They say, "you are what you eat," but nobody really listens. It is true. You must pay attention to what you are eating. Foods nowadays are processed and considered junk for us, because it hardly contains any beneficial nutrients for us, and when we consume it, it harms us and makes us fat. Fast foods, frozen foods, snacks, and much more are all processed if you don't shop at an organic shop or pay attention to the labeling. We tend to overconsume these foods because they are tasty but yet addicting, so we end up consuming a whole lot more calories than we expect. We think it is okay to consume a whole bowl of chips, but in reality, it's excessive. The calories, the salt, the other ingredients, it's no good for us. It is okay to consume junk food or snacks, but on occasions and/or be moderate about your intake. I, for example, would only eat a handful of chips and call it because I do not want to waste many calories because I prioritize my nutrition - I rather want the beneficial, nourishing nutrients to properly nourish my body as opposed to eating junk food that has no value for us, and it has a lot of calories, and considering I do not want to be in a [calorie] surplus, I must pay attention to my calorie intake and focus on eating healthier foods to fulfill my needs. I do not want my diet to consist of 70% junk food intake and 30% healthy food intake; You should try to strive for the other way around - Well, at least 80% healthy eating and 20% junk food intake. This is a good BALANCE because it won't make you go insane. Most people who restrict junk food end up indulging in junk food later on and gaining the weight back. By having cheat meals within your dieting journey, it can give you relief, a break, a mental break from the absence of junk food. But here is a list of foods you should avoid because these foods are unhealthy and will make you fat and weak.
1. Snacking on Chips - Junk food Snacks
Chips are an inexpensive, tasty, and easily available snack, but the toll they take on your body may not be worth the pleasure. While enjoying an occasional handful of chips won’t cause irreparable damage to someone consuming an otherwise healthy diet, the real dangers arise when you consume chips on a daily basis or regularly choose them over healthier options.
Chips are typically high in fat and calories, which can raise the risk of weight gain and obesity. One ounce of plain potato chips, or about 15 to 20 chips, contains about 10 grams of fat and 154 calories. A 2015 study in “Health Affairs” found that potatoes fried in oil (including chips) were among the foods most strongly linked to weight gain. Being overweight or obese raises the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer.
High Cholesterol
- Frequent chip consumption can contribute to high cholesterol levels because of the amount and type of fat found in chips. Most chips are deep-fried, a process that creates trans fats, the most dangerous type. In addition, the oils used for frying chips are often saturated fats, which also contribute to high cholesterol levels. High levels of trans fats in the bloodstream are associated with high levels of LDL cholesterol and an increased risk of coronary heart disease. High levels of trans fat in the diet are correlated to high levels in the blood.
Low Nutrition
- If you regularly include chips as part of your diet, you may not be consuming as many nutrients as you should. Chips are typically low in vitamins and minerals, and they tend to displace things in the diet that are higher in nutrients. Eating healthy snacks can help make up for any nutritional lack at mealtimes, so if you opt for chips instead of snacks with a high nutrient density, you won’t get this benefit.
High Blood Pressure
- The sodium content in chips may negatively impact your cardiovascular health. A high intake of sodium can cause an increase in blood pressure, which can lead to stroke, heart failure, coronary heart disease, and kidney disease. Potato chips generally have between 120 and 180 milligrams of sodium per ounce, and tortilla chips can have 105 to 160 milligrams of sodium per ounce. A bag of chips typically contains more than a single ounce, so many people consume more sodium than they realize when eating chips. According to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, most people should limit their salt consumption to 2,300 milligrams per day, while individuals over 50, African-Americans, and anyone with high blood pressure, kidney disease or diabetes should not consume more than 1,500 milligrams per day.
- Fruit
- Veggies
- Baked Chips
- Sweet potato chips/fries
2. Pastry - Cookies, Donuts, Cake
- Most pastries, cookies, and cakes are unhealthy if eaten in excess. Packaged versions are generally made with refined sugar, refined wheat flour, and added fats. Shortening, which may be high in unhealthy trans fats, is sometimes added
- Most desserts are made up of refined carbs, trans-fats, and added sugars. These make them calorie-dense, which may be resulting in adding up some body weight (excess fat). As you already know, too much of everything is bad. Therefore excess consumption of dessert can be harmful to your health.
