by Mike Geary – Certified Nutrition Specialist and Author of The Diabetes Fix and The Truth About Testosterone

If you’ve been led to believe that oat milk, peanut butter, almonds, and spinach are good for you, today’s email might shock you and is important to read, because these 4 “healthy foods” could be contributing to health problems in your body.

Let’s take a quick look at why…

1. Oat Milk

Oat milk has become a popular “plant milk” in recent years.  I see people all the time ordering “oat milk lattes” at coffee shops, and they probably have no idea how terrible that oat milk is for them.

Oat milk is basically oats soaked in water, with some added seed oils (canola oil usually), and added sugars and thickeners.

First of all, unless you get organic oat milk, your standard oat milk is contaminated with the harmful herbicide glyphosate which is known to cause serious damage to your gut, disrupting your microbiome health, and if that’s not bad enough, you probably already know that glyphosate is linked to cancer too.

Next, another reason I would never drink oat milk is because it’s usually processed with added seed oils such as canola oil, which are highly inflammatory in the body, contain large amounts of harmful omega-6 fats, and are linked to poor metabolic health such as Diabetes and obesity.

The next reason I would never drink oat milk is that it usually contains thickeners and gums such as carrageenan, which are highly irritating to your gut and can cause gut issues.

There’s also almost zero nutrition in oat milk compared to dairy milk (which contains large amounts of vitamins, minerals and protein).

Lastly, oat milk is also high in an anti-nutrient called phytic acid, which reduces your absorption of certain vitamins and minerals, potentially contributing to deficiencies in certain nutrients.

And while some people genuinely can’t digest dairy, most people would be better off nutritionally with just real grass-fed milk.

2. Peanuts, Peanut Butter

While peanut butter does contain a small amount of protein and vitamins/minerals, the cons outweigh the pros on this food.

First of all, peanuts contain one of the highest concentrations of aflatoxin, which is a mold toxin that is created in peanuts due to storage in moist conditions.

Peanut butter is also very high in inflammatory omega-6 fats and due to the processing of peanut butter, those omega 6 fats are in a harmful oxidized state.

Most people already get too much omega 6 fats from vegetable oils (soy, corn, canola, etc), and this contributes to insulin resistance, heart disease, brain inflammation, cancer, and lots more health problems, since most people are currently eating 5-10x more omega-6 fats than we should be eating in a healthy diet.

Lastly, peanut butter also contains medium amounts of oxalates, which are plant-based antinutrients that when consumed in excess can contribute to kidney stones, thyroid and gut problems, joint problems and more.

We’ll talk more about oxalates in the next food…

3. Spinach

Spinach is promoted as a healthy green, but contains FAR more downsides than good sides. Spinach is one of the highest oxalate foods that’s commonly eaten by modern humans (in addition to beet greens, beets, almonds, and other veggies and nuts).

The amount of oxalates in a serving of spinach is extremely high, up to 600 mg in a normal sized bowl.

The “safe” amount of oxalates in a daily diet according to world renowned oxalate expert Sally Norton should be between 100-200 mg per day total to avoid a lot of the health problems caused by high oxalate plants.

So you can see how concerning spinach is with the extremely high oxalate levels.

As mentioned above, eating too much oxalates too frequently can cause serious issues such as kidney stones, thyroid problems, gut damage, skin issues, and joint pain.

In fact, some people have even gotten “oxalate poisoning” by eating green smoothies too often and had to go to the ER for kidney failure.

4. Almonds, Almond butter, and Almond Milk

Although almonds and almond milk are marketed as healthy, they also contain many downsides, including all of the negatives mentioned above about too much omega 6 fats and too much oxalates.

They’re probably ok in your diet occasionally, but I personally avoid eating almonds too often because of these issues with excess oxalates and omega 6 fats.

Almond milk also has some of the same issues as oat milk in that it often contains added gums and thickeners like carageenan (irritating to your gut), and is pretty pathetic in terms of nutrition content compared to dairy milk.

Now let’s take a look at a fun little quiz below and a few more foods…

Bananas vs Oranges vs Apples… (the #1 WORST fruit for your gut & energy)

According to the best-selling author and world-renowned heart surgeon, Dr. Steven Gundry, there’s one fruit people over 40 should never eat.

This fruit can damage your gut and disrupt your hormones. Both sapping you of energy and forcing your body to create “sticky” fat cells that can NOT be “burned off” with normal diet and exercise.

