7 Foods I would never buy from a regular supermarket.
…some of them might surprise you.
* Important note:
Ideally, I would completely avoid shopping in regular supermarkets for anything. Almost every ‘food’ sold in a supermarket carries toxic burden of some sort. Glyphosate is just one of these toxins. It is carcinogenic (cancer causing), & destroys gut health.
Glyphosate sprayed on crops is not just an issue for fresh produce, but any isle/ packaged food that contains anything commercially grown (eg. corn, wheat, tea, legumes etc), will most likely contain glyphosate. If you eat food from the supermarket for breakfast lunch & dinner, unfortunately you are eating broad spectrum antibiotics for breakfast, lunch & dinner. You gut health is likely reflecting this.
Also, big corp supermarkets are just assholes to small businesses and farmers.
With that in mind, here are my top 7 supermarket foods to avoid.
1. Milk
Pasteurization destroys key nutrients
When the enzymes, vitamins, lactase, lipase, and probiotics in milk are killed it leads to lactose intolerance, bloating, and gut issues.
Homogenization causes fat oxidation
Commercial milk is homogenized which is linked to increased risk of heart disease, gut inflammation, leaky gut & autoimmunity.
Hormones and antibiotics are routinely fed to cows.
Instead of saying ‘you are what you eat, consider ‘you are what what you eat, eats’. If the cows are fed drugs, so are you.
These cause PCOS, early puberty, acne, gut damage and & cancer risk.
Cows are fed inflammatory GMO grains, not grass, which is their natural diet.
A1 Casein and Digestive Issues arise from commercial farmed cows milk.
Commercial milk contains synthetic vitamins which stress the liver.
The body builds up mucous and acid when ingesting commercial milk.
Go for raw, grass-fed locally sourced milk. Failing that, go for organic, non-homogenized, low-temp pasteurized milk. Or, goat or sheep milk is much easier to digest.
2. Roast Chicken
Toxic preservatives & additives.
MSG, maltodextrin, phosphates, artificial flavor enhancers. These = inflammation, gut damage, headaches, allergies kidney & calcium issues.
Toxic factory-farmed meat.
Farmed, antibiotic & hormone-laden birds, fed GMO corn & soy (full of glyphosate and other inflammatory compounds).
Basted in seed oils & toxins.
Supermarkets baste chickens in vegetable/seed oils.
High-temp roasting of seed oils creates toxic compounds linked to aging, and cancer.
Added sodium & sugar.
Bacterial Contamination Risks.
Buy an organic, pasture-raised whole chicken and roast it yourself with herbs, sea salt, tallow, coconut oil, or high quality olive oil.
3. Protein bars
Artificial sweeteners & sugar.
Be wary of artificial sweeteners like sucralose, aspartame, or acesulfame K, which harm gut bacteria & cause bloating, gas, & digestive issues.
Most protein bars are pure junk food.
Poor-Quality Protein Sources.
Such as soy protein isolate (GMO- full of pesticides), whey protein from factory-farmed cows.
Additives & preservatives & bad oils.
Hard to digest & cause bloating.
Misleading & false health claims.
E.g "low-carb" or “keto-friendly” but with hidden sugars (dextrose, tapioca syrup), artificial thickeners, etc etc.
Go for snacks with minimal and real-food ingredients. You can make your own protein bars, or better yet go for a boiled egg :)
4. Fish oil supplements
Fish oil is highly unstable- turning rancid fast when exposed to heat, air, or light.
Oxidized fish oil increases inflammation and cell damage instead of reducing it, defeating the purpose of the supplements anyway.
E.g. products sitting on store shelves too long, & in clear bottles.
*Fresh fish oil has little to no smell.
Little or no EPA/DHA content - which is why we take fish oil. This means most supermarket fish oil supplements are totally useless!
Heavy Metals & Toxins.
Low-quality fish oil is often not properly purified, so you could be consuming mercury, PCBs, dioxins, and other toxins.
Synthetic & harmful additives .
Poor Absorption & Ineffectiveness.
Source wild-caught, sustainably sourced fish oil (anchovy, sardine, mackerel), distilled/tested for purity & metals, in a dark glass jar. You can find these in your local health food store.
5. Cheap olive oil
Many olive oils are fake or blended with seed oils (including European oils).
Olive oil is sensitive to air, heat & light.
Storage for months/years = rancidity.
Oils in clear plastic bottles = light damage and microplastic absorption.
Rancid oils = cell damage, and aging.
Misleading labels e.g. ‘Extra Virgin’.
Many EVOO’S have been heat/chemical processed to extend shelf life, only contain a small amount of real EVOO, & they lack anti-oxidants & polyphenols.
E.g. “pure,” “light,” = meaningless.
"Product of Italy" can be untrue.
Pesticide & Chemical Residues.
Choose organic, single-origin EVOO in dark glass bottles.
6. Bakery goods
Ultra-Processed Ingredients.
Spike blood sugar, cause energy crashes, and weight gain.
Sugars & cheap, inflammatory oils.
Sugars and seed oils like soybean oil, canola oil, palm oil, and hydrogenated fats (trans fats).
Preservatives & additives, glyphosate.
Low-Quality Flour & Gluten Overload.
Refined, bleached flour spikes blood sugar & causes gut inflammation
Hidden trans fats & margarine.
Fake "Healthy" Labels
E.g."Whole grain", "multigrain" with mostly refined flour, & "freshly baked" made from frozen toxic dough.
A grain free diet is anti-inflammatory, or go for organic sourdough as a treat.
7. Patê
Factory-farmed, low-quality livers.
Animals fed GMO grains, antibiotics, & hormones. Factory farm livers harbour toxins, heavy metals, pesticides, & hormone-disrupting chemicals.
Preservatives & Additives.
Cancer causing nitrite & nitrates, MSG, yeast extract (which trigger headaches, inflammation, cravings). Emulsifiers & stabilizers which irritate the gut.
Margarine & seed oils.
Patê is typically 50% fat and 50% liver. It is absolutely paramount that the fat source and the liver are high quality. Supermarket patê is usually made with margarine, which is a chemical toxic manmade fat.
Processed salt & flavorings.
Potentially rancid or oxidized fats.
Liver is high in delicate fats, which oxidize quickly if not properly stored.
Homemade pate is a true superfood, when it is made with the liver of a healthy animal and a natural high quality fat. Use organic chicken, lamb or beef liver, grass-fed butter, sea salt, & herbs.
A 1-on-1 session with Sarah involves a thorough analysis of your diet and health presentations. Drawing links between symptoms and your pantry. With a few of the right food swaps, which you are happy with, you can change your health significantly. Hit the button to enquire.