While everyone will not agree on the following 6 foods, it has been my experience as a chiropractor in Salt Lake City, Utah that eliminating or at least avoiding the following foods can improve your health – sometimes dramatically. Here’s my list:
Flour
White
Flour is one of the biggest non-food culprits in our diets here in Utah. I call it a non-food because it is a great
imitator of real food and has lead to many health problems and disease. Flour
starts as a whole grain which is first stripped of its outer bran layer which
contains the nutritious fiber. The remaining portion is ground and chemically
bleached, refined, and processed. At this point it is little more than simple
carbohydrates that the body digests quickly and easily. Commercial white flour eliminates all vitamins
and most minerals. This is why it needs to be enriched. This enriching process is the addition of
chemical vitamin substitutes, anti-caking agents, and sometimes leaving agents.
The remaining white flour bears little
resemblance to the original wheat.
Sugar
White
sugars (and the many variations of simple carbohydrates such as high fructose
corn syrup) are found in many commercial foods.
Refined carbs are high in calories and less satisfying than good carbs.
The body absorbs processed sugars relatively quickly causing spikes in insulin.
In an hour or two, you’re hungry again. Sugar is as addictive as heroin and
leads to cravings.
Salt
White
salt is not good for you in excess. Your body needs some salt to maintain
electrolyte (fluid) balance. Nevertheless, a standard Utah diet is too high in
salt. The American Heart Association states that excess salt can contribute to
high blood pressure. If you read the ingredients of most commercial food,
you’ll find salt or at least a salt component listed.
White milk is not good for you. Now this comes as a surprise
to most of my patients in Salt Lake City. After all, doesn’t milk promote
strong bones and bodies? Well, no; not really. Many scientific studies have
shown the detrimental health effects directly linked to milk consumption. Milk assays high in calcium, however we
barely absorb the calcium especially if the milk has been pasteurized. To make
matters worse, commercial milk consumption actually increases calcium loss from
your bones by altering the blood PH balance. But it doesn’t end there. The
homogenization process breaks up the fats in milk so the cream doesn’t float to
the top. This is good, right? Well, once again, no! By breaking up the fats so small that they
don’t separate in the milk, when we consume the milk, the fats bypass the
normal digestion process and enter the bloodstream as foreign particles causing
an inflammatory immune response.
Rice
White
rice like white flour has also been refined by the removal of the outer bran
layer. “Quick” rice has been pre-cooked and is nothing more than dehydrated
carbohydrates. Very little nutritional value is left.
White
potatoes are a high glycemic food, and eating too many may increase your risk
of developing type 2 diabetes. Potatoes may
be particularly hard to avoid for Utah residents, but the health risks of
overconsumption are real. Many fast foods are potato based, such as potato
chips, french fries, hash browns, mashed potatoes.
Do I eat the above foods? Yes - occasionally. But I do try
to avoid them as much as possible. A good rule of thumb is, “If God didn’t make
it – limit your consumption” and “if it won’t spoil – don’t eat it.” Bon Appétit!
-Michael Lindstrom, D.C.
Chiropractic Physician
