Ramen Noodles
College students everywhere are scraping by with this inexpensive dish. However, it offers nothing in the way of nutrients and is loaded with sodium.
Saltines
These crackers taste good with your soup, but provide only excessive carbohydrates and sodium.
White Bread
Foods made of mostly white flour are just empty calories and carbohydrates. Don’t be fooled by wheat bread, either. You should be looking for whole wheat bread.
Cocktails
What do you get when you combine high levels of refined sugar and unhealthy amounts of hard liquor? You get a cocktail, which was invented by the British Navy so sailors would get drunk a little slower. Like anything, moderation is key, but you would be better off with a glass of red wine than with a cocktail.
Eggnog
This creamy drink is a favorite around the holidays. Even without the liquor, it is quite fatty and unhealthy.
Fruit Juice
Most commercial fruit juices which are not 100% natural fruit juices are loaded with sugar. In fact, some fruit juices offer more sugar in one serving than a candy bar. Think about that the next time you go for some Hawaiian Punch.
Fruit Smoothie
Just like fruit juice, most smoothies are delicious, yet contain more sugar and high fructose syrup than actual fruit. Be selective when looking for a healthy fruit-based drink.
Hard Liquor
There is really no reason to drink hard liquor. It is bad for your kidneys, your liver and even a small amount will dehydrate you.
Red Bull
This drink gives you wings… and extremely high amounts of sugar, caffeine and carbohydrates. This intense energy drink has actually been linked to a few deaths. Listen up, everyone: France actually banned this potent tonic.
Whole Milk
Whole milk is not only high in fat, certain brands contain harmful hormones. Look for a dependable organic, hormone-free brand and try to make the switch to skim.
Ice Cream
Ice cream can be fatty with the whole milk and sugar alone. However, it becomes even worse when you start adding things like chocolate pieces or cookie dough. Opt for low-fat frozen yogurt if you must indulge.
Canned Soup.
Here we're talking about the traditional, canned soups you find in your grocery store. This may come as a surprise, but most canned (and packaged) soups have high levels of trans fats, sodium and artificial preservatives like MSG. Just one cup of canned soup can have almost 1,000 milligrams of salt.
Processed Meats
Processed meats like these (and others including sausages, bacon, pepperoni hotdog, luncheon meat etc.) contain a carcinogenic precursor ingredient known as sodium nitrite (sodium nitrate is closely related)."Sodium nitrite is a dangerous, cancer-causing ingredient that has no place in the human food supply," says nutritionist Mike Adams, author of the Grocery Warning Manual.
And, according to a University of Hawaii study that followed nearly 200,000 people for seven years, people who consumed the most processed meats (hot dogs and sausage) showed a 67 percent increased risk of pancreatic cancer over those who consumed little or no meat products.
Bacon
One ounce (28 grams) of fried bacon has about 150 calories and more than 10 grams of fat. Regular consumption can cause a rapid weight-gain and cholesterol level increase. Also, the high level of saturated fat and sodium make it unhealthier.
Hot Dogs
A plain hot dog has about 250 calories and 14 grams of fat (which includes saturated fat). The hot dog meat generally contains pork or beef and sometimes pork mixed with chicken. The high content of sodium, fat and nitrates make it a very unhealthy choice.
Coffee Cake and Other Baked Goods.
This category actually includes all varieties of baked goods, including packaged cake and biscuit mixes. What makes these foods so bad is that they almost always contain high amounts of trans fats and a host of other unsavory additives including corn syrup, preservatives and artificial flavors and colors. If you're not ready to give up your morning treat just yet, opt for baked goods from your local bakery (which is less likely to use hydrogenated oil for a long shelf-life and is likely to use butter instead of margarine, which typically contains trans fat) or make them yourself.
Doughnuts
Tasty, yes. But break a doughnut down and you'll find nothing more than refined sugar and flour, artificial flavors and partially hydrogenated oil that's loaded with trans fats. They have no redeeming qualities whatsoever."When it comes to health, the only thing good about them is the hole," said Carla Wolper, nutritionist at the New York Obesity Research Center.
Potato chips and French fries.
These popular snack food contain acrylamide and neurotoxin that is formed when foods are baked or fried at high temperatures. "I estimate that acrylamide causes several thousand cancers per year in Americans," said Clark University research professor Dale Hattis. When CSPI (Center for Science in the Public Interest) conducted tests on some popular brands of French fries and chips, they found that the acrylamide in a large order of fast food fries was at least 300 times the amount allowed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a glass of water. "There has long been reason for Americans to eat less greasy French fries and snack chips," said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. "Acrylamide is yet another reason to eat less of those foods." These foods also contain trans fats, the artery-clogging fat that's been linked to raising bad cholesterol and increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke and cancer.
Soda
An average can of soda has 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, artificial food colors and sulphites. Diet sodas have the even-more-unhealthy artificial sweeteners. A major part of the problem is that sodas have become a staple in many people's diets. "Parents and health officials need to recognize soft drinks for what they are -- liquid candy -- and do everything they can to return those beverages to their former role as an occasional treat," says the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a U.S. consumer group. In fact, CSPI has recently petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calling for cigarette-style warnings on soft drinks to warn people of their potential health risks (weight gain, diabetes, tooth decay and more).
Burgers
Burgers have a lot of fat and calories and can drastically increase the level of cholesterol. Difference may occur among restaurants in terms of fat and calories contained by burgers. Depending on cooking methods and ingredients, a regular hamburger with condiments, vegetables and without mayonnaise has about 280 calories (about 14% of the needed daily value) and more than 13 grams of fat (about 20% of the needed daily value).
A large double cheeseburger with condiments, vegetables and mayonnaise has about 900 calories (45% of the needed daily value) and more 50 grams of fat (80% of the needed daily value). Still, the most negative aspect is that most fat are saturated fat which are some of the unhealthiest type of fat.
The worst ingredient of the burger is mayonnaise, which consists of 70-80% fat. If you do like burgers and don’t consider giving up on them, ask something without mayonnaise and you will save about 200 calories and 12 grams of fat. Burgers have a lot of salt, so they are not good for those suffering from high blood pressure. Also, burgers are not recommended for pregnant women.
Margarine and butter
These are two different food products which are unhealthy for two different reasons. But since they substitute each other, they deserve the same place.
Margarine is basically hydrogenated fat. One tablespoon of margarine has about 30 calories, 3.5 grams of fat and 0.5 grams of saturated fat. Hydrogenated fat are high in trans fat.
Butter has less calories and fat and doesn’t have dangerous trans fat levels. However, it does have high amounts of saturated fat (about 1.5 grams per tablespoon).
Both trans fat and saturated fat increase cholesterol level along with the risk of heart diseases.
Cookies and cakes
Many cookies and cakes are made with hydrogenated fat and contain a lot of calories. Just one chocolate chip of one ounce (28 grams) has about 130 calories and 7 grams of fat, 4.5 grams of which is saturated fat (more than 20% of the daily needed value). One cupcake has about 200 calories and 8 grams of fat.
Of course, whenever you’re craving for something sweet, you can choose a cake with fruits, which is healthier.
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