shutterstock_3012703.jpgRecently I read an article discussing the importance of branding your website or business with the appropriate villains.

Which got me wondering who Dr. Nicole’s arch nemesis might be?

Who do you think the top enemies of the kitchen table are? Alcohol? Caffeine?

Oh no! Those are just the small time crooks of the kitchen table. When enjoyed in moderation caffeine and alcohol are welcome at the kitchen table as a normal part of human socializing. So let’s talk about the REAL bad guys that should never be invited to join you at family dinner time.

shutterstock_3176257.jpgFarmed Salmon- Incredibly high in PCB content (toxins thought to cause cancer) this fish has been banned in European countries as it is not seen as fit for consumption. According to the Environmental Watch Group PCB levels would have to drop 90% to compete with the low levels found in Alaskan Wild Salmon. Be careful when purchasing fish as there is a company out there that is called “Wild” despite the fact that all their fish is farmed raised. As if shopping wasn’t complicated enough! You can find a list of seafood categorized by mercury levels at www.ewg.org.

shutterstock_8366341.jpgMargarine- Nothing will age you faster and make you more unhealthy in my opinion than the trans-hydrogenated fats found in shortening, margarine and fried foods. First of all margarine has a very long shelf life because only humans are silly enough to eat it. Foods that do not spoil are not real foods and should be avoided whenever possible. Second of all, there is no real reason to eat margarine when butter is readily available. The unstable molecules in margarine run rampant in your system clog your arteries, resulting in cardiovascular disease and to make matters worse get stored as fat. The body really doesn’t know what to do with margarine, except pack it away in your fat cells.

Eating margarine is like eating plastic that just instantly makes you fat!

Please use ORGANIC real butter or a natural spread found at a whole foods grocery store that is without trans-hydrogenated fats. Nature is perfect man is not. Avoid all man-made chemicals whenever possible. Things we once thought were safe like lead pipes, asbestos and azo yellow dye (the old yellow coloring in margarine that is now known to cause cancer) have not lasted the test of time that natural whole foods have. If you want to add some Omega 3’s to your family’s spread you can melt a cube of organic butter, allow it to cool to about 100 degrees (about body temp) and then pour in an equal amount of flaxseed oil (or less depending on how soft you want it to be). Store this “Sunshine Butter” in an airtight container in the fridge and serve in lieu of margarine for spreading on pancakes, breads and what nots. This is a simple way to get your kids to eat the Omega 3’s that are needed for proper brain and nervous system development.

shutterstock_3529294.jpgAspartame- A million times more evil than sugar, the aspartame villain should never be allowed to run rampant at the kitchen table. A doctor colleague was once asked “Sugar or aspartame?” and he quickly retorted “Diabetes or cancer?”

Now we don’t yet have evidence supporting the suspicions that surround aspartame and cancer, or it would be yanked off the shelves by now. Only in laboratory rats. But after interviewing countless patients about their diets I have found some suspicious trends. Other diseases possibly associated with aspartame that particularly concern me are fibromyalgia and autoimmunity. A study of four patients with fibromyalgia by Malcolm Randall Veterans Affairs Medical Center found complete resolution of their symptoms simply by removing both aspartame and MSG from their diets. The best thing to do until further evidence comes out to support this, is to just avoid the use of artificial sweeteners.

We do have evidence that using artificial sweeteners actually makes you fat though! Yes, isn’t that a horrifying thought? You are using diet products to lose weight right? Well research does not support that. Researchers found that those that consumed diet pop actually gained more weight in ten years than those that drank regular pop. New studies have come out recently with conflicting evidence, but from what I have seen everyone that is overweight drinks diet pop. I’m not sure if this is a chicken and the egg phenomena or not…but if you want to lose weight, drink green tea for it’s thermogenic properties.

As a biochemist, I prefer to error on the side of caution with all chemicals. As a doctor, I would rather have my patients drinking regular soda than diet soda, ideally they should drink green tea though. Ask yourself if you have a reason to have a chemical in your diet, if you don’t then get it out. Obviously if you have diabetes you will need to turn to artificial sweeteners at times, but do try to make the most with stevia as much as possible. I am not a fan of Splenda because it is a sugar molecule that has been modified by adding a chlorine atom to the structure so that it is not asborbable. My issue with this is that chlorine ages the system. Chlorine destroys healthy cells. I am not a pessimist, I am a realist.

Realistically until a chemical has withstood the test of time and passed through generations of people without causing any known diseases how do we know that it is safe? We don’t. So use these chemicals judiciously and be sure they are not regular guests at your kitchen table. In the grand scheme of things, Splenda is probably just the new Saccharine. Let’s not be so quick to jump on the bandwagon.

shutterstock_1440492.jpgRed #40 the ugliest of all the food colorings as it is thought to specifically be a “neuro-aggravator” for those with attention deficit disorder. Now whether or not this is true, let’s just stop and ask ourselves if we REALLY need food coloring in our diet? No. We don’t. Especially since most people have a tough enough time concentrating as it is. I agree that food should have color in it, but just in the form of GREEN chlorophyll, RED lycopene, ORANGE beta carotene, and PURPLE proanthocyanins. We should always be eating the rainbow. We should just be doing it with food that is real. Not fake food.

Just say no to fake food!

shutterstock_6147844.jpgBand-aids- Now obviously no one likes to find a band-aid in their food. Ewwwwww! But even worse yet is when we cover up our “problems” with band-aids. Now of course band-aids are highly necessary and helpful for temporary problems and quick fixes, but I am a proponent of tough love. I am a huge fan of ripping off band-aids. Let’s take a look at what is really going on. Let’s examine that festering green bloody wound that has been sitting there untouched for so long, clean it out, figure out what can be done to actually help it heal, and then can stand by patiently to SUPPORT that process. Never suppress.

With that all being said Dr. Nicole’s personal nemesis is none other than the very very EVIL donut. The terribly tempting trifecta of sugar, wheat and trans-fats that is her personal kryptonite.

shutterstock_688454.jpgOh my that sure looks good!

What is your kryptonite?

Who are your personal or business enemies?

Who am I leaving out? Who else is an enemy of the kitchen table?

Dr. Nicole Sundene

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