Holistic Nutrition: How eating baby carrots can destroy your diet
Posted on Mon, Dec 07, 2009
by Eve Colantoni CHC
If you're like me, you're probably thinking, "OH COME ON! Carrots have got to be one of the healthiest foods around! How could they be destroying my efforts to lose weight?" I know this is what I was thinking before I learned the truth.
Please be warned: what you don't know could be killing any chances of successfully losing the weight and keeping it off permanently. All without you ever knowing! It's no wonder why you try so hard, and face frustration because you never achieve the results you want: a slim, trim, sexy, healthy body. It's like "invisible forces" are working against you.
It is time to shed some light on hidden "fat factors"...
If you've attended our nutrition program or weight loss classes, or heard Lisa and me talk before, you ought to know one of our core principles by heart and that is:
"It's not about the food, it's what we've DONE to the food!"
This is the case with baby carrots. Carrots ARE one the best foods you can eat, but here's a really important question for you.... Do you know where "baby carrots" come from? Guess what? They sure don't come out of the ground looking the way they do when you get them in the neat little zipper-locked baggies you find in the grocery store.
What happens is that during the harvesting, a number of the full-sized carrots that get pulled from the ground break in the process, or they may be deformed, or "runts" (not big enough).
The producers know that they can't sell you a bag full of half broken vegetables, or ones that look deformed or too stubby. Instead of wasting these, they simply find a way to "pretty them up" and sell them to you differently.
Hence, the birth of the baby carrot. These broken or deformed carrots get shaved down to the cute little pieces we're used to snacking on. Did you ever wonder why they look so perfect? They didn't grow that way.
Unfortunately, because we're now dealing with massive industrialized food production, harmful bacteria can enter the scene. In order to "protect" us from this potentially pathogenic bacteria, the food manufacturers will soak these little guys in BLEACH.
Yes you read that correctly: THEY SOAK THE BABY CARROTS IN BLEACH.
The reason this can lead to sabotaging your weight loss efforts is many. First, bleach is not something that is natural to the body. The body views it as toxic waste that needs to be immediately DETOXIFIED from your system.
Here's why this is so bad for weight loss:
You're probably working hard to get your metabolism in high gear so you have the energy to burn fat and lose weight. What's happening though is that your body will redirect the energy AWAY from fat burning and point it toward the goal of getting the chemicals out of your system!
No fair, right?
Isn't it maddening to know that a food you're eating is actually creating more work for your body, so it can't focus on the job you want it to do: SHED THE POUNDS!
But here's where it gets worse: If your body can't detox all the chemicals you're ingesting, it feels the need to protect your vital organs from them. To create this protection, it will take the chemicals and STUFF them into your fat cells!
That's right.... this food you've been eating, thinking it will help you lose weight can actually contribute to your FAT GAIN.
So, here's what you need to do right now to avoid destroying your weight loss efforts...
ACTION STEPS:
1.) Remember our core principle, "It's not about the food, it's what we've done to the food!" The carrot is not the enemy! It's the mass produced "food production" we need to steer clear of. Chemicals in processed foods (preservatives, pesticides etc.) may slow our metabolism and sabotage weight loss.
2.) When you go to the store, reach for the bag of FULL sized, organic carrots. All you need to do is scrub them off and chop them up! You'll find that they taste better and are usually sweeter than their bleach-soaked "baby" relatives.
3.) To hear more great tips and get some answers to your weight loss questions join Lisa Wilson and me next Thursday, December 10th for a FREE teleconference: "Why Diets Don't Work!" Click here for more details....
4.) Don't think you need to "go it alone".Starting in January 2010 we'll start a new class of our acclaimed WEIGHT LOSS FOR TIRED PEOPLE PROGRAM. Stay tuned for details! We'll be giving you a TON of extra tips between now and the new year, and let you know how you can get onboard with our LIFE-CHANGING PROGRAM FOR FREE!
Eve Colantoni is a certified health counselor at National Integrated Health Associates, NIHA, an integrative medical and dental center serving the Washington DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia metropolitan area, and founder and director of the Weight Loss for Tired People Nutrition Program.