Dr. Axe: Hey guys, Dr. Josh Axe here with Dr. Michelle Levitt.
She is a pediatrician and an expert in childhood obesity.
And today we're going to be talking about 10 health foods killing our children, literally
truly healthy alternatives we'll be covering today as well.
And hey, if you're like us, we love food right?
Dr. Levitt: Right, yeah.
Dr. Axe: We love snacking and we want to give the kids out there and families some natural
healthy alternatives as well.
Hey, help us spread this message because the number of kids today still eating sugary cereals,
school lunches, and some of these other foods is mind-blowing.
And the numbers of kids today struggling with issues such as diabetes, and ADHD, and a number
of other health issues, these things just continue to climb.
So be on mission with us, take a minute right now, punch that Share button and click that
Like button.
More families and kids especially need to know how to use food as medicine.
So Dr. Michelle, let's jump in and talk about, number one 100% juice.
How is that a food that's actually killing or destroying our children's health today?
Dr. Levitt: Okay, Josh so, honestly one of the big, you mentioned kids overeating and
still eating this stuff because the parents don't know.
So it's really important that we educate the parents.
So one of the big questions I get, a newborn family comes in.
"When can I start giving my baby juice?"
My answer is always "Never."
So juice, a 100% juice, a 100% fruit juice, and a lot of times the food label even trick
you and say no added sugar, but really it's been shown that the juice has just as much
sugar as pop.
So parents just don't know it because the way the labeling is.
It says fruit juice, it says 100%, it says good source of vitamin C. But when we look
at the labeling . . . so the way it's killing our children sugar is the number one cause
of all the chronic diseases.
So heart disease, diabetes, non-alcoholic and fatty liver disease, and these are things
I'm seeing in my kids, my youngest patient I have with liver changes, and high cholesterol,
and high triglycerides is 3.
So we really need to know that the sugar is what's killing our kids and it's starting
to cause leaky gut and then chronic illnesses.
And also allergies, asthma, ADHD, autism, sugar is the reason.
In 100% juice, they take away all the fiber, all the phytonutrients, all the vitamins,
and minerals, and you're left with sugar water basically.
Dr. Axe: Yeah, and Dr. Michelle, I just learned something about you by you using the word
pop, that's a Midwest word, I grew up in Ohio.
Dr. Michelle is from Ohio.
She's from Akron, I'm from Dayton.
So we're both Buckeyes at heart.
But that's actually a word they use in the Midwest.
I think in Georgia they say Coke for everything.
And up north they use the word soda for everything.
So anyway, I'm with you on the pop, stay away from pop, soda, coke.
Well I don't want to say the full brand name.
But anyway, a 100% juice can be just as bad or worse and higher in sugar.
Stay away from those things.
And number two here, let's talk about cereal.
Dr. Levitt: So cereal again, kind of getting back to how the food is branded.
So, a lot of times you see these health claims on the box.
Whole grains, good source of fiber, free of preservatives, but really cereal is actually
multimodal why it's bad for us.
So it's slowly killing our children.
One is the sugar.
And two is the grain, so typically it will say whole-grain, but it only has to be 50%
whole grain to be able to put whole grain on the label.
Dr. Axe: Wow.
Dr. Levitt: So you really want to look for 100% whole grain, but even then the grains,
if they're genetically modified they are sprayed with glyphosate which actually has been caused,
shown to cause basically every disease known.
It's literally killing our children and we don't even know it.
So in addition to the sugars and the grain, it also has bad oils typically.
Unhealthy oils.
Dr. Axe: Yeah, you're completely right and looking up here at this screen and what we
have here, just to list off some of the things that Dr. Michelle is mentioning here.
We've got sugar, we've got food coloring, we've got glycophosphate, the chemical there,
you've got dairy in this bowl which is typically pasteurized causing major issues.
Gluten and hydrogenated oils.
The list goes on.
So really the bowl of sugary cereal, this is the absolute worst thing you can give yourself
or your children.
So again, it should be banned in households as well.
Again, I don't I don't want to go this far.
I actually heard a doctor, a medical doctor say, that eating a bowl of cereal is worse
than smoking a cigarette for children for their health, that bad.
Dr. Levitt: Yeah, I would agree.
Dr. Axe: Crazy.
Dr. Levitt: I actually tell families, I would rather have your child skip breakfast, do
not eat breakfast if you're going to give them sugary cereal.
They're much better off not eating.
Dr. Axe: Good stuff.
Let's talk about the process yogurts today, what are your thoughts there?
And with dairy, I see this being present, the most controversial food topic, both in
the nutrition space with parents.
What is your view on dairy and then is there good dairy and bad dairy, and if so what are
they?
Dr. Levitt: So dairy, yogurt, number one the dairy source.
