Top Ten Foods to Avoid

1. Deep fried foods

2. Sweats/ sugar

3. Highly processed foods

4. Fruit juices

5. Soy milk

6. Processed meats

7. Sodas

8. White flour

9. High gas foods

10. Processed oils

1. Deep Fried Foods

We all love deep fried foods, so do I, but they can be a disaster to one’s health. If eaten often, they can cause obesity, increase heart diseases and diabetes. Many are fried in unhealthy oils, which will be explained in the unhealthy processed oils. They are high in calories. They can have high doses of trans fats. Each time an oil is re-used for frying, its trans fat content increases. However, it’s important to distinguish between these artificial trans fats and trans fats that occur naturally in foods like meat and dairy products. Fried foods may contain acrylamide, which is a toxic substance that can form in foods during high-temperature cooking.

2. Sweets

Sugar found in sodas, chocolate bars, pastries, cakes etc. are addictive. Many people have a “sugar-tooth” and can’t keep away from it. Too much processed sugars can lead to many health issues, such as tooth decay, diabetes, cancer, weight increase, and even may cause depression. I think the worst culprit are sodas. Because they are in liquid form, one doesn’t feel that they are full, so people chug down sodas like there is no tomorrow.

1. 3. Highly processed foods

All packaged foods, same as frozen meals, are not ‘real foods’. These foods are high in sugars, to make them taste good, and addictive. They contain some many artificial ingredients, that one needs a chemistry degree to decipher it! Some of these products contain ingredients that produce a hyper-satisfying feeling form eating them. This can cause a food addiction issue. They are loaded with refined, “simple” carbohydrates. These lead to rapid spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels and cause negative health effects. Finally , many of these products are high in unhealthy fats, such as trans fats.

1. 1. 4. Fruit juices

Working at an elementary school, I see many children’s lunches & snacks packed with fruit juices. Parents are thinking they are doing good by giving the kids a healthy drink. Actually,it isn’t as healthy as one would think. Fruit juices are packed with sugar. They have practically the same amount of calories and sugar content as a sugary soft drink. We think these juices contain antioxidants and vitamins, they lack any fibre at all. One’s better off eating the whole fruit itself, as it will contain fibre, and will make you feel full.

5) Soy milk

Now this one will guarantee to cause a debate. Soy in general is not being viewed as bad. I myself do eat certain soy products, such as tofu, and natto( Japanese fermented soybeans). Soy contains a hormone-like substance called phytoestrogens. As the name indicates, these plant hormones, in a large amounts, might lower libido in men, spur the growth of some types of breast tumours in women, and possibly increase the risk of certain autoimmune disorders like lupus. Soy milk being a liquid, people would ingest more, there is a higher possibility that one’s intake of these phytoestrogens would be high.

1. 1. 6. Processed meats

Processed meats includes products such as bacon, deli meats, and sausages. It is not so much the problem of nitrates in them, as there are nitrates in certain vegetable, such as beets, that actually have good health benefits, but rather when the processed meats are cooked at a high heat. This high heat can produce nitrosamines which are potentially carcinogenic. As for deli meats, they may contain other products and be high in fats. Best bet is to read the labels, and cut down on consumption of processed meats.

7. Sodas

A big one to look out for . Regular or diet sodas, in my mind, are all the same. Diet sodas can still cause health problems. Because it is a liquid, people can drink liters of soda, and not feel full. Although we think diet sodas are better, they are not. Insulin, secreted by the pancreas, is how the human body stores sugar. When the taste of artificial sweeteners in a soda, hits your brain, it automatically sends a signal to your pancreas to begin producing insulin. Insulin is what tells our cells to either use sugar as food or store it as fat–without it, our bodies can’t process the sugar that lands in our bloodstreams. When your pancreas produces insulin to deal with anticipated sugar, but then no sugar arrives, it confuses your body and disrupts its metabolic process. This may explain why several studies have shown a link between regularly drinking diet soda and metabolic syndrome, a collection of symptoms that includes larger waist circumference, higher blood pressure, and higher blood sugar.

8) White flour

White flour products are mostly empty of any nutritional value. That is why bread companies have to add nutrients to them to make them more appealing to the consumer. Not only do they have no nutritional value, but they are converted to sugar by your body just as fast as sweet products. Eating foods made with white or refined flour is a sure-fire way to add some inches to ones waist.

9. High gas foods

There are certain foods that may cause excess bloating, gas, diarrhea or even stomach pains. Such foods consist of wheat, legumes, certain dairy products, certain vegetables (such as cabbage and broccoli), can give these problems. Not everyone may have issues with this foods, but some might. The best is to experiment with these food intolerance. Introduce some of these foods to ones diet, if one gets a negative reaction, then eliminate them, completely if possible.

10) Processed oils

There are several oils out there some better than others, and some promoted as good, but aren’t that great at all. Best for cooking is extra virgin oil, and butter (yes, butter). Two products that are not highly processed. Margarine is out of the question, it is a simple chemical experiment trying to replicate butter in a healthy way, which it is not.

Vegetable oils and even canola oil are highly processed oils. I’m not going into the details, but look into the processing method of these oils and you’ll think twice!