From healthy diet to national fitness, people are paying more and more attention to health. Especially now the material standard of living is greatly improved, a variety of nutrient-rich foods are available to meet the demand for a healthy life. However, just like the ubiquitous pollutants in life, many of the foods we often eat have hidden killers that unknowingly endanger our health.
1. Vegetable Oil
People have always believed that vegetable oils are healthier than animal oils in their diets, is this true? Before the 20th century, people in Europe and the United States, mainly animal fats as a source of fat in their diet, while vegetable oils are more often used to make soap, candles, cosmetics, lubricants, and fuel.
And another fact is that in the era when animal fats were mainly consumed, inflammatory diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, and cancer were very rare, both in Europe and America and in other countries. In the 20th century, people started to consume vegetable oils containing polyunsaturated fatty acids instead of animal oils for the sake of “health”, thanks to media campaigns and promotions.
However, in the few decades since then, people have witnessed an explosion of various diseases including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. The direct cause of these problems is vegetable oils.
What Exactly Are Vegetable Oils?
Vegetable oils are made from seeds rather than vegetables, and a few of the common ingredients we see are:
- Corn
- Soybeans
- Sunflower seeds
- Canola
Studies have found that they are directly related to almost all chronic diseases, including:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Cancer
- Insulin resistance
- Acne
- Heart disease
- Autism
- Autoimmune diseases
- Leaky gut
The scariest part is that vegetable oils are still considered by most national health authorities to be healthy foods, especially good for the heart because they lower cholesterol.
But many studies are showing that long-term consumption of large amounts of vegetable oils increases mortality. For example, one study showed that for every 30 mg /dL reduction in serum cholesterol, there was a 22% increase in the risk of death when these seed oils were used instead of saturated fats.
Why do vegetable oils cause so much harm? There are two reasons:
They produce toxic by-products
Studies have shown that vegetable oils produce three toxins during the heating process: acrolein, hydroxynonenal, and malondialdehyde. These toxins are very toxic, killing cells and destroying DNA and RNA, and to make matters worse, these toxic byproducts are highly reactive, triggering several inflammatory reactions when they enter your body.
It increases the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3
Omega-3 and Omega-6 unsaturated fatty acids are both essential “essential fatty acids” for the body. Omega-6 is responsible for the production of platelets, keeping blood plasma from becoming too thin and helping to stop bleeding in case of injury. However, too much Omega-6 can easily lead to blood clots. Omega-3 can regulate and control cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which is good for heart health.
Under normal circumstances, a healthy ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 should be 1:1. Modern diets contain excessive amounts of Omega-6 fatty acids. This can induce many inflammatory diseases, including asthma, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
2. Gluten
Gluten is what we often call gluten, which is the most prevalent protein in barley, wheat, oats, rye, and other grains. In 2003, there were about 135 food products in the United States that were gluten-free, and by 2008, that number had increased to 832. And over the next few years, sales of gluten-free foods grew at an annual rate of 25 percent.
Why are they so unappealing? The main reason is that it is very easy to cause allergies. Generally speaking, gluten protein (gluten) enters the stomach and intestines and is digested into individual amino acids, which are then absorbed by the small intestine thus becoming a nutrient.
However, gluten proteins are not completely broken down into individual amino acids but remain in small fragments containing several amino acids. Such fragments are called “polyunsaturated” and they trigger an immune response in the body. For people with perfectly normal body functions, gluten proteins do not have any effect.
However, other people, who are more sensitive to polypeptides, can have undigested food that causes gluten sensitivity, also known as celiac disease. Gluten is widely found in diet and life. Besides meals and nutritional supplements, some everyday household items may also contain gluten such as lipstick and stamps.
3. Lectins
Nowadays, fruits and vegetables have become almost synonymous with a healthy diet. In a sense, this is not wrong, they contain essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and a variety of other trace elements.
But at the same time, some vegetables and fruits also contain a not-so-friendly ingredient – lectins. Lectins are sugar-binding proteins found in most plants, and they are sometimes called “anti-nutrients” because they may reduce the body’s ability to absorb nutrients.
Lectins act as a defense protein when plants are compromised, much like a venomous snake secretes its venom. When plants containing lectins are eaten, the lectins bind to carbohydrates or certain tissue cells and use them to enter the digestive system, preventing the body from absorbing vitamins, promoting the storage of sugar in fat cells, and weakening the body’s immune system.
The harmful effects of lectins on the human body include:
- Disrupting endocrine function by binding to insulin receptors
- Blocking the entry of sugar into muscle cells
- Interfering with protein digestion
- Causing inflammation
- Crosses the blood-brain barrier
- Contributes to weight gain
Experts recommend that for good health, foods rich in lectins be kept to a minimum (but not completely banned).
4. Fructose
Fructose is a naturally occurring sugar found in fruits, and it is metabolized in the body in a different way than glucose. Every cell in the body can use glucose, but only the liver can metabolize fructose. Therefore, when you consume a diet high in fructose, the fructose is turned directly into fat and stored in the liver. Studies show that although it is a natural sugar, fructose is even more harmful to the body than added sugar, it can:
- Increase cholesterol
- Increase uric acid levels and cause gout
- Causes fatty liver
- Causes insulin resistance
- Causes leptin resistance
- Causes obesity
The consumption of fructose has increased almost 100 times in the last 100 years, and most of this comes from fruit. Compared to ancient fruits, modern fruits are growing brighter, tastier, and sweeter. Girls who want to lose weight simply by eating fruit are expected to be disappointed because eating fruit and eating sugar has the same result.
If eating whole fruits can also get some vitamins and fiber, then drinking fruit juice is not getting much benefit. Most of the nutrients contained in the fruit are destroyed in the juicing process, and what you drink into your stomach is equal to sugar water.
Fructose is 20 times more likely to cause a fatty liver than glucose. In turn, fatty liver can directly lead to insulin resistance. In one study, subjects added 25 percent more fructose-containing diets to their daily meals, and after eight weeks, they invariably showed signs of insulin resistance, and some even developed prodromal diabetes.
If you like fruit, try to choose those with a low glycemic index GI or low carb content, they are relatively healthier.
Conclusion
In the evolutionary history of mankind, the common diet of modern life is likely to contain harmful ingredients that are detrimental to the body, and even fruits and vegetables, which are considered the healthiest, can sometimes affect health. By recognizing these hidden health killers in our diet, we can protect ourselves to the greatest extent possible.
