The Worst of the Worst: Top 7 Worst Foods for Your Health
Processed food is fast, convenient, cheap, and lasts forever, but it is also TERRIBLE for you. The further we get from an ingredient’s natural state, the more likely the food is bad for us. We all know chickens don’t have nuggets and that potatoes aren’t very totty in the wild. Still, processed foods can easily sneak a place as a staple in our diets if we aren’t careful. The occasional junk food treat is necessary for a balanced and fulfilled life, but some goodies are worse than others. The following 7 foods are the worst of the worst and should only be eaten infrequently and in small quantities.
7. Canned Soup
This pantry staple requires careful inspection when shopping. Some canned soups are health conscious, but most are laden with sodium and lacking vital nutrients. Though grabbing a can is easy, too much sodium in your diet can lead to high blood pressure, kidney disease, and osteoporosis. Take the time to make and freeze homemade soup for easy grabbable meals abundant in vitamins and trace minerals, and sensible about salt. The next time you feel a cold coming on, or just want a cozy dinner, get some homemade soup cooking, your body will thank you.
6. Frozen Meals
There are frozen meals that are good for you; thank you, market, for finally hearing my plea! The vast majority of frozen meals are loaded with preservatives and scarce on ingredients that give real nutritional value. To make inexpensive meals that last for months and still taste good, manufacturers fill frozen dinners with cheap ingredients and tons of salt. Frozen meals are super convenient. Consider cooking and freezing your own meal-sized portions for a quick bite without all the bad stuff lurking in processed meals.
5. Processed Meat
Many of us grew up throwing a slice of lunch meat on white bread every day and never thinking twice about it. While we might have gotten wise to white bread, processed meat is still a popular staple in many adult refrigerators. It has a massive impact on our health. To maintain an attractive color and help preserve the meat for longer, sodium nitrates and other chemicals are added to processed meats. Added nitrates are linked to increased colon cancer rates and thought to damage your blood vessels leading to heart disease. So ditch the lunch meat and get your colonoscopy.
4. Fizzy Drinks
Carbonated sodas might be fizzy and refreshing, but they are also packed with hidden sugar and chemicals. Drinking fizzy drinks frequently can lead to obesity, osteoporosis, heart disease, and tooth decay, so they are best enjoyed as a rare treat. Beware of diet sodas that seem to have all the carbonated joy without the ill effects of sugar as well. Many diet sodas use chemicals to sweeten their beverages artificially, which can still cause problems like tooth decay, insomnia, and even interactions with some medications.
3. Colorful Breakfast Cereals
Not all breakfast cereals are bad, but most that are marketed to children are best avoided. Packed full of preservatives, sugar, and artificial dyes and flavorings, these attractive kids’ cereals can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. If you enjoy a bowl of cereal in the morning, look for an adult cereal with low sugar content that is high in fiber and nutrients.
2. Fried Desserts
If you are one of the lucky few who think fried Oreos are disgusting, stick to your guns, you are saving your health. Here is a reminder that fried desserts might be the very worst thing we could frequently indulge in for the rest of us. Desserts are already high in fat and sugar, and adding a fried batter just adds more saturated fat.
Keep this treat to once a year at the county fair and reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, and diabetes.
1. Chicken Nuggets
It is easy to think that chicken nuggets must be somewhat good for you because they contain chicken. Unfortunately, chicken nuggets only have part healthy, lean chicken breast. The rest of the nugget contains less desirable meats, filler agents, and fat. For a nutritional chicken nugget, make your own lightly breaded chicken breast pieces instead of the mystery mix from the freezer.