real food abcs - X these things out

X for X these things out of your real food diet

So far this is the longest title in the real food abc series. Of course the letter x was going to be difficult. I thought about xantham gum, but I do not feel like I know enough about it myself to write about it. I also found several other food items that start with x, most were the Chinese name for a food.

One I almost went with was xocolatl. Which is the ancient aztec word for chocolate. I am sure many of you reading this would love to have chocolate included in your real food journey. So go ahead, include it. Although chocolate did not get a designated spot in the abc series, it does not need to be avoided.

But there are some things that you may want to avoid. The following foods are ones that you should start X-ing out of your diet:


High fructose corn syrup - although you will find conflicting evidence, there is enough information showing HFCS is an unhealthy sugar and that it does get processed differently in our body. Cutting down on all sugars is good, but just x-ing out HFCS is a good start.

Margarine (or any other butter substitute) - Don't be fooled by marketing claims. Most butter alternatives are highly processed and have a lot of ingredients.

Unfermented soy - Unfortunately, soy is in so many different products. The only way to truly avoid it is to cook more from scratch. The problem with soy is that it has phytates that can block absorption of other nutrients and phyto-estrogens that can increase your intake of estrogen above normal healthy levels. If you would like to read more about why soy should be X-ed out of your diet, here are two great articles:

The dangers of soy
Reasons to avoid soy

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) - This is another topic that has a lot of conflicting evidence. However, GMOs have not been around for very long and therefore do not have long-term studies associated with it. Although it may be difficult to completely avoid them, by buying more organic, you can be assured you will not be getting GMOs in those foods.

Hydrogenated Oils/Fats - Partially hydrogenated oils are the work type for your body. Our body does does not digest them properly and they can contribute to inflammation in the body. (source)

Unfortunately, there are so many different ingredients used in highly processed foods that we should probably avoid, but it takes time to change your diet and make new habits. If you are already avoiding these ingredients then you are on the right track. If you have not yet begun to look at ingredients lists, it is never too late. Remember, don't compare your beginnings to someone else's middle.

For more real food tips, nutrition, natural living and more: