According to the Centers For Disease Control, almost 900,000 Americans die prematurely every year from lifestyle diseases, which include heart disease, stroke, and cancer and 20% to 40% of these deaths are preventable. More often than not, it is lifestyle choices that dictate these conditions.
The World Health Organization reports that lifestyle diseases account for a staggering 70% of all deaths, and that more than ever before diet and lack of physical activity is driving these numbers.
In most cases, all of these debilitating and deadly lifestyle diseases and their consequences can be avoided. The choices you make today can create a level of health and wellbeing that steers you away from disease and toward a long and healthy life.
You know the drill right? Junk foods are bad blah blah blah, but what happens if you know that they are bad without directly knowing what is classified as junk food?
Without a doubt, you are consuming something that is considered junk food without even realizing it. Though reading labels is a great place to start, sneaky manufacturers will find ways to hide behind complex sounding ingredient names, effectively leaving you in the dark.
Consider the following your “do not touch” list of foods if you wish to avoid premature death and enjoy great health in your old age.
1 – Milk Chocolate
Isn’t all chocolate the same? Absolutely not! Milk chocolate isn’t real chocolate. In milk chocolate, the actual cacao content has been significantly reduced, to make way for sweeteners that are more palatable for mass market consumption.
Dark chocolate, that is such, which is at least 60% cacao, is a bit of an acquired taste, since it possesses a naturally slightly bitter taste, whereas milk chocolate is all about sugar and less about the actual benefits of cacao, which are many.
2 – Diet Soda
Since its diet it must be healthier right? Wrong! Diet soda can in fact be many times worse than standard soda, as the artificial sweeteners used in it have a nasty effect on the hormone insulin.
Therefore, even though you may not be getting the surplus of calories in your diet, what you will receive is metabolic dysfunction paving the way for diabetes and cholesterol issues.
3 – Pastries
Pastries encompass a wide range of sugary treats, but all are just as bad. Why? Because all pastries have in common high levels of sugar, white flour and generous servings of unhealthy fats.
What’s even worse is the fact that pastries often leave you wanting more and more. Do yourself a favor and skip having a pastry for breakfast as it’s the worst way to start the day.
4 – Cake
Another morsel of joy that does no favors for our health, cake is an indulgence for many, but a little can cause a lot of damage, especially if borderline diabetic. Limit consumption of cake to only when absolutely necessary, such as your own birthday when refusing would be in bad taste or you simply want to treat yourself.
5 – Fries
At best, potatoes are only barely good. They are made significantly worse when soaked in scorching hot oil and riddled with salt AKA, French fries. Stay away from these like the plague, as white potatoes are already known as an anti-nutrient.
6 – Chips
Even though it may be made from “corn”, chips are far from natural. They are loaded with preservatives, sodium and cancer causing ingredients. The fact that they are fried only makes them worse.
7 – Milkshakes
Milkshakes should be renamed fat-sugar shakes, since they contain ice cream, which is typically riddled with sugar, in addition to being very high in saturated fats.
8 – Preserved Meats
Preserved meats are not the same as fresh cuts of meat, for a few reasons. For one, they are preserved with nitrates which are carcinogenic. Secondly, they are loaded with sodium and fat, even though the source meat may be naturally lean.
Many, such as honey cured hams and turkey deli meats have a lot of added sugar. Do yourself a favor and eat farm fresh or frozen meats, but not preserved packaged varieties.
9 – Chocolate Milk
Chocolate milk does not come from brown/black cows, but rather as a result of artificial sweetening. While milk on its own is relatively good for an aging body, chocolate milk makes something that is good become bad.
10 – Chicken Wings
Chicken is one of the leaner meats out there. Chicken wings have a higher fat content than compared with other cuts however, and become exponentially worse when dressed in sugary sauces.
In addition, do you know how most restaurants prepare wings, they are drenched in butter and flour before being fried and drenched in some type of sauce, which is usually high in sugar, a total disaster. Opt for lightly seasoned rotisserie prepared chicken wings if you love wings.
The fact is that sugar, too much unhealthy fats and refined carbs are all bad news foods that play a critical role in causing diseases, including that of the heart, type 2 diabetes, some cancers and others, all of which can easily result in premature death.
