Staying healthy involves being active but also depends on your eating habits. Heavily processed, fried, and pre-made foods aren't the most nutritious. You probably feel a bit sluggish and less energetic after eating bad foods that taste oh-so-good.
Despite their delicious taste, many popular foods aren’t very good for you, especially when they’re frequently consumed and even when they’re eaten in moderation. Leave these items off your regular menu, eating them only once in a while.
1. Non-Dairy Creamer
It may be believed that non-dairy creamers are healthier than their dairy counterparts, but you’d be in for a surprise. They might be made with hydrogenated oils, which increase bad cholesterol and reduce good cholesterol.
Flavored non-dairy creamers may contain artificial sweeteners or high-fructose corn syrup. You don’t have to give up your favorite non-dairy creamer: try using less of it by mixing it with non-dairy milk like almond milk.
2. Yogurt With Added Sugar
Yogurt is a great food for eating healthy, but you have to be careful of flavored yogurts. Some, like fruit on the bottom yogurts, have higher amounts of sugar than you may realize, which can lead to higher calories and weight gain.
Nutritionists recommend plain, unsweetened yogurt topped with natural ingredients like cinnamon, honey, or fresh fruit. This makes your yogurt even healthier and more filling while adding that sweetness you crave.
3. Canned Fruit in Syrup
Whether it’s placed in light or heavy syrup, canned fruits are laden with added sugar. Adding fruit to your diet is a good thing, but fruit that’s coated in syrup might as well be rolled up in sugar, something many fruits don’t need.
Fresh fruit is best, and frozen works, depending on what you’re making with them. If canned fruit is your only option or preference, then try to buy fruit that is either canned in water or in its natural juices, with no sugar added.
4. Juice Cocktails
With the word “juice” in the name, you’d think these beverages would be the healthiest around, but they’re not. Anytime you see a juice beverage with the word “cocktail,” you can be assured that it’s full of added sweeteners.
The added sugar equals more calories than you want to add to your diet. Instead, choose beverages that are made from 100% fruit juice. Even pure fruit juices have natural sugars. Water is an even better alternative to fruit juice.
5. Doughnuts
It’s hard to believe these sweet anytime treats aren’t exactly good for you, but they aren’t. Deep-fried doughnuts have a high trans fat count, which lowers your good cholesterol and raises your bad cholesterol levels.
Doughnuts that are baked are an alternative to traditionally fried ones. You can still enjoy your classic doughnuts, but it’s best to eat them in moderation. Try baking your doughnuts at home, that way you control the amount of sugar and trans fats.
6. Vegetable Shortening
Vegetable shortening is a cooking staple for fried and baked foods and helps contribute to their taste. While it’s called for in many recipes, its use should be avoided as much as possible. Vegetable shortening has hydrogenated oils, which aren’t good for your cholesterol.
Regularly eating foods with hydrogenated oils can also lead to a greater chance of contracting heart disease. Experts insist that using moderate amounts of butter in baking and cooking is an improvement of vegetable shortening.
7. Energy Drinks
Packed with lots of caffeine, sugar, and artificial flavorings, energy drinks are meant to perk you up, but they wreak havoc with the body. The extra caffeine in them can cause anxiety, high blood pressure, and a rapid heart rate.
The caffeine in energy drinks can also lead to being dependent on them and to erratic sleep patterns, while its sugar content accounts for a higher intake of calories. The energy you receive from them is short-lived, compelling you to drink even more.
8. Salami
An Italian sub wouldn’t be complete without salami, but it’s the kind of luncheon meat that brings a lot of issues with it. Salami is high in sodium, has a risk for foodborne illness, and is a cured meat, meaning it’s highly processed.
Highly processed meat like salami has been connected to chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and high blood pressure. Other proteins like sliced deli chicken or turkey are much healthier options than salami.
9. Sweet Tea
Anyone familiar with the American South knows how the people there love their sweet tea. It’s more than just adding a lot of sugar to a pitcher of iced tea. There’s a recipe to make it just right, and it tastes heavenly.
The downside is the amount of sugar contained in the beverage voids any natural benefits offered by tea. Iced tea with a slice of lemon, peach, or other fruit is a nice alternative to sweet tea, and it saves you a lot of calories.
10. Spirits
When taken in moderation, safely, and responsibly, spirits can be pleasant. Drinking too much is the cause of numerous health problems, including dependency, liver disease, heart disease, and affects cognitive health.
The benefits of not drinking spirits are numerous, including improved immune system functioning, weight management, and a better quality of sleep. You might even lower your risk of certain types of cancer if you stop drinking.
11. Potato Chips
There’s a reason no one can eat just one potato chip – they taste too good! As much as you may enjoy eating them, they’re terrible for your diet and health, and they offer very little nutritional value.
Regular and flavored potato chips contain a lot of sodium and are usually deep-fried. This can cause high blood pressure and cardiovascular illnesses. Alternatives to traditional potato and chips include baked, low-salt, and no-salt chips.
12. Granola Bars
Not all granola bars are created equal. Some are made with the healthiest ingredients and others are loaded with sugar. You have to check the ingredients to make sure you’re buying a healthy one and not one that’s marginally above a candy bar.
Try buying plain granola with little to no added sweeteners. Be especially mindful of granola bars that are coated with chocolate, because that could be a giveaway that its sugar content is high.
13. Sodas
Regular and diet sodas aren’t good for the body. Besides the sugar content of regular sodas and the chemicals found in both, they’re bad for your teeth. The phosphoric acid in darker-colored sodas may undermine bone health.
Naturally flavored seltzers and at-home soda makers are other ways to get that soda taste without the sugar. You can also opt to drink other beverages like tea, water, and low-calorie sports drinks.
14. White Chocolate
The benefits of dark chocolate, like its antioxidant count, are well known. For all of its wonderful taste, white chocolate has more sugar and more calories, making it less healthy.
Chocolate with a higher cacao percentage tends to be darker and less sweeter, but it also has more antioxidants, helping you receive more health benefits from it than you will from eating white chocolate.
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