Every time I turn around there is another health advisory telling me that this or that food is killing me. I subscribe to many health organizations on line, and receive the latest breaking news directly in my email. While wanting to know, it can become extremely time consuming to read all of the incoming mail. On December 27, LifeScript sent me a message in my box “Give it Up: Top 10 Worst Foods” by Lisa Mosing, M.S., R.D., FADA, Sp. to LifeScript. That was the day I started training for a new job, so it became buried in my box, (among many other messages), but still on my mind.
Finally, I passed my training, so I search diligently, and cannot find her article. I Google it, and up pops several articles with very similar titles, and (you guessed it) different foods listed as their worst offenders. Now what? Not being a quitter, I peruse all the articles and try to ascertain the absolute worst food offenders to share with you.
My main concern about unhealthy food is not a few calories here and there, because I do not really have a weight problem (fortunately), but I may have a nutrition problem, and problems with hypertension and high cholesterol that require medication. These factors place me in line for health risks such as stroke and heart disease. Is an occasional donut worth it? And if I ate eating the donut, what would I not eat that my body needs for optimal health?
We live in a day when most of us are required to work at least 40 hours a week, merely to make ends meet. We enjoy activities, family and friends, which take another chunk of time away from our life. Not that we begrudge time spent with family, friends, or doing things we enjoy, but what happens to the time we need to take care of ourselves? Do we drive through a fast food restaurant when running errands, and hunger strikes? Do we kid ourselves into believing that an occasional French fry, greasy hamburger, and cold drink are not increasing our health risks?
We are running late for work and did not have time for a healthy breakfast. Do we stop and get a latte and donut on the way in, or a sausage biscuit? Our bodies tell us that we are hungry, so let's reward them with something healthy.
One of the turning points in my thought process came when I read an article written by Liane Schmidt. Do other countries/cultures have less to do, and thereby have more time to prepare healthy food, or do they give diet it's proper priority? Is not are health worth investing in a little additional time?
The Center for Disease Control states that 34 % of U.S. adults are obese. After a quarter century of increases, obesity prevalence has not measurably increased in the past few years but levels are still high - at 34 percent of U.S. adults aged 20 and over.”
It seems that America is waking up to the dangers of obesity, because while our levels are high, they seem to have leveled off, but leveling them off is not sufficient.
A slide show on the CDC website depicts obesity per cents by state. More than 20,000 new foods and beverages hit our grocery shelves in 2006 and many of them made claims of being natural, organic, low fat, nutritional and so forth. Marketing employs many tricks the consumer needs to be aware of. After all it is our health at risk, and our dollar spent.
French Fries
Who doesn't love French fries? Not long ago there was a fast food
war on regarding Tran's fats and fries. It seems that Wendy's and
Burger King voluntarily switched cooking oil, so as to not contribute
to the dangers of the fries. MacDonald's, on the other hand, held out,
because they are known for the flavor of their fries. They did not want
to hurt their sales. Research has indicated that the shortening (dubbed
the silent killer) used to fry our beloved French fries is increasing
our risks of heart attack and stroke.
And it is not just the shortening, but potatoes make an unhealthy transformation, when fried.
Cooking Starchy Foods at High Temps Releases Acryl amides.
GENEVA, Switzerland, March 7, 2005 (ENS) - The chemical acrylamide formed unintentionally when starchy foods such as potato chips are cooked may be of public health concern since it has been shown to cause cancer in animals, an international expert panel said Friday.
This site goes on to warn that the main foods contributing to acrylamide exposure, as determined in countries where data has been compiled, are potato chips, potato crisps, coffee, cereal based products such as pastries, sweet biscuits, breads, rolls and toast. Acryl amides can be reduced by varying cooking times and temperatures, as a temperature of 120º C or 248º F causes Acryl amides to be formed. Exposure to Acryl amides has been shown to cause reproductive problems and cancer in test animals.