So you have to look at what's happening, where is the dairy coming from.
So what type of animals and is it processed in a big industrial farm factory animal, and
then you're getting bad fats from the animal and the animals are fed grain, and GMO corn
and soy which you're getting that in the product.
And then also the low fat, fat-free craze where they're creating these low fat yogurts,
they actually have to add sugar and artificial sugar to make them taste good.
So they're loaded with sugar, typically even if you look at the labels that says organic,
they're typically loaded with sugar.
So, I usually recommend, if you're going to do dairy yogurt try to find organic full fat,
grass-fed pasture raised source of yogurt.
But other things that are great goat's milk yogurt, coconut yogurt, kefir, coconut kefir,
those are great alternative.
So instead of buying the packages of sugary yogurt, I actually have the families just
get those little cute tiny mason jars and then just get some coconut kefir or goat's
milk kefir and layer fresh berries or frozen berries with that and make your own yogurt.
Dr. Axe: Good stuff.
Dr. Levitt: Yeah.
Dr. Axe: Dr. Michelle, let's talk about number four here, margarine and vegetable oil.
Actually, before we get it, let's talk about some alternatives here.
If we have a family and their parents right now are giving their kids juice on a regular
basis, what are other beverage options that you can give kids maybe rather than juice.
Something that has a little bit of flavor aside from water.
Dr. Levitt: So definitely water is number one.
Dr. Axe: Yep.
Dr. Levitt: To add a little flavor, I usually have them infuse their water.
So you just take water and add in like a handful frozen fruit or fresh fruit, and then the
natural flavors will infuse in.
Coconut water, coconut milk, so again, really the focus is just water.
So I kind of tell them there's just no alternative, you just need to drink water and you can infuse
the water with fruit if you want to add a little flavor.
Dr. Axe: Yeah, I mean, I think the infused waters are a great thing.
I know that again you can do this with strawberries, grapes actually add some great flavor there.
Just a pinch and if you are going to do juice, it's a tablespoon, it's just a splash of juice
and water.
And again it could be fresh pressed.
But again, soaking pineapple, actually the whole pineapple in water that's actually something
that kids will really love and that mild sweet flavor will go a long way.
With cereal there, there's some good today, some good paleo or grain free alternatives,
or things that actually are just using a little bit of honey as a sweetener.
It might be a good option.
And then the replacement here that Dr. Michelle talked about was not saying don't do any yogurt,
but go to your local farmers market get a grass-fed yogurt, maybe a goat's milk yogurt
and that could be an alternative.
Or something like a coconut cream instead.
And then Dr. Michelle number four here, margarine, vegetable oil.
What's the problem with these and then what would an alternative be for families there
as well?
Dr. Levitt: Okay the problem with these is, they're typically sourced from a GMO type
product.
So corn, soy, canola, they actually are sourced from a GMO.
Then when they make them into the oil they have to heat them and then they actually denatures
all the stuff and causes rancid oils which are high in Omega-6 which cause inflammation.
So that's the big thing with those.
Healthy alternatives would be coconut oil, avocado oil, olive oil.
Again, find a good source and try to stay away from the vegetable oils or the highly
processed oils.
Dr. Axe: Yeah, what are your thoughts on ghee or grass-fed butter?
Dr. Levitt: Oh yeah, grass-fed butter and ghee is excellent.
Dr. Axe: Great.
Dr. Levitt: Yeah, excellent.
So again, a lot of times, I remember growing up, my grandma went off of butter and went
to margarine.
Dr. Levitt: Right.
Dr. Axe: I remember this thing within our family to where my grandma started serving
that and my dad, when we go up and visit them, my dad was there, my dad was like, "No, I'm
sticking with old butter."
M dad is so funny because I'm like some of the stuff that he was against like, "Stop
giving me that vegetable oil and that margarine.
I want my real butter," and he stuck with his guns.
Bravo for being for being stubborn, but also for eating healthy there.
All right, number five here, granola bars.
Dr. Levitt: So a granola bar is definitely kind of, basically the same exact ingredients
as cereal.
And so you're kind of getting to the same problems with sugar, bad grains, bad oils.
And often, now they're starting to add protein to the granola bars.
But if you look at the ingredients, typically the protein that's sourced is soy.
And again, one of the highest genetically modified foods.
But also alters the phytoestrogens, and their hormones, and so we really want to stay away
from those protein based granola bars.
Dr. Axe: Yeah, I couldn't agree more.
So again, and we want to say this that 90% of granola bars out there are not healthy.
But there are now some healthier brands that are using . . . that the big thing is read
the ingredient labels.
I mean if it says, sugar on there or corn syrup, stay away.
Even if honey is the number one ingredient, a lot of times it's a refined honey, you want
to look for things like almond butter or nuts in a bar that are high up there.
