Unhealthy Food : Junk Food

I personally don’t believe in being a health freak. I think too much of anything is not a good option. I believe in moderation. This however, does not prevent me from knowing what is healthy food and what is unhealthy food or junk food. I just use my common sense to eat more healthy food and less unhealthy food and junk food. I don’t cut off completely consuming unhealthy food and junk food. My defense is to take more healthy food. However, I feel I should sometimes pamper myself with delicious food which unfortunately is mostly unhealthy food or junk food. What is unhealthy food or junk food? Unhealthy food or junk food has high level of saturated fats, salt, sugar, and has little or no dietary fiber or antioxidant.  Unhealthy food is junk food, with little or no nutritional value at all. And in the long run, unhealthy food or junk food can ruin our health.

Below is a list of the most popular unhealthiest food or junk food:

1. On top of the list of unhealthy food is carbonated drinks in the guise of various names; soft drinks, sodas, aerated water and what have you. Carbonated drinks are very high in sugar without any beneficial nutrient.. The very high sugar content can lead to obesity which increases the risk of hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. An average can of carbonated drink contains 10 teaspoons of sugar, 50 mg of caffeine, and harmful artificial food coloring. The so-called “diet” soft drinks are worst as they contain large amount of artificial sweeteners. What about ice creams?

2. Potato chips or French fries are the next culprit. Because they are deep fried at high temperatures, trans-fat or unsaturated fat is formed. Trans-fat lowers good cholesterol and increases bad cholesterol. Trans-fat can clog the arteries, giving rise to heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and even cancer.

Strange as it may seem; that if palm oil is used, no trans fat is produced.

3. Sweet pastries, as the name indicates, lots of sugar! Sweetened confectioneries, cookies, cakes and sweetened chocolates, are all in this category. Pastries are often made with hydrogenated oils which contain trans-fat. Hydrogenated oils are made by adding hydrogen to liquid oils to solidify the liquid oils, mainly for the purpose of easy storage. This is a chemical process and the end result is trans-fat. Margarine is such a product. Trans-fat when combined with sugar may cause damage to the liver and pancreas.

Doughnuts have very simple ingredients, but they are deadly. Doughnuts are nothing but refined sugar and flour. What about the artificial flavors and unhealthy decorations and additives? And remember, most probably they are deep-fried with hydrogenated oil. There is a joke that the only thing healthy in the doughnut is the hole on its center!

4. What about coffee? Caffeine! Caffeine causes stress hormones to rise. It causes premature ageing. This is because the stress hormone, cortisol can wear down muscles. Excessive intake of caffeine can also cause dehydration.

5. This is one of my favorites. Sausages; the bigger the better! Most of the sausages are made with processed meat. Nitrite preservatives are usually added to processed meat. In the process, N-nitroso compounds are formed, and they are carcinogenic, meaning; cancer-causing agents! Sodium nitrite is one of them. We also don’t really know what “meat” is inside those tasty sausages, apart from what they claimed to be. What about unmentionable fillers and fatty meats?

Talking about sausages. Remember; hamburgers, luncheon meats, hot dogs, bacons and pepperonis!

6. Canned soups have high levels of trans-fat, sodium and artificial preservatives like MSG. It was found that one cup of canned soup contains 1,000 milligrams of salt. The dietary guides say that the maximum per day should not exceed 2,400 milligrams.

7. White rice or polished rice and white bread are also unhealthy food. They lack fiber, and as such very quickly digested and absorbed into the bloodstream which will cause a sudden increase in the blood sugar level. This unhealthy food is classified as “high glycemic index” food. Other examples are mashed potatoes, processed grains and sugary cereals. Consuming such food may accelerate ageing; and increase health risks like Type 2 diabetes, gall bladder problem, heart diseases, Alzheimer’s disease and even cancer.　

Well,well; this "white rice" warning may be a bit too exagerated. We Asians have been consuming white rice for centuries. It is our staple food and we eat it everyday many times over. Maybe if we eat only white rice alone, our health may be affected. But this is not the case. White rice is only our main staple food which we always eat with other meats and vegetables. So this "white rice" danger; I would take it with a pinch of salt, pun intended. I personally disagree with this one.

Don't be hook-winked by commercials reassuring and tempting you with high-sounding  "health" jargons.  Take a look below:

1. “Fat free” doesn’t mean sugar free and chemical free.

2. “Reduced fat” doesn’t mean reduced carbohydrates.

3. “Low fat” doesn’t mean low glycemic index.

4. “Sugar free” doesn’t mean fat free and chemical free.

5. “No added sugar” doesn’t mean sugar free.

6. “Diet food” doesn’t mean cancer free.

Yes, so what?  Stop eating all the foods that purport to contain potential health-risk substances.   That will either "kill" you in the end due to "boredom" or ironically, malnutrition! 

So where do we go from here? In my other article, I wrote that I didn’t bother with scientific findings, and I wouldn’t be surprised when the latest research came up with new findings that what was bad is now good!

So my dietary philosophy is this. Eat what I like, but in moderation. And be mindful of the healthy food against the unhealthy food. Eat more of the healthy food and less of the unhealthy food.

KISS : Keep It Suitably Simple.

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