It might be a good thing that I’m writing this in the afternoon because a lot of morning coffee drinkers are going to be displeased by this! Coffee might be your morning lifeline, but it’s not very good for you at all.
I think most people can agree that a nice cup of Joe in the morning is just enough to get you going. It gives a little energy boost, a yummy taste, and just gets us ready for our day! Many people might believe a natural cup of coffee is good for you, but this is largely a myth. Many people also believe that coffee has a role in treating and preventing Parkinson’s Disease and even breast cancer. Coffee is a potent collection of biological compounds, and like any food like substance, it has effects on the body that need to be respected as potent drug effects.
There has been much deception when it comes to the truth about coffee. Coffee is a relative drug that affects your body in many different ways. There are many instances where coffee can be bad for you! You probably never knew these 14 dirty kept secrets about coffee.
Coffee Increases Stress – The caffeine in coffee increases catecholamines, also known as stress hormones. It elicits cortisol and increases insulin, making you feel rather crappy.
Regularly Drinking Coffee Decreases Insulin Sensitivity – When We regularly consume coffee, the caffeine decreases your insulin sensitivity and makes it difficult for your cells to respond appropriately to blood sugar levels.
The Chlorogenic Acid Delays Glucose Absorption – That has been found to increase homocysteine levels, an indicator of cardiovascular disease.
It’s Addictive – The High amount of caffeine in coffee is extremely addictive. It can make it difficult to rely on the body’s natural source of energy, causing excessive fatigue.
It Inspires a Sugar Addicted Culture – Coffee drinks these days have gone to extremes when it comes to sugars, creams, and different flavors and additives to make it taste good. This has caused people to become obsessed with the sugary coffee drinks, which are barely even coffee by the time they’re made.
It Raises Risks for Low Serotonin Levels – Coffee contains a component of the neurotransmitter serotonin, causing lower levels of serotonin synthesis in the brain.
It Interferes With Liver Detoxification – Coffee makes it difficult to regulate the normal detoxification process in the liver.
Coffee Causes Fat Gain – Coffee has been found to increase weight gain and form cellulite by triggering your body’s flight or fight system. This changes the body’s primary fuel source requirement to one of fat.
It Blocks Iron – Coffee blocks Iron absorption, resulting in anemia.
It Increases Risk of Forming Breast Tissue Cysts in Women –One study showed that “Women who consumed 31–250 mg of caffeine/day had a 1.5-fold increase in the odds of developing fibrocystic breast disease and women who drank over 500 mg/day had a 2.3-fold increase in the odds of developing cysts.
It Causes Insomnia – Because of the excessive caffeine in coffee, it has been shown to cause significant insomnia. If you have trouble falling asleep at night, try laying off the coffee for a while. It might help!
Headaches are an awful thing to experience, especially in recurrence. Regular headaches can make life miserable, and a new study has found that it makes you much more susceptible to another serious health illness.
A study published in Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain discovered that people who suffer from headaches, cluster headaches, and migraines are more likely to additionally suffer from a health issue known as hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism, also known as underactive thyroid disease, occurs when your thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone. The thyroid gland is located in your lower neck. It releases hormones that travel throughout our bloodstream and affects basically every part of our body, from your skin to your brain.
Heavier than normal or irregular menstrual periods
Thinning hair
Slowed heart rate
Depression
Impaired memory
If you display symptoms of hypothyroidism, a doctor will order blood tests to check your hormone levels. The primary hormones associated to hypothyroidism is Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) and T4 (Thyroxine). There are cases of hypothyroidism that has increased TSH and normal T4 levels. This is known as sub-clinical (mild) hypothyroidism, also believed to be an early stage form of hypothyroidism.
If you suffer from constant headaches you might want to look into checking yourself for hypothyroidism. Frequent headaches do result in a 40% increased chance, after all. It would never hurt to check and treating it might also rid you of your headaches!
Soda is terrible for us, and some people think they can avoid weight gain and health complications by drinking diet sodas, but this is horrifically untrue. They even make you fatter.
Many people have resorted to drinking diet drinks in pursuit of losing a few pounds, but this is not only pointless but contradictory. The study performed by Yale University found that diet drinks are not helping you lose weight; they’re making you fatter. They found that the sweetness of the diet drink and the lack of calories confused your brain, triggering a chemical reaction that makes you eat more. It makes your metabolism go into a fritz, resulting in everything but weight loss.
