The Centers For Disease Control says that every year almost 900,000 Americans die prematurely from lifestyle diseases — heart disease, stroke, cancer, etc. And 20% to 40% of these deaths are preventable.
According to The World Health Organization lifestyle disease account for a staggering 70% of all deaths. More than ever before it’s diet and the lack of physical activity that are responsible.
In most cases, 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 deal right? “Stay away from junk food.” “Junk foods are bad.” On and on…
But what if you know junk foods are bad, but you’re not quite sure which foods are junk?
There’s a really good chance that you’re consuming something considered junk food without even realizing it. Reading labels is a great place to start, but the manufacturers continue to find ways to hide behind complex sounding ingredient names, leaving you in the dark.
If you want to avoid premature death and instead enjoy great health in your old age, stay away from these “Do Not Touch” foods.
Milk Chocolate
Isn’t all chocolate the same? Definitely not! Milk chocolate isn’t real chocolate. In milk chocolate, the actual cacao content has been significantly reduced. That makes way for the sweeteners that are more palatable for mass market consumption.
Dark chocolate on the other hand, is at least 60% cacao. It is naturally bitter and so is a bit of an acquired taste. It has actual health benefits as opposed to milk chocolate which is really all about the sugar.
Diet Soda
It’s diet, so it must be healthy, right? Wrong! In fact, diet soda can be much worse than regular soda. The artificial sweeteners have a bad effect on your body’s insulin. Even though you may not be getting a lot of extra calories, you may end up with metabolic dysfunction leading to diabetes and issues with cholesterol.
Pastries
Pastries encompass a wide range of sugary treats, but they’re all bad. Why? Because all pastries have large amounts of sugar, white flour and generous servings of unhealthy fats. Even worse is that pastries often leave you wanting more and more. Do yourself a favor… skip that breakfast pastry since it’s the worst way to start the day.
Cake
Something else that does us absolutely good — cake is an indulgence for many. But even a little can cause a lot of damage, especially for the person who’s diabetic. Limit your cake consumption to only when absolutely necessary. That means your own birthday when refusing would be in bad taste, or the rare occasion when you really want to treat yourself.
Fries
Oh no… not fries. Potatoes are good, but barely. In fact some consider white potatoes to be an anti-nutrient. Unfortunately, they’re made worse when soaked in hot oil and covered with salt — French fries.
Chips
They may be made from “corn”, but 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.
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.
Preserved Meats
Preserved meats are not the same as fresh cuts of meat, for a few reasons. First, they are preserved with nitrates which are carcinogenic. Second, 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 avoid the preserved packaged varieties.
Chocolate Milk
Chocolate milk does not come from brown/black cows. Instead it is 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.
Chicken Wings
Chicken is one of the leaner meats out there. However, chicken wings have a higher fat content when compared to other cuts. It gets worse exponentially 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 then drenched in some type of sauce, usually high in sugar — a total disaster. If you have to have wings, opt for lightly seasoned rotisserie prepared chicken 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 many diseases. The list includes many heart diseases, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. All of these can result in premature death.
