The Hidden Truth About 'Health' Foods

Welcome to Our First Newsletter!

I'm so excited to share this journey with you! Each month, our first newsletter will set the tone by unpacking one important topic together. I'll share my personal story, explain the why behind the changes (because let's be honest - unless I understand why I'm doing something, it's not happening!), and give you practical steps to implement right away.

We'll also spotlight businesses that align with our values and end with a monthly challenge to keep us all accountable. Ready? Let's dive in!

A Chapter from My Personal Journey

When I experienced my blood clots in 2017, it was my first real medical event. Combined with past traumas, it really impacted my ability to listen to my body. By 2020, I was dealing with chronic anxiety and gut issues that were affecting my daily life.

I remember this moment going to the doctor for what felt like the 100^th time, and again being told I just needed to take laxatives or tums. I specifically sat there and started crying and said I literally had chicken & peas for lunch and a banana, why am I in so much pain?! How can I make this better? And they had no answers for me. I was beyond frustrated and sick of taking tums like it was candy.  

The blood clot had triggered my anxiety around medical issues, but it wasn't until I was living in chronic pain every single day that I realized something had to change and I needed to put my health into my own hands.

Everything shifted when I started working on my gut health. This is a hot topic these days and I want to make sure to mention this is COMPLEX. There are sooooo many things that affect our gut health and it is going to take time to explore this. So just understand we are pulling back the curtain on a small part of the stage, and there will be so much more to open up.

I originally wanted to focus this month on the supplements I began taking, but when I asked what you all wanted to learn about when it relates to gut health, food was the overwhelming response. When I think of gut health I think of the food we are ingesting, what medicines have we taken that may have impacted our gut, our environment and what products we’re using, what we’re cooking with, cleaning with, our anxiety and mental space, the list goes on. I say this not to overwhelm, but to indicate this is a long journey, and we are in step ONE, of a long list of steps. So please be patient and know that you’re on the path to better health, one step at a time!

So getting back to food, when I started this journey I was so confused, I'd eat what I thought were "safe" foods - chicken, peas, bananas - things that should be easy to digest, and I was still in pain. What I discovered was that my gut was completely unbalanced from years of processed foods, antibiotics (I was sick constantly) and multiple rounds of Accutane for acne (do NOT recommend that drug - topic for another day!).

I had to rebuild my gut while also understanding what I was actually eating. Quick tip while we're here: if you're struggling with similar issues, start with a digestive enzyme with every meal. Probiotics won't help much until you heal your gut lining first.

So, what was the real eye-opener? Many foods I considered "healthy" were actually causing inflammation.

Insights: When "Health Foods" Aren't So Healthy

There’s nothing that upsets me more than marketing of “healthy” foods that are actually full of processed ingredients – and we don’t even know. Let's talk about reading ingredient labels. I'm going to walk through cottage cheese as our example because there's a huge social media trend around it, and I actually love cottage cheese! But not all cottage cheese is created equal.

Why Full-Fat Cottage Cheese Wins

First, let's address the low-fat trend. We actually want full-fat cottage cheese because:

Better nutrient absorption - Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) need fat to be absorbed properly
Enhanced satiety - You'll feel full longer and avoid overeating between meals
Stable blood sugar - Fat slows digestion and prevents energy crashes
Better taste - Full-fat versions are creamier and more satisfying long-term
Less processing - Low-fat versions often contain extra stabilizers and sodium

Investigating the Ingredients

Let me show you two real examples:

HILAND Cottage Cheese ingredients (from Price Chopper): Skim milk, milk, cream, lactose, salt, stabilizer (maltodextrin, guar gum, mono and diglycerides, xanthan gum, carrageenan, carob bean gum), citric acid, carbon dioxide, potassium sorbate, cheese cultures.

Daisy Cottage Cheese ingredients (also from Price Chopper): Cultured skim milk, cream, salt.

See the difference? Let me break down what those extra ingredients in the first option actually are:

Maltodextrin - Highly processed carbohydrate with a high glycemic index that spikes blood sugar and disrupts gut bacteria

Guar gum - Can cause digestive upset, gas, and bloating (though it may help with satiety)

Mono & diglycerides - Emulsifiers often derived from GMO crops that can cause digestive issues, especially for those with gallbladder problems

Carrageenan - This seaweed-derived additive can cause digestive upset, inflammatory immune responses, and worsen IBS symptoms. I try to avoid this one completely.

