Some of the Unhealthiest Foods!

Posted on February 27, 2019 Updated on February 27, 2019

Life is short, therefore, you like to indulge a little bit here and there. However, that bacon cheeseburger, diet soda, and fries once in awhile does more than just harm. These foods are laced with chemicals and dangerous additives that have severe effects on your health.

• Fast Food Iced Tea

Harmful Ingredient: Propylene glycol alginate (E405)

While iced tea probably seems like the healthiest option, you’d be surprised at how wrong you really are. There is an ingredient known as, Propylene glycol alginate, also referred to as E405.Unfortunately, you can find E405 in anti-freeze and runway deicer. Propylene glycol alginate is a food thickener, stabilizer, and can cause cardiovascular or neurotoxic issues. It is widely used among the fast food chains in their iced teas.

Eat This Instead: Try steeping green tea in cool water for a few minutes instead of the traditional warm water. Either way, green tea is great for burning fat and keeping you alert.

• Tile Fish

Harmful Ingredient: Mercury

All fish have trace amounts of mercury, however, tile fish is ranked #1 in dangerous levels of mercury. It is even more dangerous than shark or swordfish.

Eat This Instead: Atlantic Mackerel! It has the lowest trace amounts of mercury among all the different types of fish.

• Microwave Popcorn

Harmful Ingredient: Trans Fats 

A lot of sources will say that popcorn is a great and healthy snack. However, microwave popcorn is not the exception. Air popped popcorn is a healthy and nutritious snack full of fiber and whole grains. On the other hand, the microwaveable brands are butter ‘flavored’ treats that are laced with diacetyl (DA). Studies show that diacetyl breaks down the layers of cells that protect one of the most vital organs: the brain.

Eat This Instead: Air pop some kernels! All you need is a brown paper bag, unpopped kernels, and a microwave. Pour a handful of kernels into a brown lunch bag. Next, fold the lunch bag over a few times until it is properly sealed and toss it into the microwave. You will know when the bag is ready when you hear a pop only once every five seconds. Enjoy!

• Fast Food Chicken Nuggets

Harmful Ingredient: Diglycerides, Red #40, carrageenan

All chicken nuggets contain some amount of chicken, however, this mouthful of a chemical is what keeps the chicken nuggets looking good for months at a time. Even buying frozen chicken nuggets from the grocery store doesn’t keep you safe from the harmful additives. The purpose of this chemical is to also keep the limited organic material (i.e: chicken) inside the nugget looking good even if it is frozen for long periods of time.

Eat This Instead: Cut organic chicken breast into pieces, dip into a mixture of egg and breadcrumbs, and bake at home in your oven. They are tasty and you know exactly what is going in them.

• Fruit Juice

Harmful Ingredient: Fructose

With claims like “it’s all natural!” and “organic,” it’s easy to get swept away by the marketing when it comes to buying fruit juice. While it may be 100% juice, this beverage is often packed with as much sugar as 4 Krispy Kreme donuts or 36 grams of sugar per cup. The sweet flavor you might love comes from fructose, which is a type of sugar associated with the development of visceral adipose, also known as, belly fat.

Drink This Instead: Instead of drinking another glass of fruit juice, why not just try some good old fashioned, hydrating water. Simply slice up some grape fruit, limes, or lemons for an extra kick of flavor. You can also add mint or berries as well.

• White Sugar

Harmful Ingredient: Sugar

The CDC has stated that Americans eat a whopping 82 grams of added sugar per day. This is 37 grams above the recommended daily intake. Refined white sugar is bleached in a process that entails the sugar going through “bone char” or “natural carbon”. These are just fancy terms for charred cattle bones. Confectioner sugar and brown sugar can also be culprits to this gross process.

Eat This Instead: Stick to organic cane or coconut sugar. These both can be found at your local supermarket.

• Sugary Cereal

Harmful Ingredients: Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT), Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA), refined carbs, added sugar

Consuming too much-refined sugar can eventually lead to obesity. Sugar wreaks havoc on the body. Also, other illnesses and disease that are caused by eating refined sugar are diabetes and heart disease. Most breakfast cereals pack more sugar into one serving than an entire Krispy Kreme Boston donut. Even worse, many popular varieties like Frosted Flakes and Fruity Pebbles are also laced with Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT) or BHA (Butylated Hydroxyanisole), ingredients that are banned in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and much of Europe because they are thought to be carcinogenic.

Eat This Instead: Flax and oats cereals are low-sugar picks that don’t contain any scary chemicals.

