Namaste Publishing

So many of us have busy lives and the more conveniently and quickly we can prepare meals, the more time we have for other activities. That may be so, but are these “convenient” foods really good for us?

Fast foods are quick and may even taste good but a single fast food meal of hamburger, fries, and soda, for example, can significantly exceed the recommended daily allowance for calories, trans-fats, sodium, and sugar. Packaged and canned foods often contain chemical additives as taste-enhancers, plus excess salt and sugar.

We should be buying organically-produced fruit, vegetables, and meat products as much as possible. Non-organic fruits and vegetables can contain harmful herbicides and pesticides. In addition, because chemical fertilizers are used to grow most non-organic crops, the produce is deficient in many minerals due to soil mineral depletion. Most non-organic meat and poultry products, as well as farm-raised fish contain antibiotics and hormones—both of which significantly interfere with normal body functions and weaken immune response.

If you buy packaged and canned foods, as well as cleaning agents and personal hygiene items make a habit of reading package labels. This is so important that there is a section in my book Conscious Health devoted to this subject. Non-nutritional additives can include: neuro-toxic synthetic sweeteners, toxic cleaning chemicals, aluminum, flavor-enhancers, dyes, and preservatives.

The bottom line on product additives and non-nutritional ingredients is that “if they aren’t natural, the body can’t use them for health!” In fact, they may be outright harmful. When selecting products and reading labels, if you see items such as sugar and salt near the beginning of the ingredients listed, or chemicals, or words you can’t pronounce, put them back on the shelf. Your health depends on it, and your body will thank you for it. Overtime, these additives can lead to mineral depletion, neuro-toxic problems, hormone disruption, and eventual degenerative disease.