One of the things that successful dieters will tell you is that there is a dark side to the supermarket. When you look beyond the packaging and promotion of certain edibles you quickly begin to realize that some foods are dangerous to your long term health. These foods are usually filled with trans fats which are man made fats used by manufacturers to give foods a longer shelf life. The reality is manufacturers of hydrogenated oil literally molecule into a form that has proven to wreak havoc in the body.
The Following nine foods are foods to avoid or because of the damage they inflict in calories, unhealthy fats and sodium. These foods will not only damage your waistline but they are also potentially dangerous to your long term health in more ways that you can imagine.
1. Cola products - Twelve ounces of a cola based drink usually equals abut 150 calories. Cola based products are full of sugar, corn syrup or other sweeteners. These products have been connected with obesity they bathe your teeth in cavity-promoting sugars. Consuming high calories in liquid form also leads to overeating.
2. Doughnuts - Doughnuts are fried dough and full of sugar, white flour and drenched in trans fat. A typical doughnut weighs in at weighs in at 300 calories and contains few other nutrients besides the 19 grams of fat. Unfortunately, supermarkets are overflowing with these high-calorie, low-nutrient tasty varieties. Avoid them at all costs.
3. Fried Chicken - Although it almost sounds unpatriotic to criticize this popular dish, keep in mind that fried chicken is cooked in highly heated oils most notably, partially hydrogenated oil. These trans fats have been known to cause cancer, weight gain and other serious health risks when consumed regularly. Fried chicken whether served whole or in its nugget variety are unhealthy foods. For example, if you order a ten piece chicken nugget from any popular fast food restaurant you are receiving about 500 calories, 300 grams of fat and usually over 1000 milligrams of sodium. There is no faster way to super-size yourself than to consume fried chicken on a regular basis.
4.Sugary Cereals: Sugar is one of the enemies of successful dieting. Sugary cereals, particularly any cereal where sugar or a sugar substitute is the main ingredient are unhealthy. Ingredients and terms to watch out for are "sweetened" or "dyed." The majority of children's cereals so very highly processed and have almost zero nutritional value. A great alternative is oatmeal served with honey or agave syrup. If you buy pre-packaged oatmeal, check the label and see how much sugar it contains - you will be shocked. Any cereal where sugar is listed as the first ingredient on the box should immediately be shelved. It is a much healthier solution to purchase real grain cereal and sweeten them with fresh fruit like strawberries or blueberries.
5. Processed Meats - One of the fastest ways to create a healthy habit is to do a simple Google search on what is considered to be a processed meat. Almost all processed meats have sodium nitrite added as a preservative. The evidence is staggering, as demonstrated by a recent study showing a 67% increase in pancreatic cancer for people consuming moderate amounts of processed meat on a frequent basis. (Pulse; 4/23/2005, Vol. 65 Issue 16, p10). Traditional medicine believes this is because of the high saturated fat content in the proceesed meat. However research is mounting that it is not the saturated fats themselves but what is actually in those fats that is tocis and dangerous to your health. Health and nutrition researchers claim that toxic chemicals, heavy metals and environmental pollutants that are found inside those fat molecules.
A recent study conducted at the University of Hawaii found that sodium nitrite often acts as a precursor to potent cancer creating chemicals that accelerate the creation of cancer cells. We strongly suggest you read labels on all meat products you purchase. If you see sodium nitrite as a main ingredient shelve the product before it shelves you.
6. Cafe Mocha from Starbucks with whole milk and whipped cream is a very deceptive cup of coffee. Think of it as more as a Double Whopper with Cheese in a glass. Although this drink tastes great it weighs in at 450 calories and 13 grams of bad fat. Nothing worse than a sugar caffeine buzzs that adds to the battle of the waitline bulge.
7. Monosodium glutomate (MSG) - This ingredient is positioned as a preservative. However, it is much more insidious. MSG is actually an ingredient that actually increases your appetite. You ever wonder why you are hungry 30 minutes after eating Chinese food? A great deal of research surrounding MSG also shows that it is addictive. Many successful diets simply promote the idea of getting any and all foods that have MSG in them. Although this sounds simple, if you start reading product labels you will be rudely surprised as to how many products contain this dangerous ingredient.
MSG has many aliases. Here are its dangerous identities and couterparts:
- monopotassium glutamate, glutamic acid, anything that says hydrolyzed (such as hydrolyzed vegetable protein), anything that says Autolized, Calcium caseinate, Sodium caseinate, Yeast extract, Soy protein, wheat protein, whey protein, anything with fortified protein, Textured protein, Gelatin, Soy sauce, Barley malt, malt extract, maltodextrin, Corn syrup, corn starch, dextrose and Citric acid.
The Food and Drug Administration has stated that if you use MSG in a product it must be labeled that way. However, if you use for example, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, which has MSG included in it, it has to be labeled by its common name and not MSG. Read your food and product labels and if you see any of these ingredients on the labels move on.
You want to get healthy and lose weight? Steer clear of these foods. There is a dark side of supermarket. If you ready product labels and avoid these dangerous culprits you will find it much easier to lose weight.
Charles Volcolatte is a health and weight loss researcher for http://www.skinnyasap.com He writes and researches actively on Weight Loss Product Reviews and shares his knowledge at http://www.skinnyasap.com where he works as a staff writer.
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