As tempting and delicious as foods like nachos, cookies, and donuts are, the truth is that they are nothing but bad for the body. Even some ‘healthy’ foods that we consume daily, thinking that they are suitable for us, are actually junk foods in disguise. As a result of this, it can be quite hard to determine which foods are really healthy and which aren’t.To help you with that, we’ve rounded some of the unhealthiest foods you must eliminate from your daily diet and replace them with healthier substitutes.
Take a look at the top 10 foods you should avoid, no matter how irresistible they might be!
Contents
1. Donuts
Soft, melt-in-the-mouth, and sweet donuts are some of the most popularly consumed foods worldwide. But, truth be told, they are extremely unhealthy. A single donut is packed full of calories, and the worst part is there are 15 to 30 grams of sugar in each donut. When we consume such large amounts of sugar in one go, the body has to pump tons of insulin to combat the high sugar content.
2. Sugary Drinks
These are a staple on the dinner table for many people; however, sugar drinks are the worst foods to consume, mostly daily. They contain added sugar, a hazardous ingredient because when you drink sugar liquids, the brain doesn’t consider them as real food. As a result of this, you are likely to end up increasing your total calorie intake to a great extent. Not just that, but these drinks are rich in calories, and drinking them in large amounts can promote obesity and fat gain.
3. White Bread
Most commercial white bread you get from the store is made from refined wheat, which doesn’t provide adequate amounts of essential nutrients. It also contains highly processed flour along with additives that are unhealthy for the body. If you consume white bread daily, it can significantly increase the risk of diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.
4. Breakfast Cereals
Particularly popular among children, breakfast cereals are truly delicious yet really bad for you. Most contain added sugar, and the sweetened cereal variety contains high added sugar content. This is one of the most significant downsides of breakfast cereals and the reason why it’s one of the foods you should avoid. It is best to look for cereal low in added sugar content and provides large amounts of fiber.
5. Potato Chips and French Fries
Potatoes are generally healthy and a good source of vitamin C, antioxidants, and fiber, but it doesn’t apply to French fries and potato chips. Packaged potato chips and French fries are really high in calories and can lead to significant weight gain. The worst part is that it’s very easy to consume an excessive amount of fries and chips in a single go. Not just that, but when you fry or bake potatoes, they form large amounts of a carcinogenic substance called acrylamides that are really harmful to the body.
6. Ice Cream
While this is super delicious and a staple during the summer season for people worldwide, you can’t overlook the fact that it is loaded with sugar. The high sugar content, needless to say, is extremely unhealthy for you. It’s also high in calories which can contribute to significant weight gain. If you still wish to eat ice cream, it is best to make your own version at home with fresh fruits, less sugar, and other healthy ingredients, or you can opt for brands that make healthier ice creams.
7. Processed Cheese
You will find many varieties of cheese in the market, one of which is processed cheese. This particular type is super unhealthy for you and contains filler ingredients designed to give it an appearance and texture like regular cheese. Processed cheese also contains a few artificial ingredients that are harmful to your health. It is best to stick to real cheese varieties that include cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese, and feta cheese, to name a few.
8. Instant Noodles
They are undoubtedly convenient and easy to make, but instant noodles are also among the worst foods to eat. The term ‘instant’ alone suggests how unhealthy it is because to make a food instant, food manufacturers are likely to be doing something to the food to strip it down and remove the essential nutrients that it might contain. Not just that, but instant noodles contain a high sodium content, which, as we all know, is bad for the body. They also contain MSG (monosodium glutamate), a flavor enhancer that comes with multiple health risks of its own, including nausea, headache, numbness, and many others.
9. Deep-Fried Foods
All these foods are super delectable, from fried chicken to fried wontons to fried pork rinds, but they are fried. Fried foods are highly caloric because they tend to absorb all the fat from the oils in which they are fried. Eating a lot of fried food doesn’t only lead to weight gain, but it can also seriously raise your blood pressure levels, leading to high cholesterol, all of which are factors for heart disease.
10. White Rice
Eating large amounts of white rice is directly related to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, given how it negatively impacts blood sugar levels. White rice is highly processed and refined, which means it is highly destructive to your health, making it one of the foods you should avoid eating in excess.
Final Word
It is extremely important to distinguish between foods that are good for you and the foods you should avoid. Oftentimes, some foods are marketed in a way that makes us think they are healthy, but in actuality, there are nowhere near healthy. It is best to check the ingredient label on the back when buying store-bought packaged foods and steer clear of ones containing harmful ingredients.
