Worst Processed Foods
When trying to improve your diet most people know that cutting out processed foods is a great place to start. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to eliminate all the unhealthy processed foods because they can be convenient (or tasty). If you’re not ready to completely cut out all bad processed foods, why not start by eliminating, at least, the worst processed foods that are currently on your menu. If you can cut out the following types of foods and replace them with healthier alternatives, you will be well on your way to living a healthier lifestyle.
Sodas (And Most Other Artificially Flavored Drinks)
Cutting out sodas and other unnaturally sweet drinks is an exceptional place to start. Regular soda has lots of sugar (or high fructose corn syrup) that can cause your blood sugar to spike. While diet alternatives have some benefits, a growing amount of data is showing that these too have a lot of problems associated with them. Eliminating all soda from your diet, or, at least, saving it only for special occasions, is an excellent first step toward a healthier overall diet.
Margarine
Margarine is food that most people mistakenly think is healthy. It was developed as a healthier alternative to butter. Today, however, we know that margarine is much less healthy than natural butter. It is made using trans fats and other unhealthy additives that can cause a variety of issues. Natural butter has a lot of fat, but it is a
natural fat that in reasonable quantities can be quite healthy. Whether you’re using it to cook with or top other foods, cutting out the margarine is an excellent idea.
Processed Meats
This is often going to be a difficult one for many people to give up, but it is worth the effort. Processed meats include things like hot dogs, sausages, salami, cold cuts and even bacon. While most people think these are bad because they are made of meat, it is all the extra salt and nitrates and sugar that is added to the meat. This allows the meat to stay good for weeks or even months longer than would otherwise be possible. This longer shelf life, however, can lead to a variety of health problems.
Refined Grains
This is a particular troublesome option because many of these foods are marked as if they were very healthy. Refined grains include things like white bread, white pasta, white rice, most crackers, donuts, and cookies. The problem with this type of processed food isn’t necessarily what is added in (though that can sometimes be the case too) but what is taken out. During the processing all the good parts of the grains such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber are removed. This means you’re getting all the calories and sugars with none of the benefits.
Potato Chips
Potato chips are a snack that most people know is unhealthy, but don’t often realize just how bad they can be. In addition to being deep fried in unhealthy fats and loaded with salt, many varieties have sugar added and a variety of chemicals for preserving color, taste, and other things. While it is possible to find healthy potato chips that aren’t made in an unnatural way, this is quite rare. For most people it is best to just completely cut out potato chips completely.
Eat Healthy – Start Slowly
Eating healthy today is more difficult than ever before. Even though the
healthy food is more readily available than ever, the processed alternatives are almost always easier and cheaper. If you’re trying to eat healthier but find you’re having trouble, consider starting slowly by eliminating a few of the worst processed foods. As you get used to this change you can continue to make small, but important, adjustments to your diet to improve your overall health.
