Why I don’t use protein powders…and why you shouldn’t either!

by

The protein powder craze is one health trend that you should definitely avoid, and I’m about to tell you why!

Chose Whole Foods and Whole Dried Foods, organic of course!

Learn what protein powders to avoid and why!

All information in this article is for educational purposes only.
It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

Even with all their amazing health claims on everything from weight loss to better workouts to rock solid abs, I never felt drawn to protein powders. My feeling was always to stay close to nature with my foods, and I just wasn’t sure how a vanilla or chocolate or strawberry-flavored powder felt like anything except an overly processed food. Over the years, I started to hear from clients who were getting sick from these powders – mainly pain in the lower back, bad skin, insomnia, depression and kidney troubles. In every case, the symptoms occurred AFTER starting high doses of protein powder. As I started to look at the ingredients on different labels, I knew that my intuition on this one had been right all along.

Not a Whole Food

Most people mistakenly think that protein powders are just whole foods ground up into a powder form, and that is definitely not true. In fact, in order to get a high protein count, you have to extract the proteins out of the food and leave the rest behind. Otherwise, you could not get anywhere near a high protein concentration. And with protein powders, the more protein, the better.

Pea protein is the worst offender, especially for people who may react to these unnatural extracted proteins. That’s right…pea protein is an extracted protein, made in a lab, and it’s got a high glutamate concentration so it can affect you in the exact way as Monosodium Glutamate, or MSG. I’ve had a few clients who taking high doses of protein powders and they complained of migraine headaches, anxiety, and sensitivity to light or sound. Once we took the pea protein out of their diet, all symptoms disappeared.

Note: ALL pea protein is extracted, even if it’s 100% certified organic. The same protein powders can be used in diet and weight loss shakes as well as body-building blends.

Not Natural

Many protein powders contain “natural” flavors (note: the word “natural” is not regulated and can mean just about anything), artificial coloring and/or artificial sweeteners, none of which are good for your health. You can also find Genetically Modified (GMO) ingredients and/or Whey Protein Isolate, another high glutamate/extracted ingredient which is non-vegan and usually not organic so it can be high in antibiotics and pesticides too.

Not Regulated

Since protein powders are considered a “food” and not a supplement, they’re not actually regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In a few cases, independent studies found high levels of heavy metals in certain ingredients such as organic brown rice protein. If your protein powder contains dangerously high levels of arsenic, cadmium or lead, how would you know? You won’t. Until it’s too late that is, and I don’t want that to happen to you!

Many of the ingredients in the mass-produced protein powders come from India and China, and they are not regulated for quality or contaminants. Those low-quality ingredients are most likely irradiated as well.

Hard on the Kidneys

So you’ve got an extracted unnatural powder protein that was heated to super-high temperatures, stripped of its fiber and is no longer a whole food. (Yikes!) What’s your natural, organic body going to do with that? You’ll have excess acid and uric acid build-up that’s created from the metabolic waste in trying to digest and break down all those proteins. Your skin and kidneys carry the burden of trying to release excess acids. You might smell an “acidic or tangy” odor in your sweat. Over time, the kidneys can become weaker and the risk of getting kidney stones or kidney disease can increase. Eating a high acid diet is also not good for your pH health. An anti-cancer diet is an alkaline diet, not a a high acid diet.

Not Around Long Enough to Know

The boom of high protein diets helped to make protein powders a new diet trend. Just read any Paleo, Dukan, Atkins or low carb diet website and you will see everyone is talking about protein – protein – protein.  I’ve even heard people talking about cricket protein powders (and surely that’s coming from China so imagine what’s in it, really).

But here’s the deal –  you can still eat plenty of protein if that’s your thing. Just choose whole foods! There are plenty of natural, vegan, organic whole food plant protein options out there. Since protein powders simply haven’t been around long enough to know if there are long-term consequences to your health, why take a chance?

Choose Real Whole Organic Food

Your body was designed to eat whole foods.

Here are 5 plant-based whole food protein sources:

  • 164g chickpeas = 14.53g  protein
  • 118g pumpkin seeds = 35.21g protein
  • 143g almonds = 30.34g protein
  • 140g sunflower seeds = 29.09g protein
  • 30g hemp hearts protein (3 Tbsp.) = 15.00g protein

Okay to Eat: Organic hemp protein, flax seed and spirulina powder. These are all whole foods; that means the whole seed or algae is dried and ground into a powder form. (The powders you want to avoid are the processed foods, such as “extracted, hydrolyzed, and protein isolates.”)

Best to Avoid: Pea protein, whey isolate, any hydrolyzed protein, natural flavors, aspartame, beet powder (if non-organic, this is usually GMO).

