Donuts
Who doesn't love them? But what redeeming qualities do they have -
besides taste? A donut is loaded with white flour, shortening, sugar,
the above mentioned Acryl amides, saturated fat, Tran's fats,
carbohydrates, calories, cholesterol and anything but nutrition. Eat an
apple or a whole grain bagel instead and lower your cholesterol rather
than raising it.
Non-Dairy Topping
But it tastes so good in my coffee, or on top of my favorite pie. Just one small tablespoon contains 32 calories, and who stops at one tablespoon? Read the side of your tub, and you will find ingredients such as corn syrup, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, guar gum, polysorbate 60, and over ten more difficult to spell and even more difficult to pronounce names. The nutritional chart on this package shows 0 all the way down.
Chips
“I bet you can't eat one.” the commercial said, and they put our money in their bank, because we couldn't stop at one.
According to LifeScript, just one handful of chips three times a week adds up to 23,400 calories per year or 7 extra pounds. We already heard about the dangers of French fries and unfortunately, these are just as bad, if not worse.
COLD BEVERAGES
Visualize this; you just finished deep frying food, and now want to clean your pan and put it away. It's full of oil, grease, shortening, lard, or whatever you want to call it. Would you soak it in ice water? Can you imagine what that cold beverage does to your digestive system, as you “wash” your fried food down with it?
If you routinely drink soda, simply removing it from your diet is one of the single healthiest things you can do for yourself. According to Dr. Mercola and Rachael Droege in “The Five Absolute Worst Foods You Can Eat” published in 10/18/03, one 12 oz. can of soda has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg. of caffeine, and several artificial ingredients.
Studies have linked soda consumption with osteoporosis, obesity, tooth decay, and heart disease. Not only does soda contain nothing nutritional but it ruins the appetite for the healthier foods we need to consume.
Fried Fish
Again according to Doctor Mercola this category has the risks of trans-fats in addition to acryl amides, and mercury. He cautions that seafood is loaded with toxic mercury and can be contaminated with parasites and resistant viruses that may not even be killed with high heat. According to Dr. Mercola a safer substitute for seafood is wild red Alaskan Salmon. Independent lab testing conducted on this salmon has shown it is free of harmful levels of mercury and other contaminants while being loaded with healthy nutrition.
Cup Cakes/Snack Cakes
Loaded with white flour, sugar . . . What good can we say about these delicious looking treats, other than taste? You won't find vast amounts of vitamins contained here.
White Bread
Choose the whole wheat bread or other breads containing whole grains. Whole wheat bread is much higher in fiber, vitamin B6 and E, magnesium, zinc, folic acid, and chromium. The fiber in whole wheat bread aids in digestion and maintaining proper weight.
“Simply switching from white to whole wheat bread can lower heart disease risk by 20 percent,” according to research from the University of Washington reported in the April 2, 2003
issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.
Men's Healthprovides the following list of foods considered the top 10 worst foods to eat:
- Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing. This tasty fry contains 2,900 calories, 182 grams of fat, and 240 grams of carbohydrates.
- Chili's Awesome Blossom - 2,710 calories, 203 grams of fat, 194 grams of carbohydrates and a whopping 6,360 mg. of sodium.
- On the Border Stacked Border Nachos - 2,740 calories, 166 grams of fat, 191 grams of carbohydrates and 5,280 mg. of sodium.
- Macaroni Grill Spaghetti and Meatballs with Meat Sauce - 2,430 calories, 128 grams of fat, 207 grams of carbohydrates
- Uno Chicago Grill Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza - 2,310 calories, 162 grams of fat, 123 grams of carbohydrates and 4,470 mg. sodium.
- On the Border Dos XX Fish Tacos with Rice and Beans - 2,100 calories, 130 grams fat, 169 grams carbohydrates, and 4,750 mg. of sodium.
- Chili's Honey Chipotle Crispers with Chipotle Sauce - 2,040, 99 grams of fat, and 240 grams of carbohydrates
- P.F. Chang's Pork Lo Mein - 1,820 calories, 127 grams of fat and 95 grams of carbohydrates.
- Chili's Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream - 1,600 calories, 78 grams of fat, 215 grams of carbohydrates
- Bob Evans Caramel Banana Pecan Cream Stacked and Stuffed Hotcakes - 1,540 calories, 77 grams of fat and 198 grams of carbohydrates
Robert K. Cooper, Ph.D. and Leslie L. Cooper write in their book Low-Fat Living: Skillpower Not Willpower,“Here are some of the benefits, confirmed by the most recent studies (of sensible low-fat eating):
- More energy
- Better self-esteem
- Lower blood pressure and cholesterol
- Lower risk of gout, varicose veins, and various work-related injuries
- Decrease in the risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes and cancer
- Fewer back aches
- Fewer illnesses
To determine your recommended daily caloric intake use the following chart:
If you are. . . and your desired weight is times by = daily cal.
A sedentary woman _____lb. 12 __________
A sedentary man _____lb. 14 __________
A moderately active woman _____lb. 15 __________
A moderately active man _____lb. 17 __________
A very active woman _____lb. 18 __________
A very active man _____lb. 20 __________
Consult your doctor for your recommended sodium intake. My doctor recommends no more than 1,000 mgs. a day, which can accumulate very quickly, particularly if eating some of the above discussed foods.
In conclusion, many Americans can learn from some of our neighbors overseas to create healthier eating habits in not relying on fast foods for our daily meals, snack foods loaded with sugars and salt, and washing it all done with a cold pop. Eating healthier may be a little more time consuming, but aren't we worth it?
