Did you know what you’re eating may be causing your health issues? Those symptoms like brain fog, hair loss, fatigue, hormonal imbalances, bloating, and joint pains? And if you have thyroid, autoimmune, or chronic health issues, you could be unknowingly eating toxic foods that are leading to more symptoms.
In this series of what’s causing your health issues, we have already talked about genetics, toxins in skin care and beauty products, and dysfunctional digestion (toxic gut). Today we’re going to focus on toxicities in your food.
Our food isn’t like it was when our great-great-grandparents were alive. They may have grown some or all of their food or they purchased food that was cleaner, more natural, and had less pollutants. The wheat, milk, vegetables, and eggs are not the same as even 40 – 50 years ago.
In our modern world we have more pollutants in our food, air, water, and environment. So if our food and water has these as well, what happens when we eat or drink anything?
- We absorb these pollutants, the pesticides, the additives, and chemicals, right?
What are some of the pollutants?
There are three main categories – biological, chemical, and physical.
Biological
These are microorganisms like bacteria, fungi, yeasts, molds, and viruses. You’ve probably heard about some in the news recently like E. coli and listeria in meat or vegetables such as lettuces. If you’ve ever had food poisoning, then you contracted one of these pathogens from the food you ate. I’ve had severe food poisoning twice in my life; they were awful experiences. I even had to go to the hospital on one occasion. So I’m very cautious now. If you’ve ever had diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, headaches, and fever within a few hours or even up to 36 hours, this may be due to food poisoning.
Here are several tips to help you avoid food poisoning. Cooking foods to the correct temperature and storing foods at the right temperature are important as well as rotating foods. If you purchased an item first, then use it first. Cross-contamination can occur when harmful bacteria spreads from food surfaces, your hands, or equipment into your food or mouth. Be sure to wash your hands and clean the utensils, equipment, and surfaces after handling raw foods (including eggs). Keep raw foods away from cooked foods. And here’s a simple but often overlooked tip: don’t use the same chopping boards for raw meats that you use for cooked meats and veggies.
Chemical
Chemicals such as pesticides, insecticides, and herbicides can be dangerous for your health. These may be chemicals allowed into food by the FDA or even cleaning chemicals allowed in food prep and safety that might sneak into your food. Pesticides may contribute to respiratory and reproductive problems, endocrine functioning, neurological disorders, and even some types of cancer. Glyphosate (found in Roundup) is a common herbicide used to kill weeds and grasses. Many countries have banned it or limited its usage but not in the US. Monsanto, who used to own Roundup but is now owned by Bayer, has been in the news the past few years and has been taken to court and has made settlements due to the lawsuits over health issues and its product.
Chemical ingredients such as sodium nitrate, which is often used as a preservative, may contribute to your symptoms such as migraines, cognitive, and digestive issues. Other chemical ingredients like High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), Monosodium glutamate (MSG), artificial food colorings, and artificial sweeteners including aspartame, sucralose, and saccharine have side effects. And Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used to make plastics including many food and drink containers, may cause neurological and hormonal issues.
Physical
Physical hazards include objects like wood chips, bandages, plastic, glass, or elastic bands that slip into foods. This sounds obvious but be aware and look at your food before eating.
The good news is there are things you can do. Here are two simple strategies:
First, try to eat as clean and healthy as possible. You are not going to be 100% perfect, but that’s okay. Try to eat more organic foods which are grown or raised without chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, hormones, or drugs.
Look at the website by the Environmental Working Group at ewg.org. They have two lists of foods called the Clean 15 and the Dirty Dozen. These are simply lists of fruits and vegetables you should try to buy organic vs. the ones you can buy conventionally grown. Knowing which food is on what list will help you make smarter and healthier decisions as well as be more cost effective. You can buy organic for those Dirty Dozen foods (which are more expensive) and then buy conventional for the Clean 15 (which are usually cheaper). Just take a picture of the lists to keep on your phone so you’ll have them with you when you are shopping.
The second strategy is to look at what you’re eating more of the time. If you’re eating more processed, high sugary foods filled with trans fats, then you’re going to be ingesting more chemicals, pollutants, and pesticides. So instead of eating food in boxes and packages, eat more foods that are in the form God naturally created them – fresh meats, veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, and eggs (depending upon your tolerance/sensitivity). As we discussed last week regarding digestion, these processed and refined foods can cause toxic or leaky gut which leads to more inflammation which can contribute to many of your symptoms.
Pick one of these strategies to do today. Simply do 1% better than yesterday which over the course of a year will yield big results in your health.
Leah Cheshire is a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach and a speech-language pathologist. She has been in the medical and health field for over 30 years. Due to her own health issues – losing 3 babies to miscarriages, later being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis (an autoimmune disease), and digestive issues including SIBO, parasites, and IBS, she began a holistic journey to find alternative ways to improve her energy and digestion, optimize her thyroid functioning, and have better overall health. This led her to return to school to become a health and wellness coach with advanced training. She works primarily with women over 40 who have autoimmune, thyroid, and digestive issues using nutrition and lifestyle modifications. If you’d like a FREE 20-minute discovery call to see if you’d be a good fit to work together, click here to schedule that consult.
