The Top Foods to Avoid

Every time I turn around there is another health advisory telling me that this or that food is killing me. I subscribe to many health organizations on line, and receive the latest breaking news directly in my email. While wanting to know, it can become extremely time consuming to read all of the incoming mail. On December 27, LifeScript sent me a message in my box “Give it Up: Top 10 Worst Foods” by Lisa Mosing, M.S., R.D., FADA, Sp. to LifeScript. That was the day I started training for a new job, so it became buried in my box, (among many other messages), but still on my mind.

Finally, I passed my training, so I search diligently, and cannot find her article. I Google it, and up pops several articles with very similar titles, and (you guessed it) different foods listed as their worst offenders. Now what? Not being a quitter, I peruse all the articles and try to ascertain the absolute worst food offenders to share with you.

My main concern about unhealthy food is not a few calories here and there, because I do not really have a weight problem (fortunately), but I may have a nutrition problem, and problems with hypertension and high cholesterol that require medication. These factors place me in line for health risks such as stroke and heart disease. Is an occasional donut worth it? And if I ate eating the donut, what would I not eat that my body needs for optimal health?

We live in a day when most of us are required to work at least 40 hours a week, merely to make ends meet. We enjoy activities, family and friends, which take another chunk of time away from our life. Not that we begrudge time spent with family, friends, or doing things we enjoy, but what happens to the time we need to take care of ourselves? Do we drive through a fast food restaurant when running errands, and hunger strikes? Do we kid ourselves into believing that an occasional French fry, greasy hamburger, and cold drink are not increasing our health risks?

We are running late for work and did not have time for a healthy breakfast. Do we stop and get a latte and donut on the way in, or a sausage biscuit? Our bodies tell us that we are hungry, so let’s reward them with something healthy.

One of the turning points in my thought process came when I read an article written by Liane Schmidt. Do other countries/cultures have less to do, and thereby have more time to prepare healthy food, or do they give diet it’s proper priority? Is not are health worth investing in a little additional time?

The Center for Disease Control states that 34 % of U.S. adults are obese. After a quarter century of increases, obesity prevalence has not measurably increased in the past few years but levels are still high – at 34 percent of U.S. adults aged 20 and over.”

It seems that America is waking up to the dangers of obesity, because while our levels are high, they seem to have leveled off, but leveling them off is not sufficient.

A slide show on the CDC website depicts obesity per cents by state. More than 20,000 new foods and beverages hit our grocery shelves in 2006 and many of them made claims of being natural, organic, low fat, nutritional and so forth. Marketing employs many tricks the consumer needs to be aware of. After all it is our health at risk, and our dollar spent.

French Fries

Who doesn’t love French fries? Not long ago there was a fast food
war on regarding Tran’s fats and fries. It seems that Wendy’s and
Burger King voluntarily switched cooking oil, so as to not contribute
to the dangers of the fries. MacDonald’s, on the other hand, held out,
because they are known for the flavor of their fries. They did not want
to hurt their sales. Research has indicated that the shortening (dubbed
the silent killer) used to fry our beloved French fries is increasing
our risks of heart attack and stroke.

And it is not just the shortening, but potatoes make an unhealthy transformation, when fried.

Cooking Starchy Foods at High Temps Releases Acryl amides.

GENEVA, Switzerland, March 7, 2005 (ENS) – The chemical acrylamide formed unintentionally when starchy foods such as potato chips are cooked may be of public health concern since it has been shown to cause cancer in animals, an international expert panel said Friday.

This site goes on to warn that the main foods contributing to acrylamide exposure, as determined in countries where data has been compiled, are potato chips, potato crisps, coffee, cereal based products such as pastries, sweet biscuits, breads, rolls and toast. Acryl amides can be reduced by varying cooking times and temperatures, as a temperature of 120º C or 248º F causes Acryl amides to be formed. Exposure to Acryl amides has been shown to cause reproductive problems and cancer in test animals.

Donuts

Who doesn’t love them? But what redeeming qualities do they have -
besides taste? A donut is loaded with white flour, shortening, sugar,
the above mentioned Acryl amides, saturated fat, Tran’s fats,
carbohydrates, calories, cholesterol and anything but nutrition. Eat an
apple or a whole grain bagel instead and lower your cholesterol rather
than raising it.

Non-Dairy Topping

But it tastes so good in my coffee, or on top of my favorite pie. Just one small tablespoon contains 32 calories, and who stops at one tablespoon? Read the side of your tub, and you will find ingredients such as corn syrup, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, guar gum, polysorbate 60, and over ten more difficult to spell and even more difficult to pronounce names. The nutritional chart on this package shows 0 all the way down.

Chips

“I bet you can’t eat one.” the commercial said, and they put our money in their bank, because we couldn’t stop at one.

