Your grocery shopping trip is going well, your cart is filled with fresh veggies and fruits, you’ve navigated the aisles efficiently and you’ve followed our tips for Grocery Shopping In A Hurry. But more than likely you have fallen into one of these common unhealthy mistakes. Thanks to aggressive marketing and veiled information provided by manufacturers, what we think are healthy choices often turn out not to be. Here’s the top four:
1. Low-fat or non-fat milk. If marketers in the 1980’s and 1990’s drilled one incorrect idea into our heads, it’s that fat is unhealthy for your heart. The reality of the situation is that many fats are healthy for us! If you are going to include dairy in your diet, choose full-fat versions. When the fat is removed, powdered milk solids are often mixed into the remaining “milk” to improve upon its chalky taste and watery texture. The processing of powdered milk causes the cholesterol in the milk to oxidize. Oxidized cholesterol contributes to plaque buildup in your arteries. The proteins in powdered milk are altered to such an extent that they are no longer recognizable by your body! The worst part is that manufacturer\’s aren\’t even required to list “milk solids” on their ingredients list, so it’s impossible to know what you are really buying. If you tolerate dairy, choose organic full-fat milk.
2. Low-fat canned coconut milk. I was shocked when I discovered this…to make full-fat coconut milk into low-fat coconut milk, there’s no frankenstein processing or secret ingredient additions. But get this…they just ADD WATER! You pay the same price for the same size can, but if you buy the low-fat kind, you are paying for water. Go home, find a jar, pour your full-fat coconut milk into it, and then add tap water. Shake the jar, and BAM you have low-fat coconut milk. The more you water it down, the more liquid your milk will be (great for stews). If you want a thicker milk, leave the can in the fridge overnight to let the cream separate from the liquid. Coconut milk makes the perfect addition to this rainy day drink recipe.
3. Organic asparagus. Asparagus tops the Clean 15 list for the produce that contains the lowest level of pesticides. If you purposefully buy everything organic to minimize your family’s toxic load and support the health of the farmers and field workers, you can skip this “mistake”. But for anyone on a budget, organic asparagus is often twice the price as conventional asparagus, and it all comes down to the benefit/cost ratio.
4. Conventional apples. Organic apples can be expensive, but conventional apples are #1 on the Dirty Dozen list. You can find fair deals on apples near closing time at farmer\’s markets if you don\’t want to pay grocery store prices. It’s not good enough to just wash the apple skins, pesticides filter in through the skin and permeate these delicious fruits. Don’t sabotage your health to save a few bucks on Fujis.
We are here to help support you in your health and wellness. If you have any health related questions for your Oakland chiropractor, please send us an email. [info at riverstonechiropractic dot com]
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