While grocery shopping, some people meticulously check off foods and beverages from pre-written lists. They wouldn’t dream of purchasing something not found on these detailed lists. However, others simply throw whatever foods and drinks into their carts that appeal to them. Regardless of what camp you’re in, you should avoid the temptation to pluck the following items off of supermarket shelves. Consuming them might be detrimental to your health and wellbeing.
Palm Oil
People have been utilizing palm oil to prepare foods for centuries. While palm oil is free of trans fat, it consists of high levels of saturated fat. Since governmental authorities in the United States took aggressive actions to decrease the trans fat content in processed foods, the use of palm oil has skyrocketed.
After analyzing 147 human trials in a comprehensive 1997 study, British researchers concluded that palmitic acid, an active ingredient in palm oil, increased total blood cholesterol levels. A Dutch study published in 2003 looked at data from 35 clinical trials. Researchers determined that palmitic acid drastically raised the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL, good, cholesterol. This ratio is widely respected as a risk factor for heart disease.
Microwave Popcorn
To unwind at the end of a long, stressful day, you might enjoy lounging on your sofa while watching a favorite movie and munching on a bag of microwave popcorn. On the surface, microwave popcorn seems like a healthy snack alternative. Unfortunately, many varieties of this convenience food are loaded with health derailing salt, butter, and sugar.
Even worse, the insides of your microwave popcorn bags contain a chemical laced non-stick coating. As this chemical decomposes, it produces a compound known as perfluorooctanoic acid. This chemical has been linked to an elevated risk of liver and prostate cancer.
Diet Soda
In some people’s efforts to quench their thirsts while whittling their waistlines or lowering their blood sugar levels, they gulp down multiple servings of diet soda every day. Unfortunately drinking diet sodas regularly might cause you to gain weight rather than lose it. Researchers from the University of Texas discovered that over the span of about 10 years, diet soda consumers had a 70 percent larger increase in waist circumference than non-drinkers.
The reason for this astounding finding might be twofold. Because diet soft drinks contain zero calories, consumers may feel they have the leeway to eat more foods throughout the day. The artificial sweeteners in diet sodas also have a more intense flavor than regular sugar. Over a period of time, consuming diet soft drinks might dull your senses to naturally sweet foods such as strawberries, grapes, and bananas.
As if the potential for weight gain wasn’t enough, consuming only one diet soda a day was linked to a whopping 36 percent increased risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome in a University of Minnesota research study. Metabolic syndrome encompasses a group of conditions including a large waist circumference and high blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol levels. Research studies on the artificial sweetener aspartame, found in some diet sodas, imply it may cause headaches.
Farmed Salmon
Salmon is an excellent source of inflammation lowering omega-3 fatty acids. Unfortunately, all types of this pink fish aren’t created equal. Farmed salmon is often contaminated with carcinogenic chemicals including polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs, antibiotics, and pesticides. Unlike healthier wild salmon, farmed salmon eat a mixture of other fish ground into fish oil and fishmeal. Their fat tissue contains more toxins than that of other fish.
Processed Gelatin Desserts
While containing little to no nutrients, jiggly, processed gelatin desserts are typically loaded with sugar or artificial sweeteners. They’re made from by-products left over after processing, mostly collagen collected from pig and cow skins, bones, and hides. These colorful sweets often consist of the chemical Red #40 and the preservative BHA. Red #40 has been associated with hyperactivity in children. The United States Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology Program has labeled BHA a “reasonably anticipated human carcinogen.”
Sprouts
Bean, broccoli, pea, and alfalfa sprouts often contain dangerous salmonella, listeria, or E. coli bacteria. Sprouts’ seeds require warm, moist conditions to grow. This reality creates an ideal situation for bacteria to flourish and multiply in. Sprouts have been the source of numerous recalls over the past several years.
Shopping for the food you eat is one of the most important activities you do each week. The food you consume can have a direct, and lasting, positive or negative effect on your health. To increase your odds of living life to the fullest in your golden years, consider ditching the aforementioned foods from your diet.
~ Health Scams Exposed