Other good vegetable/plant-based sources of protein include organic spirulina powder, sprouted mung beans, lentils, sesame seeds and dark leafy bitter greens.

You can make a super-healthy Green Smoothie with pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, tahini (sesame seed paste), almonds and spirulina plus some fresh dark, leafy greens for an all-natural plant-based protein meal. You deserve the very best in health so I say choose the best!

UPDATE! Read an updated article I wrote on this subject called Protein Powders containing Mercury, Lead, Arsenic and Cadmium: WARNING!

Find out why you should avoid the latest protein powder craze

More on Blenders and pH Health:

More on Green Smoothies:

Why is WholeFoods STILL using Canola Oil? (Hint: It’s NOT good for you!)

by

In the last 10 years, Wholefoods has practically become a “religion” in the United States. People flock there (myself included!), swayed by good branding and a nice big fresh fruit and veggie section when you walk in the door that makes you think that everything after that is going to be just as fresh, organic, non-GMO and good for you. For the prices you pay, it better be…right?! Well…

All information in this article is for educational purposes only.
It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil tastes wonderful in a homemade soup. Some people report getting headaches and blurred vision after eating Canola Oil.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil tastes wonderful in a homemade soup. There is simply no need to use inferior ingredients.

My personal “bad food” radar is usually set for food additives and various forms of hidden Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) found in so-called healthy foods, which I can find in mass abundance on the shelves in every supermarket, including Wholefoods. The food label trickery is simply through the roof. But, you don’t have to be a biologist or scientist to see CANOLA OIL on many labels right there in the ingredients. It’s one you should definitely AVOID. And the worse offender at Wholefoods is in their baked goods and salad bars.

What is Canola Oil and why it’s is Bad for you

You probably never really thought about canola oil and simply thought it was oil from canola, just like olive oil is from olives and sunflower oil is from sunflower seeds. That would make sense in a normal, non-genetically modified world. But, the reality is that there is no canola plant. “Canola” is a made-up word from a GMO plant that has unknown consequences to your health.

Canadian Oil + Low Acid = Canola Oil

Canola oil is made from genetically modified rapeseed plants. The problem was that “rapeseed oil” was so toxic that the FDA banned it for human consumption in 1956. In the 1970’s, Canadian growers bred a new variety of rapeseed with a lower content of the toxic erucic acid, and the name of the new oil was L.E.A.R. (Low Erucic Acid Rapeseed) oil. Eventually, it was renamed “Canola” for marketing reasons, because no company wanted to be associated with a product having “rape” in its name and “rapeseed” oil was well-known to be a toxic oil.

The term Canola was coined from “Canadian oil, low acid” to convince consumers that this “newer and better” rapeseed oil was safe to eat. You see, rapeseed oil was banned from foods, probably because it attacks the heart to cause permanent degenerative lesions. The truth is that rapeseed is the most toxic of all food oil plants. Even insects won’t eat it! That’s right, Canola oil is a very effective insecticide, and it is the primary ingredient in many “organic” (non-chemical) pesticide control products sprayed on vegetables to kill bugs.

The rape seed is part of the mustard family of plants. Mustard gas was made from rapeseeds and used in World War II for genocide.

It is estimated that 93% of the canola oil currently sold in the US has been genetically engineered (GMO). But, since pure non-GMO rapeseed is proven to be toxic and unsafe for human consumption, how can even 7% of canola oil be non-GMO? It seems to be a scientific impossibility, or simply a play on numbers. At best, I’d call it a marketing oxymoron!

Even IF you were eating the 7% “safe” canola oil, is it really safe?

The process of heating canola oil during manufacturing is so extreme that the oil actually becomes rancid and has a terrible smell. The odor is so bad that the manufactures have to deodorize the oil so it doesn’t smell bad! All food grade canola, including the varieties sold in health food stores, are deodorized by 300 degree Fahrenheit high-temperature refining to remove its natural terrible stink.

Symptoms of Intolerance or Allergy to Canola Oil

Rape oil itself has been shown to cause emphysema, respiratory distress, anemia, constipation and blindness in animals and humans. I have personally worked with clients who experienced intense heart palpitations after eating canola oil or products containing canola oil. Once we took the canola oil out of their diet, their symptoms disappeared. Can you imagine if you thought you were having an anxiety attack, only to find out that you were reacting to a frankenfood like canola oil?!

Why on earth would anyone want to eat a GMO rancid oil with deodorants (chemicals) added to it??!! I don’t know about you, but I just lost my appetite for anything except my own homemade Green Smoothie (yum).

Why is Wholefoods using Canola Oil?

