April 28, 2013 by NATASHA LONGO
Lately I've been focusing on all the
foods we should stop consuming,
but what about beverages which can account for up to 30 percent of our
daily calorie intake? Many of us take for granted all those
calorie-laden lattes, soft drinks and other sweetened beverages, however
the real problem is not related to calories, but something much worse.
Here are 7 beverages you should avoid consuming at any time, for your health and your waist line:
1. Soft Drinks (soda, pop, carbonated beverages, fizzy drinks, etc.)
There isn't enough bad things to say about soft drinks of any kind.
Soft drinks account for more than a quarter of all
drinks consumed in the United States. That
works out to at least one 12-ounce can per day for every man,
woman and child. They are estimated to be at least one-third
of the problem related to child obesity. Carbonated
soda pop provides
more added sugar in a typical 2-year-old toddler's diet than cookies, candies and ice cream combined.
Many sodas and diet soft drinks
approach the pH level of battery acid in terms of corrosiveness and erosion of tooth enamel.
Besides the fact that diet soda causes dehydration, weight gain, mineral
depletion, diabetes and caffeine addiction, research shows they're
also responsible for an
increased risk of vascular events such as stroke, heart attack, and vascular death.
Artificially sweetened soft drinks are marketed as healthier
alternatives to sugar-sweetened beverages, due to their lack of
calories. However, past research has shown very serious long-term
health consequences due to highly toxic additives and artificial
sweeteners such as
sodium benzoate,
aspartame, acesulfame potassium,
sucralose and
high-fructose corn syrup.
Men who drink just one 300ml can of soda per day are much more likely to
require treatment for a serious form of cancer than those who never
consumed the drink. One soda a day can
raise aggressive cancer risk by 40 percent.
One study of more than 66,000 women found those who drank artificially sweetened drinks were more
60 percent more likely to develop diabetes than those who indulged in regular versions of the same beverage.
Another recent study published in the journal
Respirology revealed that soft drink consumption is
associated with lung and breathing disorders including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
2. Tap Water
If you're still drinking tap water, you may be hiding from a flurry of information exposing its dangers.
Only 91 contaminants are regulated by the Safe Drinking Water
Act, yet more than 60,000 chemicals are used within the
United States, according to
Environmental Protection Agency
estimates. Government and independent scientists have
scrutinized thousands of those chemicals in recent decades,
and identified hundreds associated with a risk of cancer and other
diseases at small concentrations in drinking water,
according to an analysis of government records by The
New York Times.
Many readers know
fluoride is a chemical waste product
of the fertilizer industry that is problematic
environmentally in regard to how to dispose of it.
So the government and the industry figured out that
putting it in our drinking water would solve the problem.
Studies have shown that fluoride can pull
lead from pipes and add that to the poisonous mix
coming from our taps. That might be the reason
fluoride also seems to bring copper and aluminum with
it as well as the lead.
Animal studies have demonstrated evidence
of fluoride’s toxic effects on brain tissue. These
include brain cell damage, reduced lipid content,
impairment in anti-oxidant defense systems, increased
aluminum uptake, and the formation of beta-amyloid plaques.
These are the plaques which are indicative of Alzheimer’s
Disease. Maybe this explains why many dogs seem to
prefer to drink from puddles than their own
tap-filled water dishes.
Depending on the country, cardiovascular disease is typically
either the number one or two cause of death. A new study published in
Nuclear Medicine Communications Journal has concluded that increased uptake of fluoride in arteries may be associated with an increased cardiovascular risk.
Just in case the toxicity levels of fluoride were not sufficient in the water supply, are now proposing that
lithium could soon be added to drinking water.
An investigation by the Associated Press (AP) has also
revealed that the drinking water of at least 41
million people in the United States is
contaminated with pharmaceutical drugs.
Drinking tap water contaminated with perfluorooctanoic acid
(PFOA) is a serious health risk. The highest measured levels of
PFOA in human blood in the US, other than factory exposures, are in
people who have consumed PFOA contaminated tap water.
Lead pipes once used routinely in municipal water
distribution systems are a well-recognized as a source of dangerous
lead contamination. Construction crews have been feverishly replacing
these pipes in major cities in Canada and the U.S, but only partially
using brass in conjunction with copper lines.
