Oh the Restrictions!

It seems that many people don’t know the truth about the food they eat. Not that I’m proclaiming myself as some sort of nutrition expert but because of recent health conditions, I’ve only been restricted to a very limited diet. From this I’ve learned a LOT about the truth behind the ingredients list. I’m a major food lover and this diet has made me cry so many times… But even us geeks deserve to know the truth about what we consume and I figure why not impart my knowledge! BRILLIANCE STRIKES! If you have an interest in knowing truths or even just wanting to know more about how RL (real life) is affecting you via foodage, READ ON!

LIST OF CRIMES
1. Chicken. The amount of antibiotics used in chicken is RIDICULOUS! And people eat these without a second thought because hey, it’s no biggie, right? Wrong! Think about the number of antibiotics the health industry already tries to force down our throats. The more antibiotics we take the more reliant our immune system becomes on them until we are unable to fight off common ailments ourselves.
Does this mean don’t eat chicken? Nah, just look for organic chicken since that’s unaltered by this nastiness.

As for chicken with hormones, apparently that’s been banned in Canada since the 60′s, which is comforting. I just hope people aren’t finding loopholes.

2. Organic and non-organic is a joke, right? Not like there’s any real difference other than some sort of price scam! *scoff* Yee-no… I wish that were true. I’ll make this point short, sweet, and direct: pesticides are designed to KILL things that are alive and want to eat whatever it’s protecting. We’re living too, and no we’re not an exception. Washing this stuff off truly isn’t good enough. Fruits and vegetables grow with these chemicals on them, on the plants that produce them, and in the soil. The pesticides are inside and out.  As for organic vs. non-organic meat, see #1. Chicken is just the worst for it, but all meat is affected this way.

So what… am I some sort of organic supporter or something? Well yes! Yes I am. After all the cross-referencing I’ve had to do on this topic, I cringe when I have anything otherwise. I’m not claiming to be a know-it-all by any means. I encourage people to research things for yourselves and most definitely do NOT rely on one source. There are always those who will contradict and state otherwise. Some will even provide fake or skewed data, so don’t take anyone’s word as fact (not even mine).

Additionally, many restaurants tend to not buy organic or wash their fruits and vegetables properly.

3. Dairy. Yep, I’m going after dairy too. Honestly, I wonder if there is something added to it to make people addicted or maybe it’s the constant bombardment of the media telling you that you NEED dairy! Drink milk! Eat cheese! It’s good for you! Truth: nope, sorry. It’s not. Even the dairy industry knows it, hence why they saturate the public with ads. Ever notice how much advertising goes up for dairy and ooo it’s so tasty! Creamy! You don’t want to stop having dairy, do you? Look at all these recipes of things you can make with CHEESE! But there are alternatives. Mainstream dairy is loaded with antibiotics that is constantly being applied to bleeding udders because the cows are being overworked.

That aside, dairy is puss creating. Many people lose a tone of weight from giving up dairy simply because of the amount of stored puss they had in their bodies. Also, after a time off of dairy (it took me 3 months), if you go back to it you notice it’s just not appealing.. I can’t drink milk, the most I can have of dairy is in baking and the cheese on my poutine or pizza and of course chocolate. Anything else, nooo way. It’s just too strong and unnatural. If it’s something so good for me, why does my body not want it back?

4. “Flavorings“: natural flavor, vanilla flavor, butter flavor… and so many more. These are the ‘secret ingredients’ added to many off-the-shelf ready-to-eat foods commonly consumed. Companies do this so that they don’t have to fully disclose the actual ingredients involved in their products because it might put consumers off from buying. For example, one way vanilla flavor is manufactured uses anti-freeze. Another example is natural flavor only needs to use natural origins but can make whatever the company wants whether it’s healthy or not, such as almond flavor “When almond flavor – benzaldehyde — is derived from natural sources, such as peach and apricot pits, it contains traces of hydrogen cyanide, a deadly poison.”
(Moar about natural flavors and wtf they are.)

BTW: the best popcorn in the world is organic original (which has no ‘butter flavor’) and it still tastes absolutely amazing with the oil and butter that are used instead. If you need butter on it, just heat up some and add it yourself. If there’s anything worse for you than that mainstream dairy, it’s fake dairy, ie. butter flavor which has been linked to causing bronchiolitis obliterans: a permanent lung disease that is only curable by transplant. (Butter Flavor Diacetyl, read under safety).

5. Soy is bad news for men if taken in large quantities. It contains isoflavones which converts to estrogen in the body. This can results in men becoming less man-like due to it affecting testosterone levels. But it’s not all bad. Isoflavones are also considered anti-oxidants, which is always a good thing. However, soy in many non-fermented forms including soy milk is not naturally made for consumption and many of the nutrients listed tend to never be absorbed. Moreover, there’s even question on how soy may lead to breast cancer in women because of the changes the extra estrogen inflicts on the body. Apparently, 2 glasses of soy milk a day is enough to begin to alter the female hormone chemistry… It’s so controversial I don’t know what to believe! So… I just have a bit in my tea or coffee every now and then. >.>  (Men and soy) (Digesting soy)

6. Pork. What freaks me out about pork is how it is the closest to human flesh. That and pigs are very intelligent animals, more so than dogs. They make amazing pets, but we eat them. Especially in Canada where Canadian bacon is such a big deal. The worst thing about pig meat is the parasites. It’s highly parasitic and therefore a BIG deal if undercooked. Many people have parasites because of this, whether it’s restaurants that under-cook it or even a sausage stand. In many cases you won’t know you have them, although many of them can be quite hindering. (Trichinosis is one parasitic disease you can get from pork). So make sure you cook your meat!

7. Same goes for fish. Either it’s really really truly cooked or if it’s raw fish from a trusted source, consider that you may be subjecting yourself to parasites. However! There are methods to kill the parasites in fish by either having it deep-frozen (which is mandatory in the US) or make sure to load on the pickled ginger and wasabi to help kill any parasites. This also helps to kill any parasites you might already have, among other foods such as garlic. (Killing parasites in the name of!) I <3 sushi, especially BBQ Eel roll. Best. Sushi. Ever.

All in all, I miss a lot of food. Right now all I can have is fish, chicken, eggs, and vegetables. No fruit, no seeds, no nuts, no pre-made sauces, no beans, no dairy, no STARCHY veggies such as potatoes (it’s painful having no potatoes cuz I was raised on them ) …  There’s many a time I’m stuck away from home and unless I packed food with me I have nothing to eat because I can’t get plain grilled chicken anywhere… or fish for that matter. They’re all pre-marinated. All I can have is vegetables… Blank salads with no dressing. Yeah I’m going to go check out the contents of my fridge while wiping away my never-ending tears.

And yes, I do have to take multivitamins while doing this because it is an extremely malnourished diet.