The Five Absolute Worst Foods You Can Eat

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http://www.mercola.com/2003/oct/18/worst_foods.htm

 

 

The Five Absolute Worst Foods You Can Eat

 

 

 

By Dr. Joseph Mercola

with Rachael Droege

 

 

 

There are no “bad” foods, right? Only food you should eat in moderation? Well,

not really. The following foods are so bad for your body that I really can’t see

any reason to eat them. Not only do they have zero nutritional value, but they

also give your body a healthy dose of toxins, which should make the idea of

eating them really hard to swallow.

 

 

 

Doughnuts

 

 

Doughnuts are fried, full of sugar and white flour and most all varieties

contain trans fat. Store-bought doughnuts are made up of about 35 percent to 40

percent trans fat.

 

 

 

An average doughnut will give you about 200 to 300 calories, mostly from sugar,

and few other nutrients.

 

 

 

It’s too bad that Americans view doughnuts as a breakfast food as, nutritionally

speaking, eating a doughnut is one of the worst ways to start off your day. It

will through off your blood sugar and won’t stay with you so you’ll be hungry

again soon. You are better off eating no breakfast at all, or better yet

grabbing a quick glass of Living Fuel.

 

 

 

Soda

 

 

One can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of

caffeine, and is loaded with artificial food colors and sulphites. I can't think

of any good reason to ever have it. The diet varieties are also problematic as

they are filled with harmful artificial sweeteners like aspartame.

 

 

 

Studies have linked soda to osteoporosis, obesity, tooth decay and heart

disease, yet the average American drinks an estimated 56 gallons of soft drinks

each year. Plus, drinking all that sugar will likely suppress your appetite for

healthy foods, which pave the way for nutrient deficiencies.

 

Soft drink consumption among children has almost doubled in the United States

over the last decade, which is not surprising considering that most school

hallways are lined with soda-filled vending machines.

 

Schools often make marketing deals with leading soft drink companies such as

Coca-Cola from which they receive commissions--based on a percentage of sales at

each school--and sometimes a lump-sum payment, in exchange for their students’

health. School vending machines can increase the consumption of sweetened

beverages by up to 50 or more cans of soda per student per year.

 

If you routinely drink soda--regular or diet--eliminating it from your diet is

one of the simplest and most profound health improvements you can make.

 

French Fries (and Nearly All Commercially Fried Foods)

 

Potatoes are bad enough when consumed in their raw state, as their simple sugars

are rapidly converted to glucose that raises insulin levels and can devastate

your health. But when they are cooked in trans fat at high temperatures, all

sorts of interesting and very unpleasant things occur.

 

Anything that is fried, even vegetables, has the issue of trans fat and the

potent cancer-causing substance acrylamide.

 

 

 

Foods that are fried in vegetable oils like canola, soybean, safflower, corn,

and other seed and nut oils are particularly problematic. These polyunsaturated

fats easily become rancid when exposed to oxygen and produce large amounts of

damaging free radicals in the body. They are also very susceptible to

heat-induced damage from cooking. What is not commonly known is that these oils

can actually cause aging, clotting, inflammation, cancer and weight gain. You

can read the article “Secrets of the Edible Oil Industry” for more information.

 

 

 

It is theoretically possible to create a more “healthy” French fry if you cook

it in a healthy fat like virgin coconut oil. Due to its high saturated fat

content, coconut oil is extremely stable and is not damaged by the high

temperatures of cooking. This is why coconut oil should be the only oil you use

to cook with.

 

 

 

I am fond of telling patients that one French fry is worse for your health than

one cigarette, so you may want to consider this before you order your next

‘Biggie’ order.

 

 

 

Chips

 

 

Most commercial chips, and this includes corn chips, potato chips, tortilla

chips, you name it, are high in trans fat. Fortunately, some companies have

caught on to the recent media blitz about the dangers of trans fat and have

started to produce chips without trans fat.

 

 

 

However, the high temperatures used to cook them will potentially cause the

formation of carcinogenic substances like acrylamide, and this risk remains even

if the trans fat is removed.

 

 

 

Fried Non-Fish Seafood

 

This category represents the culmination of non-healthy aspects of food. Fried

shrimp, clams, oysters, lobsters, and so on have all the issues of trans fat and

acrylamide mentioned above, plus an added risk of mercury.

 

 

 

Seafood is loaded with toxic mercury and shellfish like shrimp and lobsters can

be contaminated with parasites and resistant viruses that may not even be killed

with high heat. These creatures, considered scavenger animals, consume foods

that may be harmful for you.

 

 

 

Eating these foods gives you a quadruple dose of toxins--trans fat, acrylamide,

mercury and possibly parasites or viruses--with every bite.

 

 

 

If you have a taste for seafood, there’s an easy solution. It’s best to avoid

your local fish fry and try the only fish I now eat--the delicious wild red

Alaskan salmon that was proven through independent lab testing to be free of

harmful levels of mercury and other contaminants.

 

 

Related Articles:

 

The Real Dangers of Soda to You and Your Children

 

Cauliflower French Fries

 

The Dangers of Over-Cooking Your Food

 

Not Any Old Fish Food Will Reduce Heart Attacks

 

Clams and Oysters Contaminated with Dangerous Bacteria

 

Soda Causing Nutritional Deficiencies in Children

 

 

 

 

 

 

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