It can be confusing to tell which baby foods are healthy and which ones are unhealthy foods. Here is a list of 20 generally very unhealthy foods that should be avoided as much as possible.
1. Sugary drinks
The worst ingredient in the modern diet is added sugar, and sugary drinks are the worst source of unhealthy foods . As the brain does not recognize sugar as food, people do not compensate automatically by eating less of other foods and end up dramatically increasing their total caloric intake.
Sugary drinks are also the richest aspect of modern nutrition. If consumed in large amounts, it can result in several health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.
Alternatives: drink water.
2. Most pizzas
It is not surprising that Pizza is one of the most popular foods in the world. Its flavor is fantastic, and it is incredibly convenient to eat. Most commercially prepares pizzas are however made from very unhealthy ingredients such as refined wheat flour and processed meat, making it extremely rich in calories and unhealthy foods.
Alternatives: Homemade pizzas with healthy ingredient are better.
3. White bread
The wheat used in making white bread contains gluten protein, which can be bad people with celiac disease or gluten-sensitive. Even for people who are gluten tolerant, most commercial breads are not a healthy choice because the vast majority of them are made from refined wheat, which contains few essential nutrients (empty calories) and leads to rapid peaks in blood sugar.
Alternatives: Ezekiel bread is an excellent option for people who tolerate gluten. Whole grain bread is more healthy (or “less bad”) than white bread.
4. Most fruit juices.
People make the mistake of considering fruit juices to be healthy. But it surely is unhealthy foods. A lot of fruit juices are more like fruit-flavored sugar. While it is true that fruit juices are rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, it must be considered against the large amount of liquid sugar. It will be interesting to know that fruit juices contain as much sugar as Coke and Pepsi, and maybe a little bit more.
Alternatives: Pomegranate and cranberry juices are beneficial to baby health. However, these should be taken as dietary supplements and not something to be taken daily to quench thirst. It is better to drink water.
5. Industrial vegetable oils.
The drastic increase in the consumption of refined vegetable oils such as soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, and canola oil over the past 100 years has increased people’s consumption of added fat. These oils are very rich in omega-6 fatty acids and pose many serious health problems. They are very sensitive to oxidation and lead to increased oxidative stress in the body, which has been associated with an increased risk of cancer.
Alternatives: Coconut oil, butter, extra virgin olive oil, or avocado oil are healthier options.
6. Margarine
People used to believe margarine was a healthy alternative to butter, but fortunately, they have now realized that opposite is the case. Margarine is a highly processed pseudo-food formulated after butter. It is loaded with artificial ingredients and is usually made from hydrogenated industrial vegetable oils to firm them up. This greatly increases their trans-fat content.
Remember, many manufacturers will label less than 0.5 grams of their products as “no trans-fat,” this is still a significant amount.
Alternatives: Use rather real butter, preferably cows fed on grass.
Most baked foods, cookies, and cakes are extremely unhealthy. In general, they are made from refined sugar, refined wheat flour, and added fats, which are often harmful and unhealthy fats such as high in trans fats. As tasty as they are, these treats are, literally, one of the worst things you can put in your body. It contains almost no essential nutrients, but many calories and unhealthy ingredients.
8. French fries and fries
Unlike whole white potatoes that are healthy, the side such as French fries and potato chips can be harmful. These calories of these food is very high in calories, and are easy to eat in excess. Consumption of potato chips and potato chips has been associated with weight gain and considered unhealthy. They are also known to contain large amounts of acrylamides, carcinogens produced during roasting, cooking or roasting potatoes.
Alternatives: Boiled potatoes are better than fried ones. If you are looking for something crunchy, try carrots or nuts.
9. Gluten-free Junk foods.
Gluten-free is the last fad of those days. According to a survey conducted in 2013, about a third of Americans are actively trying to avoid gluten. One issue with many gluten-free diets is that people are replacing gluten-containing foods with processed gluten-free junk foods. These gluten-free alternatives are often high in sugars, unhealthy oils, and refined grains such as corn starch or tapioca starch. These refined starches produce rapid peaks in blood sugar and are deficient in essential nutrients.
Alternatives: Choose foods that do not contain gluten naturally, such as animal food and unprocessed plants.
10. Agave nectar
Agave nectar is a sweetener that is not as healthy as what marketers want to make us believe. It is a highly refined sweetener that contains a lot of fructose. High fructose levels of added sweeteners (not whole fruits) can be catastrophic for your health.
