Shocking Secrets the Food Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know

You’re what you eat.

It’s a kind of phrases we’ve all heard mentioned one million instances, and but how usually do we actually take into consideration what that truly means, particularly when reaching for a bag of potato chips or that Ben & Jerry’s hidden deep in your freezer?

On a sensible, day-to-day stage, it may be arduous to course of the stark actuality that the meals we’re consuming is instantly associated to our well being and the way we really feel.

As a result of within the second, our stomachs usually override our mind.

And that’s precisely what the meals business is banking on.

As a result of it’s not truly our abdomen that’s doing the pondering.

It’s the a part of our mind that craves the dopamine hit these chips or ice cream present.

However what if I instructed you that there are much more stunning secrets and techniques that the meals business is retaining from us? Secrets and techniques that not solely make us spend more cash, however which have instantly created a worldwide epidemic of weight problems, insulin resistance, and illness.

Frankly it’s a subject they DON’T need us to be speaking about, however on this weblog we’re not afraid to sort out arduous truths.

And that’s why, we’re taking a deep dive into the dirtiest secrets and techniques the meals business doesn’t need you to know, so you may keep away from falling into their entice.

And should you’re new to me and this weblog, I’m additionally a 40-something yr previous lady who is aware of precisely what it’s wish to STRUGGLE with shedding pounds and getting wholesome.

It’s a battle I fought for SO a few years, continually attempting every thing I knew tips on how to do to shed pounds and get wholesome, one weight loss plan after one other, generally dropping just a few kilos than all the time gaining it proper again.

And should you’re studying this weblog since you’re within the midst of that wrestle, you then most likely know precisely what I’m speaking about. How not feeling good about your physique and the best way that you feel and look begins to affect your confidence and every thing else in your life.

And on prime of that, you simply don’t FEEL good. You’re drained on a regular basis. You are feeling bloated and gassy. You wrestle with heartburn and indigestion, or generally even continual ache and complications and irritation.

Imagine me, I GET it.

And for me, it wasn’t till I made a decision to take a very totally different strategy that issues FINALLY circled. The most important factor was that I lastly stopped in search of a fast repair, one other crash weight loss plan, and as an alternative determined to do some actual analysis into the science of weight reduction, and into why we acquire weight within the first place.

And actually, what I found SHOCKED me as a result of it’s SO totally different than every thing we’ve ever been instructed about what’s wholesome and never wholesome, and what makes us shed pounds and what makes us acquire. Our complete lives we’ve been instructed to eat much less and train extra, and that weight reduction is simply energy in and energy out, however that’s not true. Not even just a little bit. Particularly for girls, and ESPECIALLY for girls over 40.

As a result of because it seems, the factor that regulates our weight ISN’T energy, it’s hormones. 

And so, as I began to vary the best way I eat in a method that restored stability to my hormones and reversed insulin resistance and healed my intestine, the load simply began to come back off.

With out weight-reduction plan. With out medicine. And with out making myself depressing.

I misplaced 40 kilos in six months, and for the primary time EVER I didn’t simply acquire all of it proper again. I’ve simply maintained that weight reduction for years now.

And let me let you know pals, after combating this for SO LONG, it felt—and nonetheless does really feel—like FREEDOM.

It’s why I’m SO freaking obsessed with this work. It’s why I began Thinlicious. As a result of I can’t assist however wish to share it, and to assist different girls discover that very same freedom.

But it surely has additionally unlocked a ardour inside me to essentially get to the TRUTH of what’s truly happening, and precisely WHY so many people are combating this EXACT SAME THING.

And actually it’s just a little bit like taking place the rabbit gap, you recognize? You simply begin to go deeper and deeper and also you begin seeing all these connections and also you begin to notice that it’s not simply YOUR expertise. 

There’s truly one thing a lot larger happening.

And one of many BIGGEST issues is that we’re all victims of a meals business that’s actually out to get us.

As a result of the extra I’ve realized concerning the meals business and the way it works, and about how quite a lot of the “typical knowledge” we’ve been fed for years and years is definitely only a bunch of business propaganda that’s been rigorously crafted to get us to purchase and eat extra of their unhealthy meals merchandise, the extra ANGRY I get.

