It is not easy to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy food, especially when you are unaware of many unhealthy foods.
People generally avoid certain food for various reasons such as:
· Trying to lose weight
· Allergy with some food ingredient
· Strong disliking towards some particular dishes
· Avoiding food items due to medical reasons
· Avoiding food to prevent chronic illness
Here are 20 food items that are unhealthy for the human body. These food items do not harm the body if taken occasionally, however, regular intake of these food items lead to mild to severe health problems.
1. Sugary Drinks
Whenever you drink a liquid calorie, your brain does not register them as food. This leads to a drastic increase in your total calorie intake.
Whenever you consume sugar in large amounts, it drives insulin resistance and is linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Moreover, added sugar is also associated with many serious health problems including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Drink water, soda water, coffee, or tea instead of sugary drinks.
2. The Majority Of Pizzas
Pizza is considered as one of the world’s most popular junk foods. Pizzas are made up of unnatural ingredients including highly refined dough and heavily processed meat. Moreover, some pizzas also tend to be extremely high in calories. It is difficult to completely avoid pizza from your diet; therefore, you can go for homemade pizza filled with wholesome ingredients.
3. White Bread
The majority of commercial bread is unhealthy and they have a serious effect on the body if eaten in large amounts. These commercial bread are made up of refined wheat that is low in fiber and essential nutrients. Excessive intake of white bread may lead to rapid spikes in blood sugar.
4. Most Fruit Juices
Most fruit juices are often considered to be healthy for the human body. Juice contains some antioxidants and vitamin C, however, it is also packed with a high amount of liquid sugar. Fruit juices have as much sugar as some sugary drinks like Coke and Pepsi.
However, some fruit juice has health benefits in spite of its sugar content such as blueberry and pomegranate juice.
5. Sweetened Breakfast Cereals
The breakfast cereals that you eat every morning are basically processed cereal grains such as:
· Wheat
· Oats
· Rice
· Corn
To make these breakfast cereals more edible, the grains are baked, torn, mashed, rolled, or chipped.
One of the major downsides of these breakfast cereals is that they are high in added sugar. Some are even as sweet as sugary candies. Therefore, it is recommended to stick with such breakfast food items that are high in fiber and low in added sugar.
6. Fried, Grilled, Or Broiled Food
Fried, grilled and broiled food items are among the unhealthiest food items. The food that is cooked in these ways is very palatable and calorie-dense. Multiple types of unhealthy chemical compounds are formed whenever food is cooked under high heat.
The chemicals that are formed on food items during the high-heat cooking are linked to an increased risk of cancer and heart disease. Therefore, never cook your food on high heat and stick to other healthy cooking methods such as:
· Steaming
· Blanching
· Stewing
· Boiling
7. Pastries, Cookies, And Cakes
Every sugary item including pastries, cookies, and cakes are unhealthy if eaten in excess. These sweet dishes might be tasty; however, they do not have any important nutrients. These sweet dishes have plenty of calories and preservatives.
8. French Fries And Potato Chips
Everyone knows that whole, white potatoes are very healthy, and however, the same cannot be said for French fries and potato chips. French fries and potato chips are very high in calories, leading to weight gain and other health issues. Therefore, potatoes are best consumed when they are boiled, not fried. If you wish to eat something crunchy, then try eating baby carrots or nuts.
9. Gluten-Free Junk Food
Knowingly or unknowingly, people tend to replace healthy gluten-containing food with processed junk food that is said to be gluten-free.
These gluten-free substitute products are generally high in sugar and refined grains like cornstarch or tapioca starch. These ingredients may trigger rapid spikes in blood sugar and these are low in significant nutrients.
10. Agave Nectar
Agave nectar is known as a sweetener that is often regarded as healthy. However, it is extremely refined and extremely high in fructose. Many people may not know, however, a high level of fructose taken from added sweeteners can be devastating for health. As an alternative to Agave nectar, one can go for stevia and erythritol that are healthy and calorie-free.
11. Low-Fat Yogurt
Yogurts are regarded as an incredibly healthy food item. However, the majority of yogurts found in the grocery store are bad for health. The yogurt that is found in the market is often low in fat and loaded with sugar. It is done to compensate for the flavor that fat provides. Moreover, as believes most yogurts do not provide probiotic bacteria as they are often pasteurized which kills these bacteria.
12. Low Carb Junk Foods
Someone who is trying to lose weight often switches to a low-carb diet. People switch to low-carb replacement products such as low-carb candy bars and some meal replacements. These products are highly processed and packed with harmful additives.
Switch to naturally low in carbs food such as:
· Eggs
· Seafood
· Leafy greens
13. Ice Cream
Just like cakes and pastries, ice creams are also loaded with sugar leading to a hike in calorie intake. If possible then choose healthier brands or make a homemade ice cream using less sugar and fresh fruits.
14. Candy Bars
Even though candy bars are everyone’s guilty pleasure, they are incredibly unhealthy. Candy bars are high in sugar, refined wheat flour, and processed fats, all things that are harmful to the body. Moreover, these candy bars are very low in important nutrients.
Whenever you feel like eating something sugary, eat fruit or a piece of dark chocolate instead of candy bars.
15. Processed Meat
Unlike unprocessed meat, processed meat leads to many serious health problems such as:
· Colon cancer
· Type 2 diabetes
· Heart disease
Buy meat from local butchers shop instead of packed meat from a grocery store, as butchers do not add unhealthy ingredients.
16. Processed Cheese
While a single slice of natural cheese is equal to a glass of milk, this can’t say the same for processed cheese. Processed cheese is made with filler elements that are designed to have a cheese-like appearance and texture. Whenever you buy cheese from the grocery store, make sure to read labels to confirm that the cheese has dairy and a few artificial ingredients.
17. Most Fast-Food Meals
The majority of fast food is low in nutrients and harms the general wellness of a body.
18. High-Calorie Coffee Drinks
Coffee is loaded with antioxidants as well as it offers various benefits. However, syrups, additives, sugars, and creamers that are added to your coffee are very unhealthy. Try to drink plain coffee instead of added sugar coffee. If you wish, you can add small amounts of heavy cream or full-fat milk.
19. Anything With Added Sugar And Refined Grains
It is important that you at least try to limit the intake of food that contains added sugar, artificial trans-fat, and refined grains. Aim for fresh fruits and whole grains and try to maintain a healthy diet. Never forget to see the labels as you get the idea of added sugar and refined grains percentage.
20. Highly Processed Foods
One of the simplest ways to maintain your health is to eat healthily and avoid highly processed food. Try to add vegetables and fresh fruits in your diet instead of packaged food that is mostly loaded with salt or sugar.
