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Health & Fitness

5 Foods That Should NEVER Be In Your Grocery Cart

What I know for sure is that if you don’t feel energetic and healthy, you cannot rock an AWESOME Life!

You make all of our life’s decisions based on how you feel at that particular moment, so if you feel exhausted … you are most likely going to make an exhausted decision... if you feel stressed, you're going to make a stressed out decision... and so on...

One of my major life obsessions is feeling wonderful and vibrant (basically I’m on a search for the Fountain of Youth) – and when I say obsessed … I mean I’m totally obsessed!

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That’s what sparked my own health and wellness journey. I wanted to soak up as much information about health, vitality, weight management and longevity as I possibly could.

So, given my Type A, true Virgo personality, I went to school and formally learned. Getting a formal education in Holistic Health, Nutrition, Yoga and Herbalism only fanned the flame of my obsession, leaving me no choice but to help others with their health, wellness, vitality and longevity.

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So here I am, on my soapbox again … this time I’m ranting about the 5 things that should never be in your grocery cart!

1. Simple Sugars Or Processed Carbs

Sugary breakfast cereals, donuts, pastries, cookies, ice cream, cakes, rice, pasta and soda are loaded with them.

2. Meats High In Nitrates & Unhealthy Fats

Processed meats such as packaged cold cuts, bacon, sausages and hot dogs contain nitrates, chemical additives that preserve freshness. Nitrates have been linked to stomach cancer and other degenerative diseases. These fatty meat products are also full of unhealthy saturated fat that can raise levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, a risk factor for heart disease and strokes. If you’re a bacon lover like me, purchase nitrate and preservative free bacon only.

3. Ingredients You Can’t Pronounce

Does ferrous sulfate, thiamine mononitrate or partially hydrogenated soybean oil sound appetizing to you? Follow this rule of thumb: if a food product is made of stuff you need a course in chemistry to comprehend … or… if you can’t pronounce the first 5 ingredients, don’t put it in your cart. That will eliminate 95% of the grocery store…shop the perimeter of the store for optimal health.

4. Fat Free & Fake Health Foods

Fake health foods are those deceptive foods, billing themselves, as low in fat “or” fat free. Cookies, salad dressings or yogurt brands are big on this deceptive strategy. Look closely at their labels. To make up for flavor, these items are inevitably high in sugar or salt. Other tricky foods include packaged breads and crackers with labels stating “contains whole grains.” This often translates into considerably less fiber than 100% whole grain products. Also … beware the Energy Bar, those sugar bombs are usually candy bars in disguise!

5. Canned Foods High in Sodium

Eighty percent of our sodium intake comes from processed and canned foods. In fact, many canned foods are so chock full of salt, they contain half or more of your daily-recommended intake. A diet high in sodium is dangerous since it can lead to high blood pressure. Buy fresh or frozen items and leave canned foods for when you’re in a pinch!

There you have it peeps!


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