Are you eating a food item that you shouldn’t ? Yes you are ! There are a lot of common food products that people eat but not aware of the ill effects. When it comes to food, our innocent brain goes to only taste and forgets that some of these tasty foods can injure our health over a period of time. So read on to discover the top 10 common foods you should avoid.
1.) Packaged baked goods – These are oh so good, but oh so bad for you. Packaged baked goods are loaded with everything you love, but shouldn’t like sugar, fat and tasty morsels. In addition to calories, they’re packed with chemically questionable additives that are used to artificially extend the shelf life of the artery-clogging confections.
2.) Fast food – Fast food is another killer. While it’s convenient, cheap and delicious, it’s also basically death in a bag. Many types of fast food contain salt, trans-fat and an entire year’s worth of calories for a starving African baby. If you can stop thinking about how insanely delicious a double cheeseburger is, remind yourself that fast food is the fast track to obesity and early death.
3.) Bottled juice – Bottled juice is a deceptive little bugger. While you’re probably thinking juice equals fruit which equals healthy, you’re overlooking one big fact. Most bottled juices contain very little actual fruit juice and a whole lot of water and sugar. If you want juice, look for fresh-squeezed varieties sold in the refrigerator section of the store rather than the shelf-stable watered down varieties.
4.) Donuts – Disregard this. Donuts are healthy. Don’t we wish that were true! Think about how donuts are made. They’re sweetened rounds of dough tossed in a deep fryer and coated with chocolate, sugar or some other type of sweetness. Does anything about that seem healthy? No? Good guess.
5.) Potato chips – Again, the base component of a potato chip isn’t bad for you, but after the skin has been stripped off and the potatoes have been deep-fried and coated in salt, you’re looking at a very unhealthy treat. Nobody can completely avoid potato chips, so it’s best to just keep your consumption in check. Buy smaller bags and look for baked varieties of your favorites.
6.) Microwave dinners – When you’re trying to lose weight it’s easy to just grab one of the diet dinners and pop them in the microwave. No fuss, no muss and a seemingly healthful meal in just minutes. While many diet dinners are low in fat, the sodium content is enough to take down an elephant. Live off of those for a while and you’ll surely need bypass surgery.
7.) Canned soup – If it’s cheap, fast and easy, you can bet that it’s bad for you. Canned soup is a prime example. While it’s readily available, has a long shelf life, costs very little and can be prepared in minutes, most canned soups rely on sodium to make them palatable. Sodium – or salt – can raise blood pressure and lead to heart disease. Better to just avoid canned soups.
8.) Ramen noodles – Ramen is basically made from salt. Fat and salt are the worst things for you, so any high-sodium foods like Ramen noodles should be avoided. Enjoy them while you’re in college and can’t afford anything better because once you’re out you’ll need to take your health seriously.
9.) Frozen pot pies – The first 3 ingredients in a frozen pot pie are calories, fat and salt. None of these things are good for you. A single serving pot pie can contain as much as 700 calories, 41 grams of fat and over a thousand milligrams of salt. Yikes!
10.) Hot dogs – While processed mysterious bits of meat are appealing to 2 year olds, grown people should be weary of the questionable ingredients list. In addition to boat loads of salt, hot dogs are also known for containing nitrates which aren’t great for you either. If the taste still overrules the poor nutrition, just remember that hot dogs have been linked to kidney, stomach and colorectal cancers.
It’s not realistic to cut out all bad foods from your diet. Rather than deprivation, strive for moderation and keep the negative health effects in check. The key is to try to always consume more healthy foods than bad ones, so keep an open mind when you head to the store and try to shop the exterior aisles as much as possible to avoid processed foods that can crash your health and your budget.
Written By Guest Writer