8 Dangerous And Shocking Ingredients Hidden In Your Foods

By Paul Scicluna

As a qualified personal trainer and health coach I've evaluated a lot of diets and meal plans over the years. I always ask "So what is your diet like?" And the most common response is... "Oh my diet's pretty good actually." It's not until we delve deeper into what people are consuming on a daily basis where we start to realize that their diet wasn't that healthy after all.

Just because a food product is sitting on a supermarket shelf doesn't mean that it's OK to eat. Think about it... Children can eat crayons but we don't call crayons food. Therefore, why are we putting so many lifeless and nutrient devoid foods as well as many known toxins into our bodies these days?

The food companies certainly don't make it easy. Most of the food labels don't make much sense due to all the codes and unpronounceable names. But did you know that there are legal loopholes where manufacturers can add certain ingredients and chemicals to the product, but state on the label that the product doesn't contain those ingredients at all? Ridiculous isn't it!

As you read on you'll come to realize why more and more people are starting to eat fresh and healthy unprocessed foods to avoid these disgraceful ingredients. Below I've outlined 8 dangerous and shocking ingredients hidden in your foods that you should be aware of.

1. Anti-Freeze

Yes you read correct... Anti-freeze is what goes into the radiator of your car so it won't over heat but also won't freeze up in colder climates. It's called propylene glycol, also known as propane-1,2-diol or E1520. It's a chemical that has many industrial uses such as Corexit, which is an oil dispersant used for oil spills in the ocean. It's also used in pharmaceutical drugs and cosmetics, right through to many ice creams.

Luckily for the folks in the European Union, they have not cleared propylene glycol as a food additive or food grade product. My advice, make your own ice cream and stop consuming products that contain this chemical.

2. Human Hair

Proteins are the building blocks of life and are made up of amino acids. Although they are good for your health, I'm sure you'd agree that there must be a better way to extend the shelf life of some products other than using human hair or duck feathers.

The amino-acid L-Cysteine is used to prolong the shelf life of many products such as commercial breads. The L-Cysteine that is used to prolong these foods often comes from duck and chicken feathers as well as horns from cows that have been slaughtered. However the most commonly used version comes from human hair. Yes, you read that correctly.

Reports have shown that the hair used to derive L-Cysteine mostly comes from China, where it's collected from hair salons and barber shops, then processed. Most fast food chains add this form of L-Cysteine to their burger buns and rolls.

To avoid consuming human hair or duck feathers in your foods, try buying freshly baked breads from your local baker as L-Cysteine isn't in the flour, but added to the mix during production of breads and the like. Even better, make your own.

3. Arsenic

Arsenic is a known carcinogen, which means that it causes cancer in living tissue. The unfortunate thing about this toxic element is that it seems to keep showing up in our food supplies. It's in everything from breakfast cereals and rice, through to fruit juice and your drinking water. Sometimes at levels up to 2 - 3 times what is considered safe. It's also been shown to be in many protein powders. Yes, you read that correctly as well... those expensive protein powders that many people waste their money on have been shown to contain this toxic element amongst others.

Many wines and beers have also been shown to contain arsenic, mostly the clearer ones. To filter these beverages they use diatomaceous earth, which is a natural product but it contains iron and other elements, such as arsenic.

So to avoid this toxin, get a good quality water filter for your house and drink wine or beer that is unfiltered. The unfiltered wine and beer also contain more nutrients.

4. Anal Glands

This one sounds nice doesn't it... Anal glands anyone? No thanks!

Most people don't realize that some of the flavors used in your favorite ice creams amongst other things, comes from the castor sacs of beavers, which is located at their rear end of the animal. This secretion is called castoreum and is used to mark the beaver's territory. Due to the close proximity of the castor sacs to the beaver's anal glands, castoreum can be a combination of urine, secretions from the castor glands as well as secretions from the anal glands.

Castoreum is used to flavor vanilla, raspberry and strawberry ice cream and is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved food additive in many popular ice cream brands. It's also used to flavor many beverages such as protein and meal replacement drinks. You will generally find it labeled as "Natural Flavoring". Isn't that great, so for all you know, many of these so-called "natural" ingredients could be anal secretion from other animals.

