Unfortunately, some of the best-tasting foods are worst for your health. This is no secret.
But do you really know how bad these foods really are?
When we mention soft drinks, pizzas burgers, french fries etc, we know they are high in calories, offer no nutritive value and so forth.
But there are certain man-made chemicals and compounds in them that can cause havoc in your body and cause degenerative diseases over time.
So if you think that you are simply eating these foods in moderation, and justify them by jogging an extra 30 min on the treadmill, well, its time to think again.
These foods are the worst offenders and destroy your health way beyond than simply adding calories to your diet.
Let’s delve in some hard science.
Note: More you know how bad these foods are, more you will be conscious of them and I can promise you that you will start taking steps towards eliminating them as time goes by. If you think you are ok by eating these foods in moderation, at least don’t feed these poison to your kids.
Soft Drinks: Soft drinks are a multi-billion dollar industry and account for the majority of the beverages found around the world.
According to this study, soft-drinks contribute 7.1% of total energy intake and represent the largest single food source of calories in the US diet. Furthermore, the rise of obesity and type-2 diabetes in the United States parallels the increase in sugar-sweetened soft drink consumption.
This is not surprising as just one can of coke/Pepsi contains about 40 grams of sugar including high corn fructose sugar.
This is equivalent to 10 teaspoons of sugar. To combat the sugar, your body releases lots of insulin which is a fat-storage hormone.
Over time, this results in you becoming insulin resistant which ultimately leads to type-2 diabetes.
Also, don’t forget the high corn fructose sugar, which is made from genetically modified corn. Fructose can only be metabolized by your liver and combined with corn, can lead to a fatty liver.
Besides sugar and HCFS these soft drinks have artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose which can have a very harmful effect on your body.
All you are drinking is a sugar-laden drink with absolutely zero nutritive value and some caffeine in it. I strongly advise against drinking any soft drinks ever.
Healthier Alternatives: Green tea, matcha tea, vegetable juice, lemon water.
Chips/French Fries: The next foods in the line-up for absolutely worst food that you can eat are chips and french fries. Chips contain trans-fat which are the worst kind of fat you can eat.
Trans-fats are created when hydrogen molecules are added to vegetable oils.
This converts these oils from a liquid to a solid. Trans-fats are added to chips and hundreds of other processed foods items that are found in the supermarket as they increase the shelf life and make them taste better. Trans fats are associated with an increase in the risk of chronic heart disease.
According to dietary data from participants in the Nurses’ Health Study, where 85, 095 women took part in an 8-year study, the findings supported the hypothesis that consumption of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (trans-fats) may contribute to the occurrence of CHD.
French fries are no different and are made from potatoes which are fried in vegetable oils like soy and corn oil. These polyunsaturated fats turn rancid when heated at high temperatures. These oils can create aging, inflammation and weight gain, especially around your belly area.
So the next time, if you are ordering at McDonald’s and the friendly staff asks if you would like to add fries to your order, show them this article..just kidding:) Just say No!
Healthier Alternatives: Home Made Sweet Potato Fries made with coconut oil.
Donuts/Muffins: This category of foods like doughnuts, muffins, cookies, are made from white flour, are loaded with sugar and trans-fats. They are very high in calories and offer no nutritive value of any sort. Over time, these foods cause you to become insulin resistant which then ultimately leads to type-2 diabetes.
Healthier Alternative: Homemade cookies made with natural ingredients including whole-wheat flour, honey, stevia.
Pizzas: Pizzas are bad. They are made from refined white flour and processed meats. They are extremely high in calories. One medium slice can give you at least a few hundred calories.
Healthier Alternative: Homemade pizza made from whole-wheat flour and grass-fed meats and/or organic vegetables
Vegetable oils: Conventional wisdom portrays vegetable oils like sunflower, soy oils, etc as healthy. But that’s far from the truth. In reality, they are highly processed and can cause inflammation and are linked to increased risk of cancers.(1,2,3)
Healthier Alternative: Cold pressed coconut oils, ghee.
Bottom line:
Any foods which are fried, made from vegetable oils, have added sugars, trans-fats, white flour or any other refined carbs need to be completed avoided. Instead, choose the healthier alternatives that I have provided.
What do you think of this list? Would you like to add any foods that you think might make this list? Let me know in the comments below!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I truly appreciate your efforts and I will be waiting for your further write ups thanks once again.
Thank you Santo:)
Hello! I simply want to offer you a big thumbs up for the great information you’ve got right here on this post. I am coming back to your blog for more soon.|
I often wonder whether we should have warning signs on food lables the same as we do with cigarettes. Food choices can be so emotional and even knowing what we know. We stiill think of it as “treat”. Yet people do not learn their lessons until they are diagnosed with a horrible illness or disease. I see obesity as a mental health issue also .
Another great article.
Really so informative,
Who is reading this comment, request to scroll up and read once,
Thanks much @aksah sehrawat,
You have nailed it. You deserve 5 stars.
Please share about other oils like filtered groundnut oil, mustard oil, Sesame Oil and etc.
Hi Christopher,
Thank you for your kind words! We appreciate it!
We already have articles on groundnut oil here Is Groundnut Oil Good For Health?
and one for mustard oil here Is Mustard Oil Good For Health?
We hope that you like those articles as well.
Regards,
Kunal,
Team Fabulous Body
Thank u for these really informative updates … v difficult to stop kids who get lured by all the jazzy ads …but these write ups help…
Hi Moushumi,
We understand what you mean by saying that it is very difficult to stop kids from following the jazzy ads.
Big brands spend a lot on their advertisements to do so. The best that we can do is try to educate children about the harmful effects and make their homemade food look more appealing and delicious.
Wraps, pastas, sandwiches etc., are dishes that can easily be made at home.
Good luck!
Regards,
Kunal,
Team Fabulous Body