Aluminum is a nerve toxin that has been found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, a terrible disease which robs the sufferers of their memories and indeed, of themselves. Although no direct link has been proven between the disease and the metal, one cannot overlook the empirical evidence.

In animal studies, aluminum blocks the electrical discharge of nerve cells, reducing nervous system activity and inhibiting important enzymes in the brain. When combined with the toxin fluoride (for example by boiling fluoride-laced tap water in an aluminum pan) concentrates the aluminum exponentially.

Aluminum is widely used in antiperspirants and is also added to foods; once inside the body it competes with calcium for absorption, which can stunt the growth of young children. Although aluminum in widespread in our natural environment, that does not mean that it should be ingested or rubbed onto our skin. You should avoid contact with aluminum as much as possible.

Red meat gets a lot of flack these days, and rightly so; however it’s not the beef itself that is the huge problem, but rather what is in that beef.

Cattle breeding in agribusiness today functions around profits, of course, so the ranchers want their cattle to be as big as possible in as short of time as possible. Cows are injected with growth hormones to make them big- which humans then ingest in sirloin form. Besides growth hormones, cows are also given high doses of antibiotics to fight off disease that results from cramped and unhygienic living conditions.

Along with growth hormones and antibiotics, cows are fed chicken feathers, ground-up carcasses, fish, roasted soybeans, dried blood, sodium bicarbonate and all other manners of atrocities by cattle ranchers looking to save a buck. But cows are herbivores, meaning that they do not possess stomachs than can digest animal byproducts. So they retain the residues and poisons that they are fed- until you bite into that hamburger, and digest what the cow could not.

Besides the effects on the human body, large-scale cattle breeding is devastating to the environment; it takes a huge amount of resources to create one pound of red meat.

While cutting out beef entirely from your diet may not be a realistic option for everyone, you can reduce the amount of beef you eat by cooking meals focused on vegetables or using little bits of beef as seasoning only. However much beef you do consume, you should always and only eat organic, hormone-free, grass-fed beef.

According to a recent USDA study, 99% of broiler chickens sold in supermarkets have detectable levels of E. coli. This high level of bacterial contamination comes from the fact that chickens are the most abused animals on the planet and are kept in filthy, crowded cages that are often stacked on top of each other, which allows the animals’ excrement to shower all the birds below. Every year over 1.1 million Americans are sickened by undercooked chicken meat. When you eat chicken, you are eating chicken shit. It is as simple as that.

Moreover these birds are pumped full of drugs and hormones to make them grow, resulting in animals whose organs and skeletons cannot support the giant muscles. This leads to deformity, lameness and disease; many chickens cannot even walk to get a drink of water because their tiny legs cannot support their huge chests. Chickens are heavily dosed with antibiotics to keep them alive in fetid conditions that would otherwise kill them, or you and I. The routine use of hormones leads to drug resistant bacteria and human illnesses that do not respond to traditional antibiotic treatment.

Chicken meat also contains very high levels of arsenic, a toxic poison, whose consumption can lead to cancer, dementia, and neurological disorders. High in cholesterol and animal fat, eating chicken can lead to heart disease and weight gain.

For hundreds of thousands of years, humans subsisted on a diet of fruits, vegetables, and meat. Then a few thousands years ago, we started eating grains. Corn, native to the New World, was “discovered” only a few hundred years ago and was bred to produce the fat round kernels that we like to pop today.

And we don’t just pop corn- it makes up a large part of the American diet, from corn flakes for breakfast to corn syrup in pasta sauce to cornbread. Grains such as corn have been linked to cancer, depression, obesity, allergies, autoimmune diseases, diabetes and asthma. The human body was never meant to process corn, which has a horrific fatty acid profile; this skews the fat balance in the membrane of cells and negatively impacts cell function.

A kernel of corn also hosts 22 different fungi including Aspergillus. These fungi put out mycotoxins that can kill people and have damaging neural effects. In fact some scholars attribute the Salem witch craze to a fungal infection of the early colonists’ food supply. Corn containing these toxins often ends up in animal feeds for household pets. Hungry, Fido?