It looks like such an enormous deception, and one which has had such a huge effect on the well being of so many hundreds of thousands of individuals.

And I don’t learn about you, however there’s one thing about being LIED to and MANIPULATED by some massive meals company that simply will get me fired up. It feels private.

I imply, if I’m going to screw up my well being by consuming an excessive amount of and making poor meals decisions, then I would like it to be my selection, proper? I don’t wish to be manipulated into it.

And that’s why I believed it will be useful to commit a complete weblog put up to this subject, to only lay all of it on the market, and to essentially assist you see what’s happening.

As a result of like I all the time say, data is energy. Understanding what you’re up in opposition to and the forces which are at play is step one to with the ability to make higher decisions on your well being.

And so as we speak, I wish to speak particularly concerning the meals business, and all of the methods they’re attempting to control you into shopping for and consuming their merchandise, and a number of the sneaky ways they use to get us to devour increasingly and extra.

After which on the finish, we’ll speak just a little bit about what you may DO about it—how one can begin making higher decisions on your well being, and what adjustments you can begin to make in your personal life that may have a big effect in your weight and the way you’re feeling.

However first, let’s dive into the nitty gritty, and speak concerning the meals business.

The Large Meals Machine

We stay in an age of comfort, and nowhere is that extra apparent than within the meals we eat. From drive-thru eating places to microwave dinners to the handfuls of aisles on the grocery retailer crammed with pre-packaged, processed meals merchandise, it generally looks like we will’t escape the attain of the meals business.

And make no mistake—the meals business is BIG enterprise. In reality, in the US alone, the meals business is a $1.46 trillion greenback enterprise. That’s TRILLION, with a “T.”

Large Meals controls what will get grown and what will get harvested and what will get processed and what will get packaged and what will get distributed and what will get bought in each single grocery retailer and market on the planet. It controls what you eat, and it’s most likely controlling what you THINK about what you eat as properly.

And it’s necessary to know that after I speak about “Large Meals,” I’m not speaking about 1000’s of various firms which are simply attempting to make a dwelling like all of us are. I’m speaking about TEN. There are 10 huge meals conglomerates that management greater than 90% of the meals that you just see within the grocery retailer.

Most of them you’ve most likely heard of, however these massive 10 are Nestlé, Pepsico, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Danone, Normal Mills, Kellogg’s, Mars, Related British Meals, and Mondelez. 

That’s it.

So excellent there, you need to take into consideration the POWER that comes from controlling mainly ALL of the world’s meals.

And what’s the saying? Absolute energy corrupts completely?

As a result of finally, what’s each firm’s aim? To earn more money and better income, proper? So immediately you need to notice that the pursuits of the meals firms aren’t in step with YOUR pursuits.

They need you to BUY as a lot as potential, which implies they need you to EAT as a lot as potential, which implies it’s of their greatest curiosity to make their meals as ADDICTIVE as potential. And imagine me, they’re working HARD at making their meals as addictive as potential, with complete groups of scientists devoted to making sure that you just actually can’t eat only one.

On prime of that, they need to have the ability to produce their meals as CHEAPLY as potential, which implies utilizing substances that may be mass produced as cheaply as potential, which often means issues like ultra-processed chemical compounds and high-fructose corn syrup. The nearer it’s to nature, the costlier it’s, proper? However the extra fillers and chemical compounds they will add, the cheaper it’s to supply.

And you’d THINK that this could be fairly apparent to all of us proper? That each one this extremely processed meals and synthetic stuff couldn’t presumably be good for our well being or for our waistlines. That consuming REAL meals—actual vegatables and fruits and meat and dairy—is all the time going to be so a lot better for us than consuming all that junk.

Properly, I feel at first it was.

And that’s why the meals business needed to get actually artistic, and so they needed to begin controlling the narrative. Mainly they began mendacity to us. They began manipulating us. After which they bought actually, actually good at it.

Sneaky Techniques of the Meals Business

There are some actually sneaky ways being employed to control us into shopping for and consuming their merchandise, and to get us to devour increasingly and extra. These ways are sometimes insidious, and we don’t even notice they’re taking place.

