Top 8 Unhealthy Foods to Avoid
The types of food you eat definitely affect your overall health. There is a lot of discussion on which ones are healthy, and which ones are not and should be avoided. In this article, we will share with you some of the foods that are very unhealthy.
1. Sugary drinks
Added sugar, especially the ones in sugary drinks, is the worst ingredient. When you drink this type of beverages, your brain doesn’t recognize it as food. Hence, you don’t automatically compensate by consuming less of other types of food, but rather end up increasing your total calories significantly by drinking sugary drinks.
When you take in too much sugar, you can drive insulin resistance in your body and may acquire non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Aside from that, sugary drinks put you at a greater risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity.
2. Industrial Vegetable Oil
There is an increasing consumption of refined vegetable oils such as corn oil, canola oil, and soybean oil which are high in omega 6 fatty acids. The bad thing about this type of oils is that they are extremely sensitive to oxidation and can lead to increased oxidative stress in the body. Furthermore, they heighten your risk of getting cancer.
3. Margarine
While margarine is considered as a healthier alternative to butter, it is a highly-processed food made with industrial vegetable oils that have been hydrogenated. Because of this, the trans fat content increases drastically. Despite seeing the label “no trans fat”, you still need to be cautious because they are allowed to put that label as long as the product contains lower than 0.5 grams per serving, but this is still a substantial amount.
4. Pastries, cakes, and cookies
This type of foods is loaded with refined sugar, white flour, and added fats which are unhealthy. You can’t obtain any essential nutrients and they only give you tons of calories.
5. Potato chips and French fries
Because they are very high in calories, French fries and potato chips are linked to weight gain. Furthermore, they can also have significant levels of acrylamides which are carcinogenic substances when potatoes are fried or baked.
6. Low-fat yogurt
Even if you see on the label that the product is low fat, you should still keep in mind that it is loaded with sugar in order to compensate the lack of taste that fats can provide. Moreover, contrary to common belief, yogurts do not actually have probiotic bacteria. Because they have been pasteurized after the process of fermentation, the bacteria get killed.
7. Processed Meats
According to studies, those who consume processed meats are at a higher risk of colon cancer, heart diseases, and Type 2 diabetes.
8. Fast food meals
Fast food chains usually just serve junk foods with little to no nutritional value. Normally, these fast food meals have too much fat, sugar, and calories, leading to serious diseases and obesity.
Final Thoughts
If you are trying to lose weight and protecting yourself from acquiring life-threatening diseases, it is important to that you control your consumption of these foods or totally eliminate them from your diet. Always remember that a healthy diet coupled with regular exercise is the key to long life.