10 Foods that can spoil your health

In today’s food and health conscious society we’re all well aware of what we should be eating – vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean meats, salads, dairy… the list goes on and on. That’s an awful lot to remember day to day! Here is a list of the top unhealthy foods to avoid, making healthy eating easier to navigate. You might be surprised.

10. Microwave Popcorn

There is nothing like an instant bag of microwave popcorn with a side of Perfluorooctanoic acid for a mid-day snack right? Recent studies have shown that microwave popcorn packaging that contains this long-winded chemical is associated with a host of reproductive disorders and increased cancer risk. This is just one chemical that is transferred into those tasty kernels when microwaved making them delicious bites of potential testicular, pancreatic, and liver tumors.

Suggestion: Use an air-popcorn machine and make your next popcorn experience an adventure to the movie theater, even if you are just staying at home.

9. Grain-Fed Beef

Grain and corn fed beef is a norm for the typical American meal today. While grain and corn are whole wheat options that can pack a powerful punch for your system, they increase the level of growth hormones in cattle. With an increase in growth hormones we see early maturity but a large decrease in essential nutrients such as vitamin E, potassium and calcium.

Suggestion: Ask your local grocer if they provide grass-fed beef, if they don’t ask them if they would be willing to begin.

8. Non-Organic Potatoes

Potatoes are a delicious root vegetable. However, those starchy little bulbs could be holding pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides that farmers use on them and other crops that they absorbed through the soil. Keep in mind, anything ending in “-icide” means it’s meant to kill, so don’t eat it!

Suggestion: Look for organic potatoes at your local grocery or search for local organic farmers to buy fresh! Yum!

7. Hormone Induced Milk

In order to produce enough milk to meet demand, dairy cattle today are often treated with hormones. Since use of these hormones began there has been an increase in milk related infections and colon, prostate, and breast cancer cases.

Suggestion: Read your milk labels, search for the one that clearly states there are no hormones added.

6. Cheesecake

1 serving of a frozen cheesecake = 29 grams of saturated fats. Yikes! And seriously, who really stops at just one serving?

Suggestion: Mix natural yogurt with fresh fruits to pile into a crust for a delicious fruit tart!




5. Canned soup

Do you enjoy licking salt off of your plate? If you are eating canned soups you may as well! The high sodium content in these cans is especially fatal to individuals with a history of high blood pressure and chronic heart disease.

Suggestion: Experiment and make your own soups – they are super easy crockpot recipes!

4. Bacon

Crispy salty cancer and heart disease riddled strips. That’s what you thought of when you read “bacon” right? Probably not, but the high amounts of calories and fats can lead to several types of cancer and increase your risk of cardiac disease.

Suggestion: Replace your morning bacon with a small grass-fed steak instead!

3. Canned Tomatoes

Tin containers that house canned tomatoes are made with BPA (bisephenol-A). BPA is linked to diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Men especially beware – an increase in BPA in your body can lead to infertility due to a decrease in sperm production.

Suggestion: Use fresh tomatoes and boil them down from scratch – super delicious!

2. Farm Raised Salmon

Farmed salmon are fed poultry leftovers and soy. This has proved to cause farm raised salmon to have a decrease in essential nutrients such as vitamin E and an increase in toxic PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). This defeats the purpose of eating salmon for their omega 3 effects!

Suggestion: If a food label contains substances you can’t spell or pronounce, it’s best to avoid!

1. French Fries

Many of us knew this one already, but still they remain a staple food in the fast food industry. French fries have no nutritional value but are high in fat. While delicious – baked or fried this a food to avoid.

Suggestion: Go for a baked potato as a side instead of the fries.

Even some labels that are supposedly “heart healthy” or seem like they would fall into the “healthy” category are hiding harmful chemicals that can cause serious health risks. Most important is to read labels and eat only what you can spell and pronounce!



Read more: http://www.gizmocrazed.com/2013/02/top-10-unhealthy-foods-you-should-avoid/#ixzz2Rr9wdHeU