is absolutely nothing nutritious in a soda. These culprits contain a ton of chemicals. They are loaded with sugars or with the deadly artificial sweeteners. And did you know that diet drinks actually cause your body to crave more sugar? These fake sweeteners don't trick your brain. You may like the taste, but your body is smarter than you think. And as you ingest these fake sweeteners, your insulin levels are rushing to the scene in your system. And when it discovers the fake product, the end result is you start craving more sweets, more carbohydrates. Your body isn't fooled. So more importantly, the fake sweeteners you guys, these are the worst things you can be putting into your body. I have spoken on this topic before, and if there's anything that you take away from this show today, stop using artificial sweeteners in anything. They are highly toxic and caused so many disorders in your body, you need to ban them from your diet, your children's diets. Get them out of your house, get the sodas out of your house and out of your life. And if you love that bubbly fizz, there are other options. And no, do not go out and buy one of those drink machines that create carbonated drinks. Those soda machines, I don't remember what they're called, but the mixtures that they use to make those drinks, they're loaded with toxins and sugar and it's just more junk you don't need. Instead, just go get a bottle of carbonated mineral water, cut up some fresh lemons or limes, oranges, Mint, berries, cucumbers, so many things to choose from and enjoy a refreshing drink free of the toxins. And then you can mix various combinations or just stick to one. You must break free from the sugar laden drinks. And as you do, your body will begin responding favorably by releasing the unwanted weight. And most fruit juices in the stores are not made with fresh ingredients at all. In fact, most of them are flavored with artificial flavorings, lots of sugars and tons of preservatives. So diluting these fruit juices with water is a first good step. But the better practice is to not drink them at all and finding a good fresh squeezed source for your juices. And when I see little kids with these highly fructose laden juices, it makes me cringe. And lastly, we are lucky here in my little town that we have a fresh juice bar where I can go and purchase my juices. But there's always you can make your own. I just don't have the time and it's more work. But remember, your health is worth it. Offender number four, processed meats. And now we're getting into an area that is experiencing rapid changes. Meat is getting more and more expensive to purchase, and many of the beef and chicken farmers are more concerned with a hefty profit than they are with your health. And I won't say that it's the farmers. It's the companies that buy the produce from the farmers. But many have been feeding their animals antibiotics, fillers and other chemicals to increase growth in an unnatural fashion. The end result are sick animals who are passing along these chemicals in their system directly into yours. So also the food processing plants, for the most part, they are not pleasant at all. If you saw the conditions of most of these meat packing plants, you probably would never eat meat again obtained in this manner. And also, many people believe that beef alternatives or plant based meats are the way to go. Well, sorry, you need to do some hard research into these products. After reading the labels and how they're made genetically altered and all this stuff, there is no way that I can condone these fake foods, these fake meats. Again, man cannot outdo what God has already created and the highly processed meats, such as lunch meats and hot dogs. They are some of the biggest nonlife giving foods that you can ingest, along with their myriad of toxins and chemicals and nitrates on and on. So stay away from them. I choose to seek out meat in the organic section or those that say, grass fed. And ideally, if you can seek out a local rancher for your meat sources, this is going to be your best bet. All right, offender number five, our last one prepackaged meals. Okay, so these would be things that you would find in a typical gas station, such as ramen noodles, packaged Mac and cheese. All of these boxes of food are not good choices. I would especially stay far away from the packaged sandwich at the gas station or even at Starbucks. These foods, you guys are mass produced in conditions that would absolutely blow your mind. Just opt out for a bag of cashews and get out of there. The packaged foods offer you zero nutritional value other than creating a firestorm of inflammation in your bloodstream. As your system works over time trying to figure out what on Earth to do with all of those toxins. Make your own Mac and cheese. Using fresh pasta, fresh cheeses, and organic milk and butter, you can create a delicious dish using the fresh ingredients, and your body will thank you. So begin by going through your pantry and your refrigerator and determine what must go, what must be phased out, and how you're going to begin to replace the dead food with fully alive, God made food. So now we've discussed these top five offenders of food, our household products and personal products. Our next show, we're going to discuss the top five offenders and the things that you drink. We touched on some of them today, but we will end this series with a topic you may not expect. And that is the top five offenders in your stinkin thinking. Yep. What you do think absolutely affects your overall health and well being. And as I've shared before, please feel free to share these episodes with others. It's important that people hear the truth. Those in these industries that don't want you to hear the truth are trying to silence us. Thank you, though, to each of you for inviting me into your lives with this podcast. And don't forget to reach out via my website@drpalamcdonald.com. I love hearing from you, and I love hearing your struggles and also your successes. And then don't forget, I do have another podcast called Exhale Bible Discovery with Dr. Paula McDonald. You can find it in the same place as you find this one. And it is an indepth step by step, line by line, chapter by chapter, Bible study. And the first one I've put up is on Revelation. What a great place to start doing some really deep dives into the Scriptures. Well, God created you to live in vitality and health and there is a way to do this so may you fully go and live of today thank you for joining me friends. My prayer for you is that you would seek to live today and every day in balance and in abundant connection with God.