There is a detrimental ingredient lurking in our food. Often we don’t even realize it’s there. It could be in the ice cream you ate last night or the pizza you ordered yesterday. It could be in the homemade fermented sourdough bread you have every morning for breakfast. And–believe it or not–this ingredient could even be hiding in your grass-fed burger, your pastured eggs or the fresh berries and raw cream you have for dessert.

Yes, this ingredient can be present in every single food you eat… or none at all. It’s all up to you.

The number one ingredient you need to avoid?

Guilt.

I know. Not what you wanted to hear.

Sorry. I know you wanted me to say MSG. Or fructose. Or omega-6 fatty acids or gluten or hydrolyzed soy protein… or some other commonly demonized ingredient. But no. Although there are certainly foods out there that can damage our bodies and brains, the most toxic food can’t hold a candle to the destruction incurred when every bite of food is swallowed with a hefty side of guilt, anxiety, fear or obsessive thinking.

Stressing About Food: It’s No Way to Live

Don’t get me wrong: there’s nothing wrong with trying to eat healthy and live healthy. But it’s not hard to cross the line from living healthfully to agonizing over every bite you take.

• Does figuring out what to eat for lunch trigger stress and anxiety?

• Accelerated aging