When someone hears the word “poison,” images of rattlesnakes, arsenic or cyanide come to mind…and certainly most of us try to stay away from those things!

But there is a significant, little-known source of poison that you are exposed to every single day.

Your food!

I’m specifically referring to processed foods.

Here’s the scoop.

From Nature to poison--the 4 levels of processed foods

There are 4 levels of processed foods—with each characterized by how much it has been adulterated away from how it originally appeared in Nature:

1- Barely processed

This is where a food is extremely close to how it appeared in Nature, with just maybe some washing, prep work and packaging.

Examples here are bagged salad mixes, plastic-wrapped trimmed fresh green beans, broccoli, mushrooms, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, snow peas or radishes, and packaged fresh “soup starters” like diced onions, peppers and celery.

2- Minimally processed

This is where the food does not resemble exactly how it looked in Nature, but it doesn’t contain a lot of chemicals and artificial ingredients either.

This category includes things like canned tomatoes and other vegetables, dried fruits, frozen vegetables and fruits (without sauces), jarred olives and artichokes, dried beans, prepared horseradish, butter, dried spices and herbs, pickles, relish, vinegar, cold-pressed oils, raw nuts and ground coffee.

3- Moderately processed

This category includes foods that do not resemble anything in Nature, but still aren’t always loaded with artificial ingredients (especially organic varieties).  They have been cooked or altered in some way and may contain multiple ingredients.

Examples of moderately processed foods include dried pasta, breads, yogurt, cheese, pesto, ketchup, mustard, sour cream, applesauce, salad dressings, soups, peanut butter, jam, mayonnaise, traditional oils, tomato sauce or paste, roasted nuts, maple syrup, popcorn, cold cuts and sausage.

4- Highly processed

These are completely unlike anything you’d find in Nature. 

They are characterized by multiple ingredients, many chemicals, preservatives and artificial ingredients, and are almost always harmful to your health in some way.

These include breakfast cereals, packaged dinners and side dishes, crackers and snack chips, puddings, Jell-O, whipped topping, coffee creamers, soda, candy, ice cream, pastries, cookies, donuts, refrigerator biscuits, frozen pizza, TV dinners, juice drinks, sports drinks, granola bars, Pop tarts, shortening, jarred frosting, cake and cookie mixes, Cheez Whiz, low-fat, fat-free or sugar-free products, frozen desserts and sauce/gravy mixes.

It is category 4 that I am primarily referring to when I speak of the health dangers of processed foods—you’re better off eating an old shoe than taking these into your body.

Here’s why:

150 lbs. of junk

The food industry routinely uses over 2,000 different food additives, but the total number of available additives has been estimated at 8,000!

These include (synthetic) vitamins, minerals, emulsifiers, buffers, artificial flavorings and colorings, taste enhancers, thickeners and enormous amounts of salt and sugar.

The average American eats about 150 pounds of food additives each YEAR!

This is broken down as follows:

• 130 pounds of sugar
• 10-15 pounds of salt
• 5-10 pounds of “other stuff” --synthetic vitamins, artificial flavors, preservatives, artificial sweeteners (which are neurotoxins), trans-fats (which give you heart disease) and colored dyes (which have been linked to cancer)

Some people in the world don't even consume 150 pounds of FOOD in a year--and the average American eats that much in food additives alone.

The hefty price we pay

The price we pay from ingesting 150 pounds of additives each year is very high:

1- Refined carbohydrate risks

The refined carbohydrates (including sugar, high fructose corn syrup and grains) in processed foods are a leading contributing factor in heart disease, insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, poor immune function, leaky gut, dementia and of course obesity. 

Plus high fructose corn syrup is typically made from GMO corn and has been found to contain mercury—a deadly neurotoxin.

2- Salt sadness

The salt in processed foods can stir up hypertension in two ways.  First of all, too much sodium can drive up your blood volume and raise blood pressure. 

In addition, when you have too much sodium which is not counterbalanced by the proper amount of potassium, that leads to elevated calcium levels, which in turn makes the smooth muscle cells in your arteries contract, raising your blood pressure.

3- Trans-fat terror

The trans-fats in processed foods are linked to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, immune dysfunction, mood swings, obesity and accelerated aging.

Even though trans-fats (in the form of hydrogenated oils) are supposed to be getting phased out of our food supply, many processed foods are made with heated polyunsaturated oils, which form compounds that are just as deadly as trans-fats!

So we’re trading one dangerous fat for another.

4- Chemical calamity

Your body was not designed to metabolize chemicals (such as artificial flavors, colors and preservatives) day in and day out.

Instead they have to be processed by your system as a “poison”—this taxes your liver (which is your primary organ of detoxification) as well as your kidneys (when secreting the toxins through your urine).

Eventually your body may have trouble effectively eliminating the excess acid wastes from chemical detoxification, and instead they may be reabsorbed into circulation. 

From there they can then accumulate in the blood (robbing it of oxygen), invade the organs and tissues (and affect their functioning) and create an environment that favors disease.

5- Digestive disaster

Since processed foods are not actually food that is meant for your body, they require a tremendous amount of digestive enzymes to be broken down, and can lead to heartburn, gas, bloating and constipation.

Your body knows best—not the food companies

Your body was designed to eat REAL foods--fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, eggs, good fats and meats, poultry and fish. That's what your body depends on for nourishment, sound digestion and elimination of wastes.

Now, having a diet of healthy real foods is not as boring or hard as it sounds--it just takes a bit of common sense and a little effort on your part.

But you do have to know what to do…and this is where I can help you with the Great Taste No Pain health system.

Great Taste No Pain will show you how to pair together foods in your meals to promote better digestion and nutrient absorption. 

When your digestion is carried out like it should be, that can mean fewer digestive problems like gas, bloating, constipation and heartburn.

Plus it can be much easier to lose weight because you’ll be better nourished and stay full longer!

And the recipe section features many scrumptious dishes made from real food ingredients that taste FAR better than ANY packaged stuff you can buy!

Help your body recover too!

If you've been a processed food fanatic for a while, chances are excellent your gut microbiome might not be as healthy as it should be.

Processed foods (especially refined carbs) become nourishment for the harmful bacteria and yeasts in the intestinal tract, so they can thrive and overcome your beneficial bacteria. 

Not only can this worsen gas, bloating and constipation, but your immune system may be greatly hampered too (since 70 percent of your immune cells reside in your gut).

In addition to a healthy diet of real foods which nourishes your gut, probiotic supplementation can help you achieve this important goal.

Super Shield's 13 strains of potent, effective friendly bacteria are up to the task--ready to line your intestinal walls, help repopulate your supply of helpful bacteria, keep yeasts and harmful bacteria in check, help encourage regular BMs and support your immune system!

Feed your body the delicious REAL food it is meant to have, and help it recover from past “food abuse” and I’m sure it will thank you handsomely for years to come!

To your health,

Sherry Brescia