As we know, everything should be consumed in moderation. Even the healthiest of items. But it’s also true that the worst foods are not good for you at all, even if you only indulge in them from time to time. Here is what you should strive to eat less in your overall diet. As little as possible, even.
If you want to eat healthier and don’t know where to start, how about you try this? Just minimize as much as possible the amount of the worst foods possibly imaginable you consume. They maximize the risk for heart disease and diabetes and removing them from your diet takes a lot of the strain off your body. Here are the four culinary villains you need to keep an eye on!
The 4 worst foods you can have
1. Soft drinks
They are just empty calories and have no nutritional value. So basically having a soft drink with lunch or when you go out is just putting on the pounds without even feeling your hunger dwindle. A single can of soft drink has about 30 grams of sugar and, just a quick reminder, sugar and the industry which produces it are sort of evil! The sweet stuff is just unnecessary for your meal.
But soda isn’t the only beverage with empty calories. Other wrong-doers are alcohol, sweetened fruit drinks, and even unsweetened drinks are responsible for too much of your daily calorie intake.
According to an 18-month study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, subjects got more than 350 of their daily calories from beverages. That means about 20 percent of their total daily intake.
2. Everything labeled with “low-fat” and “low-carb”
If you get a lot of diet products in order to lose weight, then you should know that they are in fact some of the worst foods you could consume. Eating those products might do the opposite of what intended. They stimulate your appetite and can actually help you gain more weight. But more than that, they can lead to deficiencies and imbalance in your body.
Take, for instance, low-fat salad dressing. It can actually ruin your healthy salad. Furthermore, your body needs the fat in order to absorb the vitamin A. Without it, your body cannot process the nutrients.
3. Everything fried
French fries, fried chicken, fried everything is pretty bad for you. Why? Let us count the reasons! Frying destroys the vitamins and minerals in your food. Also, the fats in fried foods can clog arteries, which might lead to strokes and Alzheimer’s, but also to heart attacks and aneurysms.
There is also an increased risk for some types of cancer. Because when products rich in carbs like potatoes are heated to high temperatures in cooking and frying, they produce a carcinogen named acrylamide. When it comes to meat, the frying increases the formation of other carcinogens on its surface. This means that diets rich in fried foods are a risk factor for inflammatory conditions of the lungs and even cancers of the breast, pancreas, head, and neck.
4. Processed snacks
Most types of processed foods are pretty much bad for you. Even more so the processed snacks! They contain trans fats, which are bad fatty acids, the result of processing. This process gives the foods a longer life, but the trans fats raise your bad cholesterol levels and increase the chances of developing heart disease.
If you feel like having a snack, you can make your own cookies or chips, for instance. Or if you don’t have that much time, check out the product’s label. Try not to get one with hydrogenated oil, salt, sugar or high-fructose corn syrup or any other artificial sounding ingredient.