Hi guys, Dr. Josh Axe here.
Welcome to Ancient Medicine Today.
Today I’m going to be talking about seven health foods that actually aren’t healthy.
And it may surprise you when you learn what some of these so-called health foods are.
And there’s a lot of misinformation out here but what I’m going through here is
all backed by scientific evidence and studies that have shown that these foods are the dirtiest
of the dirty and have actually been correlated with cancer, kidney damage, liver damage and
a number of other health conditions.
Let’s dive right in.
Number one here, tofu.
You know, tofu is soy and when we know processed soy is linked to increasing in estrogen in
the body, we don’t want to increase estrogen.
Tofu is not a health food.
Now, listen, natto is a health food so certified, organic, fermented natto can be healthy.
Listen, I’m not one of those people that says all soy is bad.
I think soy products, if they’re fermented, it they’re organic, unprocessed can actually
be good for some people especially women who are over the age of 40.
But especially for women and men who are 40 years and younger, tofu and excess soy, whether
it be soy protein, soy milk or tofu, it can actually increase estrogen, cause progesterone
to be low and really be linked to a number of health problems.
So staying away from tofu would be wise, especially when it comes to young women.
Again, if we’re talking about conditions like PCOS and infertility or any condition
where it’s correlated with high estrogen, you want to be really careful with tofu.
We know a lot of men as well can develop feminine characteristics from having too much estrogen
in their bodies.
So you’ve got to be wary of tofu.
It is not a health food.
Natto is, a fermented soy consumed in Japan today, tofu is not.
Number two is shrimp.
Now, shrimp is the dirtiest food in the ocean or one of at least.
You’ve probably heard me say before that farm-raised fish isn’t good.
Now, I’ll tell you that the majority of shrimp that we’re consuming today, some
of it is done in a really small enclosed area.
Those shrimp are dirty.
Here’s the thing, just the nature of shrimp, they’re bottom feeders.
In a clinical study, that’s right, a study found that shrimp is actually the dirtiest
type of seafood available today.
They’re bottom feeders.
They’re high in a compound called dioxins.
Dioxins have been correlated with increasing your risk of cancer and liver toxicity, okay?
So shrimp is dirtier that farm-raised salmon.
It’s dirtier than farm-raised tilapia.
It is the dirtiest food in the sea because of what they eat, in fact they eat their own
feces okay?
The feed that they’re giving a lot of these fish, and I’ll throw even things like tilapia
in there today and some of these other fish, they actually feed off of genetically modified
corn, along with genetically modified soy and along with these chemicals like dioxins
and PCBs and things like that.
So again, shrimp, the most toxic food you consume in terms of meat product for your
body.
Even worse than conventional beef in feedlots.
It’s the worst.
Number three, canola oil.
We know canola oil, actually 90% of it, is genetically modified and partially hydrogenated,
okay?
When you partially hydrogenate something, you make it inflammatory.
So if you’re consuming this partially hydrogenated canola oil, it causes inflammation.
Now, the other thing to know is, is that it’s genetically modified.
Genetically modified foods actually have the DNA of herbicides and pesticides wired into
them, so they’re going to be toxic to your body in that manner.
Now listen, is there 10% of canola oil that’s not genetically modified?
Yes.
But here’s what I would say to those people.
Canola oil is not also nutrient dense oil.
Olive oil is a much better option.
Coconut oil is a much better option.
Even if there is 10% of canola which almost no one . . . Listen, if you’re a person
who thinks, “Hey, this canola oil I’m using, it’s probably organic and non GMO,”
unless it says “organic” on the label, you’ve got to know, it is genetically modified
okay?
So again, don’t go with the benefit of a doubt, 90% of the time, it’s GMO.
But even if it’s not, olive oil is a better option.
Avocado oil is a better option.
Coconut oil is a better option.
Ghee is a better option.
All of those oils are a better option.
Canola oil is not a health food whatsoever.
In fact, most of it is genetically modified and partially hydrogenated and going to cause
inflammation.
Number four, margarine.
Now margarine is actually more like a plastic than it actually is a butter.
It actually has more in common with plastic than butter.
We know margarine can absolutely clog up those arteries more than butter.
And the thing is, you know, we have this false sense or thought that it’s cholesterol that
causes heart disease.
High cholesterol doesn’t cause heart disease.
In fact, it’s all about your cholesterol ratio.
You should have higher levels of HDL lower levels of than what people realize of LDL
and you want your HDL to be really up above 60 ideally.
And that’s going to mean you’re going to have really a healthy brain and nerve system.
