6 Foods That You Shouldn’t Touch
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We often find ourselves alternating between crash diets and stuffed stomachs. No matter how hard we try to keep fit, we’re guilty of indulging in foods that ideally shouldn’t have crossed the border of our lips whatsoever. And this guilt is often derived from the wrong choices that we make (we are talking about food). More often than not, we don’t realize the kind of harm we’re putting our bodies through when we gobble down that bar of candy or slurp down that glass of soda.
So, what are the foods that bear the tag of “forbidden”? Well, you need to know this because we don’t want you to eat the wrong food and face the wrath of the health gods. The additives and preservatives we eat unknowingly affect our lifestyles greatly — so much that it can also alter how we behave (1). The common foods that we eat every day with a notion that they are all safe for our body and mind are in actuality loaded with harmful toxins and chemicals. These synthetic substances that make their way into our bodies, plonk themselves comfortably till they show their colors through health ailments. So, here’s a list of foods that you should avoid to keep yourself safe from health problems.
1. Say No To Chinese
We all love a plate full of lip-smacking dumplings, some Schezwan fried rice, and a spring roll. But often our love for Chinese food knows no bounds and seems to find peace in ordering food from the pseudo-Chinese restaurants. However, beware! These don’t really hail from China. These Chinese takeaways will never seem so tantalizing again if you actually knew what it’s laced with. These foods have high levels of carbohydrates, trans fat, saturated fats, and sodium that put your cardiovascular health at risk (2). The main villain here is monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is a popular flavor enhancer used in Chinese food (3).
2. Ditch The Soda To Be A Yoda
For a long time now, we have been hearing that sodas aren’t good for us, but we still reach for a bottle of it every now and then. A can of soda is just filled with sugar, sodium, and a whole lot of chemicals that are carcinogenic. These are known to increase your chances of being diabetic or hypertensive (4). In fact, researchers have found a 48 percent increase in heart attacks among the frequent soda drinkers (5). So, if you want to live long like Yoda, ditch the soda.
3. The Perils Of Preserved And Frozen Meat
This is a no-brainer. The fact that the meat is frozen for later usage itself is a tell-tale that it is doused with preservatives. The sausages, salamis, hot dogs, canned meat, and ready-to-eat frozen meat makes you prone to cardiovascular diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and can also lead to bowel or stomach cancer (6), (7). Processed and frozen meats contain harmful components that are not naturally present in fresh meat (heterocyclic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, etc.). Therefore, steer clear of these toxic substances to stay healthy.
4. Reduced-Fat Peanut Butter
The creamy smooth spread of peanut butter and toast can make for a great snack or even a wholesome breakfast. But, of late, we have switched to a reduced version of peanut butter because we think it’s a healthier alternative (8). Both, the normal and the reduced-fat peanut butter have nearly the same amount of calories. But, the reduced version is higher in sugar, molasses, and carbs because of the substitutes used in the place of fats. Honestly, you are better off getting the full-fat peanut butter jar because that at least contains the good fats (9).
5. Farm Raised Shrimp And Fish
Although the oceans and rivers are vast, we can’t always get our seafood from the sea. Most of the seafood we eat comes from fish farms (10). But when shrimp and fish like salmon and tilapia are raised in an artificial environment, their nutritional value reduces while their carcinogenic and toxic value increases (i.e. the presence of DDT (dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane), dioxin, and brominated flame retardants) (11).
6. Microwave Popcorn
There’s nothing like a big tub of popcorn made in the comfort of your home, but sorry guys this news could be a little discomforting — microwave popcorn can cause a lung disease called the “popcorn lung” (12). The chemicals perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluoroalkyl that line the popcorn bag vaporize and transfer onto the popcorn. These can wreck your system with diseases like thyroid and bladder cancer. So, maybe it’s time to find an alternative to the good old easy-to-make popcorn.
While it’s okay to have a cheat meal, it’s really not okay to let that meal cheat you of your health with the high amount of chemicals and preservatives that go straight into your body. So, be wary and mindful of what goes into your body and eat healthily.
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