Tuesday, August 12, 2008

The 6 Most Unhealthy Foods 
You Should Avoid at All Costs
by www.SixWise.com



Can you tell I have nothing to blog about ?  
I thought this was interesting enough.

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.

 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).

Fries and Potato Chips

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

Are you a healthy eater?
Are you afraid to eat this stuff?

14 comments:

Suzanne said...

For the love of all that is holy, why did you have to pick on the doughnut and cake products!! Seriously! j/k I needed this post because I am trying to get my diet back in control. Thanks for the post, I guess! -Suzanne

Ann Marie said...

So I guess I'm for sure going to die from cancer. With the fact that I can give up a candy bar, but not my potato chips, I guess I'm doomed.

If your out of post ideas, you can always do the favorite things tag.. You've got quite the photography skills :)

BTW: When you wrote that it made you miss Utah, I didn't know you'd been here..Have you been here alot? Maybe I remember you saying you went to the Y??

Mitch said...

Well for hell sake what can i eat?! All i eat is processed meat. Are we talking processed turkey from the deli at walmart? I buy the high end meat that seems to be A LOT less processed. I figured it was good for me. I swear, it's all a conspiracy. I guess i have to nibble on gnats, nutts, and nicotine and nothing else. Soda is the devil in liquid form. My ultimate weakness is bakery products. It's so freakin hard for me to turn down a delicious danish anything staring me into the eyes. WOwsers!

jessamyn said...

oh man, I don't eat the first four like ever... but I really love campbell's tomato soup and hot dogs!

carey said...

Yikes. I considered myself a fairly healthy eater until I read this. I know soda is bad...but I love the occasional bag of chips and I cook with canned soups and eat lunch meat all the time! I guess we're all gonna croak...

JENNIFRO said...

Good idea A.M. I forgot about that tag--I 'll do that.

I did go to BYU for five years and also visited my grandparents in Springville all growing up. I LOVE it there--just NOT the long winters.

JENNIFRO said...

Oh, and Mitch--since you eat a lot of lunch meat you really should buy it without nitrites and hormones. Then you'd be fine little brother.

Up in Bubbles said...

That is down right depressing when you start looking what goes into the our food. It is no wonder everyone is getting cancer or something else horrible. I guess is goes to show that we should eat those fruits and veggies from the garden. The freasher the better for you. Sometimes I just wish it was easier to eat healthy, and that those other things didn't taste so good.

Jayne Layne said...

Nothing is good to me these days except soda! But I have been giving that up too. I have to say I don't eat a TON of that stuff, but I am definitely not a healthy eater. I am more and more feeling so GUILTY for the things I put into my body. I wish we had a Trader Joe's I would seriously change my ways in so fast!

eggy said...

I love me some Diet Coke. It's my one big vice and I will not give it up! Bring on all the brittle bones, I'll just drink extra milk and take a calcium supplement!

JENNIFRO said...

I think Mitch said it best about the diet coke/soda...

google aspartame--it's a lot worse than brittle bones

jill said...

My weakness is ice cream. I'm trying to build my gut.

our corner around the globe said...

I love fries an hot dogs! They are my weakness...
I forgot to mention that I love to eat them with SODA!

alexis said...

oh how sad! i am the worst mom ever because i give my kids ALL of these things on a weekly basis! no more though! i'm so glad i saw this.