Xanthan gum - Generally more tolerated but can still cause digestive issues in larger amounts

Now, if all of these extra additive ingredients all have some kind of impact on our gut, but in “small” amounts they are ok. Except, the problem is – they are in EVERYTHING.

These ingredients aren't just in cottage cheese - they're in nut milks, dairy alternatives, yogurts, salad dressings, most "low calorie" or "low fat" packaged foods, nut butters, etc. When you're consuming them across multiple foods daily, the effects compound. And when they’re in a LOT of “healthier” marketed foods like dairy free, nut milks, etc, it can really cause a huge impact on your gut.

Practical First Steps You Can Implement Today

That was a lot of information for just one food item, but here's the good news: because those same problematic ingredients show up everywhere, learning to spot them helps across your entire kitchen. We want to start to slowly reduce these ingredients so that the benefits start to compound by reducing your exposure.

Start with what you use most often. For me, that's almond milk since I drink shakes almost daily. I switched to Mooala brand with just three ingredients: filtered water, organic almonds, and salt. I buy a 6-pack off Amazon with a monthly subscription to save cost.

When I look at what is in my shakes, I use fruit, spinach, almond milk, protein powder & peanut butter pretty regularly. So I’m also sourcing quality protein powder – this is quite the topic so I’m not going to dive into this now but you want to look for protein powders with Grass Fed Non-denatured whey protein – I love the Just Ingredients fruit flavored ones, and FlavCity’s brownie batter & vanilla proteins. Because I use these every day I want to make sure the ingredients are quality and I know what is in them. The other item is peanut butter. All you need is organic peanuts & salt. There shouldn’t be anything else. You can get a 2 pack tub from Costco!

This is an example of what I changed first. Now I’m no longer consuming additives in my shakes that I drink every day. This is going to compound fast! And it’s going to make the most impact.

Your action step: Identify 1-3 foods you eat consistently and check their ingredient lists. Look for versions with fewer, recognizable ingredients. You don't need to overhaul everything at once - just focus on what you consume regularly.

If you want the absolute best option, and you’re looking at dairy products, look for pasture-raised dairy products. These come from cows living on pasture and provide higher amounts of fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They're more expensive, so do what works for your budget and goals. These types of foods are much more nutrient dense, you’re not going to know this from looking at an ingredient label. We’re trying to increase nutrient density while decreasing the amount of additives in our food.

Spotlight on Mindful Businesses

Since I mentioned gut health supplements earlier, I want to highlight Silver Fern - the company I used to restart my gut healing journey. Visit their website and take their quiz to get personalized gut health supplement recommendations. We'll dive deeper into supplements next month!

For local dining, I love Enjoy Pure Food with locations in Leawood and Lenexa. They work hard to source quality ingredients, making it easier to eat well when you're out – which is such a struggle these days!

Reminder, this is not about 100% perfection. This is about building habits that compound on each other to create long-term impact and change.

This Month's Challenge + Submit Your Questions

Challenge: Swap out at least 3 foods for better quality brands. Here are some examples to get you started:

Yogurt - Skip the flavored versions loaded with added sugar. Buy plain yogurt and blend in your own fresh fruit – it’s so easy and tastes better!

Alternative milks - Check those ingredient lists! Many contain the same problematic additives we discussed

Pickles - Surprising but true! Grillo's brand (available at many stores, even Aldi sometimes) has much cleaner ingredients

Butter - Choose regular butter or even better, pasture-raised butter instead of alternative spreads full of inflammatory ingredients

Salad dressings - Make your own with olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, and honey. Simple and delicious!

Peanut butter – buy organic (this ensures it’s not sprayed with glyphosate – a topic we will definitely dive deeper into!) and ingredients should only be organic peanuts & salt.

Remember, this is a lot of information to digest (I promise I did that unintentionally, but I had to keep that pun! Ha!). It can feel overwhelming - trust me, I've been there.

Take a deep breath. Focus on just 1-3 items in your kitchen that you eat consistently. We're not looking at everything right now, just a few regular staples. How can we make these healthier and less inflammatory for your gut?

You've got this! We've got this!

Send me your questions - I'll address them in our next newsletter later this month.

Should we start a Facebook group to keep each other accountable, share tips, food brands, etc?! Let me know if you want to join and I’ll get one going!

Rooted in Wellness & Rising Together,
Erica