My advice... again, make your own ice creams so you don't consume beaver droppings.

5. Borax

Borax has been banned as a food additive in Canada and the U.S. but is allowed in the European Union, even though they listed it as a substance of very high concern. It's commonly used to make cosmetics, detergents, enamel glazes, fiberglass, as a flux in metallurgy and is used in fire retardants.

In the food industry it's known by it's E number: E285. Borax is used for acidity control, firming agent and preservative. It can be found in some caviars, noodles and depending on region can be added a variety of dishes to add a firm texture.

Borax has been given the revised classification as toxic for reproduction - category 1B.

6. Coal Tar

Doesn't this one sound appetizing? No way! You might be thinking what on earth would coal tar be doing in food? Well the good old processed foods industry is at it again.

So many of the processed food items that grace the supermarket shelves these days contain a long list of food dyes. Most of those food dyes are derived from coal tar and it is listed as a known carcinogen (causes cancer in living tissue).

It's used in such things as road manufacturing, road and pavement sealing coats, cosmetics, shampoos and pharmaceutical drugs.

In foods and beverages it's known as E102, Tartrazine or Yellow #5 and can be found in sodas, flavored chips, pickles, cheese flavored products as well as many other food and beverage items. This is just another reason to keep processed foods away from your body as well as those of your loved ones.

7. Rodent Hair

Would you like some rodent hair with that? I'm sure this is something that you usually sprinkle over your freshly made healthy meals... Not. Well according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) it's fine to have some rodent hair in your food.

Due to most food manufacturing being processed in large industrial facilities, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has an allowance for rodent hair in many products, in what they term "unavoidable defects". They allow 1 rodent hair per 100g of chocolate, 5 rodent hairs per 18oz peanut butter jar and 22 rodent hairs per 100g cinnamon.

This will sure keep me away from processed foods for a very long time.

8. Boiled Beetles

It just keeps getting better doesn't it? Now why would you need bits of beetles in your food you may ask? Known as carmine, natural red #4, crimson lake or E120, it's a food coloring made by boiling cochineal insects in a sodium carbonate or ammonia solution.

It's used to manufacture plastic flowers, inks, dyes, paints and cosmetics. In foods and beverages it's used to color ice cream, candy, yogurt and certain fruit juices. It's been shown to cause anaphylactic shock and severe allergic reactions in some people.

Other dyes used instead of natural #4 are synthetic alternatives such as: red #40 and red #2. These are derived from petroleum production. My advice, keep this garbage away from your body as much as you can.

We seem to wonder why that even though we are more technologically advanced than any other time in history, humans are also more sick and diseased than any other time in history.

To me it's as plain as day. It is items that I've mentioned and the thousands of other food additives, flavors, colors and preservatives that our leaders allow manufacturers to add to the foods people eat that is helping to cause illness world wide.

So it really is up to you. As Hippocrates said thousands of years ago:

"Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"

So be smart and choose your food wisely.

To great health,

Paul

To discover more interesting and factual food knowledge, and how to get your health on track, visit... http://globalhealthrenegade.com/

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Are These Food Ingredients Causing Unsightly Cellulite?

By Paul Scicluna

Cellulite (also known as adiposis edematosa) has been a hot topic for a long time but all for the wrong reasons. It has been driving women crazy for centuries, trying to work out how to get rid of cellulite.

The word cellulite, from the French, from cellule meaning "a small cell" was first used around the 1920's in Europe by beauty and spa business owners to promote their products and services. It started appearing in English publications around the 1960's. It was to describe the shadowy, dimpled and bumpy appearance of skin in the lower body of those who suffer from it.

Those beauty spas wanted to make money from those with cellulite all those years ago and nothing has changed. And as many women will know, all these lotions, potions and miracle cures never seem to work. To get rid of cellulite there's no point in rubbing on creams, gels and lotions or go on a trip to the beauty spa. So save your money and stop using these products and services for a cellulite cure.

