Five Of The Unhealthiest Foods And Drinks In The Entire World
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People are constantly obsessing over their weight, counting calories, and talking about reasons why they shouldn’t really be eating what they’re eating and how they should instead be tucking into a fresh, healthy, and nutritious salad instead. We’re great at talking about what we should and should not be doing, yet unfortunately many of us aren’t that great at actually doing what we should be doing. With food and drink for example, we know we shouldn’t consume unhealthy produce, yet we still do. If we truly understood why we shouldn’t be consuming these foods and drinks however, then we may feel more inclined to make some slightly more healthier choices and find better alternatives for us instead. When we talk about junk food, the main reason why people think it’s so bad for us is because it causes us to gain weight. Whilst that’s true, it also does much more than that. Here’s a look at five of the unhealthiest foods and drinks in the entire world, and exactly what it is that makes them so unhealthy, and why we should avoid them.
Donuts
Ok, donuts do taste pretty good, but if you understood exactly what it is that made them so bad for us, perhaps you’d think twice about consuming them every week and would instead save them for rare occasions. Donuts are heavily processed and contain white flour that too has been processed and treated with various chemicals, bleaches, flavourings, and additives. As well as that, donuts are pumped full of sugar, and trans fats, and that’s before they’re even deep fried. Once they hit the fryer, they begin absorbing the fats and oils that they’re submerged in, increasing the fat and calorie content greatly. For good measure, they’re then coated in sugar, or pumped full of jam, cream, and/or other fatty produce that increases the fat, calorie, and sugar content even more. Excess sugar is a recipe for disaster as it can lead to increased fat gain and problems with the pancreas which could eventually lead to type 2 Diabetes.
French fries
French fries are another example of an extremely unhealthy food, which are mainly so unhealthy because of the way that they’re prepared and cooked. When you start with the raw produce, French fries are fine because they’re made from potatoes. Potatoes are a great source of complex carbohydrates, they have a low Glycemic Index, they’re low in calories, and they’re a great source of energy. Unfortunately things quickly go downhill from here. French fries are so unmistakable because of their unique shape. They’re sliced incredibly thinly and finely, which is one reason why they’re so unhealthy. As they’re so thinly sliced, they have an increased surface area. This means that when they’re deep fried in fat or oil, their increased surface area allows them to absorb and soak up much more of the grease they’re cooked in. As if that wasn’t enough, they’re then generously coated in salt, which can also lead to health issues including hypertension (high blood pressure) cardiovascular disease, and even an increased risk of suffering a stroke or a heart attack.
Bacon
At the minute, loving bacon is the “cool” thing to do. Even if people didn’t previously like bacon, they’re now jumping on the bandwagon and consuming much more of it because society is telling us that loving bacon is cool and the “in” thing at this moment in time. Because of this, we have monstrosities such as bacon wrapped chocolate, peanut butter with bacon pieces, bacon mayonnaise, heck there’s even bacon flavour toothpaste. If you do genuinely love bacon however, it should be consumed sparingly as it is one of the most unhealthy cuts of meat currently available. Bacon is an extremely fatty cut of pork, which naturally increases the calorie and saturated fat content. It is also naturally salty, and what’s worse is the fact that it is often brined in salt water, or cured in salt before being sold to you and I. Most people tend to fry their bacon in grease or oil, making it even unhealthier. To make your bacon healthier, trim away any visible fat, and grill it instead of frying it.
Pizza
Bad news for pizza lovers. Pizza is now considered one of the unhealthiest foods in the whole world, and if you’ve ever seen the grease left over in an empty pizza box, you’ll probably have a pretty good idea why. Pizza dough is often made from processed white flour which as mentioned previously, is treated with various chemicals, preservatives and additives. The dough is then coated in a tomato-based sauce, which would normally be healthy, except to counter-act the acidity of the tomatoes, large amounts of sugar have been added. On top of the sugary tomato sauce, a generous serving of various cheeses are used, particularly full-fat mozzarella. Finally, if desired fatty cuts of meat are also added before the pizza is baked. Pizza is packed full of salt, sugar, additives, and saturated fats, making it extremely unhealthy. If a wholemeal flour is used for the base, along with a low-sugar tomato sauce, and low-fat cheese however, it will be much healthier, especially with the addition of fresh vegetables.
“Diet” drinks
So-called “diet” drinks are marketed as being diet-friendly, as if they were created by health and fitness experts to help us get fit and healthy. In reality however, these drinks are not only, not beneficial for us, they’re also extremely bad for us. The reason they’re marketed as diet beverages is because they don’t contain sugar, which does indeed contribute towards weight gain and is high in calories. However, in the place of sugar, they use chemical sweeteners such as aspartame. Aspartame is a chemical that has been found to be carcinogenic, which means it can cause cancer, and as well as that, it causes headaches, mood swings, nausea, digestive issues, and more. It even slows the metabolism making it harder to lose weight, and it has been heavily linked with Alzheimer’s, ALS, and other degenerative diseases as well. Skip the “diet” drinks and opt for fresh water instead, which is much, much more beneficial.
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