5 Clean Foods NEVER to Eat
This is NOT your typical list of foods to not eat. You won’t see donuts, hot dogs, potato chips, or pizza on the list. We all know to avoid those. Instead, this is a shocking and NEW list of foods that you really need to re-consider if you want to lose fat, be healthy, and defeat the belly bloat.
(I’ll also give you a recipe below for one of the healthiest smoothies ever.)
I’ve been doing a LOT of nutrition research lately for personal reasons and what I found surprised even me. I also told some doctor friends of mine and they had no idea these foods caused problems. So here we go…
#1 – Strawberries & Blueberries
You MUST avoid non-organic strawberries and blueberries. Regular berries are covered in up to 13 different pesticides, according to the US Dept. of Agriculture. Worse, these pesticides are applied by workers wearing thick protective suits…to protect them from the pesticides you end up eating!
Other fruits and vegetables that should always be organic: Apples, peaches, bell peppers, spinach, cherries, and even potatoes (NEW to the list because of factory farming methods).
#2 – Smoothies
Yes, smoothies. Check out these disturbing numbers from Rodale. They listed this smoothie as one of the 9 unhealthiest meals in America. A 40-ounce “Peanut Power Smoothie” contains 1,460 calories (!) and 22 teaspoons sugar – that’s 2.5 times the amount of sugar in can of Coke.
Those are terrifying numbers. See below for the Smoothie Solution on how you can make a filling, delicious smoothie without the junk.
#3 – Microwave Popcorn
Lots of TT readers love having popcorn as a night-time snack to overcome the munchies, and air-popped popcorn is NOT the worst thing in the world…but…microwave popcorn contains several cancer-causing ingredients, so NEVER eat another bag of this again.
#4 – Tomato Sauce & Canned Tomatoes
I love traveling to American and I love American people, but dang it, America, why do you have to add sugar to everything!?!?! From tomato sauce to many breads and even to my beloved cacao nibs, you have to be on guard all the time and ALWAYS be reading the labels to see if sugar has been added to foods that come in a bag, box, or bottle.
Sugar causes weight gain, makes you CRAVE more sugar, and contributes to deadly diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Cut it out!
As for canned tomatoes, most are packaged in tins that contain the cancer-causing, hormone-disrupting chemical known as BPA. Studies show it can lead to infertility and heart disease, too. YIKES!
#5 – Nut butters
Again, leave it to the frustrating food industry to completely ruin almond butter by packing it full of cane juice (another type of SUGAR!) and hydrogenated oils. These ingredients make addictive nut butters even more addictive, but also unhealthy and full of extra calories. Read the labels. Your nut butters should have just ONE ingredient – the nuts!
I actually could go on and on with other foods to avoid…
This is all scary stuff. But there’s a way around everything, and that’s to budget and plan ahead to choose only healthy items.
That’s how I was able to make the following delicious and healthy smoothie today:
The “Ballantyne” Blender Drink <= One of the healthiest ever
– 250 mL water
– 4 ice cubes
– 2 handfuls organic spinach (sometimes I use broccoli – you can’t taste it!)
– 1 tablespoon Athletic Greens powder
– 6 organic strawberries (organic blueberries are also great)
– 1 scoop Paleo Protein Powder or BioTrust low-carb protein (vanilla)
– 1/3 avocado (doesn’t have to be organic)
That’s high energy. I had this with a Green Tea and it gave me the mental alertness to create this newsletter and now I’m fueled for a great conditioning and fat burning workout in the mile high city of Denver (where I finally adjusted to the altitude and had a great hike through Red Rocks yesterday).
Get 31 blender drinks here with my Simple Nutrition for Fat Loss plan
Taking care of your health,
Craig Ballantyne, CTT
Certified Turbulence Trainer
PS – But wait, there are a few more odd ‘clean’ foods to avoid…
…but only in certain situations…
BONUS Tip #1 – Stop eating onions and garlic if…
…you suffer from a bloated belly. You see, there’s a subset of foods called “FODMAP” foods that contain indigestible fibers (Fructans, oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and poloyols).
If you feel constantly bloated or if you have IBS, you probably need to avoid these foods, and the worst offenders that cause the most bloating and gas are onions and garlic. Cut those out for 2 weeks and let me know how you feel.
Bonus Tip #2 – If you are on a gluten-free diet…
…get rid of oats, too, not just wheat. According to my friend and Gluten-Free Warrior, Dr. Peter Osborne, “There is no such thing as gluten-free oats.” So be wary of so-called gluten free foods.
Get 31 blender drinks here with my Simple Nutrition for Fat Loss plan