Food is important to the body because it provides energy and the nutrients we need for our growth and body activities. Therefore, maintaining a healthy lifestyle requires eating the right foods! However, there are certain foods that are not only nutrition-less but also potentially harmful to the body and should be avoided.
Carbonated Drinks (Soft drink)
Carbonated drinks or fizzy drinks are beverages that contain dissolved carbon dioxide in carbonated water. A carbonated or soft drink is sugar-sweetened and has the capacity to cause tooth decay, obesity, reduced bone strength among others. Besides, consumers of carbonated drinks on a frequent basis face increased risk of developing type II diabetes than those who do not.
Processed meats
According to the World Health Organization, processed meats including ham, bacon, sausage, and hot dogs belong to Group 1 carcinogen, which are likely to cause cancer. Eating processed meat increases your risk of bowel and stomach cancer.
In addition, chemical preservatives are used in preserving processed meats and to keep them fresh. This, itself, is a likely cause of cancer. These preservatives are known to contain sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate – two chemicals associated with colon cancer.
Margarine
Margarine is loaded with trans-fat, which gives unhealthy cholesterol while reducing the amount of useful cholesterol the body needs. Another health danger of margarine consumption is inflammation, resulting in belly fat and other diseases such as cardiopathy and diabetes. Margarine is used in processing foods like pastries, snack food, cakes, etc.
Packaged/canned Fruits
It is advisable to choose fresh fruits over its sugar-filled canned variants, some of which typically contains artificial coloring and preservatives.
Diet/Sugar Free Drinks
Diet drinks and diet foods, which are supposed to be healthy for consumption, typically contain artificial sweeteners like sucralose, aspartame and the likes. Minimal sugar consumption is good.
Salt and Pepper
Too much salt intake increases your risk of contracting high blood pressure and cardiopathy. For its part, pepper raises the risk of having abdomen ulceration and cancer.
