Toxins are sadly taking over our meal times without us recognising it. This is an alarming problem that people need to be aware of mainly for their health and state of mind but also for longevity and quality of life. We still want to grow old and strong right? Well than why aren’t we acting like we do still want that and more?? If we keep eating the way we do, then we can say goodbye to reaching our 80’s or 90’s and say hello to toxic overload in the body.
People the time is now to sit up and care about what we are consuming as a society, what everyday meals we eat or even the drinks we allow ourselves to consume at meal times. An average Australian will consume their daily sugar intake in the first meal of the day, breakfast. What happened to breakfast being the most important meal of the day?? It’s now the sugariest, toxic overload for both our body and our brain. Too much sugar in one hit let alone one day.
The recommended daily intake of sugar for men is a total of 9 teaspoons and for women it is 6 teaspoons. Put your hand up, honestly who actually consumes their daily intake of sugar?? You don’t go over or under?? There wouldn’t be many out there who can say they stay under the recommended daily intake. This statistic alone is alarming and as a society we should be actioning it but instead we musk the problem and hide behind social media meme’s like “Treat yo’self” or “Ab’s are great but have you tried donuts?”. We need to learn our dietary limits and know what is what when it comes to nutrition.
TOXINS play a huge part in our diets these days and when I say these days I mean in the last fifteen to twenty years they have really nestled their way into our food and have now become a part of everyday eating and living. Because as we know toxins are not only in our food but also in our skincare products and cleaning products that we use as a part of our daily regimes. But that is for another day, today we are focusing on toxins in our food.
The first toxin I want to touch on is the most common toxin sugar. It is almost in everything we eat and drink today. Common effects sugar has on the body include insulin resistance which is a stepping stone towards metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Insulin is a very important hormone in the body, it allows glucose (blood sugar) to enter the bloodstream and tells the cells to start burning glucose instead of fat. Sugar contains a lot of calories but absolutely no nutrient content what so ever, when people eat between 10-20% of their daily calorie intake as sugar this can lead to nutrient deficiencies. It is costing the American public $52 billion in dental bills per year to fund their “addiction” to this toxic ingredient we know as sugar. In 1915 the average consumption of sugar per year/per person was 9kg each it has now soared to the individual now consuming his or her body weight of sugar per year. So if you think about that the average Australian man weighs 85.9kg. No more is needed to be said for sugar. I could keep throwing stats at you all day but what it comes down to is our personal knowledge and educating ourselves and our loved ones the importance of low toxic living when it comes to our diets.
Aspartame is our next toxic ingredient. This ingredient is found in so many of our foods including chewing gum, sugar-free foods, brewed soft drinks, diet drinks and foods, confectionery, beverages, medicines and is found in over 5000 food products. The potential effects this food has on our bodies well, get comfortable while I run through the main points.
- Asthma
- Seizures
- memory loss
- mood changes
- gradual weight gain
- headaches
- dizziness
- insomnia
- multiple sclerosis
- breathing difficulties
- DEPRESSION
- Aggression
- Suspected link to brain tumours
- Has caused cancer and leukaemia in animal studies (don’t be ignorant and fob that statistic off as “well that’s animals not humans”)
- And the last one (which is probably the worst stat. of all) PROHIBITED FOOD FOR INFANTS.
Yet here we are as adults consuming aspartame on a daily basis. Pop some chewing gum in after the morning coffee so to help “mask” the coffee breath. 3pm slump I did a soft drink to “pep” me up and help my energy levels. Or I am going to have this “sugar free” muesli bar for breakfast because I don’t have time to make a decent meal. After that list of alarming side effects of this toxin who feels like cracking open a diet coke??
Lucky last but most certainly not least. HFSC – High Fructose Corn Syrup. Yes, HFSC is another form of sugar but it is a hidden ingredient and has more than one name and more than one side effect. HFSC also known as glucose-fructose, isoglucose and glucose-fructose syrup all of which are used as a sweetener. This toxin is commonly compared to granulated sugar however it is a cheaper option for manufactures and companies to sweeten their products and of course when something is the cheaper option (specially to sugar) it normally means it is a worse ingredient than the original. HFSC has been linked to health problems and the main one is of course (drum roll please….) obesity. Once again this toxin has been linked to metabolic disorders and diseases.
It is with a heavy heart that I write this article and my faith in the food manufacturing industry has plummeted (that happened a while ago) when I decided to further my education and knowledge through Real Fitness, articles, podcasts and most importantly books and courses. We need to be smarter and more aware of our food choices. Educate yourselves about additives, preservatives and the taxing effects that gluten and sugar has on on our bodies. Learn right from wrong because I can promise you now a healthy life is not a fad, it is a lifestyle.
Real Fitness Training is a boutique wellness studio located in the Hills District which includes the surrounding suburbs of Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills, Kellyville, Bella Vista, Castle Hill, Cherrybrook, Glenorie, West Pennant Hills, Glenwood and Rouse Hill. Our services include personal training, semi-private personal training, yoga, meditation and nutrition. Creating optimal lifestyles since 2013.