Dana Small, the co-author of the paper, explains, “The assumption that more calories trigger greater metabolic and brain response is wrong. Calories are only half of the equation – sweet taste perception is the other half.”Diet drinks trigger a much larger metabolic response than a beverage packed full of calories. The study also found that diet drinks can increase your risk of developing diabetes.
In response to the study, Tam Fry, who works at the National Obesity Forum, said: “This research should be enough to convince you that artificial ingredients, whether they be in food or drink, can screw up your system even though they may sound healthy.”
The researchers discovered these results after giving 15 people drinks of a varying calorie content, followed by measuring their brain responses in an MRI machine. Professor Small suggests that our brains might learn to react to the sweeteners in a different way, but as of right now, it’s a better decision to stick with water and tea.
Business Insider reports that 32% of all quick-service restaurant visits were to McDonald’s, the titan of fast food here in America. The incredible part of that statistic is that the next closest chain on the list was Starbucks with only 11%, meaning that almost three times as many people visited McDonald’s than any other quick-service chain in the country!
The golden arches have become a symbol of our society, a recognizable sign that nearly every child is able to recognize, even from a distance. It’s the place we associate with childhood birthday parties and fun family meals after the ball game. A place of smiles and laughter, however, it is hiding some big secrets!
Recent documentaries and social media posts have drawn attention to a dark side to the restaurant, highlighting frightening truths from ‘extra special’ toppings to subliminal messaging in their advertising. Here are 15 disturbing secrets that McDonald’s doesn’t want you to know!
#1 – Their Food Never Goes Bad… Never!
If you have ever found yourself questioning the nutritional value of a McDonald’s burger, consider this. A number of preservatives in their food is at such a high level that their food literally never goes bad. If you were to purchase a McDonald’s burger and leave it sitting out it won’t suffer the fate of most foods, starting to rot in a matter of days, it will stay in the exact same condition it was purchased for years! Don’t believe us? The last burger made in Iceland is currently on display, and can even be viewed live on webcam. After over 7 ½ years it still looks as fresh as the day it was made!
#2 – The Real Purpose of the Happy Meal
The Happy Meal is a favorite childhood memory for many, heading to the golden arches for their favorite foods and that fun little toy. The truth is that the idea of the Happy Meal is a carefully planned marketing move, appealing to children at a young age and recruiting them into the legions of dedicated McDonald’s customers. This isn’t the only effort that the company has made to appeal to the younger generation. Secret documents regarding the role of Ronald McDonald in the restaurant revealed that he was actually created to be a father figure, encouraging children to want to spend their birthday parties at the restaurant!
#3 – Deadly Salads
With the release of McDonald’s salad options, the company was able to draw in a new, more health-conscious crowd. These ‘healthy’ alternatives were carefully marketed to change the public view of McDonald’s, and the marketing campaign was highly effective! People began selecting the salad over their previous favorites, feeling better about the healthy choices they were making, however, what they didn’t know is that they were being horribly misled! While the idea of a salad may sound healthy, these salads are anything but! With more calories, fat, and sodium than a Big Mac, the salad bowls are actually the most unhealthy item on the menu!
#4 – Labor Law Violations
There have been a number of accusations worldwide in regards to the way that McDonald’s treats their ‘beloved employees.’ Starting their Crew at minimum wage, they have pushed many to the breaking point time in time again. Starting in November 2012 employees began to stage walkouts, demanding better treatment and fair wages. It was reported that a 79-year-old McDonald’s employee with over 15 years on the job was fired after his bosses found out he was petitioning co-workers. Only 3 of the 40 employees at his store were willing to sign his petition for fear of being fired. In 2014 the company was even accused of requiring staff to work 25-hour shifts!
#5 – Monopoly Was Nothing More Than a Scam
The popularity of McDonald’s Monopoly cannot be contested, attracting thousands of people to collect their game pieces in hopes of winning one of the company’s grand prizes. Unfortunately, it appears that for a period of time the game was fixed, and there were zero chances of pocketing one of the big-ticket items! Chief of Security Jerome P. Jacobson was able to figure out how to remove all of the most expensive game pieces in the US market, handing them off to his associates who redeemed them for rewards sharing the proceeds. The group won almost every single top prize between the years of 1995 and 2000, netting over $24 million in prizes!