Besides household pets, most livestock in the U.S. is fed a corn diet- so even when you eat a steak, your body will feel the negative effects of the grain. High fructose corn syrup has been linked with soaring obesity levels, and although it is almost impossible to cut this omni-present grain out of your diet, reducing your corn intake will reduce your chances for obesity. Your body will thank you.

Some sources speculate that over 80% of the foods in the U.S. contain some GMO ingredients, which are ingredients whose genetic data has been altered using different engineering techniques.

What are the effects of ingesting foodstuffs whose very DNA has been altered? No one knows. Yet, our government has approved their inclusion in foods of all sorts- and the manufacturers don’t even have to tell you about it.

Short of moving to Britain or Europe where GMOs have been banned, there is little you can do to remove them completely from your diet. Avoid processed foods; the fewer ingredients a food product has, the less chance there will be that one of them has been genetically altered. And when purchasing produce, avoid all fruits and vegetables with a five-digit code number starting with 8, as these items have been genetically engineered.

Even starving Asia and African nations will not accept GMO in their donated food, but over government yet again rules on the side of big business over the health of the consumer. You must take responsibility for your own health, and that means avoiding GMOs whenever possible.

Milk is a maternal lactating secretion, produced by mothers of a species for the babies of that species. In any other form, milk is a poison. Every sip of milk, every latte, every scoop of Rocky Road contains hormones, saturated fat, “bad” cholesterol, allergenic proteins, antibiotics, bacteria, virus, pus, and blood. That’s right: pus and blood. Most humans on earth today do not drink milk from animals; many choose not to and for others they can’t drink it as milk makes them sick, and for a reason: humans were never meant to drink the milk meant for the young of another species. But we do, every day. And this is just the way the Dairy Industry wants to keep things

Today an average cow will produce 50,000 pounds of milk a year; fifty years ago the same cow would have produced 2,000 pounds. This is made possible by Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH), a genetically engineered drug that stimulates milk production. With udders working such overtime, mastitis and infected udders are common and treated with massive amounts of antibiotics. Despite this, infections are common and all milk contains the resulting red and white blood cells- but don’t worry, our government only allows one to one and a half million white blood cells (aka PUS cells) per milliliter of milk- about 1/30 of an ounce. Enjoying that vanilla milkshake?

Milk is not good for your health. Milk has been linked to intestinal colic, irritation and bleeding, anemia, allergic reactions and salmonella. More ominous is the fear of viral contamination with bovine leukemia virus as well as the high levels of red and white blood cells. Even without all the dangerous additives, hormones, antibiotics and iodine used to clean the udders (even with organic varieties), cow milk is SO chock full of fat and cholesterol it is an unhealthy choice for anyone on earth, except for a calf.

Got milk?

More like NOT milk. Choose beverages without blood and pus. Try almond or rice milk.

MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) is a salt of the amino acid, glutamic acid. It is a food additive and flavor enhancer, often found in processed and fast foods although it grew to fame as a common ingredient in Chinese food. MSG is glutamic acid that has been manufactured or freed from protein through processing or bacterial fermentation. The manufacturers of MSG claim this processed form of the salt is the same as the amino acid found naturally in the body, but unfortunately for them, everyone else in the world agrees that the contaminants inherent in MSG make it a risky endeavor for the hungry human.

MSG has been linked to everything from obesity and neurological disorders. People with sensitivity to MSG claim it gives them headaches, chills, and fever. MSG is absorbed very quickly in the gastrointestinal track and can spike blood plasma levels of glutamate, which is an excitotoxin, and excitotoxins have been proven to cause brain damage in mice. Although the link with humans has not been proven yet, there are other negative effects of MSG to consider, like obesity.

