Lifestyle
You are what you eat. This statement rings true, especially when you consider that food is a huge determinant of our health. Generally, anything edible we ingest has some benefits it accords to our body. However, some may have adverse effects on our health that outweigh the perks they bring. These make it to our list of foods to avoid.
Presently, we are in the age of healthy living where practices of proper dieting come into account for robust health. When looking at food as an essential part of a healthy life, the point of focus in maximum nutrition with minimal side effects. The turning point is organic where fruits and vegetables make the bulk of the meal.
What Is the Best Fruit to Eat Every Day?
Fruits are some of the best compliments to a healthy diet. Aside from essential nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, they also provide dietary fiber required for digestion in the body. When it comes to fruits, you have the freedom to pick your best choice depending on availability and taste.
Avocados and bananas are some of the fruits that have a decent package of nutrients. Others include apples, melons, and berries. An excellent way to have a fruity serving every day is to opt for a fruit salad or have a fresh fruit juice, made from home from real fruits with no additives.
Which Foods Should Be Eaten Together?
To get the best out of your plate, you need to take some food together. The meals may complement each other in taste and also their nutritional value and ensure that you have a balanced diet. Take some carbs and have a side of greens on the side. A dessert of fruits or something fruity is a decent send-off.
Shifting our focus from the healthy foods, you need to know unhealthy food to keep away from it. Below are some of the unhealthiest foods you need to avoid for impressive health.
1. Red Meat
The issue of red meat on the unhealthy food list is a serious debate pitting two sides against each other. Red meat is the typical meat that can grace our tables that is red when raw and assumes a dark color when cooked. Under this category, we have beef, veal, venison, and mutton, among many more. One thing that is synonymous with red meat is the high amount of saturated fat that some cuts contain.
The high saturated fat level has the effect of raising blood cholesterol which is a sure way leading to cardiovascular diseases. There are also unconfirmed reports that point to the consumption of red meat with the susceptibility to cancers such as colorectal cancers. The link is yet to be established appropriately.
2. Processed Foods
Food processing was one of the significant milestones in the history of humanity. It encompasses food extraction and incorporation of preservation methods for the food to last longer. In some food processing methods, though, there is an increased use of chemicals to improve the result.
The chemicals used are usually under the classification of artificial flavors, spices or sweeteners. Some of these artificial additives such as styrene and benzophenone are carcinogenic. It means they can lead to cancer once ingested in the body.
Other shortcomings of food processing include the addition of sweeteners which add more calories to the food. Some foods, such as vegetables and fruits have some of their nutrients interfered with due to the processing. It is not uncommon to find processed foods with reduced fiber content.
3. Soda
Soda should top the list of processed foods you need to avoid as you work towards a healthier lifestyle. The thing that makes soda one of the foodstuffs to avoid is its high sugar content. The sugar present in soda can be a precursor to diabetes and liver problems such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Looking at its acidic content, it can trigger a bout of stomach ulcer pains if you are suffering from peptic ulcers. Back to its sugar content, teeth cavities are an eventuality that you should be wary of.
4. French fries
Potatoes are among the most nutritious foods you may come across which can provide you with vitamins, carbohydrates, and sodium among others. When you convert them to the delicious French fries, then you cross the line to the other side of healthy living.
The frying part is a critical consideration that makes them one of the junk food to keep your hands off. It is a consensus among healthy eating circles that deep-frying is one of the unhealthy modes of food preparation. The oil increases the fat composition of the food and rockets up their calories. It is a chain effect leading to increased body cholesterol which increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Then there is the issue of the chemical acrylamide. It is present in overcooked potatoes such as in long-cooked French fries. In animal studies, there is a link to cancer and the same may replicate to humans.
5. White Bread
White bread is another entrant of the foods to avoid, for you to accomplish a fit lifestyle. White bread is made from refined wheat flour that has a decent content of fiber done away with; hence it has little to talk about when it comes to nutritional value.
Due to the lack of fiber digestion is usually fast and may lead to a spike in glucose levels in the body. The elevated levels of blood sugar present a risk for diabetes among other illnesses.
6. Pizza
Pizza is one of the most popular junk foods, and its entry to the list of foods to avoid might rub many the wrong way. Pizza contains high levels of carbs, unsaturated fats, and salts. All of these are the recipe for several lifestyle diseases.
Dependent on age, pizza contributes to roughly 84 to 250 calories per sitting. The calories present an increased risk of obesity due to the high cholesterol levels in the body. The high sodium content in the pizza, courtesy of the salt and other additives increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure.
Aside from obesity and hypertension, there is also the risk of type 2 diabetes.
7. Gluten-Free Foods
Going gluten-free is the latest fad in the food industry with many buying the suggestion that it is key to healthy living. While it may be true to those who are gluten intolerant, you need to be aware of the sugars and artificial sweeteners going into such diets.
Many companies are coming up with several versions of zero gluten junk food snacks but are on the side topping it up with sugar. A surge in sugar levels is an expectation, besides the foods are usually of minimal nutritional significance.
8. Sushi
Sushi is a delicacy with East Asian origins that is gaining acceptance from all over the world as part of exotic cuisine. However, for a healthy lifestyle, it is high time you consider ditching it for better options. The key ingredient of the new age sushi is raw fish, rolled over some vegetables and vinegar rice.
The fish being raw is a front for bacterial infections such as salmonella. It depends on its handling, and if not right, a visit to the doctor is imminent. As fish is marine, there is also the looming danger of mercury present in the fish tissues.
Mercury has several adverse effects such as impaired learning and growth in children.
9. Coconut Yoghurt
Coconut yogurt is the to-go junkie food for vegans as it contains no animal products. It seems vegans are quite short-changed in the equation to healthy living as coconut yogurt contains high levels of saturated fat. The high-fat levels translate to lots of calories that can increase the body’s cholesterol levels.
10. Foods With Caffeine
Sealing off the list of the foods you have to avoid are foods with caffeine in them. Studies show that caffeine comes with several benefits such as help in memory, and also in fighting some cancers. However, it also has some adverse effects etched to its side.
Some of the side effects include trouble sleeping, increased heartbeat, agitation and many more. Many foods aside from coffee may contain caffeine and may not have an idea of them. In the list, there is chocolate and everything with chocolate from ice cream to cookies. Iced tea is also up on the list, the same as some cereals.
Eat Healthy Foodstuff
‘Food is Life’ is a common quote that runs through the fit living quarters. In simple terms, it translates to what you eat is equal to the quality of your life, which is not even inches from the truth. There are various healthy foods that food advocates insist you need to have to fit health.
As you know what foods to eat, you also have to know which ones to avoid as they may compromise your health. The above entry contains some of the foods to avoid entirely or reduce their consumption. Take note of them and when you go grocery shopping, think twice before dropping them in your shopping basket.
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