According to LifeScript, just one handful of chips three times a week adds up to 23,400 calories per year or 7 extra pounds. We already heard about the dangers of French fries and unfortunately, these are just as bad, if not worse.

COLD BEVERAGES

Visualize this; you just finished deep frying food, and now want to clean your pan and put it away. It’s full of oil, grease, shortening, lard, or whatever you want to call it. Would you soak it in ice water? Can you imagine what that cold beverage does to your digestive system, as you “wash” your fried food down with it?

If you routinely drink soda, simply removing it from your diet is one of the single healthiest things you can do for yourself. According to Dr. Mercola and Rachael Droege in “The Five Absolute Worst Foods You Can Eat” published in 10/18/03, one 12 oz. can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg. of caffeine, and several artificial ingredients.

Studies have linked soda consumption with osteoporosis, obesity, tooth decay, and heart disease. Not only does soda contain nothing nutritional but it ruins the appetite for the healthier foods we need to consume.

Fried Fish

Again according to Doctor Mercola this category has the risks of trans-fats in addition to acryl amides, and mercury. He cautions that seafood is loaded with toxic mercury and can be contaminated with parasites and resistant viruses that may not even be killed with high heat. According to Dr. Mercola a safer substitute for seafood is wild red Alaskan Salmon. Independent lab testing conducted on this salmon has shown it is free of harmful levels of mercury and other contaminants while being loaded with healthy nutrition.

Cup Cakes/Snack Cakes

Loaded with white flour, sugar . . . What good can we say about these delicious looking treats, other than taste? You won’t find vast amounts of vitamins contained here.

White Bread

Choose the whole wheat bread or other breads containing whole grains. Whole wheat bread is much higher in fiber, vitamin B6 and E, magnesium, zinc, folic acid, and chromium. The fiber in whole wheat bread aids in digestion and maintaining proper weight.

“Simply switching from white to whole wheat bread can lower heart disease risk by 20 percent,” according to research from the University of Washington reported in the April 2, 2003
issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Men’s Health provides the following list of foods considered the top 10 worst foods to eat:

1. Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing. This tasty fry contains 2,900 calories, 182 grams of fat, and 240 grams of carbohydrates.
2. Chili’s Awesome Blossom – 2,710 calories, 203 grams of fat, 194 grams of carbohydrates and a whopping 6,360 mg. of sodium.
3. On the Border Stacked Border Nachos – 2,740 calories, 166 grams of fat, 191 grams of carbohydrates and 5,280 mg. of sodium.
4. Macaroni Grill Spaghetti and Meatballs with Meat Sauce – 2,430 calories, 128 grams of fat, 207 grams of carbohydrates
5. Uno Chicago Grill Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza – 2,310 calories, 162 grams of fat, 123 grams of carbohydrates and 4,470 mg. sodium.
6. On the Border Dos XX Fish Tacos with Rice and Beans – 2,100 calories, 130 grams fat, 169 grams carbohydrates, and 4,750 mg. of sodium.
7. Chili’s Honey Chipotle Crispers with Chipotle Sauce – 2,040, 99 grams of fat, and 240 grams of carbohydrates
8. P.F. Chang’s Pork Lo Mein – 1,820 calories, 127 grams of fat and 95 grams of carbohydrates.
9. Chili’s Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream – 1,600 calories, 78 grams of fat, 215 grams of carbohydrates
10. Bob Evans Caramel Banana Pecan Cream Stacked and Stuffed Hotcakes – 1,540 calories, 77 grams of fat and 198 grams of carbohydrates

Robert K. Cooper, Ph.D. and Leslie L. Cooper write in their book Low-Fat Living: Skillpower Not Willpower, “Here are some of the benefits, confirmed by the most recent studies (of sensible low-fat eating):

• More energy
• Better self-esteem
• Lower blood pressure and cholesterol
• Lower risk of gout, varicose veins, and various work-related injuries
• Decrease in the risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes and cancer
• Fewer back aches
• Fewer illnesses

To determine your recommended daily caloric intake use the following chart:

If you are. . . and your desired weight is times by = daily cal.

A sedentary woman _____lb. 12 __________

A sedentary man _____lb. 14 __________

A moderately active woman _____lb. 15 __________

A moderately active man _____lb. 17 __________

A very active woman _____lb. 18 __________

A very active man _____lb. 20 __________

Consult your doctor for your recommended sodium intake. My doctor recommends no more than 1,000 mgs. a day, which can accumulate very quickly, particularly if eating some of the above discussed foods.

In conclusion, many Americans can learn from some of our neighbors overseas to create healthier eating habits in not relying on fast foods for our daily meals, snack foods loaded with sugars and salt, and washing it all done with a cold pop. Eating healthier may be a little more time consuming, but aren’t we worth it?