And since I feel it’s so necessary for all of us to be completely awake with eyes huge open and conscious of what’s taking place, listed below are just a few of the commonest methods the meals business is attempting to control you.

Utilizing addictive substances

Let’s begin with the obvious, as a result of I feel this one is essentially the most terrifying. And that’s the proven fact that the meals business deliberately provides addictive substances to their merchandise to maintain us coming again for extra.

Sure, you heard that proper.

They’re LITERALLY ADDING DRUGS TO OUR FOOD to make sure that we get hooked.

And the commonest of those medicine is sugar.

Sugar is a extremely addictive substance, and it has been proven to have an analogous impact on the mind as medicine like cocaine. After we eat one thing that’s excessive in sugar, it triggers the discharge of dopamine, which is the feel-good hormone. And that dopamine launch creates a robust reward system within the mind that makes you wish to preserve consuming increasingly of that meals.

And the meals business is aware of this. They’ve identified it for a very long time. In reality, quite a lot of the analysis that has been carried out on the addictive properties of sugar has been funded by the meals business, as a result of they’ve been attempting to determine tips on how to exploit this data to their benefit.

As a result of if they will get you hooked on their merchandise, you then’ll preserve coming again for extra.

However they don’t cease there. Along with sugar, additionally they add different substances which are identified to be addictive, like monosodium glutamate (or MSG), and synthetic sweeteners like aspartame. And quite a lot of these substances are hidden in plain sight, underneath names that you just may not even acknowledge.

And it’s not simply the processed meals merchandise that you just most likely consider as being unhealthy—like cookies, and desserts, and sweet bars. It’s additionally in all the opposite belongings you may not count on, like salad dressings, and ketchup, and mayonnaise, and bread.

On prime of that, the meals business mainly has a SECRET WEAPON that they use to get us hooked on their merchandise, and that secret weapon is one thing referred to as the “bliss level.”

However what precisely IS the bliss level? Properly, it’s the right mixture of sugar, fats, salt and different flavors that make a meals style SO good that we actually can’t resist it.

And the meals business is aware of this.

In reality, they’ve been finding out the bliss level for years, and so they spend BILLIONS of {dollars} yearly to determine tips on how to make their merchandise as addictive as potential. They rent meals scientists and flavorists to create simply the proper mixture of flavors and textures that may preserve us coming again for extra.

They even use one thing referred to as “mouthfeel know-how” to determine tips on how to make a meals really feel excellent in our mouth, in order that we get that excellent sensation of crunch or creaminess or no matter it is likely to be, that may make us wish to preserve consuming.

It’s loopy, you guys. And it’s SO sneaky.

So the very first thing you want to pay attention to is that the meals business is deliberately making their crap meals as addictive as potential to maintain us hooked. And one of the simplest ways to keep away from falling into this entice is to get within the behavior of studying labels, in order that you recognize precisely what you’re placing into your physique.

Utilizing misleading labeling

And talking of labels, that brings me to the following sneaky method the meals business tries to control us—by means of misleading labeling.

Mainly they need us to imagine is that PROCESSED FOODS are HEALTHY. That each one of those low-fat and fat-free merchandise they’ve been promoting us for years are good for us. That it’s higher to eat a processed meals filled with chemical compounds and preservatives and synthetic substances, than it’s to eat an entire, pure meals which may truly include some fats.

And actually, this can be a secret that’s SO insidious, as a result of it’s carried out in a really intelligent method. But it surely’s in every single place. It’s within the packaging and labeling of merchandise. It’s in all of the buzzwords and the claims {that a} product is “coronary heart wholesome.” It’s in the best way that sure merchandise are displayed in grocery shops in order that they appear to be they’re the more healthy possibility. It’s in the best way that meals producers use advertising and marketing and psychology to make us imagine that their merchandise are good for us, even once they’re not.

Frankly, meals labels may be actually complicated, and generally it feels such as you want a PhD in vitamin simply to have the ability to make sense of all of it. And that’s no accident. The meals business is intentionally attempting to make it as troublesome as potential so that you can perceive what you’re truly shopping for and consuming.

