The 6 Most Unhealthy Foods You Should Avoid at All Costs
by www.SixWise.com
Some people swear by the mantra "everything in moderation,"
but the truth is, some foods, no matter how good they taste,
are better off left alone.
If you need a little motivation to stay away from these most
unhealthy foods, consider that four of the 10 leading causes
of death in the United States are related to diet (diabetes,
heart disease, cancer and stroke). And if you're looking to
improve yours, cutting back on these six foods is a great
place to start.
1. Soda.
An average can of soda has 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories,
30 to 55 mg of caffeine, artificial food colors and sulphites.
Diet sodas have the even-more-unhealthy artificial sweeteners.
A major part of the problem is that sodas have become a staple
in many people's diets. A study in the journal Pediatrics
found that 56 percent to 85 percent of children consume at
least one soft drink a day, and 20 percent of adolescent males
drink four or more sodas a day.
"Parents and health officials need to recognize soft
drinks for what they are -- liquid candy -- and do everything
they can to return those beverages to their former role as
an occasional treat," says the Center for Science in
the Public Interest (CSPI), a U.S. consumer group. In fact,
CSPI has recently petitioned the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) calling for cigarette-style warnings on soft drinks
to warn people of their potential health risks (weight gain,
diabetes, tooth decay and more).
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You knew it was coming ... French fries contain
at least two types of cancer-causing compounds.
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2. Potato chips and French fries.
These popular snack foods contain acrylamide, a known carcinogen
and neurotoxin that is formed when foods are baked or fried
at high temperatures. "I estimate that acrylamide causes
several thousand cancers per year in Americans," said
Clark University research professor Dale Hattis.
When CSPI conducted tests on some popular brands of French
fries and chips, they found that the acrylamide in a large
order of fast food fries was at least 300 times the amount
allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a
glass of water.
"There has long been reason for Americans to eat less
greasy French fries and snack chips," said CSPI executive
director Michael F. Jacobson. "Acrylamide is yet another
reason to eat less of those foods."
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An Up-and-Coming Absolute Worst Food
... Don't Try This at Home
This one wasn't popular enough to make the top-six
list yet, but it's growing in popularity ... and
growing fast. The deep-fried Twinkie, first invented
in a Brooklyn restaurant by brothers Clint and Rocky
Mullen, is making its rounds to country fairs and carnivals
around the country.
Here's how they're made:
• Twinkies are chilled, rolled in flour, dipped
in tempura batter and fried for a minute or two.
• The frying process melts the cream center, which
becomes infused throughout the cake, giving it a pudding-like
texture.
• For the finale, they're sprinkled with powdered
sugar and served with chocolate or berry sauce.
If you're not into Twinkies, don't despair. The Mullen
brothers also sell deep-fried candy bars--Snickers,
3 Musketeers and Milky Way--to suit even the most discerning
tastes.
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But that's not all. These foods also contain trans fats,
the artery-clogging fat that's been linked to raising bad
cholesterol (and lowering
the good kind), and increasing the risk of heart disease,
diabetes, stroke and cancer.
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Doughnuts: A somehow tasty concoction of refined sugar,
flour, trans fats and artificial flavors with zero nutritional
value.
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3. Doughnuts.
Tasty, yes. But break a doughnut down and you'll find nothing
more than refined sugar and flour, artificial flavors and
partially hydrogenated oil that's loaded with trans fats.
They have no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
"When it comes to health, the only thing good about
them is the hole," said Carla Wolper, nutritionist at
the New York Obesity Research Center.
4. Coffee Cake and Other Baked Goods.
This category actually includes all varieties of baked goods,
including packaged cake and biscuit mixes. What makes these
foods so bad is that they almost always contain high amounts
of trans fats and a host of other unsavory additives including
corn syrup, preservatives and artificial flavors and colors.
In fact, commercial baked goods typically
contain more trans fats than any other food because
not only are they often made with hydrogenated oils, they're
fried in them too.
If you're not ready to give up your morning treat just yet,
opt for baked goods from your local bakery (which is less
likely to use hydrogenated oil for a long shelf-life and is
likely to use butter instead of margarine, which typically
contains trans fat) or make them yourself.
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A hot dog now and then can be reasonably healthy if
you seek out a nitrite/nitrate-free variety.
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5. Luncheon Meats/Hot Dogs.
Processed meats like these (and others including sausages,
bacon, pepperoni and other processed meats) contain a carcinogenic
precursor ingredient known as sodium nitrite (sodium nitrate
is closely related).
"Sodium nitrite is a dangerous, cancer-causing ingredient
that has no place in the human food supply," says nutritionist
Mike Adams, author of the Grocery Warning Manual.
And, according to a University of Hawaii study that followed
nearly 200,000 people for seven years, people who consumed
the most processed meats (hot dogs and sausage) showed a 67
percent increased risk of pancreatic cancer over those who
consumed little or no meat products.
Here's some good news: you can find various varieties of
nitrite/nitrate-free meats in any health food store.
6. Canned Soup.
Here we're talking about the traditional, canned soups you
find in your grocery store. This may come as a surprise, but
most canned (and packaged) soups have high levels of trans
fats, sodium and artificial preservatives like MSG. Just one
cup of canned soup can have almost 1,000 milligrams of salt
(and most people eat more than one cup), which is tons considering
dietary guidelines recommend consuming no more than 2,400
milligrams for the entire day.
There are healthy options out there, particularly natural,
organic brands, but be sure to read the label. The alternative
is, of course, to make your own homemade variety.
Recommended Reading
The
Top 8 Foods People Are Most Sensitive To -- Without Even Knowing
It!
High
Cholesterol? The TOP 12 Non-Drug Strategies to Increase Your
HDL Levels
Sources
Reuters
July 13, 2005
What's
Wrong With Trans Fats?
CSPI
Newsroom
Doughnuts
Get a Big Zero
Organic
Consumers Association
CNN:
New Junk Food Fad: Deep-Fried Twinkies