The research shows that joining old lead pipes with new copper
lines using brass fittings
spurs galvanic corrosion that can dramatically increase the amount of lead released into drinking water supplies.
3. Sport Drinks
The sports drinks market keeps rising because unsuspecting
consumers keep feeding into the marketing ploy. Worldwide, it's a
multi-billion dollar industry sponsoring some of the biggest athletes.
But in a word, it's "crap".
Gatorade is
almost as corrosive as coke.
Researchers at the University of Iowa's College of Dentistry found
that energy drinks and sports drinks, such as Gatorade and Red
Bull, eroded the enamel more than soda and fruit juices. In a 2008
study published in the journal Nutrition Research, the dentists
soaked extracted human teeth in various liquids for 25 hours, and
then measured the structural changes, or lesions.
"Power drinks can be quite acidic, usually because there is
an addition of citric acid to those to give it tartness that is
desired by some consumers," said Dr. Clark Stanford, the associate
dean for research at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry.
" It's important to look at the label and see if citric acid has
been added." Sipping on sports drinks can
damage your teeth because of the high levels of acid in them, dentists have warned.
A recent study published in the May/June 2012 issue of General
Dentistry, the peer-reviewed clinical journal of the Academy of
General Dentistry, found that an alarming increase in the
consumption of sports and energy drinks, especially among
adolescents, is
causing irreversible damage to teeth--specifically, the high acidity levels in the drinks erode tooth enamel, the glossy outer layer of the tooth.
Some experts called for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
-- which treats energy drinks as dietary
supplements -- to require warning labels on the hundreds of
energy drinks now on the market.
Sports drinks are
loaded with petrochemical artificial colors
that have no purpose other than to make a visually
appealing beverage. Artificial colors offer no
nutritional value which support the assertion by many
that sports drinks are a
complete waste of money and can really harm you.
If you want a real energy drink, try the rehydrating powers of coconut water which
match or even better any carbohydrate-electrolyte sports beverage.
Even bananas were
found to have the same or more health benefits during heavy exercise than high-tech sports drinks.
4. Specialty Coffee
I know this may disappoint many coffee drinkers, but
there are responsible ways to drink coffee and the other ways. If you
indulge in big brand name speciality coffee from chains such as
Starbucks or McDonalds, not only are you getting coffee from toxic
coffee beans, but you're consuming some serious calories.
How about a Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino Blended Coffee? Try
660 calories. Or what about a Java Chip Frappuccino Blended Coffee.
That'll be 600 calories. Why would you want to add this kind of
artificially liquid creamed, refined sugared, artificially sweetened
coffee to your daily beverage consumption?
Recently, there has been a big push to promote the benefits of coffee. From fighting free radicals, to
improving memory,
diabetes, parkinsons, and even
reducing cancer risk,
there is plenty of studies touting the so-called miraculous health
benefits of coffee. But are these claims true and non-biased or
exagerrated claims with alterior motives? Some of the biggest promoters
of coffee's health benefits
come from the largest producers themselves such as those in Brazil.
I personally love coffee, but I will only drink bold organic varities
that are grown responsibily.
You won't find this kind of coffee at Starbucks or any other kind of
large coffee chain. The only types of coffee beans you'll get from any
major chain of specialty coffee is pesticide-laden and chemically grown.
The coffee plant is one of the most heavily sprayed crops. It's coated
with chemicals, pesticides, and herbicides, nothing you'd want to
be ingesting. These chemicals then leech into the ground water and
make people sick in local areas where coffee is grown.
Even though many chemicals that have been found to be harmful to the
environment have been banned or are strictly regulated in the U.S. or
Europe, they remain legal to use in less-developed countries,
including many countries that grow coffee.
Endosulfan,
chlorpyrifos,
diazinon,
disulfoton,
methyl parathion,
triadimefon and
cypermethrin and a few of many chemicals and pesticides used to grow coffee all over the world.
Coffee should be brewed within 4-6 weeks after roasting. The industry
standard shelf life is 1 year. Over 70% of coffee importers do not
follow these protocols far exceeding the time range for sales and stock.
