U = Unhealthy Foods

Most of us have a pretty good idea of what foods are unhealthy. Yet we still continue to eat them. Maybe if we took some time to understand why they are unhealthy, we wouldn’t be so quick to eat them. I find if I can pause long enough, sometimes, my will power will win over my craving.

I found a great article on National Health Restored. It explained what causes a food to be considered unhealthy:

• They have little or no nutritional value. These types of foods are typically high in calories, but they are empty calories because of their lack of nutrients. Good examples of this type of food can be found in the bakery section. “If you eat one standard donut, you will get about 200 calories – mostly from fat and sugar. There are little or no vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in donuts.”
• They take nutrients from the body. Soda is the best example. “They are full of caffeine, sugar, and phosphorus, which cause your body to lose calcium from your bones.”
• They cause damage to your body. Any food containing hydrogenated oils would meet this criteria. “When oils are hydrogenated, they form trans-fatty acids. Trans-fats do damage to a number of systems in the body and are linked to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity.”

The article also provides a great list of unhealthy foods to avoid and why. I was surprised to see these two on the list: canned soup and foods that give you too much protein.

For more information, please follow this link to read the entire article: Unhealthy Foods What NOT to Eat.