Some coconut oil and the natural fruits, raisins, dates, much, much better options there.
And then let's talk about fruit snacks today and maybe even healthy chips.
What are your thoughts on those?
Dr. Levitt: So fruit snacks and veggie chips, we want these quick snacky foods for our kids.
But fruit snacks are just, I mean literally, just sugar in a gummy form.
So not only are we giving them the problems with sugar but also rotting out their teeth
and causing more cavities and everything else from the gumminess.
So fruit snack alternative, give the child a piece of fruit.
Real fruit and just don't ever buy fruit snacks ever.
Dr. Axe: Yeah.
Dr. Levitt: Even organic ones, so organic ones, they're definitely better made but they're
still just sugar.
You mind as well give them table sugar.
Dr. Axe: Yeah and I'll say this, one of the things my wife and I did we were going on
a trip once and we read this great recipe and so we made our own fruit snacks.
Which is really the only way that you're going to get a healthy fruit snack.
And we bought some gelatin powder so we did gelatin and some collagen protein mixed.
And we did a little bit of fruit and that was it.
But basically, it was gelatin and whole fruit and worked out well.
I want to say this about chips today, even veggie chips, most of these are fried in vegetable
oils.
Dr. Levitt: Right.
Dr. Axe: Not good.
Dr. Levitt: And they'll put sunflower and safflower.
You think you're getting something healthier.
And also the number of one ingredient, it's not a veggie, it's potato starch.
Dr. Axe: Yes.
Dr. Levitt: Which basically just turns right into sugar.
Dr. Axe: Good point.
Dr. Levitt: Underlying theme of sugar here.
Dr. Axe: Yes.
So read those labels, if you are buying chips, look for things like avocado oil and coconut
oil.
Those are going to be better oil alternatives.
They're more stable under heat than sunflower or safflower, because they're mostly Omega-6
fats.
They're very delicate and they oxidize very easily.
Let's see about seven here, whole-wheat bread.
I know growing up we thought, hey, we're eating 100% whole wheat that's healthy.
But not true.
Dr. Levitt: Yeah, right.
So whole wheat has a multitude of dimensions to it really, but again it's like that, it's
a 100% whole wheat.
Again, where the grain is coming from, if it's sprayed with the Roundup it's going to
have all those factors to it.
Not only that but the gluten in wheat has been shown to also cause allergies, asthma,
autism, ADHD.
But leaky gut and digestive symptoms in general, just don't feel good.
And not only that but some of the way the wheat breaks down into a couple different
sugars like amylopectin and then the exorphins.
So the body actually turns it into this opiate-like peptide, it's little small protein that actually
shoots right to the morphine centers of the brain.
And so it actually could be just as addictive as sugar, as cocaine, the way hits the center.
So there's so many dimensions of wheat that why make it bad for you.
But again, also you even if you look at the ingredients, it might say whole wheat, it
might say 100% whole wheat, but the second ingredient is always some sort of sugar.
Dr. Axe: Yeah, great stuff.
So guys, we're going to continue on here, but if you're just tuning into our program,
this is Dr. Michelle Levitt, she is a pediatrician and she is a childhood obesity expert, works
at Akron Hospital in Ohio.
And we're talking about the top 10 foods that are killing our children today.
And giving you some healthier alternatives.
So, rather than whole wheat bread here, what would you recommend?
You ever recommend like paleo bread or breads with almond or coconut flour, or what do you
recommend?
Dr. Levitt: I do.
I usually, I recommend people look for maybe sprouted grain bread.
Dr. Axe: Great.
Dr. Levitt: And also if you're going to do the paleo bread you have to be careful because
those flours will still turn into sugar.
So you really have to be very careful with those and a lot of times I try to get the
families to use romaine lettuce leaves, or just not do bread at all.
And so just kind of getting out of that mindset that you have to have the bread, but if you
do, try to do like a sprouted grain type bread.
Dr. Axe: Great.
Great advice.
Dr. Levitt: Again organic non-GMO, so you're not getting any of the Roundup type side effects.
Dr. Axe: Chemicals.
Dr. Levitt: Yeah.
Dr. Axe: Got it.
And by the way, if you guys are enjoying this live training right now, we're talking about
the worst foods for your health and your kid's health.
Take a minute right now, punch that Share button, and click that Like button.
We're really trying to spread the message here, food should be medicine, not poison
to families and children today.
And by the way, if you have fallen prey to some of the marketing claims and you've been
consuming or your kids have whole wheat bread, and sugary cereals, and some of these things.
Let us know, or let us know if you've got healthy alternatives.
Hey, what have you switched to as a family, if you guys have gotten off the white bread
and wheat bread, what are you doing instead?
We'd love to hear from you right now on Facebook Live.
Number eight, this is a big one sports drinks.
Why are these not so good?
Dr. Levitt: So sports drinks again, getting back to the sugar.
Loaded with sugar and even the ones that say zero calorie or diet, they'll have artificial
sweeteners in them.
And also they'll often still have sugar.
It's surprising when you see, when you look at the ingredients.
But they also have sometimes other preservatives in them, and the dyes, and the coloring has
been linked to hyperactivity.
And then also like, really kids, unless they're working out vigorously maybe football in the
hot sun.
They don't need to really replenish their sugar or their sodium potassium after exercising
or activity, they just don't need it.
So if you have an athlete who really is needing to replenish, I usually have and replenish
with food.
So maybe add a banana for some potassium, pomegranate seeds in a smoothie, to add some
potassium back in.
But a good alternative just for electrolyte balance would be coconut water.
Dr. Axe: Yeah, exactly.
Dr. Levitt: So just do coconut water.
Dr. Axe: Yeah, as Dr. Michelle's talking about, these sports drinks, you can see the food
coloring it's sugar.
And the type of sugar they put in these, it is absorbed into your body really quickly
which is not what you want especially when it comes to weight gain and a number of other
issues.
But again, if you've got a kid who's hours and hours of sports a day, coconut water,
I've seen even things like watermelon water lately.
Those are much better alternatives.
And let's talk about number nine here.
What do you think about low-fat foods or fat-free foods for snacks?
Dr. Levitt: So low-fat and fat-free foods again, to make them taste good they have to
supplement with some sort of sugar.
So it's either artificial sugar and/or regular sugar.
But also, if it's like low-fat or fat-free crackers, typically with the bad oils again.
And so there's just no place for a low-fat or fat-free, there's just no reason.
Dr. Axe: Yeah, not at all.
Most of things they're adding in rather than the fat is just toxic to the body.
Number 10 here, gluten-free packaged foods.
This might be one of the most deceiving labels out there.
Dr. Levitt: Right, right.
So gluten-free has become this huge buzz term.
And so, in response there's like a whole gluten-free aisle now at the grocery store which everything
is packaged and processed.
So, even though they're not using wheat or gluten as the flour source, they're still
using things like tapioca starch, rice starch, that'll just also . . .
Dr. Axe: White flour.
Dr. Levitt: Yeah, that just spike up the blood sugar just the same.
And often they have tons of sugar and also additives for fillers and stabilizers.
So like they just have so many more toxic ingredients even though they don't have gluten.
They're so toxic from all the other things and the bad oils again, typically found in
these foods.
Dr. Axe: Yeah, I remember when I started, I used to teach shopping classes at Whole
Foods and other health food stores, even Kroger.
And I would do these shopping classes and I always stopped in the cracker aisle or the
cookie aisle and show them animal crackers.
Number one ingredient, white flour, number two, sugar, but it had this big gluten-free
across the package.
Dr. Levitt: Right, right.
Dr. Axe: Don't fall prey to the marketing hype and lies here.
So I'm going to do a quick rundown here, and then I want to let you know more about where
you can find more about Dr. Michelle.
And by the way again, if you've been enjoying this live training, do us a favor.
Help spread the message, share this, love this, like this, help get the message out
there for us.
But again, here are some things you want to stay away from.
We talked about juice, we talked about processed cereal, we talked about only doing yogurt
or kefir from your local farmers market, none of the conventional stuff there.
Rather than margarine, using ghee and grass-fed butter, and coconut oil, and avocado oil.
Staying away from the granola bars, doing a trail mix instead.
Some raisins, and walnuts, and almonds, and pumpkin seeds, things like that.
Stay away from these chips because listen this is a big one.
A lot of those healthy potato chips today they're using sunflower, safflower oil, those
are being oxidized, they're going to cause inflammation and that's not what you want.
Whole wheat bread, very high levels of gluten, turns to sugar quickly.
Sports drinks we know aren't the best because of all the additives.
Rather than do that do coconut, watermelon water, and just water.
Stay away from the fat free stuff, stay away from the gluten packaging here as well.
And guys, if you want to learn more about Dr. Michelle, she is a pediatrician and childhood
obesity expert.
You can check out some of her great content on how to lose weight naturally, and balance
hormones, and take care of families at drmichellemd.com.
So Dr. Michelle, thanks so much for being part of our Ancient Medicine program.
Dr. Levitt: Yeah, great to be here.
Yeah, awesome.
Dr. Axe: And we appreciate you guys watching, we appreciate you guys being on mission with
us, and helping transform the health of this world.
Have a great day.
Hi, Dr. Axe here.
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And also, don't forget to subscribe if you want to get more great content on things like
herbs, essential oils, natural remedies, and how to use food as medicine.
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Thanks for watching.