Nothing peeves me more than food companies preying upon people dedicated to wellness. Whether it is fitness “professionals” on Instagram selling weight loss tea, commercials pushing canola oil as healthier than butter, or celebrities peddling fake meats and cheeses as part of the vegan movement–they all try to take advantage of peoples’ sincere wish to eat healthier. At the end of the day, these social media influencers and food industries are all after the same bottom line–profits–without any real regard for the health of consumers. My rule of thumb, regardless of what diet you follow, is to stick to one ingredient foods whenever possible. Make sure you can pronounce the ingredients and be able to find them in nature. If these foods can last on the shelf past your grandchildren’s birthday something is seriously wrong. Bonus points if you find foods not wrapped in heavy packaging and plastics. Lately companies like Tyson have been trying to get their hands on the multi billion vegan food industry by investing in the Beyond Burger, and get a load of these ingredients:
Yeah, I said Tyson, you know the company that was fined $263,000 over unsafe working conditions in their poultry plants, not to mention the rampant animal abuse at their factories. So I get a little suspicious when Tyson becomes a key player for the veggie burger market. I love a good veggie burger as much as the next person, which is why I look for veggie burgers that have solid ingredients I recognize, not this variety of cellulose, strange acids, food starches, and GMO maltodextrin. Better yet I make them myself, like in this simple RECIPE.
This Beyond Burger push inspired me to compile a list of 6 categories of foods you will never find in my kitchen. I hope this video below will help you navigate the minefield of processed foods that can cause serious inflammation or worse over time:
If you have any foods you want to add to this list, leave in the comments below, as we can all learn from each other! =)