So you want good HDL, so that’s where a ghee or grass-fed butter can be fine to use
or a coconut oil.
Margarine, though, can cause inflammation.
It’s just not recognized by the body so because of that, it’s going to cause inflammation.
You want to stay away from margarine.
Real butter is better than margarine.
Doing a grass-fed butter or a ghee are much better options or even something like a coconut
oil or avocado oil, better yet.
Number five, agave nectar.
Now agave really is not a health food.
Most agave is processed and I think that you’re much better off using a raw local honey okay?
Agave is very high in sugar and doesn’t have the microbes and the vitamins and nutrients
that honey has.
For that reason, it’s going to be much more damaging to the body.
So again, agave really is not a health food.
It’s really high in sugar, going to cause inflammation because of all the sugar, affect
insulin levels.
So I’m not telling you never to do sugar, I’m just telling you switch from agave to
raw local honey.
It’s a much better option.
Number six, microwave popcorn.
Now, microwaving something alone we know that radiation can alter the food.
But in addition to that, we also know that there are chemicals lining the bag, BPA, bisphenol
A and other plastics that actually when you heat a bag of microwave popcorn, they leach
into the popcorn so you’re getting a plastic-like substance.
We know that these chemicals and plastics are known as endocrine disrupters, which means
it’s going to affect your hormones, your testosterone in men.
It actually could increase estrogen in men as well, but it’s going to affect your thyroid
hormone, your cortisol levels.
It’s going to affect your entire endocrine and hormonal system.
Listen, use the stove top stuff.
It’ll take you an extra five minutes.
It tastes better.
It’s better for you.
Stay away from microwave popcorn.
And number seven, conventional chicken.
Listen, conventional chicken and conventional beef for that matter, but I know people tend
to think that beef is worse than chicken when in fact, in general, beef actually is more
nutrient dense than chicken.
But conventional chicken is loaded with steroids, hormones, antibiotics and genetically modified
residue.
You know, it’s the saddest thing.
For myself, listen, I’m not a vegan.
I follow a traditional Chinese medicine diet myself.
But a lot of people today that live in the vegan camp are really offended by people eating
meat.
Listen, I’m not offended by people who eat meat.
I am offended when we treat animals with no respect and we really essentially torture
these animals.
For me, doing a chicken, they should be free-roaming.
They should be eating seeds, running around, enjoying their life, getting sunshine.
Chickens today, I don’t know if you’ve ever seen this, I’ve driven by trucks where
chickens are in a bin this big literally stuffed down in it.
Most chickens from birth automatically, they grow three times faster than genetically they
should.
They’re filling them full of steroids to where they get really big breasts and really
big to increase the total amount of meat.
So conventional chicken, they pump them full of steroids and hormones.
They’re in a small cage which means that they are very stressed, so they have really
high levels of stress hormones such as cortisol, which actually affects the meat, causing it
to be more toxic.
So I could go on and on and on but here’s what you’ve got to know.
Conventional chicken is not a health food.
It’s toxic to the body.
When you consume chicken, make sure it is free range and organic chicken.
That’s the only chicken you should be consuming.
The rest is, again, full of toxins and bad hormones because of the lifestyle and the
way it was treated, along with what it was injected with.
Go organic and wild and natural any time you’re consuming any form of a meat product whatsoever.
So, let’s cover this again.
Stay away from tofu.
Not all soy is bad, just 90% of the soy we have today.
If you’re going to consume soy just a fermented natto.
Stay away from tofu and soy protein and soy milk.
Shrimp is the dirtiest ocean creature pretty much in terms of it being so high in toxins.
Canola oil, partially hydrogenated, 90% of it is GMO.
Margarine, listen ghee and grass-fed butter are better.
Agave nectar, switch to honey.
Microwave popcorn, full of plastic-like materials that are going to disrupt your hormones.
And conventional chicken, go organic and wild.
Do not consume conventional meat whatsoever.
Hey listen, if you’ve enjoyed this live training video, make sure to subscribe here
to my live YouTube channel.
I’ve got a lot more videos that are coming out on things that are really going to shock
you and surprise you in the health food realm, as well as going over my favorite essential
oils and natural remedies for conditions to help the body heal.
Also, if you want to learn more about this or anything else, Google my name online.
Just search “Dr. Axe surprising health foods” or “health foods that aren’t healthy,”
and I’ve actually got an article that goes through another ten of thesethings that are
surprising, health foods that actually aren’t healthy.
Guys, hey, I hope you’ve enjoyed this live training video.