 As we continue our journey into physical health, let us take a look at what, for most of us, is already in our bodies. More specifically, how we can optimize our bodies by getting rid of that which does not serve us, and giving ourselves that which does. Solving a problem means acknowledging first that there is one, and as most of us are aware, there are a lot of toxins in our bodies. In order to clean our bodies and clear our minds, we must become aware of what specifically is going on, and how those toxins got there in the first place. Brace yourselves. You've never heard this stuff before. This could be pretty shocking. Let's start with some basic biology. Scientists have estimated that there are probably close to 37 trillion cells in our bodies. Each individual cell is a living, functioning organism, and each cell has a basic role in function in your life. Which both survive by, and make up, the totality that is you. And yet, to think that we're an island unto ourselves can be very misleading. These cells are nourished, experienced growth, and cell division by the process of metabolizing the nourishment that we're feeding them. This basically means that our entire bodies on a cellular level relate heavily to whatever it is we've been feeding it. You might think of it as other forms of life moving through you. This is identical to the idea that all of the atoms and particles that make up our existence are completely moving through all of us all of the time, and not isolated to any one individual. This has some astonishing energetic conscious implications. If we take into our bodies other cells for nourishment that are devoid of nutrients, or while growing had been absent of caring and loving hands, we are taking in nourishment that is simply not very nourishing, and our bodies ultimately suffer for it. If an animal has been suffering and abused its entire life, when you eat it, all of that adrenaline, that fear, and that suffering now enters into your body, and adds that trauma into your body of consciousness. You can really see that these animals are experiencing pain and terror and all these sorts of things, because you can see them when they're not, and you can see them when they are, and it's pretty damn obvious. You now share in the experiences of more suffering, stress, and anxiety than you did before, because of what you are bringing into your body's ecosystem. And so now, we're going to cover some of the biggest factors affecting our health by taking a look at by far the largest food group that the majority of us are consuming, and the effects that can happen by eating too much processed foods. Processed foods are a very wide topic, so let's start with the basics, starting with this very simple question, what is a processed food? The technical definition of a processed food is actually anything that has been altered from its original natural grown state, often for the purpose of preserving the food and making it last longer. From this perspective, we have to approach the topic on a selective case-by-case basis. It's true that most foods that are available in the grocery store are processed and do contain ingredients that aren't the best for us. It's also true that if old granny on her farm grew some apricots and put them in a jar and stored them for the winter times, that too is technically processing. With that in mind, we're going to look more specifically at the types of processed foods that the majority of us eat on a daily basis, which unfortunately are very far removed from anything natural. In most cases, to create these kinds of foods, almost everything nutritious has been removed, the water's been removed, the fiber's been removed, the minerals have been removed, and then everything has been done to ensure that these foods are highly concentrated with fat, salt, and sugar. These then become a low-grade addiction, or, depending on the person, a very serious high-grade addiction. Let's take a look at each one of those things individually, shall we? Sugar. Probably one of the biggest addictions out there, and responsible for a tremendous amount of health issues in the world, the average American consumes between 82 and 153 grams of sugar every day. However, most health associations only recommend between 25 and 36 grams per day, and some even say that that is too much, especially in its refined form, rather than consuming sugars from, say, eating an apple. The results of having too much sugar in your diet have been proven to cause metabolic dysfunction, including weight gain, increased bad cholesterol, elevated blood sugar, abdominal obesity, elevated triglycerides, and even high blood pressure. It also increases your uric acid levels, causes cavities, induces insatiable hunger, causes diabetes, liver failure, pancreatic cancer, kidney disease, heart disease, cognitive decline, gout, and a wide array of other nutritional deficiencies. Forbes Business Magazine published an article showing that the biggest culprits of where all of the sugar is coming from is, topping the list, regular old soft drinks, followed closely by candy, then cakes, cookies, pies, and other pastries, then fruit drinks, followed by dairy desserts and milk, and other grains. Sugar also affects hormones in the brain which produce excess fat, which ultimately makes sugar to be one of the leading contributors of obesity in children and adults. To conclude this topic, sugar causes a massive dopamine release in the brain, making it highly, highly, highly addictive. Fat. When we're talking