This is the million dollar question, or better put…the million dollar profit. Because the only reason why Wholefoods would use a cheap unhealthy ingredient in their over-priced salad bar and baked goods is to maintain a better profit margin. Doesn’t that make you sad? I know it kills me. I want to to believe in a real supermarket that is going to sell me high quality organic ingredients and I am willing to pay more money for it! But, like you, I don’t like being swindled. What’s worse is the pathetic campaign that Wholefoods has started to try and justify the use of what they call “non-GMO Canola oil” in their salad bar. By definition, Canola Oil is GMO…so I cannot understand their faulty logic. Even IF their canola is non-GMO, then it would be pure rapeseed which is a known toxin! Either way, I don’t want it in my food!

While there are many other "bad" ingredients in this food like yeast extract, the CANOLA OIL is obvious.

While there are many other “bad” ingredients in this food like yeast extract, the CANOLA OIL is obvious.

Why spend so much time on this issue when you can easily switch to coconut oil or olive oil or pure sunflower oil? There are many vegetable oil options which are heart-healthy, not rancid and made from whole, non-GMO ingredients. 

Again, many other ingredients here would stop me like carrageenan and hydrolyzed corn, but the CANOLA OIL is a definite No Thank You!

Again, many other ingredients here would stop me like carrageenan and hydrolyzed corn, but the CANOLA OIL is a definite No Thank You!

 

As a side note, Wholefoods admits to allowing other companies to sell GMO canola oil on their shelves.

Here are some examples:

This product is gluten-free and wheat-free and "all natural"…well, except for the GMO Canola Oil

This product is gluten-free and wheat-free and “all natural”…well, except for the GMO Canola Oil

NOTE: This IS Genetically Modified Canola Oil  since it is not listed as “organic” or ‘Non-GMO.”

Notice how the label reads "No Synthetic Preservatives" instead of "No Synthetic Ingredients"? Hmmm….

Notice how the label reads “No Synthetic Preservatives” instead of “No Synthetic Ingredients”? Hmmm….

What can you do?

1. Start reading labels. If you see canola oil in a product, baked good or salad bar item, don’t buy it!

2. Share this Information!! The only way to get the word out is to spread the word!!

When companies see sales going down as a result of what we know and don’t want, they will change!

More on GMO:

More on Whole Foods and Food Additives:

Get Affordable Organic Food with Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Vegetable Home Delivery

by

Want to save time and money and get more affordable organic fruits and vegetables? Then check into finding a local CSA for organic home delivery in your area. Community Supported Agriculture or CSA is a way to connect consumers directly to organic farmers. With no store or “middle man” in between, you get more affordable produce that’s fresh and in season.

Get local organic produce delivered to your door & save money too!

How does a CSA work?

Basically, you invest in a “share” of the harvest, meaning you pay in advance for regular deliveries of organic, fresh, seasonal produce from local farmers. Every program varies in what it offers, when and where it is delivered and how much a share costs. Typically, you choose between a “small box” or a “large box” which is delivered weekly on a certain day (say every Tuesday or Thursday). The contents of the box will vary depending on what’s being harvested that week. For example, this week (in summer) in Israel I received: organic tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, dill, parsley, beets, green chives, mint, pumpkin, spinach, Swiss chard, daikon, zucchini and watermelon. Other times I will get garlic, onion, lemons, papaya, apples, melon or kohlrabi with a mix of fresh greens that also vary depending on the time of year. On average, 1 large box will last me about 4-5 days. I usually need to supplement with my own store-bought organic fresh fruit because admittedly, you usually get more veggies than fruit in a CSA box. With the CSA that I belong to, there is also the option to order additional items, including local organic eggs, tahini, honey and olive oil (I don’t order any additional items but I know a lot of people who do). The box is delivered directly from the farm to your door.

The benefits of eating organic food

Organic food is higher in minerals because the soil in which its grown is a much better quality than the over-farmed, depleted and toxic soil you find in industrial farming. Without any hazardous pesticides either, organic food can decrease your risk of allergies, rashes, inflammation and asthma and keep your immune system strong. This is especially important for growing children. Organic food is also not irradiated or genetically modified (GMO), two more processes and man-handling added to the food supply today which can be harmful to your health.

And, my favorite thing about organic food? It tastes way better!!! My fresh organic produce is never bitter or bland. And a better natural taste has to be better for you. Once you try it, you will see for yourself!

The saddest thing I find about organic food is people seem to only invest their money in it at certain times in their life: mainly, when they’re pregnant, sick or have cancer. Outside of that, it can be really hard to convince anyone to spend money on organic veggies, fruit, nuts, seeds and/or grains. Even vegan, raw food, vegetarian and gluten-free folks will often turn their head at the added cost of organic. But why wait until you are sick or pregnant to start eating the best food for your body? If you eat organic food for years before your pregnancy, don’t you think you will be higher in minerals, less toxic and therefore increase your chances of a healthy pregnancy and baby? And perhaps if you invest in some high quality food now, you won’t ever get sick and if you do, you will recover much more quickly. If you put better fuel in your car, it will run better and last longer. Well, let’s add some extra miles to your life and keep your internal engine working great with high-quality organic food! You deserve the very best.

