According to Kris Gunnars, B.Sc (a nutritionist): “It’s easy to get confused about which foods are healthy and which aren’t. Some of the foods listed below are generally unhealthy — although most people can eat them in moderation on special occasions without any permanent damage to their health.
Sugary drinks
Added sugar is one of the worst ingredients in the modern diet. However, some sources of sugar are worse than others, and sugary drinks are particularly harmful.
When you drink liquid calories, your brain doesn’t appear to register them as food. Thus, you may end up drastically increasing your total calorie intake. When consumed in large amounts, sugar can drive insulin resistance and is strongly linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. It’s also associated with various serious conditions, including type- 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Some people believe that sugary drinks are the most fattening aspect of the modern diet — and drinking them in large amounts can drive fat gain and obesity.
Alternatives
Drink water, soda water, coffee, or tea instead. Adding a slice of lemon to water or soda water can provide a burst of flavor.
Most pizzas
Pizza is one of the world’s most popular junk foods. Most commercial pizzas are made with unhealthy ingredients, including highly refined dough and heavily processed meat. Pizza also tends to be extremely high in calories.
Alternatives
Some restaurants offer healthier ingredients. Homemade pizzas can also be very healthy, as long as you choose wholesome ingredients.
White bread
Most commercial breads are unhealthy if eaten in large amounts, as they’re made from refined wheat, which is low in fibre and essential nutrients and may lead to rapid spikes in blood sugar.
Alternatives
Whole-grain bread is also healthier than white bread, as recommended for those who have problems with gluten or carbs.
Most fruit juices
Fruit juice is often assumed to be healthy. While juice contains some antioxidants and vitamin C, it also packs high amounts of liquid sugar. In fact, fruit juice contaains just as much sugar as sugary drinks like Coke or Pepsi — and sometimes even more.
Alternatives
Some fruit juices have been shown to have health benefits despite their sugar content, such as pomegranate and blueberry juices. However, these should be considered occasional supplements, not an everyday part of your diet.
Sweetened breakfast cereals
Breakfast cereals are processed cereal grains, such as wheat, oats, rice, and corn. They’re especially popular among children and frequently eaten with milk. To make them more palatable, the grains are roasted, shredded, pulped, rolled, or flaked. They’re generally high in added sugar.
The main downside of most breakfast cereals is their high added sugar content. Some are so sweet that they could even be compared to candy.
Alternatives
Choose breakfast cereals that are high in fibre and low in added sugar. Even better, make your own oat porridge from scratch.
Fried, grilled, or broiled food
Frying, grilling, and broiling are among the unhealthiest cooking methods. Foods cooked in these ways are often highly palatable and calorie-dense.
Several types of unhealthy chemical compounds also form when food is cooked under high heat.
These include acrylamides, acrolein, heterocyclic amines, oxysterols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and advanced glycation end products (AGEs).
Many chemicals formed during high-heat cooking have been linked to an increased risk of cancer and heart disease.
Pastries, cookies, and cakes
Most pastries, cookies, and cakes are unhealthy if eaten in excess. Packaged versions are generally made with refined sugar, refined wheat flour, and added fats. Shortening, which may be high in unhealthy trans-fats, is sometimes added. These treats might be tasty, but they have almost no essential nutrients, copious calories, and many preservatives.
Alternatives
If you can’t stay away from dessert, spring for Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, or dark chocolate.
French fries and potato chips
Whole, white potatoes are very healthy. However, the same cannot be said of French fries and potato chips. These foods are very high in calories, and it’s easy to eat excessive amounts.
Several studies link French fries and potato chips to weight gain.
These foods may also contain large amounts of acrylamides, which are carcinogenic substances that form when potatoes are fried, baked, or roasted.
Alternatives
Potatoes are best consumed boiled, not fried. If you need something crunchy to replace potato chips, try baby carrots or nuts.
Processed meat (suya)
Even though unprocessed meat can be healthy and nutritious, the same is not true for processed meats. Studies show that people who eat processed meats have a higher risk of many serious ailments, including colon cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Most of these studies are observational in nature, meaning that they can’t prove that processed meat is to blame.
However, the statistical link is strong and consistent between studies.
Alternatives
If you want to eat bacon, sausages, or pepperoni, try to buy from local butchers who don’t add many unhealthy ingredients.
Other food items to be avoided include low-fat yogurt, low-carb junk foods, sugary ice cream, candy bars, processed cheese and high-calorie coffee drinks.
Foods that Make You Sad!
BEWARE! These food items can make you SAD! They are high sugar drinks and food items that cause headache, fried foods and snacks including donuts, French fries and potato chips that affect the brain functions, coffee that alter sleep pattern, as well as diet soda and white bread that affect your mood negatively.
Conclusion:
For us to enjoy nutrition security and stay healthy, let us go for farm-fresh, organic food items. Let us choose milder and healthier cooking methods, such as boiling, stewing, blanching, and steaming, away from frying, broiling and overheating food items. They all give us foods that kill!
Let us also stay away from sugary, salty and fried, fatty foods. The choice is now squarely in your hands.
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