• Diet Sodas

Harmful Ingredients: Caramel coloring, brominated vegetable oil (BVO), Bisphenol A (BPA), aspartame

Your favorite diet soda isn’t as innocent as the marketing would lead you to believe. Diet sodas like Diet Coke and Diet Dr. Pepper all contain artificial coloring, flame retardants, and fake sugars. Nearly all diet sodas contain the very dangerous ingredient, aspartame. This dangerous artificial sweetener has been known to raise glucose levels and overloads the liver resulting in excess fat. Diet Mountain Dew and Fresca aren’t safe bets either. Other sodas contain an ingredient called BVO, which is a chemical used in rocket fuel and flame retardants. This may negatively affect thyroid hormones.

Eat This Instead: Most companies have phased out BVO use in their sodas, but all diet drinks still contain aspartame.

• Coffee Creamer

Harmful Ingredients: Titanium dioxide, trans fats, added sugar

Want to know what your sunscreen and coffee creamer have in common? They both contain titanium dioxide. This is also known as a radiation blocker that doubles as a whitening agent. The additive has been proven to cause liver and tissue damage in mice. Aside from all of this information, creamers are loaded with trans fats. These are cleverly disguised as hydrogenated oil. Most, if not all, of Coffee Mate’s products, have this scary ingredient. It has also been shown to diminish memory in adults under 45 years old.

• Processed Meats

Harmful Ingredients: Nitrate, excess sodium

Deli meats like bacon, sausage, or lunch meats could be putting your life at risk. Many of these meats contain nitrates, which is a preservative that interferes with the body’s natural ability to process sugar. This can increase the risk for diabetes and also puts you at risk for developing thyroid or colon cancer. Processed meats are also loaded with sodium which is a known contributor to diseases like hypertension. Sodium can also make you bloat and can increase your risk of developing heart disease.

Eat This Instead: Boar’s Head All Natural Roasted Turkey breast is free of nitrates and is relatively low in sodium. Applegate Natural’s Natural Slow Cooked Ham and Organic Bacon are also good alternatives.

• Deep Fried Foods

Harmful Ingredient: Hydrogenated Oil

Fried chicken, fried mozzarella sticks, and fried calamari, and even french fries are trouble for your body. Aside from wreaking havoc on your waist line, these fried treats are made with hydrogenated oil. This has been known to cause depression in certain individuals. Hydrogenation is a process that turns vegetable oil into a more solid form, making it a more shelf-stable product. Hydrogenated oils contain trans fats that contribute to depression, clogged arteries, and heart disease.

Eat This Instead: Always oven bake your food.

• Chinese Food

Harmful Ingredient: Monosodium glutamate

MSG is often associated with Chinese food. It is a flavor enhancer used in other types of foods like soups, processed meats, and more. Research has shown that MSG is one of the worst additives you can consume. It can cause an increase in appetite, ultimately causing you to consume more foods with MSG.

Eat This Instead: Steamed Veggies and Brown Rice

• Energy Drinks

Harmful Ingredient: Sugar, glucose, caffeine

Ever wonder why energy drinks taste like medicinal cough syrup? You’re not really getting any energy out of these drinks. They are overpriced cocktails of chemicals that are loaded with scary artificial sugars and sweeteners.

Drink This Instead: Green Tea. It is all natural and one of the best energy boosters. It has also been shown to boost your metabolism and give you better focus.

• Ice Cream

Harmful Ingredients: Soybean oil, titanium dioxide, artificial coloring

Most ice creams, yes, even the premium ones, are loaded with sugar and soybean oil. Some even contain harmful artificial coloring agents and titanium, which is the same additive that gives sunblock its white hue.

Eat This Instead: Try a frozen banana homemade ice cream instead.

• Bottled Smoothies

Harmful Ingredient: Caramel coloring, pectin, fructose, xanthan gum

Grab and go breakfasts are convenient but they certainly not healthy.  These grab and go smoothies are packed with sugar, preservatives, and are really lacking any sort of real nutrition.

Drink This Instead: Start making your own smoothies at home.

• Breakfast Biscuits

Harmful Ingredient: Trans fat

Making biscuits from scratch takes forever, and the majority of the packaged varieties are chock full of trans fats, an artificial fat—invented to make baked goods more shelf-stable—that’s been linked heart disease. Buttermilk Biscuits reads “0 grams” in the trans fat column, it’s made with hydrogenated soybean oil— that there are traces of the dangerous fat in the biscuits.

Eat This Instead: Thomas “nooks and crannies” save you from trans fats and will save you 90 calories.

• Pancake Syrup

Harmful Ingredients: High fructose corn syrup, caramel coloring

Your favorite syrup brands like Aunt Jemima and Mrs. Buttersworth are made with two ingredients that are harmful to your health. They contain high fructose corn syrup and artificial coloring.

Eat This Instead: The best syrup for your health are Honey and Maple syrup.