One of many largest methods they do that is through the use of actually small print and hard-to-read fonts, so that you just’ll simply quit and never hassle attempting to learn it.

One other method they attempt to idiot us is through the use of phrases and phrases that sound wholesome, however actually aren’t. For instance, a product is likely to be labeled as “pure” or “coronary heart wholesome” or “low fats” or “complete grain,” and this may make us assume that it’s a wholesome selection, even when it’s actually not.

And generally they’ll even use different sneaky methods, like itemizing the substances in a distinct order than they would seem within the precise recipe, in order that it looks like there may be much less sugar or much less of one other unhealthy ingredient than there truly is.

And we fall for it, again and again, as a result of we’re busy and we’re drained and we’re overwhelmed and we wish to imagine that there’s a better method. We wish to imagine that we will simply preserve consuming the identical meals we’ve all the time eaten, as a result of they’re wholesome, proper? They’re good for us.

However the fact is, nearly all the meals within the grocery retailer—particularly the meals within the center aisles of the grocery retailer—is extremely processed and filled with chemical compounds and preservatives and synthetic substances. And nearly all of it’s unhealthy for us. And the meals business is aware of it. However they don’t care. As a result of like I mentioned, processed meals are CHEAP to supply. They’re simple to make. They’re simple to package deal. They’ve a protracted shelf life. They usually’re simple to promote. They usually’re SUPER worthwhile.

And the result’s that we find yourself shopping for and consuming merchandise that we expect are wholesome, once they’re actually not. And this may be actually irritating, as a result of then we blame ourselves for not with the ability to shed pounds once we’re consuming all these “wholesome” meals. But it surely’s not your fault. The meals business is deliberately attempting to deceive us.

So what are you able to do about it?

Properly, the very best factor you are able to do is to all the time take a minute to truly learn the label. Don’t simply take a look at the entrance of the package deal, take a look at the precise substances and the vitamin data. And don’t be fooled by the massive, daring claims on the entrance of the package deal. The true data is often hidden within the small print.

It’s also possible to attempt to keep away from shopping for merchandise with labels altogether. The very best meals on your well being are often those that don’t have a label—like recent vegatables and fruits, and meat and fish from the butcher counter. Once you do purchase packaged merchandise, attempt to follow the perimeter of the shop, the place the recent meals are stored.

Controlling portion sizes

The subsequent sneaky tactic the meals business makes use of to attempt to get us to eat extra is by controlling portion sizes.

Have you ever ever observed that the portion sizes at quick meals eating places and in microwave dinners simply preserve getting larger and larger? And it’s not simply our creativeness. Research have proven that once we’re given a bigger portion, we are inclined to eat extra, even when we don’t really feel hungry.

And the meals business is aware of this. Mockingly, they know that if they will get us to eat bigger parts, then we’ll purchase extra of their merchandise. And they also intentionally make the parts larger.

However there’s one thing else that’s taking place too. Because the parts have gotten bigger, our notion of what a “regular” portion dimension is has additionally modified. So now, once we’re served the “acceptable” portion dimension at a restaurant or a cocktail party, it appears actually small to us, and we expect we’re not getting sufficient meals.

And this has led to a phenomenon often known as portion distortion, the place we find yourself consuming increasingly, as a result of our notion of what a standard portion dimension is has modified.

So how do you keep away from falling into this entice?

Properly, one factor you are able to do is to begin listening to portion sizes. There are many sources on-line that may assist you perceive what a wholesome portion dimension truly seems like. And generally simply being conscious of this may make an enormous distinction.

It’s also possible to strive utilizing smaller plates and bowls, in order that your parts seem bigger. And all the time bear in mind that you could return for seconds should you’re nonetheless hungry, nevertheless it’s higher to begin with a smaller portion after which take extra should you want it.

And eventually, attempt to keep away from shopping for merchandise which are packaged in single-serving sizes. It’s simple to assume that these are a more healthy possibility, however the fact is that once we’re given a single-serving dimension, we often find yourself consuming the entire thing, even when it’s extra meals than we really want.

Manipulating the science

However maybe essentially the most insidious method the meals business tries to control us is by manipulating the science.