#6 – Expired Meat and Dangerously Hot Coffee
Probably the most famous incident that has ever been associated with the McDonald’s franchise is that of the 1992 coffee incident. A customer sued the company for $160k after spilled coffee caused such severe burns that she required skin graft surgery. Found to be the fault of improper packaging, the courts forced the company to pay $640k! While the best known, this isn’t the only time the company has been the subject of a scandal. In 2014 the Shanghai meat factory that supplied a number of the restaurants with meat was caught on camera combining raw, cast off meat with cooked produce and packaging the product with bogus expiration dates. Ultimately, they were supplying the company with expired meat! After the discover the factory was forced to permanently close its doors.
#7 – A Few Extra Ingredients Thrown In
We have all heard the stories of restaurant goers finding something unsavory in their food like a hair or a fly, but McDonald’s has served up far more disturbing meals than that during their history! Stories have emerged across the globe including a number of disgusting discoveries such as bolts, fecal matter, pubic hairs, condoms, maggots, and syringes. In 2000 a woman reported that she deep fried chicken head in with her Chicken McNuggets. A man in Texas reported a dead rat in his salad in 2006! While one can see how a single hair could be overlooked, some of these stories beg to question whether someone is actually inspecting the food before preparing it!
#8 – Tampered Food
The next time that you are ordering food at your local McDonald’s and find yourself getting a little frustrated with the staff, you may want to hold back your true feelings! A number of reports have rolled in from restaurants across the country pointing at kitchen staff providing rude customers with their ‘just rewards.’ It has been alleged that the staff will add spit or hairs to the order of a rude customer to ‘teach them a lesson.’ Other reports include staff dropping buns and other food on the floor, only to pick them up and serve them anyway, or licking fries before sending them out the door. So, next time you are picking up fast food, a smile is the key to a better meal!
#9 – The Frightening Health Impact
While the fact that McDonald’s foods aren’t ‘healthy’ isn’t a surprise to many, it is shocking just how unhealthy it really is! Experts have found that eating McDonald’s food for an extended period of time can add up to some pretty scary statistics! It has been associated with the onset of type 2 diabetes, rising obesity rates (some experts even say by 70%) and high blood pressure. Some experts even claim that long term exposure to McDonald’s food can cause erectile dysfunction!
#10 – The Truth About the Pink Slime
A well-publicized scandal, McDonald’s was accused of using a pink slime product comprised of cow muscles and connective tissues for all of their burgers. While some may find this image to be hard to believe, the truth is that the beef by-product mixture was used in all McDonald’s burgers prior to 2011! In an effort to turn around their image and retain their customers the restaurant has now switched their recipes and claim to be using 100% pure beef with no by-products in any of their burgers.
#11 – McLibel
A 1986-1997 case, one of the longest-running cases in English history, is a perfect example of the libel disputes that arise from the restaurant’s desperate attempts to conceal their less than stellar business choices. Environmental activists Helen Steel and David Morris were distributing a shockingly exposing pamphlet by London Greenpeace called ‘What’s Wrong with McDonald’s – Everything They Don’t Want You to Know” when they company proceeded to sue them for libel. Ultimately McDonald’s lost the case when the judge determined that their food actually doesn’t hold up to the nutritional values that they had been advertising and that the company had been paying their employees ‘rock bottom wages.’
#12 – Why We Are Really Addicted
The Scripps Research Institute in California ran an in-depth study into the foods at McDonald’s in hopes of discovering why we are so compelled to keep returning to the restaurant. What they found was that the high sugar content included in the foods generates an abundance of dopamine, a chemical associated with the reward center of the brain. This process is very similar to the body’s response to the use of hard drugs. This is why eating McDonald’s food actually leaves you feeling happy!
#13 – Chemical Laden Meals
In a society where we are becoming increasingly focused on what we are feeding our bodies, the truth behind some of the chemicals included in your favorite McDonald’s meals might be frightening! The former host of ‘Mythbusters,’ Grant Imahara revealed that those delicious fries that you enjoy with each meal include a total of 19 different ingredients, including a petrol-based chemical called tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) and a form of silicone called Dimethylpolysiloxane. Have you ever noticed the rubbery taste that accompanies their signature chicken nuggets? Take a close look at their ingredients and you will find silicone oil, the same oil that is used to create both contact lenses and breast implants!
#14 – The Truth Behind the Logo
We are all overly familiar with those big golden arches, one of the most recognized logos in our society. While many will look at it and assume that the golden sign is actually an M, the truth is not nearly as clear. In the 1960s the company hired design consultant and psychologist Louis Cheskin to design a new logo. He came back to the executives with the golden, breast-shaped arches, a subliminal message representing boobs that he stated would play upon the Freudian importance in the subconscious mind, attracting new customers.