What if you could be causing cellulite or exacerbating the problem due to certain foods in your diet?

More and more people are consuming processed foods. I know it's convenient but I've said for years that when it comes to food, convenience kills.

Processed foods contain so many chemicals, flavorings, colorings, enhancers, preservatives and many other additives that should be avoided if you care about your health and beauty.

So many of these additives and chemicals can imbalance your hormones and negatively impact your overall health. Hormone balance is vital for good health and very important to keep your body fat in check. From a beauty perspective, hormones are also responsible for everything from skin texture and tone, through to shape and firmness.

Try and avoid as many additives and chemicals by eliminating processed foods as much as you can. This is the most important step. You can easily achieve this by choosing fresh and natural ingredients.

It's also good to know some of the harmful ingredients that you should avoid when you are buying processed and packaged food items.

Below are some ingredients that are added to many processed foods and should be avoided:

1 - MSG (monosodium glutamate)

2 - Acesulfame Potassium (Acesulfame K or Ace K. European Union: E950)

3 - Aspartame

4 - Sucralose

These additives have been show to do all sorts of thing to the human body from imbalance your hormones to tricking your body into storing more fat - not less.

When reading the ingredients list, if you see "emulsifier", "conditioner" as well as "stabilizer" on any ingredient label, then you might want to give that product a miss. You'll be surprised just how many food items they are in.

So if you avoid these food chemicals combined with a good workout routine, your hormones will benefit, resulting in less fat being stored on your body.

To great health,

Paul Scicluna

4 Tips For Clean Eating

By Paul Scicluna

I'm sure you have heard of the term "Clean Eating" as it has been doing the rounds for some time now. You can find everything from clean eating blogs right through to clean eating magazines. A question I get asked a lot is "what exactly is clean eating?"

Well to me, to eat clean isn't just about eating it's more to do with a lifestyle change, not some fad diet or a hopeful quick fix.

Many of the authors and bloggers of clean eating may have different views or opinions, however the founding principles of the clean eating way of life are the same. So read on as below are 4 tips that you can use to incorporate a clean diet into your life.

1. Processed Foods

Probably the foundation principle of the clean eating way of life is to remove processed and pre-packaged food and drink items from your life. Whether your reasons for wanting to eat clean are to improve your health and wellbeing or weight loss, ditching the processed foods and drinks will be essential.

The reason for this is that to have a clean diet means to eat from mother natures table - the fresher the food items the better. This means that you will be consuming less artificial colours, flavors, preservatives, emulsifiers, enhancers and other additives. So this can only be a good thing not only for your health but also for your weight loss efforts.

2. Local Foods

As previously mentioned, clean eating means to be eating more fresh foods and minimal to no processed foods. So what about pesticides? Buying organic is not affordable for everyone, but the non-organic options are generally grown with pesticides and other potentially harmful chemicals, many of which have been shown to cause havoc with hormones. Below is a list of the most heavily sprayed fruits and vegetables so if you can buy these organic then that's better than nothing:

Apples, Celery, Cherries, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Grapes, Hot Peppers, Peaches, Potatoes, Spinach, Strawberries, Bell Peppers or Capsicum.

So incorporate these foods into your clean eating recipes.

I always recommend being locally grown and in season. The reason for this is anything local will be fresher as it doesn't have to come from the other side of the world. Also we are actually meant to eat in season as well. Apples for example don't grow all year round, so they are coming from far away lands and who knows how long they are stored for. I've been told that some apples can be up to 12 months old when you buy them.

The result is that the nutritional value of these items will be significantly less. So why pay for something when you're not even going to reap the full benefits? If you're going to eat clean then you may as well do it right.

Therefore buying locally grown and in season is always best and if you can buy organic.

3. Portion Size

Eating smaller portioned meals more frequently throughout the day is a much healthier option compared to the old standard of the 3 larger meals a day.

Having hours pass in between meals brings on energy peaks and troughs due to blood sugar fluctuations. It has also been shown to slow down your metabolism which is not good if you are trying to lose weight. This can also cause people to snack on bad foods and overeat as well.

