10 Processed foods to avoid
Choosing to eat foods that are heavy on processed foods is the easiest way to surrender good health and get on extra calories thus becoming sick. It would take only a few years for the population who adopt a western diet based on processed foods to start going down on western illnesses.
We shall now find out what is processed food. If a food has been processed using chemicals, contains ingredients that have been refined, or has artificial flavours, colours or other synthetic components, it is processed food.
Low-Fat Yogurt
Eating the normal kind of yoghurt can be a healthy choice, but low-fat yoghurt is not the right choice. The reason being, much of the good flavour in dairy products comes from the fat, this discrepancy is usually corrected by adding plenty of sugar.
Sometimes, yoghurt has been pasteurized after culturing, which wipes out the friendly bacteria. Always look for full-fat yoghurt with live cultures for probiotic benefits.
Processed Meat
Meat can be part of a healthy diet, but processed meat like sausages, pepperoni and bacon are poor choices. Eating processed meat highers the risk of developing chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, colon cancer and heart diseases.
The above information is based on observational studies, but if you must have processed meat, try to find local stores with minimal additives.
Cookies, Pastries and Cakes
These foods are loaded with calories and have no essential nutrients to deliver. You are definitely doing yourself by including these in your diet, as they are certainly tasty.
The refined sugar, white flour and trans fats that are commonly found in these treats not only add useless calories, but also end up contributing to health problems.
White Bread
The fact that white bread is made of white flour is well known, it goes into the list of foods that add useless calories, and will also spike blood sugar just as effectively as a dose of table sugar.
All the ingredients in whole wheat would be sacrificed while grinding and processing, and even if one can tolerate gluten, white bread has nothing to nourish your body.
Ezekiel bread or whole bread has more to offer.
Sugary drinks
Although modern diets are rich in added sugar which is harmful to health, some sources of sugar are worse than others and sweetened drinks are the worst. Intake of sugar-rich foods definitely is taken by the brain because of the bulk, but sugary drinks have the opposite effect, meaning that the system does not register the calories, and we end up consuming more.
Consuming excess sugar causes insulin resistance and can lead to fatty liver disease, as well as increase the risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other serious disorders including obesity.
Ice-Cream
Ice-cream is a poor nutritional choice, since it is usually loaded with sugar. Eating ice-cream for a dessert is even worse, because you are piling it on top of a meal, adding to calories.
All ice-cream lovers know very well that a skimpy cup is never enough at one go.
If you cannot go without ice-cream, consider getting a small hand-crank freezer and make some fresh ice-cream with less sugar or using a healthy alternative sweetener.
French Fries and Potato Chips
Eating potato chips and French fries is associated with weight gain is no big surprise.
Always remember to boil potatoes as frying, roasting or baking them causes acrylamides to be formed. These are carcinogenic substances, hence to be avoided.
Instead, bring out your creativity and find other foods to satisfy your desire for something crunchy or crispy. Try having some nuts or baby corns.
Fruit Juices
There is a common tendency to think that fruit juice is healthy as it is made from fruit, which is a healthy option. The juice that is prepared is done by separating the natural fibre, but this process slows down the assimilation of fructose(sugar in fruit).
Also, note that fruit juices contain antioxidants and vitamins, but these benefits can be nullified by the presence of sugar content. As an example, pomegranate juice or acai berry juices should be taken as a supplement rather than for thirst.
Drink water instead.
Processed Cheese
Including cheese in your diet is definitely a smart choice as it is rich in vital ingredients, and a single serving could deliver all the goodies you get from a full glass of milk.
But processed cheese is not so, in the sense, that filler ingredient are combined with small amounts of dairy derivatives and are carefully engineered to taste, feel and look like genuine cheese.
Pizza
Pizza is the most popular junk food in the world, as it tastes divine and is very convenient to eat. Most commercial pizzas are made of refined flour and processed meat, neither of which are healthy. The calorie content for a single pizza is staggering.
A good choice on occasions is to make your own pizzas at home with quality ingredients as eating fast-food pizzas is not a good idea.
Fast Food Meals
Making fast food has become extremely popular because it is tasty and cheap, but most people do not realise that this habit won’t help cultivate a healthy body, the problem being you will have to pay a heavy sum for poor health. If fast food is given to children, it may raise the risk of obesity and chronic disease.
Also, do not indulge in junk food that is produced for masses and highly engineered on a regular basis.
Industry Produced Vegetable Oils
It is about a century that added oils in the diet have increased dramatically, thus pushing humans into a territory which they have never been. Refined vegetable oils like canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil and cottonseed oil are high in omega-6 fatty acids, which have been linked with an increased risk of cancer, along with creating high levels of oxidative stress in the body.
It is best to use avocado oil, coconut oil, butter and olive oil.
Candy Bars
The common notion about candy bars is that they taste good, go down quickly, and also provide a nice shot of energy. Sugar is the worst ingredient, candy bars are often bulked with refined wheat flour and other ingredients that are likely to make you want more, and end up eating larger amounts than you intended. When the body metabolises this type of high sugar, you will start feeling hungry in a flash.
Sweetened Coffee Drinks
People who drink coffee have a lower risk of certain chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease, as coffee is loaded with antioxidants and can make a healthful contribution to your diet, unless you add sugar or other sweeteners and creamers with artificial ingredients.
Therefore, drinking black coffee with a minimal amount of cream or full-fat milk is the best choice.