MSG encourages weight gain by down-regulating hypothalamic appetite suppression- in other words, it makes you hungry right after you eat. You know that joke about how you can eat Chinese food and be hungry again in thirty minutes? MSG is at the root of that joke. Except obesity isn’t funny. MSG stimulates your pancreas to release insulin even when there are no carbs around for the insulin to act on, and the result is an overstimulated metabolism. MSG makes blood sugar levels drop to the floor, which makes you reach for another snack or sweet to curb your cravings, which are artificial- just like MSG.

MSG also “tricks” your tongue and brain into thinking you just ate a healthy, protein-rich meal when really you had a vat of greasy noodles; it has a distinct savory/meaty flavor that humans love. For MSG manufacturers, this is a dream; why use expensive chicken when you can just add a couple shakes of MSG? For consumers, however, the result is an out-of-whack metabolism, a headache, and a hungry belly.

MSG is a toxic substance. Although foods containing MSG must be labeled as such in the US, ingredients containing MSG can sneak right by- and there are over forty of them. Gelatin, glutamate, yeast extract, hydrolyzed protein, yeast food, and textured protein are just a few ingredients which indicate the food contains MSG. Know your friendly foods, and know your enemies. MSG is no good.

Besides being one of the fattiest meats around with huge levels of saturated fat and bad cholesterol, pork meat is packed with toxins, worms, and latent diseases. Pork also contains the same growth hormones and antibiotics that beef does in addition to the extra treats of parasites and poisons.

Pigs are scavengers; they are nature’s garbage disposals. In addition to trash pigs will eat dead insects, worms, rotting carcasses and excrement, often their own. These intelligent, clean creatures are kept in tiny cages thanks to agribusiness greed and forced to live among their vomit and dead friends- which they sometimes also eat. The inhumane living conditions mean that almost 70% of pigs are sent to the slaughterhouse with pneumonia. Pork chops, anyone?

Pigs also share many illnesses with humans, like influenza, which has gotten quite the press lately with the global pandemic of the swine flu. Flu is harbored in the lungs of pigs, which are then ground up and used in tasty pork sausage breakfast patties. Pork also contains histamines and imidazole compounds which lead to inflammation and itching, and pigs are the number one carrier of the taenia solium worm which is found in the animals flesh.

With its high levels of saturated fat content and cholesterol, pork contributes to the cancer of the colon, rectum, prostate and blood and the meat can lead to allergies, scabies, and stomach ulcers. And of course, all that greasy meat and can easily lead to weight gain and obesity. Bacon is good, but is it that good?

Propylene Glycol (PG) is an organic compound used in everything from antifreeze to snack foods to liquid detergents to shampoo. It is a toxin and a form of mineral oil; an alcohol produced by the fermentation of yeast and carbohydrates. PG is commonly used as a solvent in topical, oral, and injectable food and drug products. It retains moisture and scent and therefore is a popular additive to lotions and similar cosmetics. PG was approved by the FDA in 1938 and has subsequently been “grandfathered in” as okay although scientists today know much more about the ill effects of this poison.

Besides causing some people to have allergic reactions and skin irritations, the chemicals in PG can make your skin overproduce oil. Using shampoos that contain PG will result in hair that gets oily and dirty faster- and thus, you have to use more shampoo.

Far worse than hives or greasy hair, PG can also cause negative health effects such as kidney and liver abnormalities and may also cause cancer. Humans’ skin absorbs a great deal of elements, and today we are absorbing toxic chemicals every time we wash our hair. In 1901, cancer was a rare disease and only 1 out of 8000 people had cancer. Today? 1 in 3.

Choose toiletries that do not contain cancer-causing agents and lead a longer, healthier life.

Refined or white flour is created from the wheat grain with the bran and germ removed. The bran is where all the nutrition hangs out; without it, wheat becomes a vacant lot of calories and not much else.

White flour is broken down quickly into sugar in your body, which gives you a short energy spike followed by a bad crash. Hyping and then dropping your body’s energy levels is a bad idea, and after eating refined flour you will quickly become hungry again. Your body must produce a great deal of insulin to deal with this influx of sugar, and a diet high in refined flour can lead to diabetes.

