5 Biggest Food Myths the Government Wants You to Believe...

For decades, official dietary guidelines have been shaped by outdated science & corporate influence. But guess what? If the marketing was effective then and remains so now, you had better believe it is still on your grocery shelves. You have to understand - the people creating and implementing these dietary standards and recommendations are not concerned with anyone's health and wellbeing. They are only concerned with profits and political standing.

These food trends were NEVER thought to have been "good for you". They were and are only put into action to sell foods, keep you sick, and sell medicine to treat the illnesses they create. Do you honestly believe a scientist thinks ingesting a known or suspected carcinogen is healthier for you than a whole food? No. They don't think that. They KNOW the entire opposite of that, but when is the last time you heard of a rich bell pepper farmer?

In our other posts we discuss how these governing bodies are in bed with the major food labels, as well as the politically charged motivations behind food myth trends and mislabeling practices. For now, let's get to the most common governmentally driven food "myths" that were marketed to make others rich while we got sick...

1 - LOW-FAT is the healthy option

The "low-fat" craze led people to replace healthy fats and foods that contain nutrients and vitamins with processed carbs, fueling obesity & diabetes. When the "low-fat" trend hit, people started simply eating the wrong things.

• Instead of bacon and eggs, they'd jump into bowls of "healthy" cereals that were sugary and highly processed.

• Instead of loaded baked potatoes, they'd just pile on the simple-carb white rice.

• Instead of full-fat desserts, they'd dive into sugar-free chemically-loaded versions of treats.

  
  

Does this mean people would've been better off eating store-bought eggs (high in Omega-6 and low if any Omega-3), sausage (processed chemicals, binders, and factory-farmed animal parts of questionable origin), with a glass of OJ (sugar and no fiber)? No. But the sugary and overly processed "healthy" cereals have like zero nutritional benefit. These bowls of cereal are just chemicals and factory-farmed dairy in the milk. This is complete TRASH for your gut lining, heart health, and health overall.

The increase in obesity in the US is a direct result of the "low-fat" craze. Diabetes and heart disease rates skyrocketed because of the trend, and companies pushing their "low-fat" alternatives got money by the ton.

Check out Happy Heart & Sugar Daddy for tons of info on staving off insulin resistance and heart disease!

2 - "WHOLE GRAINS" all are healthy

The push for "whole grains" ignores that many are highly processed & spike blood sugars.

Beware!! Just because a food label reads "whole grains" doesn't mean that's the majority of what the food is...just that whole grains are in it, in any amount! You need to check out the label and look at added sugars, toxic preservatives like sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate (found in processed meats as well), and toxic additives like BHT (butylalted hydroxytoluene) and high fructose corn syrup.

Should you be eating "whole wheat"? No. You should be eating foods with whole grains, if that is what the food consists of...whole grains.

• Not an ingredient list a mile long.

• Not a bunch of words you don't understand in that ingredient list.

  
  

Whole. Grains. Read your labels, and if you're feeling overwhelmed, just buy REAL FOOD!

You know what you don't have to read the label on? Bell peppers. Broccoli. Chickpeas. Lentils. Avocados. Walnuts.

3 - UPFs are just foods made easy

UPFs are ultra-processed foods and you need to RUN, not walk in the other direction. In the 1980s as more and more households became dual-income, the need for fast and affordable foods was on the rise. The need for convenient and shelf-stable "foods" was recognized by the Big Food Industry, and so foods built on chemicals, high levels of sodium and sugar, and preservatives and additives hit the stores...hard.

Still today, around 70% of packaged foods in grocery stores are UPFs. Ever notice when you try to be responsible and only shop the perimeter for healthy whole foods, you're in and out of the store in like 15 minutes? That's because whole foods make up the smallest portion of a food market, even smaller than the beauty section in some of the larger chains. Next time you're at Walmart, look at that.

I grew up on frozen dinners, canned 'vegetables', and boxes of paste with questionable seasoning packets. We had "healthy" cereal for breakfast that now we know is nothing but sugar and corn syrups. That is what my parents had time for and we were lucky to have a hot meal in front of us. People were doing their best and were unaware of the purposeful poisoning that was occurring. Do you know who WAS aware? Big Food and their scientists and marketing teams.

