Foods to avoid

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Nutrition plays an important role in maintaining our health. If we know a lot about healthy products, then it is worth dealing with harmful ones.

We invite you to find out what foods are really bad for your health and how you can replace them.

Sweet drinks

Sugar in any product is a very bad sign. However, some sources of sugar are inferior to others, for example, sugary drinks are especially insidious. The fact is that when we drink, the brain does not register this process as "nutrition." That is, even if you drink one liter of soda with sugar at one time and get your lunchtime calorie intake, you will still not give up food, because you will not feel hungry.

Also, when consumed in large quantities, sugar can cause insulin resistance (increased concentration of insulin in the blood plasma) and contribute to the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

What to drink instead?

The best option is water. However, scientists say that tea and coffee (no added sugar) can be great substitutes too. For a soft drink, buy soda and add a wedge of lemon to it.

Most fruit juices

Alas, juices also belong to the category of "harmful products", again because of the amount of sugar that manufacturers generously add to their drinks. Almost all juices in supermarkets contain as much sugar as Coca-Cola or Pepsi soda.

Give up juices altogether?

Do not forget that you can always drink freshly squeezed juice (but do not abuse it). Some fruit juices have also been shown to have health benefits despite their sugar content, such as pomegranate and blueberry juices.

fried food

Frying and grilling is the most unhealthy method of cooking. Firstly, this process often happens with a huge amount of oil, which greatly increases the calorie content. Secondly, when cooking over high heat, several types of harmful chemical compounds are formed.

These include acrylamides, acrolein, heterocyclic amines, oxysterols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and many more! Many of these compounds have been linked to an increased risk of cancer and heart disease.

How to cook?

It is best to choose milder food processing methods such as boiling, stewing, blanching, and steaming.

Pastries, biscuits and cakes

The main problem with these sweets is that they are very high in calories (and certainly delicious), but have almost no beneficial nutrients.

Sugar, refined wheat flour, trans fats (which cannot be processed by the body) and many, many preservatives (if we are talking about store production). Such food contributes to obesity and a deficiency of beneficial micronutrients; it is absolutely useless to eat it.

What if you want something sweet?

If you can't skip dessert, try Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, or dark chocolate.

French fries and chips

While many people believe potatoes are evil, fresh white potatoes are actually quite healthy. However, the same cannot be said for French fries and chips. These foods are incredibly high in calories and very small portions! They can easily be eaten in excess without even noticing. Many studies suggest that these particular foods are the cause of obesity in many countries.

These foods may also contain high amounts of acrylamides, which are carcinogenic substances produced when potatoes are fried or baked.

What to do?

Potatoes are best consumed boiled rather than fried. If you are in the mood for a snack or a crunch, choose nuts or carrots.

Low Calorie Yogurt

Yogurt can be a very healthy food, alas, most options in supermarkets are not. One of the popular foods in stores is low calorie yogurt, which is low in fat but high in sugar! Manufacturers go to such a trick to compensate for the flavor that the fat provides. In addition, many yoghurts do not contain probiotic bacteria, as is commonly believed. They are usually pasteurized, which kills most bacteria.

How to choose yoghurt?

Better to stay on regular fatty yogurt without sugar and any flavorings.

Ice cream

And ice cream made it to the list of unhealthy foods! Many doctors note that now, when there are so many choices, more and more sugar is added to this product. It is also very high in calories and easy to overeat.

How to be?

You should not deny yourself the pleasure of eating ice cream, but you should choose the simplest options with a minimum amount of additives.

Processed meat

Nutritionists advise not to ignore meat in your diet and sometimes consume lean types of unprocessed meat. However, such a recommendation can hardly be heard about sausages, bacon, sausages and other meat delicacies.

Research shows that people who eat processed meat have a higher risk of serious diseases, including colon cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

And if you really want to?

Many farms today make bacon and sausages from their own produce. If this activity is not very common in your area, then you should avoid processed meat altogether.

Processed cheese

Cheese can be very beneficial in moderation. A small morsel of this product is full of nutrients! However, processed cheese products are not at all like regular cheese. They are mainly made from masses (a substance with a high content of emulsifiers, vegetable oils, sodium, food colors, preservatives and sugar) that have nothing to do with cheese, but only resemble its appearance and texture.

How to choose?

Always read the ingredients, but it's worth noting that processed cheese is almost never healthy. Better to eat a real product. Feta, mozzarella and curd cheeses are especially useful.

High-calorie coffee drinks

Coffee is rich in antioxidants and has many health benefits. Coffee drinkers have a lower risk of serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes and Parkinson's disease. But the popularity of this drink played a cruel joke on it!

A huge number of coffee houses, of which it only grows every year, due to competition, offers more and more interesting options for cocktails with coffee. Cream, syrup, sprinkles, sugar make coffee a real bomb. These drinks can be sweeter than a glass of soda.

What kind of coffee should you drink?

Black coffee is ideal. If you want a softer taste, don't be afraid to add a little milk to it.

Heavily processed foods

The main difference between these products is that their composition is "modified" at the production stage. The ingredients that shorten the shelf life are extracted and those that help keep it fresh for longer are added.

Such food contains a lot of salt and sugar, trans fats (which our body does not digest), little fiber and micronutrients. As a result, such food leads to weight gain, type 2 diabetes and increases the risk of premature death by 26%.

How to be?

When you shop, be sure to read the labels on the food packages. Always opt for whole foods over convenience foods.