- Pastries: Sugar-heavy desserts like donuts and pastries are loaded with refined flour and transfats. They are high in calories and low in nutrition — a deadly combination.
3. Drinking Sodas - Sugary Drinks - Juices
- This includes soda, pop, cola, tonic, fruit punch, lemonade (and other “ades”), sweetened powdered drinks, as well as sports and energy drinks.
- As a category, these beverages are the single largest source of calories and added sugar in the U.S. diet.
- In other parts of the world, particularly developing countries, sugary drink consumption is rising dramatically due to widespread urbanization and beverage marketing.
- There are 4.2 grams of sugar in a single teaspoon. Now, imagine scooping up 7 to 10 teaspoons full of sugar and dumping it into your 12-ounce glass of water. Does that sound too sweet? You may be surprised to learn that’s how much added sugar is in the typical can of soda.
- Sugary drinks provide so many calories and virtually no other nutrients.
People who drink sugary beverages do not feel as full as if they had eaten the same calories from solid food, and research indicates they also don’t compensate for the high caloric content of these beverages by eating less food.
- The average can of sugar-sweetened soda or fruit punch provides about 150 calories, almost all of them from added sugar. If you were to drink just one of these sugary drinks every day, and not cut back on calories elsewhere, you could gain up to 5 pounds in a year.
- Routinely drinking these sugar-loaded beverages can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic diseases.
The more ounces of sugary beverages a person has each day, the more calories he or she takes in later in the day. This is the opposite of what happens with solid food, as people tend to compensate for a large meal by taking in fewer calories at a later meal. This compensatory effect doesn’t seem to be present after consuming soft drinks, for several possible reasons:
Fluids don’t provide the same feeling of fullness or satisfaction as solid foods, as the body doesn’t “register” liquid calories as it does calories from solid food. This may prompt a person to keep eating even after intake of a high-calorie drink.
It is possible that sweet-tasting soft drinks—regardless of whether they are sweetened with sugar or a calorie-free sugar substitute—might stimulate the appetite for other sweet, high-carbohydrate foods.
Even though soda may contain more sugar than a cookie because people think of soda as a drink and a cookie as a dessert they are more likely to limit food than beverages.
Alternatively, drinking water in place of sugary drinks or fruit juices is associated with lower long-term weight gain
4. Cereals - Apple Jacks, Cinnamon Toast Crunch - "Sugary Cereals"
- Starting the day with a high-sugar breakfast cereal will spike your blood sugar and insulin levels. A few hours later, your blood sugar may crash, and your body will crave another high-carb meal or snack — potentially creating a vicious cycle of overeating.
- Cereals are loaded with refined grains, sugar, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and other ingredients that aren't healthy for our bodies.
- Often marketed to children Food manufacturers specifically target children. Companies use bright colors, cartoon characters, and action figures to attract children’s attention. Unsurprisingly, this causes children to associate breakfast cereals with entertainment and fun. This also affects taste preferences. Studies show that some children prefer the taste of foods that have popular cartoon characters on the packaging
- Loaded with Sugar
- Better choice of cereal ( less sugar and less processed)
- Oatmeal
- Eggs
- It’s best to choose whole foods like eggs for breakfast, as they’re very nutritious and filling. High-protein breakfasts may help reduce cravings and promote weight loss.
- Greek yogurt with nuts and sliced fruit
5. Hot dogs
6. Processed Meats - Deli Meat/Lunch Meat - Sausages - Salami - Bacon - Canned Foods/Meats
7. Fruit Juices! - The tasty "healthy" juices?
- While juice contains some antioxidants and vitamin C, it also packs high amounts of liquid sugar.
- In fact, fruit juice harbors just as much sugar as sugary drinks like Coke or Pepsi — and sometimes even more
8. Low-carb junk foods
9. Ice cream
10. Fast Food Meals
11. Anything with added sugar or refined grains
How to Become Healthy - Optimizing Health - Whole Foods - Mindful Eating