Eating 4 - 6 smaller portioned meals more frequently throughout your day is actually quite easy. Just plan out what your healthy meals will be and prepare them and take them with you. This way you won't be tempted to snack on bad foods or drinks.

4. Simplify

Have you ever noticed how large some ingredients are on packaged foods? Yes isn't it ridiculous. Most of the time you have no idea what these ingredients are anyway, as they are either massive words that you can't pronounce or it's just a code... like you were just meant to know what that code meant.

Have you ever wondered why an orange doesn't have an ingredient list? That's right, it has over 4,000 phytonutrients (plant nutrients) yet there is not ingredient list. So what does that say for the so called processed foods? And that includes "natural health" foods in that list as well. The fewer ingredients the better.

To eat clean doesn't have to be a chore, it's actually quite simple. Eat mainly unprocessed foods and drinks will do wonders for your body not to mention for your weight loss efforts if that is what you are aiming for.

To great health,

Paul

For more helpful tips and information to accelerate your health to a totally new and vibrant level go to http://ultimatebodytransformation.net/

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Paul Scicluna:
No. 1 International Best Selling Author, and Health, Fitness and Weight Loss Expert

The One Surprising Ingredient In Processed Foods That Are Making People Fat

By Paul Scicluna

As a health coach, I’ve heard so many times from people that they keep getting told to eat less and exercise more if they want to lose weight. So they eat less and exercise more but they still can’t seem to melt that fat away. This is where all the scam diets, supplements and fat burning pills, lotions and potions are being bought by the public in the hope of finding the fastest way to lose weight.

But when that stubborn fat hasn’t been lost, people ask, “Why am I not losing weight?” I’m going to share with you the one surprising ingredient in processed foods that are making people fat, and tips to help your weight loss efforts.

As I’ve been saying for years, weight gain can be more complex than once thought. It’s only just starting to reach the mainstream media but scientists are slowly realizing that weight gain and obesity seems to be more complex than was first thought.

Many medical experts are calling for obesity to be labeled a disease. This in turn results in their solution being of course - drugs and surgery. However, researchers have shown a popular processed food additive could be contributing to the fat people are gaining.

The latest research from Georgia State University believe emulsifiers, which are added to most processed foods disrupt the good bacteria in our gastrointestinal tract, making your body hold on to more fat.

Start reducing the amount of processed foods you consume not only to lose weight but for better health overall!

Emulsifiers are used in processed foods to extend their shelf life, make the foods more artificially palatable, and stop oils and water from separating to name a few. They can be found in everything from your store bought salad dressings to frozen desserts, right through to breads, cakes, margarines and peanut butter. 

The researchers gave mice the same dose of emulsifiers to what an average person would consume through processed foods in their diets. The researchers found that the mice had dramatically altered gut bacteria through the consumption of these emulsifiers.

What the altered gut bacteria led to was inflammatory bowel disease and metabolic syndrome. This included Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. These conditions have dramatically increased since processed foods have become more prevalent in the modern day diet.

Around 85% of your immune system is based in your gastrointestinal tract. That’s why you need a good balance of bacteria.  So if ingredients like emulsifiers as well as antibiotics both strip the body of good bacteria, then there is an imbalance. As a result, this not only impacts your health but also your fat burning efforts.

If you are trying to lose weight and improve your health then reducing processed foods is a must. You can also help your gut bacteria out by introducing foods with gut friendly bacteria in order to protect our gut.

This can include increasing your fiber intake by eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. These will also give you a good supply of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, anti-oxidants and fiber. Also foods such as kidney beans, lima beans, chickpeas, cabbage, bananas, asparagus as well as properly fermented sauerkraut, natural kefir and Greek yoghurts are foods that will help improve your gut bacteria.

So remove harmful processed foods, introduce fresh fruits and vegetables and probiotic rich foods and watch this improve your fat burning efforts.

Change your diet, and you will be one BIG step closer to losing that stubborn fat! Get my information and recipe eBook, "Time To Get Healthy" HERE.

Create over 60 delicious healthy recipes from day to night, and discover secrets to reach your optimal weight and dramatically improve your health.