Dans Papers - May 11, 2007

It's Spring time. The weather is warming up, the daylight is lasting longer, and it's the perfect time for cleaning out the house and getting your body to its peak level because in just a few short weeks, you'll be wearing that bathing suit again. There's only one room in your home that you can work to address both of these: your kitchen. It's time to detoxify your kitchen by removing a few of the unhealthiest items and substituting them with foods that are good for you.

The most important (and perhaps easiest) thing you can do for your health is to drink more water! Most people go through their days dehydrated, wondering from where their aches and pains arise. In your kitchen, affix a filter to your tap, buy a filtration system to process your tap water, or buy bottled water and drink up. Have water in the refrigerator at all times. Not a fan of water? Make sure to have fresh lemon and limes on hand and fill your water glass with slices. Still not convinced? For every soda, commercial iced tea, or sports drinks you consume during the day, drink an equal amount of water immediately following; this will allow your body to get the water it desperately needs to flush out your kidneys and bladder and before you know it you will be drinking less of those sugary drinks!

When clearing out the cabinets, be sure to check the ingredient lists of any foods you want to keep. If there is just one ingredient that is a deal breaker in your kitchen, it would be hydrogenated oils. The process of hydrogenation alters fat's molecular structure, making it more stable and solid so that foods containing it have a longer shelf life and do not have to be refrigerated like those with other fats. Fat is necessary to the diet, but trans fat provides no health benefits. Not only does consumption lead to a raise in LDL cholesterol, similar to saturated fat, it lowers HDL (your "good" cholesterol). Fortunately, with recent news coverage, a ban from NYC restaurants, and new required nutritional labeling, many food companies have already altered their recipes to remove trans fat from their products. However, it is important to not simply read the nutritional information, but to scan the ingredient list itself - foods with less than .5 grams of trans fat per serving may be labeled as 0 grams. With recommendations of eating as little trans fat as possible (with some doctors saying that no more than 2 grams per week should be consumed), one should be checking ingredient lists for hydrogenated oils, partially hydrogenated oils, and shortening. Remove these items from your home completely, so when you hit the restaurants you don't have to worry quite as much!

Love meat and eggs? That's okay, but it's time to get rid of those old products, including the ones that have been in your freezer for months. Animal products should be held to the highest standard and it should be your goal to only eat organic varieties. Most meat in America is produced on factory farms where animals are treated inhumanely, forced into quarters where movement is impossible, given low quality feed, pumped with antibiotics to avoid disease rampant due to conditions, and killed in unsterilized conditions and a cruel manner. Just remember - mad cow disease is a result of ground beef being used in cow feed; because of the possible gestation period of this disease, it's full extent is not known yet. Also, the constant consumption of antibiotics may make you resistant to antibiotics in the future, leaving you vulnerable to disease. Keep your family safe by being choosy about your animal products!

Sugars present another important consideration. On ingredient lists, watch for "high fructose corn syrup." It is in nearly all junk food products because of its cheapness and abundance due to subsidies. Unlike other sugars, when corn syrup is metabolized is does not affect the blood sugar and insulin in your body the way other sugars do. Therefore, when consuming corn syrup you can eat more of it than other sugars with your body never realizing it has had enough to eat! Limit the amount of refined table sugar consumed as well - the up and down blood sugar rollercoaster most Americans ride is unhealthy for mind and body, causing fatigue and diabetes to run rampant in the country. 1 in 3 children born today will have diabetes in their lifetime! Experiment with date sugar, honey, maple syrup, agave necatr, and stevia in your cooking and food preparation!

Push the curtains wide, open those cabinets, and become a food detective! Looking for a few items on your foods' ingredient lists can have dramatic effects on your weight, skin, health, and general mood! Happy investigating.