10 Foods to Avoid

With a wealth of healthy, nutritious food out there just waiting to be consumed, why is it that obesity rates in America are so out of control and only getting worse? The answer isn’t simple, but one of the reasons may be that Americans eat certain foods on almost a daily basis that should rarely, if ever, be eaten. Some of these are obviously bad, but some are sneaky. Often people are not even aware of what exactly they are putting into their bodies. The following is a list of 10 foods that you should think twice about consuming.

White Bread and White Rice

White bread and white rice don’t even come close to measuring up nutritionally when compared to whole wheat, brown rice, oats, and other whole grains. The reason is simple; the white stuff has been processed and stripped of most of its original nutritional value, while whole grains, as the name implies, retain all the original, nutritional parts of the grain itself. Whole grains are an especially great source of fiber, while white breads and rice have lost most of their fiber. By switching to whole grains, you can reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity and related health problems associated with diabetes. Be careful, though. Just because it looks brown doesn’t mean it’s whole grain. Read the labels, and if the words “whole wheat” or “whole grain” don’t appear first in the ingredients list, put it back and find a product that does.

Sodas

Many people consume sodas and diet sodas throughout the day without even realizing what they’re drinking. Regular sodas contain lots of sugar and calories while providing virtually no other nutritional value. It’s like drinking a candy bar! This can contribute to obesity, heart disease, and tooth decay. Drinking sodas also contributes to bone problems such as osteoperosis because when children drink more sodas, they tend to drink less milk. Diet sodas aren’t much better for you, since artificial sweeteners have been linked to cancer in animal studies.

Energy and Meal Replacement Bars

If you’re on-the-go and need a quick snack, energy and meal replacement bars might seem like an easy way to pack in some important vitamins and minerals while giving a little lift. Sure, they have more nutritional value than a candy bar, but most also have just as many calories and just as much sugar as those same candy bars. The high sugar content causes a sugar rush and then crash, leaving you unsatisfied and hungry for more. Carry a piece of fruit with you for moments when you need a pick-me-up.

French Fries and Doughnuts

French fries and doughnuts are deep-fried starches. That really should be all you need to know. Before they’re even fried, they’re simple sugars. Then they’re fried, only compounding their dwindling nutritional value. Preparing foods in highly heated oils can contribute to a host of health risks including cancer and obesity. These foods can speed up the aging process. They’re loaded with trans fats, which dieticians recommend to avoid if at all possible, always. This might be okay if they weren’t so lacking in vital nutrients. They really serve no purpose beyond personal enjoyment, which is fine every once in a while, but if you’re eating a doughnut every morning on the way to work and calling it breakfast, you might want to stop.

Crackers with Trans Fats

Most people don’t realize the dangers hiding in crackers, a food which seems harmless enough. In fact, crackers have been recommended as a healthful snack, especially for athletes in need of a pre-race pick-me-up. Most crackers on the market today, though, contain trans fats. Trans fats are not a naturally occurring fat; they are the byproduct of a process called hyrdrogenation. These fats are found in most processed foods because they help to lengthen shelf life. Even most wheat crackers, which people might associate with the recommended daily dosage of whole grains, contain trans fats. There are alternatives available. Health stores and internet retailers carry brands of crackers that are trans fats free, so do a little research and find the brand that’s right for you.

Pizza

The average 3.7 ounce slice of plain cheese original crust pizza has 250 calories, 10 grams of total fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, and 590 mg of sodium. It also contains only about 2 grams of dietary fiber. That’s if you only get cheese and only eat one slice. All that sodium and saturated fat spells big trouble for the heart. Diets high in sodium contribute to heart disease. You might think you can make it a healthier choice by adding vegetables, but pizza is usually cooked at such a high temperature that all the nutritional value in those veggies is sucked out by the time it’s done. Making a healthier choice or making your own pizza at home using special recipes means you can eat a lot more food for a lot less calories, fat, and sodium.

High Sugar Cereals

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Diets that are high in sugar contribute to diabetes and obesity problems, and many common breakfast cereals are packed with simple sugars that might start your day with a jolt but lead to trouble down the line. An example would be one popular choice that has 13 grams of sugar per serving while only providing 1 g of dietary fiber and 2 grams of protein. Not exactly a well-balanced meal. These cereals end up being empty calories. You wouldn’t eat a chocolate bar for breakfast and think of it as healthy, and that’s what these cereals are—candy bars with milk on top. Instead, try heartier choices like oatmeal or whole grain cereals topped with fruit. These will give you steady energy to burn for hours instead of causing the sugar crash and craving, and they’ll also provide you with more fiber to keep you feeling fuller longer.

Cookies and Candy

Most people know that cookies and candy aren’t exactly health foods. The thing is, they don’t necessarily realize just how bad these tasty little morsels can be. Not only are they basically empty calories, full of sugar while providing little benefit, but most of them contain those aweful trans fats mentioned earlier. Sure, every once in a while. If you’re eating them with any regularity, you would be better served by healthier munchies like dried fruits and nuts to snack on.

Prepackaged Meals

How often does this scenario play out? You get home from a long day, it’s late, and you’re tired. Then you walk in the door and there’s a crew of hungry faces chiming, “Where’s dinner?” You pop in a couple of frozen dinners or throw together one of those complete meals in a box and call it a day. Well, those might have the competition beat on the convenience factor, but nutritionally they’re not the best choice. Most of them are loaded with preservatives and sodium, not to mention skimpy on the nutritional value when compared to good, whole foods. A meal in a box packs 316 calories into just 2.3 oz. of food. That’s not a lot of meal for your caloric intake. That same serving contains 930 mg of sodium. Frozen dinners aren’t much better. One popular choice contains 790 calories per serving and an overwhelming 1940 mg of sodium! Even the healthier choices in frozen dinners contain approximately 600 mg of sodium. Sure, you’re tired and hungry, but if you do a little research you’ll be shocked at the number of healthy recipes that take no time to make.

Decaffeinated Coffee

Most people who order decaffeinated coffee think that they’re doing themselves a favor. Caffeine can make you juttery, interrupt proper sleep, and negatively effect blood sugar and bone density. Since decaffeinated coffee doesn’t have caffeine, the reasoning goes, it must be better for you. It isn’t. It still has about 3% of the original caffeine content, so it isn’t completely caffeine free. The biggest problem with decaffeinated coffee is that the process used to take out the caffeine creates chemicals such as chlorine, and these chemicals wind up in the coffee you think is so much healthier. If you’re wanting to avoid the caffeine altogether but you don’t want to give up coffee altogether, try decaffeinated coffees that use a process called Swiss water steaming to remove the caffeine. These coffees don’t wind up with the chemical leftovers. You can find them in health food stores.

Nutrition experts understand that asking people to avoid all these foods all the time is unrealistic and even unnecessary. There’s nothing wrong with a little eating for sheer pleasure every now and then, and the idea here is not that you cut these foods completely out of your diet. If you’re living on crackers made with trans fats and frozen dinners every day, though, you might want to try to start filtering healthier choices into your diet. Replacing overly processed foods like the ones mentioned above and eating more raw fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will make for a healthier, more energetic you.

Author: Nan Little