Hydrogenated Oil: The Silent ‘Poison’ in Energy Bars
Beware: if you see “hydrogenated oil” or “partially hydrogenated oil” on the label of your favorite energy bar or granola bar, think twice before taking another bite.
Better yet, if you’re buying your supply for the week, put it back on the grocery shelf.
We all know that processed food contains harmful chemicals that have serious effects on your health and energy levels. Hydrogenated oils are among the worst offenders.
Hydrogenated oils are oils like palm oil, coconut oil and corn oil that were originally healthy in their natural state but have been converted into poison by a process called hydrogenation.
Hydrogenation is a chemical reaction which involves adding hydrogen to an organic compound, in this case, oil, by heating it to extremely high temperatures and injecting it with a catalyst, such as nickel, platinum or aluminum.
Completing the hydrogenation process creates a solid out of the oil. Partially applying the process results in a semi-solid, partially hydrogenated oil, which has a similar consistency to butter, only much cheaper.
This is why processed food manufacturers use hydrogenated oil as a substitute for butter because it allows them to enhance the flavor and texture of their products at a fraction of the price.
However, hydrogenated oil is anything but healthy. In fact, after hydrogenation, the oil is closer to being a plastic or cellulose than being an oil and forms trans fatty acids or trans fats.
Trans fats, bluntly speaking, are poisons, because they promote weight gain, decrease good cholesterol (HDL) while increasing the bad (LDL), promote inflammation, damage artery cells, promote blood clotting, weaken your cell walls and prevent your body from assimilating nutrients, such as essential fatty acids.
When you eat anything containing hydrogenated oil, your blood becomes thicker and denser, which makes your heart work harder to circulate blood throughout your system, contributing to high blood pressure and atherosclerosis.
Thicker blood has a harder time reaching your brain, and can cause a variety of emotional and physical conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, ADHD and Alzheimer’s disease.
Hydrogenated oils have also been linked to cancer, increased blood sugar levels, liver disease, infertility and impaired immune system function.
And yes, these unhealthy oils are found in most energy bars and granola bars. Hydrogenated oil effectively cancels out whatever nutritional value the other healthy ingredients that these bars have.
But this doesn’t necessarily mean that you should avoid all energy bars. Adding the appropriate nutritional bar to a balanced diet can help you maintain an active lifestyle by providing you with the most health benefits and optimal energy boost.
Dr. Joseph Mercola’s cocoa cassava bars use only the finest natural ingredients. It took Dr. Mercola and his team a full year of research and 16 formula changes (plus tens of thousands of dollars in costs) to ensure that the cocoa cassava bar would be great tasting and nutritious at the same time.
The cocoa cassava bar does NOT contain hydrogenated oil and instead, uses extra virgin coconut oil. Unlike hydrogenated oils, coconut oil does not contain trans fats and oxidized cholesterol. Coconut oil helps you lose weight and provide you with energy like no other fat can because it consists primarily of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), which are quickly burned by your body for fuel rather than stored as fat.
Coconut oil also has antimicrobial properties. It contains lauric acid, which breaks down into monolaurin to kill microbes before they can enter your system; and caprylic acid, which destroys fungus and yeast.
Coconut oil is just one of the many reasons why you should try the cocoa cassava bar, the delicious and nutritious natural energy bar. So don’t settle for anything less, grab a cocoa cassava bar now!
| Share |
|
|
