9 foods to stay away from

I was recently made aware of an article detailing the information that I'm sharing here from a friend.  The original blog can be found here.  From my experience, all 9 can be found at truck stops where most truckers eat their meals.  It would be a lot easier to stay away from these foods at home, but it's quite a challenge to eat healthy when you're driving all over the country and subject to a strict time line in most cases.  Without further delay, here are the nine foods.

1. Canned Tomatoes - canned food in general isn't good for us, but this list specifically lists canned tomatoes.  They contain a chemical known as BPA which is linked to reproductive abnormalities, neurological effects, heightened risk of breast and prostate cancers, diabetes, heart disease and other serious health problems.
2. Processed meats - A fellow trucker told me recently that he saw hot dogs being made when he delivered to a plant.  He told me that he'd never eat them again!  According to a 2011 review of over 7000 clinical studies examining the connection between diet and cancer, the World Cancer Research Fund stated they processed meats are not a healthful choice foe anyone and should be avoided entirely.
3. Margarine - How often have we seen this.  The food and chemical industry will work together to make a zero fat or zero calorie alternative to a natural product that we consume and the result is actually worse thanks to the harmful chemicals that are used to make the product.  Butter contains natural, healthy fats whereas margarine contains harmful trans fats which contribute greatly to cancer, heart problems and many other medical conditions.
4. Vegetable Oils - These are the most common oils and the cheapest.  According to research, the heating of these vegetable oils causes it to break down and turns good cholesterol into bad.  Coconut oil is the best to cook in, but good luck finding a truck stop that cooks with that.  Olive oil is a healthier choice than vegetable oils, but can be damaged easily by heating.  It's best drizzled on a salad for the most healthful benefit.
5. Microwave Popcorn - The bags are lined with a chemical that keeps the grease from leaking out of the bag from factory to the final user.  When heated, these chemicals get into the popcorn and get consumed.  Some fast food wrappings contain the same chemicals so beware!
6. Non-organic potatoes and other fresh produce known for high pesticide contamination - Ok, it's starting to get tough now.  I thought by getting the salad bar at a truck stop, avoiding can foods and deli meats that I'd be home free and on a fast train to great health.  Not necessarily so... We're still ingesting harmful chemicals. Organic fruits and vegetables are your best choice and many can be found at local farmer's markets and health food stores.  Some large grocery chains carry a small selection of organic foods so check that out.
7. Table Salt - Salt is essential for life—you cannot live without it. However, regular ‘table salt’ and the salt found in processed foods are NOT identical to the salt your body really needs. In fact, table salt has practically nothing in common with natural salt. One is health damaging, and the other is healing. Again, anything that says "processed"isn't good.
8. Soy Protein Isolate and Other Unfermented Soy Products - Believe it or not, I used to be a vegetarian about 20 years ago.  My wife and I ate soy very regularly as it was a well known protein replacement for meat.  However, soy comes from soybeans and guess what?  Soy beans are heavily sprayed with pesticides and therefore they are genetically modified in a way to withstand the harmful toxins.  NOT HEALTHY!
9. Artificial Sweeteners - Contrary to popular belief, studies have found that artificial sweeteners such as aspartame can stimulate your appetite, increase carbohydrate cravings, and stimulate fat storage and weight gain. So, even though there are no calories in these products, the increase in appetite causes one to gain more weight.  There are no positives here, weight gain and more chemicals introduced into the body.

Regarding the picture above and right, I found 4 of the 9 items that I'm not supposed to eat in my own house!  When you're out on the road eating most of your meals, it'll be worse.  In conclusion, if you can't remember all these items, just remember this:  Only eat things that are natural.  If God didn't make it, don't eat it. That doesn't cover all the health risks with food, but it's a easy rule to understand and will definitely get you on the right track!