#15 – McCruelty
It appears that time and time again PETA and McDonald’s are at war – and given the claims that PETA has been making, with good reason! The animal rights activist group has been working to expose the shocking truth of the company’s farming operations since 2000. They revealed that the company breeds their chickens on steroids, kept in dark, cramped, windowless sheds, in order to speed up their growth to unbelievable rates. They have also accused workers in both the US and Canadian slaughterhouses of treating the animals in ways that would have made front page news should they have been cats and dogs instead of chickens. They allege that the workers cut the throats of the birds while they are still aware, and sometimes they will throw them into tanks of boiling hot water when they are still alive. The group is not ready to bow down yet, vowing to expose the truth of the company for as long as these heinous acts continue.
Anxiety has become extremely popular today, and anxiety medications multiply the issues. However, you may be able to eliminate your anxiety from the source – your food!
Your diet has everything to do with the way you feel. A poor diet is awful for your body in so many different ways, and it might even be causing your anxiety disorder. A balanced diet made of whole foods can lead to great health, but a poor diet can make you feel depressed and anxious all the time. Here are the foods you need to avoid to relieve your anxiety.
Sugar
Sugar is pretty much bad for all parts of your body, even your mind. Sugar is prevalent in processed foods, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and all fast food. It has the ability to raise blood glucose and makes the brain not operate correctly. Diets high in sugar have been linked to anxiety and even depression.
Artificial Sweeteners
You might be able to say that artificial sweeteners are just as bad as their rival, sugar. You might think they are healthier options than sugar, but this is indeed wrong. Calorie free artificial sweeteners block the production of serotonin, a well known ‘feel good’ chemical in your brain. This easily results in moodiness, anxiety, and insomnia.
We are all guilty of eating too much fast food. It’s so convenient that we often forget that it’s poison to our bodies. A simple occasional fast food treat isn’t necessarily going to cause your anxiety, but eating fast food on a regular basis can seriously increase your risk for anxiety disorders. There have been multiple studies that confirmed a fast food link to anxiety disorders and depression.
Trans Fats
Trans fats are notoriously found in fast food and most of our massively processed supermarket foods. They cause your arteries to clog and lead to cardiovascular issues farther down the road.
Canned soups are horrible for your mood, no matter how many people believe Campbell’s chicken noodle soup is a feel good food! They are super high in sodium and Bisphenol A (BPA) lines the can and poisons the soup. Both of these have been linked to high anxiety in multiple different studies. BPA can unbalance your mood stabilizing neurotransmitters.
Next time you are out grocery shopping take a moment to stop and read the nutrition label for any number of our most popular food choices and you will be met with an incredibly long list of impossible to pronounce ingredients printed in fine print. In the United States over 3,000 different food additives are approved and used in our products, including preservatives, colors, and flavorings!
Even some of our so-called ‘health foods’ will surprise us with the secrets hidden on their nutritional label! It is no surprise that nutritionists and dieticians are promoting a fresh, clean diet free from processed foods!
While many Americans are trying to eat healthier, they are limited by their lack of knowledge on the matter. Arming ourselves with an understanding of the toxic ingredients most commonly found in our foods will allow us to take the necessary steps to avoid the offending food items, working to keep our families safe and healthy.
Here are 11 shockingly toxic ingredients that you should avoid on your next trip to the grocery store:
Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated Hydrozyttoluene (BHT): BHA and BHT are preservatives used in a number of foods in order to extend shelf life and prevent oxidation. The State of California has labeled BHA as a known carcinogen and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is part of the World Health Organization has labeled BHA as possibly carcinogenic. You will find BHA and BHT in packaging materials, meat patties, sausage, hot dogs, beer, vegetable oils, cereals, potato chips, butter, chewing gum, animal feed and cosmetic products.