Organic coffee is one of the choices you could resort to
especially if you are searching for high quality and the best coffee
blends. This is fast becoming a favorite among coffee aficionados
because of its high end and awesome taste and aroma. Moreover,
coffee lovers who are health conscious at the same time find this
coffee choice the most remarkable one.
There are renowned coffee beans and brands for organic java which are
trusted by countless coffee lovers around the world. Green
Mountain: Fair Trade Organic, Sprouts Farmers Market and Tom Thumb
(Safeway): O Organics European Blend are just few of the brands
established in the market today.
The best way to help our migratory birds is to purchase certified
Bird Friendly
coffees. Rather than being grown on land that has been cleared of all
other vegetation, Bird Friendly coffees are planted under a canopy of
trees that provide habitat for birds. In addition to being shade
grown, Bird Friendly coffees are also organic, meaning they're grown
without the use of chemical pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers
that poison the environment. See what Kenn Kaufman says about
Bird Friendly Coffee on his blog.
The
Rainforest Alliance
has a broad social and ecological mandate that spans many sectors
including agriculture. Coffee is one of the agricultural crops targeted
by Rainforest Alliance programs. The coffee certification program is
aimed at ensuring that coffee workers are paid fairly, treated with
respect and that the crop they tend does not contribute to soil
erosion, water contamination and forest destruction: the Rainforest
Alliance seal means that both social and environmental values are
respected.
5. Pasteurized Milk
The United States is
the world's largest producer of pasteurized cow milk,
but oddly enough it is also one of the world's smallest consumers.
The dairy industry thus has a vested interest in eliminating all raw
milk suppliers from the market place to enforce and increase per
capita consumption of pasteurized milk which is lagging behind most
of the world.
Pasteurized milk is perhaps
one of the most nutritionally deficient beverages misappropriately labeled
as a "perfect food." Raw milk enthusiasts have known for a
very long time that unpasteurized milk is the ONLY milk worthy of
consumption.
Pasteurization
destroys enzymes, diminishes vitamin content, denatures fragile milk
proteins, destroys vitamins C, B12 and B6, kills beneficial
bacteria, promotes pathogens and is associated with allergies,
increased tooth decay, colic in infants, growth problems in
children, osteoporosis, arthritis, heart disease and cancer.
All cow's milk (regular and 'organic') has 59 active hormones,
scores of allergens, fat and cholesterol. Cow milk may also have
measurable quantities of herbicides, pesticides, dioxins (up to 200
times the safe levels), up to 52 powerful antibiotics (perhaps
53, with LS-50), blood, pus, feces, bacteria and viruses.
The primary claim by the food industry: As the world's population
climbs, the sustainable production and distribution of food is
balanced against the need to ensure its chemical and
microbiological safety. Scientists believe they must
irradiate, pasteurize and sterilize all foods to keep the public safe.
And pasteurization does not always kill the bacteria for Johne’s disease
suspected of causing Crohn’s disease in humans with which most
confinement cows are infected. Much commercial milk is now
ultra-pasteurized to get rid of heat-resistant bacteria and give it a
longer shelf life. Ultra-pasteurization is a violent process that
takes milk from a chilled temperature to above the boiling point in
less than two seconds.
One of the possible methods of pasteurization uses propylene oxide, a highly flammable and "
highly toxic" chemical used in
thermobaric weapons. Foods treated with the chemical are banned in some countries, including
Canada and Mexico, as well as the European Union.
A very interesting point addressed by Marco Torres is
do we really need to drink any milk of any kind from another species besides our own?
I love coconut, nut and seed milks. Brazil nuts, almonds, hazelnuts,
walnuts, pecans, and hemp seeds all make nutrient dense, great
tasting milks and they're all essentially
made the same way and you can make them yourself without any sophisticated equipment.
6. Processed Fruit Juice
One of the great scams of the industrial food cartel is the
so-called “fresh” orange juice sold in supermarkets.
Ever wonder why commercial orange juice--even the premium,
not-from-concentrate, "100-percent pure" juice kind--tastes the same
each time you buy it, but doesn't taste exactly like a freshly peeled
orange?
