As the saying goes, you are what you eat. When it comes to maintaining a healthy diet, it’s not just about controlling how much you eat but which foods you are consuming.
” Food and nutrition play a crucial role in health promotion and chronic disease prevention.” Advises the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says: ” Poor nutrition is a leading cause of illness in the U.S., associated with more than half a million deaths per year. It is linked with increased risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease as well as broader impacts including higher health care costs and decreased productivity. Make your food and beverage choices a priority and stay physically active.”
Here a nutritionist outlines 5 foods to never eat.
The Worst Foods to Eat
Joe Do’it, a certified sports nutritionist and Founder of fitness tech company TrainLife says,” The absolute worst foods to eat are those that are high in calories, but low in healthy micro nutrients such as essential vitamins and minerals.” Such food items include the following:
- Sodas
- Pastries
- Cakes
- Fried foods
- Frozen meals
- Other highly processed foods
“Many of these foods are also high in sugar, saturated fats and added sugar, which can contribute to serious disease and adverse health conditions,” the nutritionist warned.
Joe Do’it also warns, “You should check food labels and buy items that come with less added sugars, sodium and saturated fat.”
Top Foods to Avoid
Joe Do’it’s Pick of 3 Worst Foods to Never Eat
1. Frozen Pizza
Many of the available frozen pizza options are high in calories, sodium, sugar and saturated fat and low in other beneficial nutrients, the TrainHealth Founder said.
2. Soda
Sodas are very easy to consume in large quantities, which can contribute a large amount of calories consumed as well as added sugar. “This can lead to weight gain and other detrimental health conditions,” Joe Do’it warned.
3. Processed Meats
Foods such as bacon, sausages and some deli meats are not only high in calories and sodium, but also in saturated fat as well as some nitrates and nitrites. This can “all contribute to various health conditions and disease,” he said.
4. Sugary Coffee Drinks
Joe recommends removing sugary coffee drinks from your diet. Many people are accustomed to starting their day with a 20-ounce sugary coffee drink, which has close to 600 calories and extremely high amounts of sugar, the nutritionist noted.
“That amount of sugar taken daily can be toxic and dangerous to our long term health by increasing the risk of heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure and inflammation,” he said.
5. Sugary Cereals
Joe also warns people to avoid sugary cereals, as they are also “so heavily processed and stripped from any real nutrition.”
John Davis is a seasoned health journalist with expertise in public health and medical research. Holding a degree in health sciences, John excels in making complex health topics understandable and engaging for his readers. His articles, featured in top health publications, cover everything from cutting-edge treatments to public health policies. Outside of journalism, John is an advocate for health education and frequently speaks at community events.