1. Processed Meats - 2013 study published in BMC Medicine, researchers concluded that of 26,344 deaths studied, high consumption of processed meat was responsible for 3.3 percent of them. Processed Meats packed with preservatives and sodium, processed, packaged meats are high in nitrates, which cause to stomach cancer, says Jim White, R.D., spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics and owner of Jim White Fitness training studios.
2. Margarine - Billed as a healthy alternative to butter, margarine’s trans fats, which put you at risk for heart disease and diabetes, are far worse than the natural saturated fat you’ll find in butter, Fear says. The margarine’s label say, “0 trans fat.” That might be a flat-out lie. The Food and Drug Administration currently allows food manufacturers to claim their products are trans-fat free as long as they contain less than 0.5 grams of trans fat in each recommended serving.
3. Sugary Cereals - High in sugar and low in nutrition, sugary cereals set you up for fat gain and a 3pm slump. “The sugar and crunch produces a dopamine surge in the brain, which urges us to keep going,” Fear says.
4. Fast-Food Burgers - In one Annals of Diagnostic Pathology study, researchers studied eight fast-food brands and found that all of their burgers contained between 2.1 percent and 14.8 percent meat. The rest was water, connective tissue, blood vessels, nerves, fat, cartilage, and, in some, even parasites.
5. Donuts - “Considering that refined grains, sugar, and deep-fried foods are all independently unhealthy, you have to admire the donut for falling into all three categories,” Fear says. And, as if the 400-plus calories of sugar and fat (including trans fat) per serving wasn’t bad enough, some food manufacturers and donut shops use nanoparticles such as titanium dioxide, which the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified as possibly carcinogenic to humans.
6. Microwave Popcorn - Microwave popcorn doesn’t have much nutrition. Some brand contain diacetyl containing butter flavoring, which when breathed in, can cause life-threatening lung disease such as bronchiolitis obliterans, according to research from Brown University. If you have a hankering for popcorn, pop it yourself on the stove or in an air popper.
7. Toaster Pastries - White says. “If your food bank doesn’t want them, they have to be bad. I honestly think they are one of the worst foods you could possibly eat.” These are typically high in sugar, trans fats, and low in protein and fiber. Plus, they have minimal vitamins and minerals. And just look at the ingredients list.
8. Blended Coffee Drinks
9. Bagels - any refined carb can suck it. Not only are their carbs refined, leaving you with little more than sugar in bagel form, they can weigh in at 400 calories each, White says.
10. Soda - The reasons you shouldn’t drink soda is you’ve got weight gain, diabetes, and heart disease. according to 2014 study in the American Journal of Public Health, drinking soda can age you by as much as smoking.
