10 Foods to Be Avoided at All Costs

10 Foods to Be Avoided at All Costs

Anyone who is following a reasonably healthy diet knows that too much sugar and salt can be bad for you and that you should be eating five portions of fruit and vegetables per day. However, with so much food available in the supermarkets, it can be difficult to tell just how healthy or unhealthy some food is, especially if it is pre-packaged and the ingredient lists are shrouded in science-speak that isn’t easy to understand. Take this guide with you the next time you go to the supermarket, and you will know what food to avoid at all costs and why.

Chicken Nuggets

These are a tasty snack and kids love them. They tend to fill you up quickly, but they are full of salt, fat and preservatives, which is not good if you are following a healthy diet. They also tend to use undesirable cuts of meat.

French Fries

They may be one of America’s favorite foods, but they contain a lot of saturated fat, and they are high in calories. There are so many better ways to enjoy potatoes, such as oven-baked potato wedges and fresh new potatoes, that eating them the unhealthiest way in the form of a French fry is unnecessary.

Soft Drinks

These are packed with sugar and calories, and even if they do not rot your teeth, they will make you gain weight quickly. They are very harmful for your liver and are even believed to cause some types of cancer. It is far better and kinder to your body to stick to bottled water when you are on the go.

Hot Dogs

These may taste good, but they are filled with low-grade meat, and you may not even want to know what you are actually eating. The onions you have with them do not make the hot dog healthier if they are fried, which just adds to the fat content of the snack.

Sugary Cereal

Although you might think of cereal as a healthy breakfast food, the sugary ones should be avoided unless you want to lose all your energy by 11am. Stick to low-fat, low-sugar whole grains in the morning as these will fill you up slowly and you will not feel hungry before lunch.

Granola Bars

This is a sneaky little food that you think is healthy but really isn’t because it is packed with sugar and syrup. These bars also contain a lot of fat and sodium. For a healthy cereal bar, try something plant-based that is high in fiber and natural energy.

Eggs

Eggs aren’t necessarily bad for you, but you should be careful about the way they are cooked. Steer clear of fried eggs as they contain a lot of fat. Omelets should be cooked carefully to make sure they do not contain any harmful bacteria. Poached eggs and egg whites are fine, however, and can be eaten as part of a healthy diet.

Baked Goods

Who doesn’t love baked goods? You can smell them as soon as you enter the supermarket, and they make your mouth water. However, they are full of saturated and trans fats. They are painful to digest for people with gallbladder problems and can be dangerous for diabetics to consume because they make their blood sugar spike. You may love them, but they are best left alone.

Refined Grains

Refined grains such as white pasta, white bread and white flour can be hard to digest and are harmful for people with certain health problems. They cause sensitivity to people with gluten intolerance and increase the pain of arthritis. Refined grains cause a spike in blood sugar, so they should be avoided by diabetics. However, these problems are not associated with whole grains, so switch to brown rice and flour and your body will thank you for it.

Fruit Juice

This is a product that you think should be healthy because it can be counted as one of your five a day and it comes from fruit. However, it is also packed with sugar, which causes a spike in energy levels followed by a crash. Drinking too much of it will also lead to weight gain. There are so many other products on the market that are better for you to drink that fruit juice is best left alone unless you take it from the fruit yourself.

Avoid these ten foods if you want to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle.