5 Organic Foods That May Damage Your Digestive System

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By Derek Henry, Holistic Health Coach for Healing the Body

The organic movement was initially labeled a fad, but as time wore on it became obvious that people were concerned about a contaminated food supply, and for good reason. However, what many failed to consider is that NOT ALL organic foods are healthy for everyone, and some could actually cause serious damage to their digestive systems. The devil is in the details.

Wheat

Wheat can be substituted in a number of ways, the more popular being amaranth, oats, almond, coconut, millet, buckwheat, corn, rice and quinoa flour. PaulGrecaud/iStock

Wheat has enjoyed a long run of being the darling of the grains but in the last decade has taken a serious hit, with gluten sensitivity plaguing people across North America.

It’s not that organic wheat is necessarily bad in and of itself, but rather, our digestive systems have become severely compromised, and as a result we lack the friendly bacteria that helps digest this component of wheat which leaves many people in pain and distress.

Undigested food is then left to “rot” in your intestinal system, which creates toxic gases and can harm the delicate lining of your intestinal system, further damaging your ability to digest food properly. This eventually compromises other functions of your body, including your hormones and detoxification organs.

Wheat can be substituted in a number of ways, the more popular being amaranth, oats, almond, coconut, millet, buckwheat, corn, rice and quinoa flour. Even though these are often better substitutes, keep in mind that your grains should be limited, especially in the form of flour.

Soy

Choose soy products that are organic AND fermented. Samira Bouaou/Epoch Times

Soy was at the tip of everyone’s tongues when the soy industry convinced us that their products were not only safe for consumption but also actually good for you.

However, research is starting to uncover the opposite. Soy has now been attributed to endocrine disruption, digestive problems, hormone issues, thyroid challenges and fertility complications. This is before we even discuss soy that is genetically modified, which ups the ante on our intestinal system.

Soy promoters deny this research and point to epidemiological studies of Asians and their reduced rates of breast and prostate cancers, even though their traditional diet is soy-dominated. However, these studies fail to point out that these soy products are primarily fermented, which creates health-promoting probiotics that facilitate proper digestion.

Choose soy products that are organic AND fermented.

Peanut Butter

If you do choose to buy organic peanut butter, refrigerate it at all times bhofack2/iStock

Peanuts, unlike hard-shelled nuts, are encased in a very soft and porous shell, which allows contaminants such as fungi to bind to them. As a result, aflatoxin, a cancer-causing chemical produced by naturally occurring fungi in the soil, can easily attach itself to the developing nut.

Since systematic fungal infections are affecting 70% of people, it may not be a wise idea to consume a food that naturally contains it, as it can exacerbate the problem and cause severe reactions and even death.

If you do choose to buy organic peanut butter, refrigerate it at all times to inhibit the growth of this naturally occurring fungus. You can also consider alternative nut butters, like almond butter, which doesn’t have the same natural occurring fungi that can create digestive distress.

Cow’s Milk

If you choose organic cow's milk, look for raw. Chris_Elwell/iStock

Organic cow’s milk eliminates some of the primary concerns of consuming milk, namely antibiotics, hormones and other chemicals. This is definitely an upgrade from the pasteurized and contaminated milk that lines most grocery stores refrigerated section.

However, organic milk is also commonly pasteurized, which effectively removes all beneficial bacteria and enzymes and makes it much more difficult for the human digestive tract to properly break down and absorb it. It also contains natural sugars, which further complicates the process, especially for those suffering from Candida.

If you choose organic cow’s milk, look for raw, which is much more alive and full of the necessary probiotics and enzymes to allow for more efficient digestion.

Pork

Instead of pork, try turkey bacon or organic, grass-fed beef, which is much friendlier to your intestinal system. Elena_Danileiko/iStock

Pigs are dirty animals and eat everything in sight (including their own feces). Since their digestive systems work quickly, there is no opportunity to eliminate any toxins that may be present in what they eat.

Not only that, but a pig also does not have any sweat glands, which takes away an effective toxin removal process, allowing more toxins to stay inside their body.

Even though organically raised pigs should have toxin-free diets, there is some difficulty in monitoring and circumventing their insatiable desire to eat nearly everything in sight. Not only that, but some research suggests that pork is actually largely undigestible by the human digestive tract (perhaps because genetically we are very similar), which would cause even more digestive complications.

Instead of pork, try turkey bacon or organic, grass-fed beef, which is much friendlier to your intestinal system.

How Do You Know What Foods to Eat?

It is becoming more complicated as to what many of us can eat, and you can point the finger at the food industry and profiteers who have sacrificed food quality and production in the name of profit, which has damaged our digestive systems so their symbiotic relationship to whole food has been partially ruined.

To understand what foods you can eat, you need to understand your digestive system and supporting cast and how well they are operating to completely digest your food. Failure to recognize this could leave you with lifetime of food disappointment.

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