David Dack, Contributor
Waking Times

Certain foods have been shown to be the culprit to some of health troubles that we are facing today. From obesity, high cholesterol, severe migraines, even cancer and heart disease, these foods are slowly poisoning the human species, leading to unfathomable losses in health care and human costs.

Therefore, to put your health on the right path, you need to keep a keen eye on the food that you should never touch. Nonetheless, if you just cut them out from your life, you will be left with huge gaps that needs filling. But fret no more, here is the black list of the foods that you should never eat, along with healthier alternatives.

Bottle Juice

Fruits and vegetables are some of the most associated things with optimum healthy besides exercise. Therefore, many health nuts think that bottle juice is a good nutrition decision, but they are wrong. Bottle juice don’t live up to the hype. The companies marketing these “sweet poisons” have targeted all the right words like, “fresh’”, “power”, “natural”, “whole”, “green” and so on. But the truth is these buzzwords are meaningless, actually quite harmful, and will never amount to real health.

Bottle juice is mainly made with high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, colors, and a host of other unhealthy chemicals that will only take a toll on your health. A glass of stuff will send your blood sugar levels soaring through the roof, causing you to crave more empty calories, leading to unhealthy snacking and overeating. Sweet drinks are also linked to the current obesity epidemic and a host of other health trouble.

Processed Meats

Processed meats are full choke with calories, fats, sodium, sodium nitrates and plenty of preservatives and artificial additives. The more hot dogs, sausage, bacon, ham that you consume, the more calories, fat and sodium you stuff into your body. According to study, regular consumption of processed meats is linked to obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, cancer and other health problems.

As a result, make sure to avoid the so-called “luncheon meats”. Processed meat should not be a snacking treat. If that’s not possible for the time being, then try to reduce the uptake of the stuff by having a ‘meat-free’ days and opting for organic meat options if possible.

Go for meats with the least extra ingredients in them. The more natural, the better. Plus, try also to replace heavily processed meats, such as sausage or ham with fresh poultry. Chicken is always a healthier choice.

GMOs

GMOs have been hailed by some groups as the miracle cure of the century. But that’s nothing near to a miracle. In fact, GMOs are the most dangerous thing facing human beings in this century. Regular consumption of the stuff has dire consequences on our health, our farmers, our environment, and likely the whole planet. It’s a poison that’s slowly killing us and hindering us from reaching our full potential.

The good news is that many countries, such Australia, Japan, the UK and most European countries have banned the stuff from their market shelves. But in the U.S. that’s another story. GMOs are not even labeled, much less prohibited, therefore the average American has no clue that he is eating a food that’s been genetically tampered with. Thank you Monsanto!

So how to avoid GMOs? Well that’s the tricky question. The stuff is almost everywhere, and can be found in the majority of processed foods. Nevertheless, when it comes to your health, paying some extra money for organic food or Non-GMO verified food is the way to go, in spite of the budget costs. In fact, organic food can be cheap once you get your head around the trade.

Fast Food

Fast food chains can provide you with a “cheap” and quick way to have a meal. But there is a catch to it. Countless studies have linked regular consumption to a myriad of health problems, ranging from obesity, live diseases, high cholesterol, to heart disease, the list goes on. The reasons why are simple. Most of the stuff is made from artificial sweeteners, lots of sodium and fats, and other unhealthy additives that can spell disaster on your health and well-being.

As a result, you are better off not having the stuff. To ditch fast food, you need a mindset shift. We love fast food because it’s convenient and quick. That’s more tempting if you’re running a hectic schedule. But that’s no excuse to indulge in the stuff. You can always learn to make your own meals. Yes it will take some time, but once you learn how, it’s worth the effort.

To cook your own meals without running late, you need to plan in advance. Pick a specific time of the week to plan thoroughly for what you are going to eat. Plan every meal with thorough details as doing so can help you take the guesswork out of cooking and save you precious time. Plus, you will be making better nutritious choices since you are controlling most of the ingredients.

White Bread

If you are facing weight loss issues, then cutting out white bread will instantly slim you down because of the simple carbohydrates in it boost your blood sugar levels through the roof, leading to hunger pangs and being likely to overeat on your next meal. Plus white bread causes bloating, especially around your belly.

White bread offers little nutritional value. And since it’s made with refined grains, the fiber is almost inexistent. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the resulting effects coming out of consuming white bread regularly—increased intake of refined carbs and the drop in fiber consumption—are definitely liable in part for the current obesity and type II diabetes in the United States.

As result, remove white bread from your life. If you still crave the taste of white bread, opt for white whole wheat. You could also purchase a type of bread that is made with a blend of whole grain floor and white flour or one with plenty of added fiber.

Rice Cakes

Rice cakes rank as high as 90 on the glycemic index. So is it healthy to consume a food that ranks that high on the glycemic index? Of course the answer is no unless you are intending on getting very fat and unhealthy. Opting for rice cakes will only get your blood sugar levels soaring through the roof, causing uncontrolled hunger pangs, thus leading to unhealthy snacking, and overeating on your next meal.

As a result, even though rice cakes have been hailed as the best diet food during the low-fat diet craze of the 80’s and 90’s, don’t let that lure you in. it’s bad for you and you’re better off eating real food.

Light Yogurt

Light yogurt has it benefits. It’s a great source of Vitamins B & D, probiotics, calcium, and protein. Nevertheless, not all light yogurts are made equal. Most brands in the supermarket shelves fall across the nutrition spectrum, from health-promoting brands to sugar-filled, fatty products disguised as healthy food.

In fact, most popular brands are full choke with artificial sweeteners and unhealthy additives that the regular consumption of has been shown to contribute to weight gain, high cholesterol and other serious ailments.

Therefore, make sure to cut down on the stuff. Don’t let the frenzy marketing campaigns lure you in. Read the labels cautiously to choose the healthiest type. However, like with any other healthy delicious food, you run the risk of overindulgence. So better be careful. Even the healthiest food can turn bad in case of excess. So make sure to consume the stuff with moderation.

About the Author

David Dack is fitness author and enthusiast. He is a regular contributor to some of the major fitness magazines and online publications. For more tips and training guidelines go to his blog RunnerBlueprint. Quick download: You can get David’s EBook ‘Running for Weight Loss’ for Free, just click HERE. You can also follow David on Twitter: @DavidDack