Do you know the fruit I’m talking about? Make sure you do by clicking the one below you think it is, and get the answer from Dr. Gundry himself on the next page:

>> Apples

>> Bananas

>> Oranges

>> Grapes

The post Why I Mostly Avoid Peanut Butter, Almonds, Oat Milk, and Spinach appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to visit Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana recently. Africa is amazing–from the wild animals, to the polite and polished people, to breathtaking landscapes, sunsets, and delicious, healthy food. One thing I noticed was that there were few obese or overweight people where I was. The large markets in town were overflowing with fresh brightly colored carrots, tomatoes, squashes, and tons of greens of all different types and there were no signs of unhealthy ‘fast food’ restaurants.

One of the specialties of Africa is a peanut stew. This peanut stew is the perfect, healthy, comforting, warm, satisfying meal that you can make in one pot. It includes plenty of super-food ingredients such as ginger, onions, jalapeno, peanuts, sweet potatoes, and collard greens. It is packed with antioxidants and nutrition!

Peanuts can be an especially great source of healthy fats, protein and fiber. Most of the fats in peanuts are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are a healthful type of fat.

Peanuts also contain a healthy supply of potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, niacin, folate, and thiamin.

Peanuts contain lots of healthy fiber which helps improve cholesterol levels, lower the risk of heart disease, maintain a healthy gut, and helps to fill you up and feel satisfied.

Peanuts do have a beneficial relationship with your gut bacteria, and gut health in general. Did you know that adding probiotics helps them survive passage through the gut?

Peanuts also promote the growth of beneficial bacteria, inhibits the growth of pathogenic bacteria, and reduce the ability of harmful bacteria to invade host cells.

Peanuts are nutrient rich but low in carbohydrates, making them a great option for anyone trying to keep blood sugar low, including diabetics and anyone trying to lose weight.

Raw peanuts with the skin on are the healthiest form to eat—avoid those kinds that come in a can, roasted with (unhealthy) soybean oil and covered in salt. Peanut skin contains antioxidants, as well as additional fiber.

Research has found that women who eat nuts, including peanuts, at least twice a week had a lower risk of weight gain over 8 years than those who rarely ate nuts.

And this large-scale study found that nuts and peanuts may reduce a person’s risk of obesity over 5 years.

Peanuts are an excellent food for people with diabetes or a risk of diabetes. Peanuts have a low glycemic index (GI), meaning they do not cause big spikes in blood sugar levels.

Risks and considerations for peanuts

Peanuts do contain proteins called arachin and conarachin. Some people can have severe allergic reactions to these proteins. For other people, peanuts can cause a milder allergic reaction, but peanuts are also guilty of exacerbating asthma in many people. If you are in either group, it’s best to avoid peanuts.

Peanuts grow in the ground and are exposed to more fungus from the soil. One of the fungi produces a mycotoxin called “aflatoxin”. During storage, aflatoxins can continue to grow and multiply. In large amounts, aflatoxins can increase the risk for live cancer, especially for people with existing liver disease such as hepatitis. To reduce the risk of aflatoxins, eat Valencia peanuts which are grown in drier climates and more resistant to fungus. Eating green plant foods also protects against aflatoxins, as does eating protein. Roasted peanuts and peanut butter also reduce most of the aflatoxins in peanuts.

Peanuts also contain a substance called “agglutinin” which is a type of lectin found in some legumes. Peanut agglutinin has nothing to do with gluten which is found in wheat, rye and barley. However, peanut agglutinin can aggravate existing cancer, but does not contribute to the development of cancers.

Overall, peanuts are good for your health and actually lower the risks of many cancers, diabetes, and heart disease, so enjoy this African peanut stew and its health benefits.

One-Pot African Peanut Stew

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tablespoons of grass fed butter
• 1 medium sized red onion, finely chopped
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes—be careful, red pepper gets hotter when cooked
• 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2-inch knob fresh ginger, peeled and minced (about 2 tablespoons)
• ½ sweet red pepper, chopped
• 2 teaspoon cumin
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 large (1-lb) sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened organic peanut butter
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 bunch collard greens, stems removed and chopped
• Fresh cilantro, chopped, roasted peanuts and lime juice for serving

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and red pepper, sprinkle with salt and cook for 3 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin and red pepper flakes then stir together and cook for about 2 minutes.

Next add the tomato paste and stir together. Add the sweet potato, peanut butter, broth and water. Stir together then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add the chopped collard greens to the pot, stir, then cover and continue to cook for another 15 minutes, until sweet potato is tender.

Using the back of the spoon or hand potato masher, mash some of the sweet potato to help thicken the broth. Boil uncovered for 5 minutes. Serve warm and garnish with cilantro, peanuts, and lime juice. Enjoy!

Makes 4-6 servings.

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References
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-bad-are-peanuts-really/

The post Mouth Watering African Peanut Stew appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.