4 Common Mistakes We Make That Can Make Us Fat

There is a class of chemicals that can be making Americans gain weight.  They’re called endocrine disrupting chemicals, or EDCs.  

The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity released a report called "Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation."  In the report they list endocrine-disrupting chemicals as a possible reason for increased obesity in the country. 

These chemicals, which scientists call obesogens, may promote weight gain and obesity.  “Obesogens are thought to act by hijacking the regulatory systems that control body weight," says Frederick vom Saal, Ph.D., curators’ professor of biological sciences at the University of Missouri. This is the reason why even the greatest diet, might not work for you.  

The good news is that we can reverse the obesogen effect if you follow these steps:

1.     Know when to buy organic food.  Yes, these can get pretty expensive but it might be worth it at the end.  It has been shown that many fruits and vegetables are loaded with pesticides and the worst are: celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries (domestic), nectarines, sweet bell peppers, spinach, kale/collard greens, cherries, potatoes and grapes (imported).  Try to buy these organic.  

2.    Do not eat plastic.  We usually don’t eat plastic; however, there is something you might not have known.  Like pesticides, these plastic-based chemicals trick our bodies into storing fat and not building or retaining muscle.  Decreasing your exposure to plastic-based obesogens will maximize your chances both of losing unwanted flab and of building lean muscle mass.  No. 1, never heat food in plastic containers or put plastic items in the dishwasher.  No. 2, avoid buying fatty foods like meats that are packaged in plastic wrap because EDCs are stored in fatty tissue.  No. 3, cut down on canned goods by choosing tuna in a pouch over canned tuna.

3.    Choose lean foods.  Always choose pasture-raised meats, which, studies show, have less fat than their confined, grain-fed counterparts and none of the weight-promoting hormones.

4.    Filter your water.  The best way to eliminate EDCs from your tap water is an activated carbon water filter.