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Our food environment is full of ingredients that we all have assumed for decades are safe.
And it’s easy to think that, since most of these ingredients don’t cause immediate, acute issues like say diarrhea or blindness or something.
But when we start to look at long term effects, issues that take years if not decades to show up and when they do they show up in unexpected or seemingly unrelated ways.
New science is beginning to catch up to what many folks have been suspicious of for quite some time: That many of these ingredients that are GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) are, in fact, contributing to serious chronic health issues.
Now, this was an epidemiological study, meaning it looked at the association between the responses participants gave on food questionnaires with their overall health outcomes.
We know that food questionnaires can be pretty unreliable (do you remember what you ate for lunch last Thursday?), but they can offer some interesting signals.
For this study, people kept records of what they ate for at least 2 days every 6 months. Admittedly, not a lot.
The foods people consumed were matched against a database to identify the food additives in those foods.
Researchers identified 7 additives that are associated with an increased risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes.
Many of these additives are in packaged goods that many people consider healthy: Almond milk and some breads, for example. They’re often considered “healthier” food additives as they are for the most part derived from plants.
If you look at your food labels, you’ll probably see one or more of these ingredients that are used to thicken or make products smooth.
Even though this study is just showing an association, it certainly points to a possible factor in developing insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes, and could lead toward better regulation of these ingredients.
But of course these additives are not the ONLY thing driving insulin resistance.
Avoiding packaged, processed foods as much as we can is our best bet for keeping our insulin in check for a lot of reasons.
Packaged foods often have much higher levels of added sugars, carbohydrates and hydrogenated fats than whole unprocessed foods.
Rarely does a packaged food have significant amounts of fiber or protein.
And packaged foods are formulated to keep you coming back for more, so you keep eating and keep eating and keep eating.
Obviously the best way to avoid these ingredients is to eat whole, unprocessed foods as often as you can.
Eggs and butter don’t contain guar gum or carrageenans.
But I know we all have to take shortcuts once in a while, and need to eat something with a wrapper. And we shouldn’t feel guilty about that!
That said, we should be aware of what ingredients are in our food, what they are, where they came from, and why they are there.
Often, you can find an alternative that doesn’t contain potentially problematic ingredients.
The secret to success here is, again, eating mostly whole, nutrient dense foods. Lots of meat, eggs, fish, vegetables, roots, fruit and legumes.
That way you keep your insulin down and keep those pesky additives out of your diet. Win win!
Y’all, helping you identify packaged foods you can swap with whole foods is a HUGE part of both my 1-on-1 and group programs!
Sometimes, we all need a little support and accountability while we’re making these swaps for ourselves and our family.
That’s what my NEW “Get Off The Roller Coaster” 8-week group program is all about! Support and accountability.
Right now, I’m looking for about 6-8 folks who want to work in a supportive group setting. Here’s what’s included:
8-week program
Weekly food, mood, movement and eating window tracker
Weekly group support calls (60 min)
New diet & lifestyle focus each week
How to set up weekly schedule for exercise / eating windows / stress management
Support and accountability tactics
Individual diet, lifestyle & supplement recommendations
10% discount on supplements
Group chat on Signal
Lifetime access to Facebook group
Cost: $1,000 per person
I know it’s going to be an amazing program, and it could be just what you need.
Ready? Let’s go!
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