The serving sizes are deceptive, the ingredients are toxic, the labels are intentionally misleading.

4 - SUGAR-FREE is the right choice

In the 1950s artificial sweeteners like Saccharin (Sweet 'n Low) became popular, when women were trying to maintain those girlish figures while their hubbies were off at work. They lived off of sugar-free food and drink options and cigarettes. What could go wrong? In all honesty, the price point of Saccharin was much less than sugar, so it was more cost-effective to make and utilize in the food and beverage market, even though the forerunner of the FDA (The Director of the Bureau of Chemistry) stated it was illegal for use. Teddy Roosenvelt LOVED the idea and probably flavor of the synthetic sweetener, so he vouged for it and quickly canned the Director...

In the 1980s diet sodas became all the rage, using artificial sweeteners Sucralose (Splenada), Aspartame (Equal) and still Saccharin (Sweet 'n Low) to market their sodas as a healthier option to the full sugar version.

Today, we are learning chemicals like aspartame may be (and probably have been proven to be for a while now) cancer-causing. Does that slow down the use of the chemical? No. It may just change how the products containing aspartame are marketed. This ingredient is found in most diet sodas, sugar-free candies and gum, and sugar-free desserts.

Check out our recipe book Sweet Tooth, packed FULL of healthy, nutrient-dense desserts that'll keep your body on track!

5 - LOW CARB is a healthy way to stay trim

In the early 2000s low-carb diets became the THING with the Adkin's Diet and gained momentum as a response to the previous decades' low-fat phase. The problem is this - you can't take a "low-fat" diet and eat mainly empty carbs instead, then 15 years later omit all carbs and purely exist on cheese and meat. What the hell?? What is everyone putting their body's through, and WHY?

Omitting carbs, everyone ran to the meat and aisles not realizing that "simple" or "empty" or "bad" carbs are the ones we should ALL be avoiding - any carbs that don't provide any nutrition. Eating half of a loaf of white bread - yes that is bad. You don't have to be on a low-carb diet to figure that one out, and you don't need to replace that half loaf with a stick of butter and a steak. Does this really sound healthy at all?

Check out our recipe book Wrap Me Up & Bowl Me Over for tons of recipes that are nutrient-dense, balanced, and packed with healthy carbs!

These myths keep people nutrient-deficient, inflamed, and dependent on medications while the industries behind them profit. None of these were marketed blindly, keep in mind. They were studied by scientists and unleashed on the public with dollar signs in mind. They keep you sick; they keep getting paid.

As obesity, diabetes, insulin resistance, heart disease, chronic inflammation, autoimmune disorders, gut lining damage, and declines in brain function increase, people flock to their doctors and emergency rooms to seek care where they are given a borage of pills to manage their symptoms.

• How often do you think someone in Western medicine is telling a patient to clean up their food, describing exactly how to go about it, and healing their bodies from the inside out?

• How do you honestly believe eating a food product labeled as "healthy", "low-fat", or "sugar free" that has an ingredient list longer than the last book you read is better for you than nutrient-dense whole-foods?

• How long do you plan on playing into the handshaking that goes on with politics, trillion-dollar revenues, and Big industries before you pay the price - over and over again?

Break the cycle.

You need to be eating numerous meals throughout the day that are balanced nutrition - plant-based or lean protein, fiber from veggies and fruits, healthy fats, and whole grains that aren't smashed into a sugar-infested cereal. Once you know the truth, you aren't a victim - you're just being lazy. Learn how to fight for yourself with our guides at FeralFoodies.org - we have ton of health-goal specific guides for your gut, brain, heart, hormones, thyroid, blood sugars, detoxification and more. We also have quite a few recipe books for you, all based in the science of Functional Nutrition and loaded with balanced meal ideas.

Don't know where to start?

• Grateful Gut is our health guide that illustrates all of the ways our FDA approved foods and toxic lifestyles are damaging our gut health and then shows you ways to make small adaptations in YOUR life to start the healing.

  
  

• Down With Detox is another great way to start the healing process. We provide info showing you how detoxing works in your body, food ingredient info illustrating just how each food works for you, and a ton of recipes that are NOT celery and starvation.

  
  

• Paired with WFPB Power or Salad Bar, you will have a good starting point, a strong foundation so you can start advocating for your health.

Eat well, stay Feral.