Turns out there's a lot more to making juice than simply squeezing some
citrus. As part of the mass-production process, big-name brands like
Tropicana, Minute Maid, Simply Orange, and Florida's Natural add
artificial flavouring in order to make sure your juice tastes
consistent from carton to carton--and to make sure it tastes like
oranges.
"It really rocks people's world to learn that most orange juice is not a fresh product," says Alisa Hamilton, author of
"Squeezed: What You Don't Want to Know About Orange Juice"
Pasteurized, not-from-concentrate orange juice takes up a lot of
storage space. In order to keep it from spoiling without adding
chemical preservatives, the companies "deaerate" (or strip the
oxygen out of) the juice. (Another surprise: During production,
deaerated juice often sit in million-gallon tanks for as long as a
year before it hits supermarket shelves.)
A shocking investigation has also revealed that some of the
best known brands of apple juice contain arsenic.
American apple juice is made from apple concentrate, 60% of
which is imported from China. Other countries may use pesticides
that contain arsenic, a heavy metal known to cause cancer and heart
disease.
Findings of a
Consumer Reports investigation
about arsenic and lead levels in apple juice and grape juice have
prompted the organization to call for government standards to limit
consumers’ exposure to these toxins.
Fruit juices of any kind are rarely 100% juice and specific additives to
extend shelf life can be hazardous to your health and your family.
7. Any Artificially Sweetened Beverage
Aspartame and sucralose are still used in hundreds of artificially
sweetened drinks including cocktails, milks, juices, cold coffees and
sodas. If you see either of these two ingredients in any beverage,
please do not consume it. They are two of the most toxic sweeteners in
the world.
Monsanto, the creator of
Aspartame
knows all about the dangers. They fund the American Diabetics
Association, the Conference of the American College of Physicians and
Congress.
When aspartame is ingested into the digestive tract, it breaks
down into numerous other poisons. The intact Aspartame molecule and
its diketopiperazine form are vastly worse poisonings than any of
the other poisonings which arise from it during digestion, and
liver processing of the digestive blood, which is delivered
directly to the liver via the portal vein. The other poisonings,
as mentioned, are indeed horrendous but Aspartame from gum is far
worse, making even the smaller amounts contained in chewing gum
strikingly dangerous and damaging.
Aspartame, via ingestion into the digestive tract, is made
into some ten other poisonings by the digestive processes, and
then excepting that which is delivered directly to the pancreas,
they are transported straight to the liver via the portal vein,
where they then are very partially dealt with, and partially
reprocessed. Afterwards, they are sent in somewhat lesser
concentration to the entire body, lessening the amount which
eventually goes to the brain.
A report from scientists at Duke
University demonstrated that the artificial sweetener
Splenda (sucralose) and its key component sucralose pose a threat
to the people who consume the product.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 11 to 27
percent of ingested sucralose is absorbed by the human body (FDA
1998). Research published by the manufacturer of sucralose (Roberts
2000) shows that when 8 healthy male adults where given sucralose
(in 1 mg/kg amounts), between 10.4% and 30.6% of the sucralose was
absorbed. In addition, 1.6% to 12.2% of the sucralose accumulates in
the body.
Splenda/sucralose is simply chlorinated sugar; a chlorocarbon.
Common chlorocarbons include carbon tetrachloride, trichlorethelene
and methylene chloride, all deadly. Chlorine is nature's Doberman
attack dog, a highly excitable, ferocious atomic element employed as
a biocide in bleach, disinfectants, insecticide, WWI poison gas and
hydrochloric acid.
In test animals Splenda produced swollen livers, as do all
chlorocarbon poisons, and also calcified the kidneys of test animals
in toxicity studies. The brain and nervous system are highly
subject to metabolic toxicities and solvency damages by these
chemicals. Their high solvency attacks the human nervous system and
many other body systems including genetics and the immune function.
Thus, chlorocarbon poisoning can cause cancer, birth defects, and
immune system destruction. These are well known effects of Dioxin
and PCBs which are known deadly chlorocarbons.
Natasha Longo
has a master's degree in nutrition and is a certified
fitness and nutritional counselor. She has consulted on
public health policy and procurement in
Canada, Australia, Spain, Ireland, England
and Germany.http://preventdisease.com/index.shtml