You see, they’ve bought some huge cash, and that cash should purchase quite a lot of affect. They fund research, they pay for analysis, and so they even have scientists on their payroll, all in an effort to advertise their merchandise and make them appear more healthy than they really are.

Essentially the most well-known instance of this was again within the 1960’s when the sugar funded a well-known research that downplayed the hazards of sugar whereas blaming coronary coronary heart illness on FAT. 

This kicked off an enormous backlash in opposition to saturated fats, and shock shock, this created an immediate demand for extremely processed vegetable and seed oils—issues like Crisco, vegetable oil, and margarine.

After which this faux research—instantly funded and orchestrated by the meals business—turned the massive factor, and the American Coronary heart Affiliation—additionally largely influenced by particular curiosity lobbyists who’re funded by—you guessed it—the meals business turned the gold customary for what to eat and what to not eat.

Butter and lard had been unhealthy.

Carbohydrates and vegetable oils had been good.

The messaging was EVERYWHERE. It’s what started to be taught in medical faculties, and nonetheless is to at the present time.

And it FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGED the best way we ate. And should you return and take a look at the really helpful dietary pointers from the Seventies—which had been developed by a committee that was closely influenced by the meals business—you’ll see that that is precisely what occurred. That is once we began to see an enormous improve within the consumption of processed carbohydrates—sugar, white flour, and different extremely refined grain merchandise. It’s once we began to see the introduction of low-fat and fat-free merchandise within the grocery retailer.

And it’s additionally RIGHT once we began to see an enormous improve within the charges of weight problems and coronary heart illness and kind 2 diabetes.

The truth is that quite a lot of the “typical knowledge” we’ve been fed for years and years about what’s and isn’t wholesome has been rigorously crafted by the meals business to get us to purchase and eat extra of their merchandise.

And this may all be actually complicated, as a result of should you’re attempting to make more healthy decisions, it’s simple to get overwhelmed by all of the conflicting data.

So what are you able to do to guard your self from this type of manipulation?

Properly, the very first thing you are able to do is to remember that it’s taking place. Take every thing you hear with a grain of salt, and attempt to do your personal analysis. And if you learn an article or a research, take a minute to consider who is likely to be funding it and what their agenda is likely to be.

It’s also possible to attempt to keep away from merchandise which are closely promoted by the meals business, like margarine and vegetable oils. And as an alternative, go for more healthy extra pure options, like butter and olive oil.

Rule of thumb—the extra processed a meals is, the more serious it most likely is for you.

And the nearer it’s to the best way God made it, then the higher you may really feel.

In fact that doesn’t imply there aren’t points with meat, dairy, and produce as properly.

Messing with our complete meals

As a result of sadly, it’s not simply processed meals the place the meals business performs its methods.

Even the entire meals we expect are wholesome aren’t all the time as pure as we imagine. Take, for instance, vegatables and fruits. Because of genetic modification, pesticides, and fertilizers, the apples and tomatoes we purchase as we speak are vastly totally different from what our grandparents used to eat.

These “enhancements” are sometimes marketed as methods to enhance crop yields and defend in opposition to pests, however they will additionally scale back the dietary worth of our meals and introduce potential well being dangers.

Meat and dairy merchandise aren’t proof against manipulation both. Animals are sometimes raised in cramped, unhealthy situations and are pumped filled with antibiotics and hormones to advertise sooner development and better milk manufacturing. These substances could make their method into our methods, doubtlessly inflicting antibiotic resistance or hormonal imbalances.

So how do you navigate this minefield? Properly, turning into an knowledgeable client is essential.

Your greatest wager is to search for natural and native choices the place potential, that are much less more likely to include dangerous chemical compounds or be genetically modified. Native farmers’ markets may also be an excellent useful resource, as they usually promote produce that’s recent and minimally handled.

Being aware of the place your meals comes from and the way it’s produced can go a good distance in making more healthy decisions. It’s all about taking small, manageable steps in the direction of a weight loss plan that nourishes your physique and thoughts, somewhat than falling into the traps set by a profit-driven meals business.

