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Eating healthy is not always as easy as it may seem. Many foods that are pitched to us as “healthy” are anything but. As you look to improve your eating habits, be on the lookout for these Top 5 “Often Disguised As Healthy, But Harmful” Foods:

5. Frozen Yogurt – Some frozen yogurts can be okay, but you must look very closely at the ingredients list. Most of the tasty yogurts promoted as healthy alternatives to ice cream are pumped full of sugar or even aspartame and high fructose corn syrup.

4. Multi Grain Breads – When deciding to move away from white bread to a more healthy option, beware that multi-grain is not always healthier. That’s because multi-grain products try to pretend they are whole grain products. Whole grain can be good for you in moderation if you are not gluten sensitive.  It contains every part of the grain that provides health benefits – the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. Whole grains can be a good source of dietary fiber.  Multi-grains, on the other hand, are refined, meaning they have been milled. This refining process removes the bran, which is the part of the grain that is healthiest.  In some cases, multi-grain bread is little different from white bread.

3. Vitamin Drinks and Diet Drinks – TV commercials encourage us to replenish our electrolytes by purchasing vitamin drinks or to quench our thirst by choosing diet sodas as a lighter option, but the truth is these are just sales gimmicks. Popular vitamin drinks actually contain loads of sugar and some even contain caffeine. One popular producer of vitamin drinks has even been sued for trying to deceive consumers with their health claims. Even the diet sodas that claim to have eliminated sugar have only substituted toxic chemicals that may be even worse for you. Aspartame, a popular sugar substitute in many diet sodas, has been linked to brain tumors, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s disease.

2. Low Fat Fakers – We often see food labels touting “low fat” or “reduced fat,” but even when these labels are true, they can be deceptive. Read the label carefully.  Oftentimes, low fat “diet foods”are high in sugar, making them counterproductive for weight loss.  Also, keep in mind there are good fats and bad fats. Good fats, like in some oils, avocado and nuts, are part of a healthy diet.  

1. Soy Substitutes – While organic soy can be healthy, conventional soy like in many soy burgers or soy milk may increase the risk for thyroid problems, breast cancer, and brain damage.  Conventional and processed soy contains anti-nutrients that can interfere with the digestion of protein, hemagglutinin, which can clot your blood, and goitrogens that can damage thyroid functions. Soy is also packed with compounds called isoflavones that can mimic human estrogen and cause such complications as infertility, altered menstrual cycles, and even increased risk for breast cancer.

Perhaps you noticed the theme here:  many food makers are taking advantage of your desire to make healthy food choices by selling you “healthy” food options that are actually no better than the junk you are trying to abandon. To protect yourself, always read the labels and learn to separate facts from jargon.

Vitamin K Builds Bones Better Than Calcium

Many people immediately turn to calcium in the form of supplements or milk in order to boost bone density and prevent osteoporosis. But those sources of calcium are NOT the best way to build bone health. In fact, it’s vitamin K2 that helps boost bone density and prevent osteoporosis even more.

According to recent research*, men and women with the highest intake of vitamin K2 are 65% less likely to suffer a debilitating hip fracture as compared to those with the lowest intake of vitamin K2.

According to recent research**, vitamin K plays a leading role in preventing the following problems commonly associated with aging:

• Osteoporosis and deteriorating bones
• Artery hardening
• Cancer

This latest study on vitamin K2 was led by Professor Bruce Ames Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of California, Berkeley, and a Senior Scientist at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI).

Ames hypothesizes that vitamin K2 deficiencies impact the body by the role they play in production of certain proteins. When the body lacks in vitamin K2 these essential functions are compromised. Despite higher functions still being operative, the body responds by accelerating cancers, aging, and neural decay while leaving other critical functions unchanged.

In other words, when the body lacks enough vitamin K2, it goes into emergency mode keeping up only the critical functions needed for immediate survival. The result is that the other vital processes break down leaving the body vulnerable to weak bones, cancers, and artery problems.

According a Tufts University study only 50% of the population gets adequate amounts of vitamin K from their diets. Are you getting enough vitamin K in your diet or is your body silently being depleted, leaving you at higher risk for dangerous disease?

Vitamin K 101

Vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin with basically three main types; K, K1, and K2. For the purposes of this discussion we’re speaking of K2. A fat soluble vitamin is one that is absorbed in the intestines along with fat. Fat soluble vitamins are stored in the liver.

Vitamin K plays a vital role in blood clotting as well as bone calcification; both vital body functions for healthy living and disease free aging.

The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for adult females is 65 mg and 80 mg for men. For children and infants the RDA is 5 mg.

Common Causes of Vitamin K Deficiencies

Although deficiencies in vitamin K used to be very rare the times have changed. Sadly, as is evident by the Tufts University study, more and more people are becoming deficient in this vitamin too.

Poor diet is one of the factors playing into a vitamin K deficiency (as well as other important vitamin and mineral deficiencies). There are a few common contributors to promoting a deficiency in vitamin K. Are any of these familiar to you?

• Long term use of antibiotics
• Intestinal problems such as chronic inflammatory bowel disease
• Cholesterol lowering pharmaceuticals

Basically since vitamin K is produced by friendly bacteria in the gut, any disruption in the intestines can result in a decreased ability of the body to absorb or produce vitamin K.

This can happen from any problem in the intestines as well as eating foods such as hydrogenated vegetable oils which impact the absorption of vitamin K and the body’s ability to use it.

The disruption of friendly bacteria in the gut from antibiotics, chlorinated & fluoridated water, and fake foods is one reason I recommend almost everyone supplement with a high quality probiotic. I personally use Primal Defense by Garden of Life.

As with any vitamin, mineral, or other nutrient, fresh, whole foods are the very best source. Along with it you’ll get more nutrients and all your body needs to properly assimilate it.

Food Sources of Vitamin K

The best food sources of vitamin K are leafy green vegetables.

There are other foods that offer vitamin K too:

• Spinach
• Kale
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Soybeans
• Cow’s milk
• Lettuce
• Asparagus
• Collard greens
• Bok Choy
• Peas
• Parsley
• Green tea
• Lentils
• Split peas

Once again I want to emphasize that eating a variety of these foods in your daily diet is the best way to obtain vitamin K. However if for some reason you can’t consume these or they aren’t enough, consider a high quality vitamin K supplement. Generally speaking a deficiency in vitamin K is usually due to a problem with absorption rather than a lack in the diet.

If you suspect you are vitamin K deficient I urge you to pinpoint the cause and act accordingly.

Symptoms of Vitamin K Deficiency

Symptoms of a vitamin K deficiency can include:

• Easy bruising
• Gastrointestinal bleeding
• Nosebleeds
• Heavy menstrual bleeding
• Blood in the urine

People with certain diseases are more likely to be deficient in vitamin K. These include celiac disease, chronic inflammatory bowel disease, cystic fibrosis, and cholestasis to name a few.

Despite the fact that vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin there are no well documented or known toxicity problems. However it is not recommended to take supplements of this vitamin if you are taking anticoagulant drugs.

If you not sure if you have a deficiency in this crucial vitamin ask your health care practitioner who can order tests to determine for certain if you are deficient. They can also help guide you based on test results in proper supplementation if needed and getting to the root cause of the deficiency.

Sources

*According to the Framingham Heart Study led by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

**Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in February 2009

MedScape (2011)