In fact, agave is even richer in fructose than other sugars. While table sugar contains 50% fructose and 55% high fructose corn syrup, agave nectar contains 85% fructose.
Alternatives: Stevia and erythritol are healthier, natural, and without calories.
11. Low-fat Yogurt
Yogurt can be incredibly healthy, but not the majority found in supermarkets. They are often low in fat but loaded with sugar to compensate for the lack of fat taste. In short, yogurt got rid of healthy and natural fats from milk to be replaced by something much worse.
Contrary to what is generally believed, many yogurts do not contain probiotic bacteria. Pasteurization kills most of the bacteria.
Alternatives: Choose a high-fat yogurt that contains live or active (probiotic) cultures. When you have the opportunity, choose yogurt among the cows fed on grass.
12. Low carb junk food
Low carb diets are not new; they have been around for decades. There are many healthy low carb foods that you can eat. However, this does not apply to low-carb processed alternatives, such as chocolate bars and low-carb meal replacements. In general, these are highly processed foods that contain very little real food, but many artificial ingredients that are mixed and then sold as food.
Alternatives: If you are on a low carb diet, eat naturally low carbohydrate foods. Low carb junk food is still junk food anyway.
13. Ice cream
As delicious as the ice cream is, it is one of the unhealthy foods as most ice creams are full of sugar. The caloric content of ice cream is also high in calories, and overeating it is very easy. It’s even worse to eat it for dessert because you add to your total caloric intake.
Alternatives: You can make your own ice cream with healthier ingredients and much less (or nothing) sugar.
14. Candy Bar.
Candy bars are incredibly unhealthy food rich in sugar, refined wheat flour, and processed fats. They are also very poor in essential nutrients. Generally, candy bars are made to be particularly tasty (so you can eat more) and are designed to be consumed quickly and easily. Candy bars may taste good and cause short-term satiety, but the way they are metabolized will make you hungry very quickly.
Alternatives: Rather, eat fruit or dark chocolate with a high cocoa content.
15. Processed meat.
Although processed meat can be healthy and nutritious, the same cannot be said for processed meat. Studies show that consumption of processed meat is associated with many serious diseases, such as colon cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Majority of these studies are observational and hence, cannot prove that processed meat has caused disease. The statistical relationship between studies is however consistent and overwhelming, so there should be something to it.
Alternatives: If you must eat bacon, sausages, hot peppers, and other “processed” meats, buy only from local from suppliers who do not add a lot of unhealthy ingredients. Quality matters.
16. Processed Cheese.
Regular cheese is nice. It is packed with nutrients, and a single slice of cheese contains as much nutrient as a glass of milk. Unlike regular cheese, however, processed cheese is mainly composed of filler ingredients mixed and developed to give a similar appearance and texture to that of cheese. Regular cheese is healthy, while processed cheese is not. Make sure you’re eating the real cheese; read labels.
Alternatives: Eat real cheese instead.
17. Fast food
In general, fast food chains serve only junk food. Most of the food on offer is sophisticated, mass-produced junk food with very low nutritional value. These places are usually very cheap, but remember that junk food costs twice as much. For every penny saved, it will probably cost several times in the future. It is expensive to maintain poor health.
Alternatives: Fortunately, several healthy fast foods are rapidly springing up. Chipotle is an excellent example.
18. High-calorie coffee drinks
The coffee has been wrongly demonized. In fact, it is very healthy and loaded with antioxidants. According to studies, coffee drinkers are less likely to develop serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. Unfortunately, the coffee is sometimes mixed, which turns this drink into harmful sludge. If your “coffee” contains a ton of cream and sugar, it does not suit you. It is loaded with liquids, empty calories and is as unhealthy as any other sweet drink.
Alternatives: Drink plain coffee instead. Black is best, but a bit of heavy cream or full-fat milk won’t hurt.
19. Everything rich in sugar, refined grains, and vegetable oils.
Reading labels is one of the most important things you can do to eat healthier. It is important to avoid or at least reduce consuming foods that contain:
Added sugar (and high fructose corn syrup).
Refined grains such as white flour.
Industrial vegetable oils.
Trans fats.
These are some of the less healthy (and common) ingredients in today’s diet. We can’t overemphasize the importance of reading labels, and this is true for all foods, including healthy ones.
20. Most processed foods.
Avoiding processed food as much as possible is the easiest way to eat healthily and lose weight. In short, if it seems to have been made in a factory, it’s probably not good for you. It’s worth remembering that real foods do not need a list of ingredients, but the food is rather ingredient.