White flour is also bleached with chemicals to give it that bright white color that we love, and you consume the residues of the bleach with every bologna sandwich. The processing strips the wheat of any nutritional value, and the quick and fast caloric intake throws your metabolism out of whack.

Whole grain flour, on the other hand, contains the darker part of the grain that is packed with nutrition and fiber, making you feel fuller and giving you more sustainable energy. Choose whole grains and you will feel better and be healthier.

Salt, or sodium chloride, is an important part of our body system. Sodium balances the water in our bodies, helps muscles contract and helps to send nerve impulses. Salt is essential to the human diet.

The problem is, however, in America we consume far too much salt. Fast and processed foods contain heaps of it; most of their natural flavors are processed out and salt is added to try and make up for the loss. One small teaspoon (2 grams) of salt per day is plenty for a human, but we average 6-10 grams per day.

The results of this high sodium intake? Too much salt equals water retention, which leads to increased blood pressure, which then contributes to heart and blood vessel diseases- the number one killer of Americans. The older you get, the more obvious the effects will be of salt on your body, and your system will not be able to bounce back as quickly from high-salt meals.

Eat less salt, and you will lower your blood pressure and be healthier. It is as simple as that.

Modern humans eat more sugar today than our ancestors did during their entire lifetimes. The refined sweetness shows up in much more than candy, cakes and cookies; today sugar is regularly added to pasta sauce, bread dough, mayonnaise, and other such “non-sweet” food items to appeal to the palate and make up for a lack of taste.

Sugar spikes the insulin system, which depresses the immune system, and when the body’s natural defenses are down, it is more susceptible to illness and disease. Insulin also promotes the storage of fat, so high insulin levels can promote weight gain in addition to the high calorie content of most sweet snacks.

Refined sugar contains absolutely no vitamins or minerals, so the calories you ingest are “empty” and have no nutritional value. More than that, in order metabolize sugar your body must draw on its reserves of vitamins and minerals, further depleting them. Upsetting your body’s mineral balance can lead to impeded metabolization, higher blood serum triglycerides and bad cholesterol levels, and obesity.

Tooth decay, hyperactivity, depression, atherosclerosis, anxiety, hypoglycemia, kidney damage, an increased risk of coronary heart disease, chromium and copper deficiency, osteoporosis, eczema, fluid retention, hormonal imbalances, hypertension, and headaches are just a few more symptoms of sugar poisoning. In fact, that is what sugar is- a poison.

While it is not too difficult to choose a smaller slice of pie or skip the banana split, sugar hides in many popular foods and is almost impossible to completely remove from your diet. However if you pay attention, read labels, and decrease the amount of processed food you eat, you can significantly reduce sugar’s effects on your system. Sweet.

There are many alternatives out there. Try Stevia, Erythritol, Agave, Honey, or Yacon syrup.

Wheat allergies are on the rise faster than any other food allergies in the US, and many people find themselves unable to cope with the gluten present in the wheat berry.

What is gluten? It is a protein that promotes inflammation in the body and causes the gut to be leaky; this can lead to Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a common female complaint. Gluten increases a chemical called Zonulin, which opens the gaps between cells in the lining of the gastrointestinal tract. The more wheat you eat, and leakier their gut becomes. Celiac Disease is the official name for wheat allergies, and the only difference between someone with CD and a normal human is that the effects of the Zonulin last longer in those with allergies. Gluten affects us all, you just don’t notice it- until you do.

Humans were never meant to eat grains; we evolved on a diet of fruit, vegetables and meat. Grains are a relatively recent addition to our bodies, and the results are not nice for most people. By now, the wheat grain has been so inbred in monoculture crops that it barely resembles its ancestor.

Besides promoting inflammation, wheat can make you bloated, gassy, and constipated. Many Americans just accept these symptoms as part of life, but they do not have to be. With more and more wheat and gluten-free foods available, it is easier than ever to avoid this inflammatory grain.