Unfortunately,
there are dozens of foods that are so bad for you that they should be
permanently eliminated from your diet.
In many
cases, the key problem is that these foods contain ingredients that encourage
your body to store fat and stop you from losing weight.
However, it
is not always easy to spot these unhealthy foods just by looking at
them, as clever advertising may be used to make the foods appear innocent.
By removing
the following meals and snacks from your kitchen cupboards,
you will maximize your chances of staying fit and healthy for as long as
possible.
#1 Coleslaw
Looks can be deceiving when it comes to coleslaw. While it is often served
right next to a healthy, green salad, coleslaw itself is anything but good for
your body.
Although it provides you with carrot and cabbage, it contains a
disproportionate amount of calories per serving, and it is full of fatty
mayonnaise.
The average portion of coleslaw will provide you with at least 260 calories,
and more than 20g of fat. Some popular brands of coleslaw are even worse.
For example, KFC’s coleslaw contains close to 26g of saturated fat, making
it worse than a portion of fries.
#2 Frosting
If you love
to bake, you are probably very familiar with the tubs of delicious frosting
that you can buy from most major stores. While you may be aware that frosting
is not exactly a health food, you probably don’t know just how bad it really
is. In truth, it is so terrible for your body that you should avoid consuming even
small amounts.
Frosting
typically contains trans fats, which are hazardous food additives that
undermine weight loss and promote a range of health problems.
They lower
your cardiovascular health by increasing the level of LDL (i.e. ‘bad’)
cholesterol in your body and decreasing your levels of HDL (i.e. ‘good’)
cholesterol. In addition, they encourage your body to store fat, particularly
around your abdomen.
There is
also some evidence that regular consumption of trans fats is linked to an
increased likelihood of developing type 2
Finally, the amount of sugar in frosting is enough to spike your blood sugar
way past healthy limits, providing you with empty calories that make it
difficult to lose weight or to maintain a healthy figure.
No matter how much you might enjoy the taste of frosting, the cons of
consuming it clearly outweigh the pros.
#3 Packaged Sandwiches
When you want to eat a sandwich, it is always better to make it yourself,
because the sad truth is that the bulk of packaged sandwiches lining the
shelves in grocery stores have a surprisingly large amount of calories given
their relatively small size.
Indeed,
the average sandwich will contain over 400 calories, and many people think that
a lunch should contain closer to 200 or 300 calories.
You are also likely to find that these sandwiches contain large amounts of
fat and
saturated fat, as most of them are stuffed full of
mayonnaise or cheese.
Even the sandwiches that are advertised as lighter options for dieters may
contain at least 50% of your recommended daily intake of fat.
#4 Tomato sauce for pasta or chili
When you are cooking a pasta dish or making a big pot of chili, it is easier
to buy a large jar of tomato sauce from a store than it is to make your own at
home in the kitchen.
However, these tomato sauces are often packed full of
refined
sugars, promoting weight gain and increasing your risk of
developing diabetes at some point in your life.
Many people have no idea about this surprising sugar content, as it makes
sense to assume that vegetables are the dominant ingredient in tomato sauces.
#5 Soy sauce
Although soy sauce is a classic addition to Chinese meals and vegetable stir
fry dishes, you need to think very carefully about whether you really want to
put it in your body.
Unlike many of the foods mentioned above, soy sauce does have a low calorie
content and it is a source of some healthy vitamins, so it can look utterly
harmless at first glance.
However, just one spoonful contains around 900 milligrams of
sodium,
and so adding it your food is likely to cause water retention, leaving your
abdomen feeling watery and uncomfortable.
#6 Multigrain products
It is natural to assume that multigrain breads, pastas and cereals are
healthy, as it seems unlikely that they would contain refined grains (which are
much less healthy than whole grains). However, the law regarding ingredient
descriptions actually allows companies to label their products as ‘multigrain’
foods even when their primary ingredient is refined grains. Refined grains
lack
nutritional value,
and they are strongly correlated with weight gain. When regularly consumed,
refined grains also come with a staggering 141% increase in your likelihood of
developing the connected disorders that characterize metabolic syndrome (i.e.
heart disease and diabetes).
When looking for breads and pastas, your best bet is to
choose
wholegrain and
wholemeal products every time.
Multigrain products do not always choose to display their ratio of refined to
unrefined grains in a prominent place on the label, so it is smart to err on
the side of caution.
#7 Foods containing artificial sweeteners
Although dieters can see cakes, desserts and cookies that contain artificial
sweeteners as a wonderful way to enjoy treats while losing weight, the bad news
is that these sweeteners seem to cause serious health problems.
Although artificial sweeteners contain no calories, many of them (such as
aspartame) seem to impair your body’s ability to detect whether your stomach is
full, triggering
overeating and stronger
cravings that can thwart your attempts to lose weight.
Perhaps even more worryingly, people who consume the greatest amounts of
artificial sweetener are two times more likely to suffer from
impaired
kidney function. This was discovered after
scientists completed huge study that lasted over a decade, so the results are
credible (though the precise mechanism of action remains mysterious).
To read the full article and for more health tips visit:
http://www.mydiet.com/7-foods-you-should-avoid-at-all-costs/7/
