We all know that there are just some things, as good as they taste, that we should only have just once in a blue moon. Whether they are way too fatty or just too sweet, it almost seems like we are inbuilt with a little sensor that warns us when we’re about to partake in some junk or fast food.
However, this sensor may not always warn us when it comes to the many food options before us today. Here are eight foods you should keep an eye on, and avoid:
If it’s fried, it’s a no go
If you want to stick to the good stuff, fried food is one category to avoid completely. This means French fries, fried chicken, chicken nuggets, breaded fish, and so on. Fried food is such no-go food item because it is extremely high in trans fats, which increase your risk of disease and make your cholesterol levels shoot up.
Say goodbye to your processed meat
Hot dogs, bacon, and sausages may be a staple at every family gathering or picnic with friends, but they are among the worst meats for your health. This is because almost all processed meats contain sodium nitrite, a preservative that is also known for being immensely cancer causing. In other words, don’t go there.
A well-done steak? No way
Not only are you opening yourself to ridicule by steak connoisseurs when you order your steak well-done, but well-done and char-grilled steaks are also known as being a cancer-causing food. This is because toxic byproducts such as heterocyclic amines emerge when you cook meat at high temperatures. So maybe try medium, next time.
If it’s been modified, stay away
It goes without saying that you should try to stick with organic food, where possible. This is especially the case because researchers are discovering that genetically modified organisms are grown with chemicals also responsible for rapid tumour growth in humans. Organic may cost more, but it’s sure worth it in the long run!
You’ll never pop pop pop again
Microwave popcorn is hard to beat for its convenience when you’re settling in for a long movie marathon night, but it is also hazardous for your health. This is because the bags of microwave popcorn are lined with chemicals linked to infertility as well as liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancers. It tastes so good, but there’s a price to pay.
Diet Coke? We wouldn’t go there
And you thought that Coke by itself was bad. Many scientific studies have found that while “diet” soft drinks and other foods may be lower in sugar, many contain the artificial sweetener aspartame, which has been linked to birth defects and cancer. It’s frightening to think that it might not just affect you, but also the next generation.
But it’s a vegetable!
Sure it’s so much easier to just buy a can of onions rather than tearing up as you cut them up, but you might think again since the lining of most canned foods contain bisphenol-A, commonly known as BPA. BPA is a chemical that can disrupt hormonal activity in the body and is particularly hazardous for children.
Even chicken soup isn’t always good
If it requires you to mix some strange-looking powder into water, you should beware. When you eat soup, you’re not just drinking the water and eating those tiny little peas, carrots, and whatever else they have put in. You’re also taking it a whole mixture of salt and preservatives. The more salt, the higher your blood pressure.
Featured images:
Image courtesy of Smart photo stock
Samantha Morris is a university student and freelance writer who is interested in healthy living and taking good care of her body. She knows the damage that saturated fat in foods can cause so she’s been trying her best to cut them out of her diet!