UNHEALTHY FOODS THAT COMPLICATE HEALTH STATUS

Research, suggests that eating these foods regularly even  in addition to healthier ones can set the stage for life-threatening illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and even some cancers.

Added sugar: Whether it’s white granulated sugar, brown sugar, high- fructose co
rn syrup, corn sugar, or honey, sugar contains almost no nutrients and is pure carbohydrate. When you eat a lot of sugar, you are filling up on empty calories, causing your blood sugar to rise and fall like a roller coaster, and it keeps one  from eating foods that have important nutrients and fibre.

Research cites soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages as the primary source of added sugar in the diet and a major contributor to weight gain and obesity. In fact, just one extra 12-ounce can of a typical
sweetened beverage a day can add on 15 pounds in a year.

That’s not only because the drinks themselves add calories, but also because those liquid calories are not as satisfying as solid food.


Milk and other dairy fats: Ice
 cream, whole milk, and cheese are full of saturated fat and some naturally occurring trans fat and therefore can increase the risk of the health problems, notably heart disease.



The healthiest milk and milk products are low-fat versions, such as skim milk, milk w
ith one per cent fat, and reduced-fat cheeses.



Sweets: Cookies, snack cakes, doughnuts, pastries, and many other treats are hard to pass up, but these commercially prepared versions are pac
ked with processed carbohydrates, added sugar, unhealthy fats, and often salt.

Sweets which are basically sugar can impair insulin sensitivity and worsen blood lipids which can lead to diabetes.


White-flour carbohydrates: Bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, cookies or cake – if you e
njoy these foods, opt for whole-grain versions. Whole-wheat contains good fibre and nutrients while white flour in bread and rice is full of refined sugar which have heavy calories that is not easy for the body to digest.



Processed and high-fat meats: Processed meats and meat products are sweetened wit
h preservatives such as nitrates and salts which are not nearly as beneficial as fresh animal flesh, bones, and offal.

Nitrates can form potentially unhealthy, carcinogenic compounds called nitrosamines when subjected to heat.

Fresh meats should comprise the bulk of your meat intake. Factory farmed meat intake should also be limited, as access and finances allow, whi
le grass-fed/pastured animal products should be strongly favoured for their beneficial nutrient content.

Salt: Most condiments contain salts and sugars which is  simply another way to make bad food taste good by heaping sugar and/or bad fat all over it. If you get a low-fat dressing or condiment, it’s undoubtedly loaded with sugar to make up for the missing fat. You can’t win, so it’s best to just get rid of the stuff altogether.
Current dietary guidelines and the American Heart Association recommend reducing salt intake to 1,500 mg per day but most of us get 1 ½ teaspoons (or 8,500 mg) of salt daily. That translates to about 3,400 excess. Your body needs a certain amount of sodium or salt but too much can increase blood pressure and the risk of heart disease and stroke.