Tips to reduce and eliminate these nightmares in your life.

As the end of the year approaches, it’s time to look back and reflect on the highs and lows of the past 12 months. On the low side, here are my top five health nightmares of 2012 along with suggestions for eliminating them.

1. GMOs (Genetically modified organisms). GMO crops have replaced many of our traditional agricultural products and have become predominant in our food supply, ingredients, plastics, lubricants and many other sources. Chances are you don’t even know you are ingesting or using a GMO product. The top GMO crops in the United States are soy, cotton, canola, corn and papaya. If you were to analyze your own DNA you would find that you are made almost entirely of corn. Why do we continue to allow GMO crops to infiltrate our cereal, grains, bread, popcorn, tofu, milk and oils?

Suggestion for reducing/eliminating: Buy edible products that are clearly marked non-GMO including food in boxes, bags, vegetable oils and more.

2. Vaccinations. There have been more vaccinations advertised and offered in grocery stores and pharmacies than ever this year.  There have been no studies done to prove the effectiveness of vaccinations and plenty of information indicating that they are dangerous. This year, we have seen vaccines for shingles, whooping cough, flu and HPV (human papilloma virus) pushed on the general public through scare tactics and marketing.

Suggestion for reducing/eliminating: Consider the pros and cons of all vaccinations before you participate. If you are not in a high risk group for contraction of the target disease, skip it and stay healthy by eating right and taking care of yourself.

3. Sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup. Can you believe that manufacturers refuse to cut down on these deadly sweeteners? There are now jams and jellies marketed as “No High Fructose Corn Syrup” yet they are full of refined sugar. Is that supposed to make us feel safer? It might be acceptable to ingest a couple of teaspoons of sugar per day if you have to, but there are about 10 teaspoons of sugar in a can of soda or a grande latte, 20 teaspoons in a small fast food shake and 11 teaspoons in a donut shop blueberry muffin!

Suggestion for reducing/eliminating: Drink water and start doing more cooking yourself using natural sweeteners such as date sugar or coconut sugar. Better yet, use stevia extract!

4. Fast Food Oatmeal. Customers believe they are making a healthy choice by selecting oatmeal on fast food menus. There are at least 21 ingredients in the major fast food choice, Fruit & Maple oatmeal, including brown sugar and sweetened fruits for a total of 32 grams of sugar, and a plethora of color, preservatives, and other flavorings.

Suggestion for reducing/eliminating: If the convenience is what draws you to fast food oatmeal, just search the Internet for overnight, no-cook oats recipes. Mix the ingredients and let sit overnight for a delicious and even more convenient breakfast!

5. Artificial Sweeteners. Try to find one item in a grocery store that doesn’t include an artificial sweetener. Aspartame, saccharine and sucralose have dominated the market and are shown to cause health problems. Many health professionals even recommend drinking sugary drinks over diet drinks—that’s how bad these chemicals are for us! One of the major soft drink manufacturers has produced a drink with four sweeteners in it, including high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium.

Suggestion for reducing/eliminating: Drink water. If you need flavoring, add lemon and stevia, cucumber or mint to your own filtered water. Buy a permanent water bottle and carry water with you everywhere you go.

I am wishing everyone a healthy 2013 and hope you find some of my suggestions motivating.

Beth Anderson is a certified Holistic Health Coach and founder of the Holistic Health Hotspot (http://www.holistichealthhotspot.com). She is also the author of The Holistic Diet: Achieve Your Ideal Weight, Be Happy and Healthy for Life. Beth received her training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Beth is helping people improve their lives through nutrition and lifestyle education, health coaching, and by helping others to learn to make informed choices. Beth continues to spread understanding of the connection between body, mind, and spirit and encourages all to discern the truth about food, consumer products, environment, and life choices.

 

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Ed. Karla Rodas

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