Cut out Meat, White Flour and Sugar!!!

burgerIf you try to recall your previous meal, it might have had one, two or all three of these foods on your  plate. As you were eating every bite, you were probably thinking of how guiltless the entire meal was….

What’s with Meat?

We’ve been eating meat since we were cavemen right…so whats wrong with it?  Here are some meat-eating myths you should know:

Myth: There’s nothing like protein from meat.

Here’s a thing our society has been led to believe is that our dietary need for protein can only be addressed by red meat. First, experts from US National Research Council, World Health Organization, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and US Food & Nutrition Board all agree that our body only needs 2.5% to 8% of protein in our recommended daily allowance (RDA)….not 40%.

The question is: are you required your protein allowance from red meat? Certainly not! Consuming protein from red meat will also mean consuming saturated fats, acidic wastes, steroids, and who knows what else.  Also, you can get your protein requirement from the following:

o Beans (27.5%)
o Vegetables like spinach (6-23%)
o Grains like quinoa (13%)
o Nuts and Seeds (11%)
o Fruits like coconut, pineapple, avocado and pear (4-5.5%)

Remember, you only need a small percentage of protein in your total diet. By eating any of the above, you are practically ensuring a completely healthy diet!

Myth: It’s the best source of iron, zinc and vitamin B12!

Another assumption is that meat is the best source for iron, zinc, and vitamin b12. Several studies have proven that vegetarians do not suffer from iron- and zinc-deficiency any more than non-vegetarians. I, myself have been vegan for 7 years now and have never had a bad blood test.  There are a number of rich sources of both, such as eggs, cereals, nuts, soy products, and whole-grain products. Though the body has a lower percentage of absorbing iron and zinc from these foods, they have greater concentration of both, making them even better sources than meat products!

Meat products are not an excellent source of B12 either, as your body will have a hard time absorbing them. That’s why everyone is advised to get B12 from dairy products and supplements.

Myth: There’s absolutely no proof that meat can cause several types of cancer and heart disease!

Breast, stomach, prostrate and colon cancer tend to be common among people who eat meat on a regular basis. A study conducted in Harvard University showed that women who eat about 1.5 servings of meat daily have twice as much chances of developing breast cancer caused by the hormones as women who eat 1 serving thrice a week. The preservatives used in processed meat are also cancer-causing agents, just as the growth hormones injected to cattle are.

So, how about white flour?

Ready-to-cook pasta, white bread, white rice and cornmeal. If you think you are safely and healthily getting your needed carbohydrates from these foods, think again. The bad news is that these white flour products were produced from chemical bleaching in flour mills. The chemical bleaching agents used include stuff like chlorine, chloride, nitrosyl, benzoyl peroxide and other chemical salts. What’s even worse is that some of the residues mix in with the final product, white flour. Not only do these chemicals destroy what little nutrients are left of the white flour, it also produces alloxon, which can cause diabetes!

But that’s not the worst of it. In the process of producing white flour, the enriching nutrients in its grain are removed. This includes the healthy oil in the wheat germ, the fiber in the wheat bran, the much needed unsaturated fatty acids, Vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, copper, pottasion, riboflavin and many other vitamins and minerals are virtually lost.

What’s left are refined carbohydrates and protein that are so refined you’re practically eating refined sugar by the buckets! The result? An imbalance in your blood sugar and blood pressure levels.

What about sugar?

Sugar’s poisonous effects can slightly be disconcerting. Isn’t it a rich source of fructose and glucose, which your body needs for energy consumption?

What’s wrong with sugar is that it contains obscene amounts of glucose that, when taken in by the body, tips the balance of your insulin level. If you were a diabetic you would know what this means. Refined sugar contains too much glucose that the rest is stored in different parts of your body–a sure way to gain weight rapidly, yikes!!

Refined sugar is stripped of essential nutrients found in sugar-containing substances like fruits. That’s precisely why it is called empty calories! The unhealthy effects of sugar do not stop there, its many hidden dangers will poison your body in more ways than you can imagine, obesity and diabetes are a few examples.

SO WHAT’S WRONG WITH MEAT, FLOUR AND SUGAR?

That’s a question you don’t even have to think twice about ever again. It’s not too late to stop yourself though; you can easily start eating less of these in your next meal.

Source: Emma Deangela  TheAlkalineDiet.org