The benefits of using CSA delivery

1. You increase the amount of organic food in your diet.
2. It’s more affordable and fresher than buying organic produce in stores.
3. The fruit and vegetables are locally grown and in season.
4. You’re supporting small local businesses and farmers in your area.
5. You save time and hassle by enjoying home delivery.
6. You naturally get more variety in your diet.
7. You can experiment and try new veggies that you might not otherwise buy (like daikon or kohlrabi).

In fact, I can’t think of any reason not to join a local CSA! To get started, research your local community by googling “CSA organic delivery + your county, city or state” and see what you find. You can also inquire at your local health food store or Wholefoods market.

A good list of Organic Home Delivery farms in USA: Organic Consumers Directory List for USA

In Israel, there are 2 popular CSA services for Tel Aviv: Chubeza and Maggie’s Garden (I personally have tried both and now am happy with Chubeza). Find a complete list of Organic Home Delivery farms in Israel, including Jerusalem, the north to Herzilya and south to Ashkelon here: Times of Israel article on Eating Organic in Israel using local CSA

If you’re using a local CSA in your community, please list the link in the comments below with your city, state and country below and let’s share the good times of eating more natural, whole and pure food! I’m thoroughly enjoying a healthy week with yummy green smoothies, juices, raw food salads and desserts all with beautiful vibrant organic food!

For more on how to start a raw food diet, how to do a detox at home or what minerals you may specifically be deficient in, book a private health consult with me via Skype.

How to Book Your Health & Nutritional Coaching Session:

1. Take photos of your eyes with a digital camera.
2. Email the photos to me for approval.
3. We schedule a time to meet via phone or Skype!

More on Organic Food:

What are Irradiated Foods? What you don’t know CAN hurt you!

by

Consumers Beware! This symbol means your food is IRRADIATED!

All information in this article is for educational purposes only.
It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

The things they do to food these days! Now there’s food irradiation as a form of preserving food. That means zapping it with gamma rays, very much like X-raying food. It’s purpose: to extend the shelf life by killing insects, bacteria and other micro-organisms.

So what’s wrong, you ask, with that? After all, we X-ray ourselves. We don’t turn radioactive. But remember that low radiation is not exactly the same. The doses here are extremely high, up to an equivalent of 300 million chest X-rays.

Don’t you wonder what happens to the food’s cells at that level of radiation?

Food is passed into a shielded room where it is bombarded with gamma radiation from a radioactive source. The dose depends on the type of food:

  • Fruits and vegetables – up to 100,000 rads
  • Poultry – up to 300,000 rads (or 30 million chest X-rays)
  • Spices – up to 3,000,000 rads (or 300 million chest X-rays)

 

Does it work to preserve food?

Depending on the dose, the rays can kill bacteria that cause food to spoil. But, it can still get reinfected again. Also, some bacteria can’t be killed at lower doses of radiation. Those that survive are free to breed quickly, since they no longer have competitors.

Is Irradiated Food wholesome?

Irradiation destroys most vitamins – especially vitamins A, C, E and thiamine. Fruit juices lose more vitamins than fruits, which lose more than vegetables and grains, which in turn, lose more than meat.

Is Irradiated Food safe?

In irradiation, the chemical structure of food is altered. Unstable molecules or ‘free radicals’ are created that are unlike any created by other types of cooking. These can damage the body cells and promote cancer. They may also cause premature ageing of the skin and body.

Why do Manufacturers love it?

Irradiated foods look fresh even though they may be several months or years old. There’s no way to tell them apart from really fresh food. So, consumers can be easily deceived.

How do you know it’s been Irradiated?

DON’T BUY if you see this!

Look for the deceptively eco-friendly looking symbol for Irradiation on your foods. It has such a ‘clean and green’ healthy look that you might not even notice it! But now you know the truth!

Consumers beware!! This is an important label that you will want to recognize for what it is. If you see it on a package, that food has been IRRADIATED. Consumers should also know that the FDA has said the word “pasteurization” is an acceptable substitute for “irradiation”.

What can you do?

Write to your local politicians, supermarkets and food manufacturers and demand that these Frankenfoods be banned. Do everything in your power to educate others on the importance of eating natural, whole and pure!

Source: the book Danger Foods: A CAP guide to Hidden Dangers in Foods.

<strong>More on Colon Cleansing:</strong>