The Dirty Dozen – 12 Foods to Avoid
In today’s fast-paced society, Americans find little time to prepare and eat nutritious meals. That is why the line at the fast food drive through is so long at peak meal times. Consequently, Americans suffer from obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Having a tasty but unhealthy snack every now and then will not ruin your health, but if you consistently make poor food choices, your health will suffer. If you want to lose weight, just start eating better or if you want to lose fat and build muscle you must remove these foods from your diet.
Deep fried fats and oils: Foods deep fried in fats and oil will definitely raise your bad cholesterol and have been linked to cancer.
White flour: When wheat is stripped of its bran and germ, nearly all the nutrients are lost. The end result is a product that needs enrichment in order to market. Refined white flour products are also associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
Sugar: Besides the added calories, many people are not aware that the fructose in refined sugar also contributes to high cholesterol levels.
Canned soups: Canned soups are flavorful, plentiful and affordable, but many are also loaded down with salt, fat and calories, especially the cream varieties.
Donuts: There is nothing nutritionally virtuous about a deep fried refined white flour blob dipped in sugar.
Energy drinks: If you need a quick pick-up from one of the many popular energy drinks, be aware that you are also getting high amounts of sugar, caffeine and carbohydrates.
French fries: The simple sugars in potatoes quickly convert to glucose and raise your insulin levels significantly. French fries are extremely high in trans fat, calories, sodium and the carcinogen acrylamide.
Granola Bars: While there may be some nutritious components to granola, most commercially available granola bars typically have about as much fat, sugar and calories as candy bars.
Dried Fruit: You may have munched on it during a hike, or packed it in your lunch, but you might want to forget it altogether. Dried fruit is often coated with sugar and is loaded with additives and preservatives.
Margarine: People used to buy margarine because they thought butter was unhealthy. It turns out that the trans fat in margarine is just as bad, if not worse and will increase your risk for heart disease.
Sodas: The caffeine in colas and sodas act as a diuretic, which can eventually lead to dehydration. Quench your thirst with water instead and save yourself the added calories from sugar and jitters from caffeine.
Hot Dogs: There is nothing healthy about the hot dog. This summertime grill staple is loaded with preservatives, sodium and fat. Choose lean chicken or salmon for your next cookout.
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