about fat, we must note that there are a plethora of different types. Natural fats, like that which is found in an avocado, are much better for you in moderation, in fact, necessary for your body. Other fats, on the other hand, such as saturated fats, which come from butter, cheese, red meat, and other animal-based foods, top the list of the leading contributors of heart disease out there. There are also trans fats, which most often come from oils through a food processing method called partial hydrogenation. When oil is hydrogenated, it changes from a healthy form of fat to a very unhealthy form of fat called trans fat, which boosts the blood levels of bad cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein. Typically, food like donuts, baked goods, pie crusts, cookies, crackers, and stuff like that all are loaded with trans fats, which increase bad LDL cholesterol and lowers good HDL cholesterol. In simple terms, the whole thing with fat is that it puts you at risk of cardiovascular disease, which has the potential to really clog up your arteries and may even lead to an abrupt and untimely death. When it comes to fat, the most important thing you can do is to be very aware of the food label on the packages that you buy. Does it have any percentage of saturated or trans fat, especially trans fat? If so, your best bet is to find an alternative that satisfies what you're craving. Salt. The final ingredient of the big three aspects of processed foods is salt. Salt is the leading cause of hypernatremia, which is defined as a huge imbalance in the amount of salt or water in the body, which occurs when a person becomes dehydrated and the kidneys cannot cope with the excess salt in the bloodstream. The simple version is, salt increases blood pressure, causes heart disease, stroke, and osteoporosis. Elevated sodium levels can negatively affect the function of the inner lining of the blood vessels, those endothelial cells that we looked at before. This can also lead to decreased rate of lomular filtration, which is a sign of chronic kidney disease and kidney failure. Salt even causes cognitive disorders by causing the sympathetic nervous system to overreact to stressful situations, pumping out chronically high levels of stress hormones, which means that when you have a lot of salt in your system and something stressful happens, you're going to be way more stressed out about that thing than if you had the ideal sodium levels in your body. The source of the salt is, much like with the other stuff, in all of the foods that we normally eat daily. The salty six are meats, pizza, canned soups, breads and rolls, chicken, and burritos and tacos. Roughly 77% of salt in the average diet comes from processed foods, and it is often added so heavily, specifically to increase the storage life of the product, so that the companies can sell food long after they're produced. OK, additives. In addition to these three major addictions found in our foods, there are also countless additives in the form of preservatives, anti-foaming agents, food coloring, color retention agents, emulsifiers, anti-caking agents, acidity regulators, glazing agents, flavor packs, thickeners, stabilizers, humectants, and tracer gases that are often added to our foods. The list is actually ridiculously long and too much to cover in one video. Sometimes these can be the worst things for us in that canned food or boxed whatever that we find ourselves consuming. It's very, very important to read the labels and do some research for what specifically is in our foods before we buy them. Now I know, sometimes it can be very hard to let go of an old food source that we love so much, that gives us comfort. But just remember, it's not actually you that really wants that food. It's the bacteria in your system which have built up a craving for that specific salt, sugar, or fat. As our way of eating changes, that bacteria actually can no longer survive, and we start to find natural foods to be more appealing. In fact, you would be surprised that after some time, you will actually find that that fast food that you used to love so much is now entirely unappealing. And on that same note, you'll also notice over time, as you remove processed flavor enhancing agents from your regular diet, your taste buds will start to change. Suddenly, you will be able to notice subtle sugars within things like carrots, and that they will just taste sweeter than they did before. And this is just the beginning. Moving forward. So to conclude this segment, I would love to leave you with some great news. This would be that regardless of what level of disease, illness, or just general health challenges that you may be facing, simply changing what you're putting into your body automatically begins changing your physical ecosystem. It's not about how many pills you're taking, it's just about letting real, healthy food be your medicine. If you are struggling to get started eating healthier, try this for an approach. Instead of thinking about all the stuff that you have to remove from your diet, look instead at all of the new things you can add. If you start tomorrow with a green smoothie, you may notice that you no longer want that extra cup of sugary coffee on your break. Add an extra apple or a handful of unsalted nuts as a light snack and see if you are less hungry come supper time so that you can easily eat a little bit less. Try it for yourself and as always have your own experience, your body knows what's best for you. So listen to it. See you next time.