High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS): HFCS is the number-one source of calories in the modern American diet, playing a significant role in the increasing obesity problem in the country. It has also been found to contribute to the development of diabetes, arthritis, insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease and elevated triglycerides. HFCS is commonly found in soda, salad dressings, yogurt, lunch meats, breads, pizza sauce, condiments, and cereals. It can also be identified as:
Corn sugar
Glucose/Fructose (syrup)
High-fructose maize syrup inulin
Iso-glucose
Fruit fructose
Sodium Nitrite and Sodium Nitrate: These preservatives are most often used for the preservation of meats. They have been connected with an increased risk of a number of different forms of cancer. They can be found in pate, canned meats, salami, bacon, ham, corned beef, cured meats, pickled pig’s feet, jerky, dried fish and smoked salmon. They also go by the names:
Soda niter
Chile saltpeter
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG): MSG is an amino acid that has been found to be neurotoxic, meaning that regular consumption of this ingredient can lead to the destruction of brain cells and an increased risk of neurological disorders. It has also been associated with increasing your appetite which in turns can lead to weight gain and ultimately obesity. This ingredient can be found in many processed foods including canned meats, canned soups, salad dressings, frozen entrees, potato chips, flavored crackers and low-fat yogurts. The trick is that it goes by many names, including:
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
Hydrolyzed plant protein
Vegetable protein extract
Yeast extract
Glutamate
Glutamic acid
Sodium caseinate
Textured protein
Soy protein isolates
Barley malt
Calcium caseinate
Malt extract
Potassium Bromate: This additive is a bromide most often used in order to boost the volume in a number of baked goods including breads, flours, and rolls. It has already been banned in the European Union and Canada, as well as several other countries however while the FDA has asked bakers to voluntarily stop using the additive it is still legal for use in the United States. Having been shown to cause cancer in animals during testing, the state of California requires that a cancer warning is included on the label of any products including the additive. It can be found in most commercial baked goods including Sunbeam, Home Pride (but not in Entenmann’s, Arnold, Orowheat or Pepperidge Farm brands) and Wonder Bread. It can also be found in some mouthwash and toothpaste brands and is common in flour. It also goes by the names:
Bromic acid
Potassium salt
Bromated flour
“Enriched flour”
Agave Nectar: While many consumers have been led to believe that this sweetener from Mexico is a healthy alternative, it contains a higher amount of fructose than even HFCS! It has been found to increase insulin resistance, elevate uric acid levels and promote fatty liver disease. It can be found as a stand-alone sweetener, or as an ingredient in ketchup and other sauces, ice cream, cereals and energy bars.
Partially Hydrogenated Oil: Used to increase shelf life and stabilize flavor, this oil is a significant source of trans fats, which are incredibly difficult for the body to digest. It has been found to increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes, boost bad cholesterol and contribute to nutritional deficiencies and cellular deterioration. It is important to note that ‘fully hydrogenated oil’ does not contain the harmful trans fats. Partially hydrogenated oil can be found in margarine, vegetable shortening, salad dressings, crackers, chips, breads and baked goods.
Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH): rBGH is a genetically-engineered version of the growth hormone that is produced naturally by cows. Companies that use this product do so in dairy cows in order to boost their milk production levels. It has been associated with an increased risk of breast, colon and prostate cancers, antibiotic resistance and the early onset of puberty in girls. Also, called recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST), there is no requirement for this ingredient to be listed on the offending milk products. Instead, it is recommended that you assume it is in all products that are not specifically labeled ‘No rBGH or rBST.’
Aspartame: Making the news time and time again, it is no surprise to anyone reading this that Aspartame has made this list! The artificial sweetener contains methanol which experts have explained is broken down by the body into formic acid and formaldehyde after consumption. It is believed to be carcinogenic and has been associated with a number of neurotoxic symptoms including blurry vision, headaches, dizziness and gastrointestinal disturbances. Aspartame is found in over 6000 products including diet and sugar-free drinks, yogurt, breath mints, gelatins, frozen desserts, sugar-free chewing gum and instant breakfasts. It goes by a number of names, including:
NutraSweet
Equal
Canderel
Spoonful
Natrataste
AminoSweet
Refined Vegetable Oil: The processed used to commercially-refine these vegetable oils exposes them to a number of chemical solvents as well as bleach, stripping them of the natural vitamins and minerals included in the original seeds and creating a product with a number of serious health concerns. This process is carried out in various vegetable oils including corn oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, canola oil and peanut oil. The oils have been found to promote inflammation in the body, contribute to heart disease and some cancers and impair insulin response. They are found in many processed foods including granola bars, baked goods, and crackers, and are also sold as standalone cooking oils and margarine.
Artificial Food Coloring: Derived from petroleum, artificial food dyes have made the news time and time again as one of the most controversial ingredients in the American diet. A number of these dyes have even been banned due to the effects they have had on subjects during animal testing. These dyes are found in a wide assortment of products including jams, puddings, baked goods, bread, frostings, candy, beverages, sherbet, sorbet, ice cream, cereal, energy bars, condiments, fast food, deli meat, fish other meat products. The list of names to watch out for is far too long to name here but includes:
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