Methods to make higher meals decisions

So what are you able to truly DO to guard your self from the meals business’s sneaky ways? How will you begin making higher meals decisions for you and your loved ones? What adjustments are you able to truly begin to make in your personal life that may have a big effect in your well being?

Properly, the excellent news is that there are quite a lot of easy adjustments you can also make that may make an enormous distinction. And these adjustments don’t should be overwhelming or troublesome. In reality, they’re most likely quite a bit simpler than you assume.

Keep away from processed meals

The primary and doubtless most blatant change you can also make is to begin avoiding processed meals as a lot as potential. That is the primary factor that I like to recommend to anybody who’s severe about getting wholesome and shedding pounds, as a result of it truly is a game-changer.

Processed meals are meals which have been altered from their pure state, often to make them last more or be extra handy to eat. This contains issues like frozen dinners, microwave meals, and pre-packaged snacks, in addition to issues like soda and sweet.

But it surely additionally contains quite a lot of different issues that you just may not notice, like bread, pasta, and cereal. And it even contains quite a lot of meals which are marketed as “wholesome,” like granola bars, fruit snacks, and yogurt with fruit on the underside.

And the explanation you wish to keep away from these meals is as a result of they’re usually excessive in sugar, unhealthy fat, and different components. They’re additionally often low in vitamins, which implies that they don’t present quite a lot of the important nutritional vitamins and minerals that your physique must perform correctly.

So what are you able to eat as an alternative?

Properly, the very best factor you are able to do is to concentrate on consuming complete, unprocessed meals. This implies meals which are as near their pure state as potential. Contemporary vegatables and fruits, meat and fish, eggs, nuts and seeds, and wholesome fat like olive oil and coconut oil.

However that’s actually step one—skip the processed crap.

Purchase native as a lot as potential

One other tip is to purchase native every time you may. Buying at your native farmers’ market or becoming a member of a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program will help you get more energizing, extra nutritious meals.

Not solely does this assist your native economic system, nevertheless it additionally reduces the environmental affect of transporting meals over lengthy distances.

Plus, native produce is often picked at its peak, which implies it tastes higher and retains extra vitamins. Once you purchase native, you even have the chance to ask the growers instantly about their farming practices—whether or not they use pesticides, how they feed their animals, and different necessary elements that have an effect on the standard of your meals.

If good native farm choices aren’t out there to you, it’s also possible to order from small “native” farmers on-line. One among my favorites is a few pals of mine—the 7 sons farm—is a good supply for top of the range meat.

However getting as a lot meals as you may from small, native growers versus the massive meals conglomerates is one other nice step in the proper path.

Prepare dinner at dwelling extra usually

Thirdly, you may attempt to prepare dinner at dwelling extra usually.

Cooking at dwelling offers you full management over what goes into your meals. You may select recent, complete substances and keep away from the pointless sugars, fat, and preservatives usually present in restaurant and takeout meals. Should you’re not assured in your cooking abilities, begin easy. There are many simple, wholesome recipes on the market to get you began, and with apply, you’ll develop into extra snug and inventive within the kitchen.

In the end, making higher meals decisions is all about taking small, manageable steps. It’s not about being excellent or making drastic adjustments in a single day. It’s about discovering what works for you and taking it one meal at a time.

Keep in mind, each small change can add as much as massive outcomes over time. So, begin the place you might be, use what you may have, and do what you may. Slicing out SOME of the crap goes to be so a lot better than none in any respect, and also you most likely received’t have the ability to be excellent, as a result of at the moment it’s simply not potential.

In order that’s the third step—prepare dinner at dwelling extra usually.

Get Help from Like Minded Individuals

However the closing step is to encompass your self with a group that really will get it, and sees the issue such as you do, and is actively working to make optimistic adjustments in their very own life.

Frankly there’s one thing so highly effective about this, and actually I feel that’s one of many largest causes our TAS program has such a excessive success fee—as a result of it’s such a robust mixture of schooling and tremendous sensible instruments, however then the assist of a tremendous group.

There’s nothing like that.

And by the best way, if you’d like extra data about our TAS program and how one can get began, make sure to try my free coaching—Joyful, Wholesome & Free, which you could find HERE.