Sprouts
This is one of those items you look at and say, “What? How can sprouts possibly be unhealthy?”
The issue with sprouts is that they have been part of so many recalls due to health issues, it’s hard to keep track of them all. Seriously, just in the past 20 years, there have been more than 40 recalls due to contamination and it doesn’t matter which kind of sprout we are talking about, bean, alfalfa, or peas.
The very thing that makes sprouts grow, warm moist conditions, are also the ideal conditions for making bacteria like salmonella, E.coli, and listeria grow. Also, when you buy sprouts from a store, you have no idea how old they really are and sprouts can grow dangerous bacteria in a matter of days if not handled properly.
Don’t take the risk; eat cabbage or carrots instead, or, grow your own sprouts at home so you know what is in them and who has handled them.
Sodas
It doesn’t matter if its diet or regular, all sodas are dangerously unhealthy. Even knowing this, Americans still drink almost 56 gallons of soda every year on average!
They may try to claim that they use natural ingredients, which is partially true, if you want to consider as much as 26 teaspoons of sugar in a 12 ounce drink “natural.”
The over consumption of sugar can lead to an insulin reaction in your body that can, in the long run, lead to diabetes as well as weight gain. Most soda makes use high fructose corn syrup as their sweetener, which means it’s GMO corn.
Another main ingredient in sodas is phosphoric acid, which keeps your body from absorbing calcium. Without calcium your body cannot build bone and this can lead to osteoporosis, especially in women.
There is no guarantee that the water used in sodas is anything more than local tap water, which means it can contain fluoride, chlorine, and other contaminants.
They do use artificial colors and flavors as well as those “natural” ingredients. There is absolutely no nutritional value to soda whatsoever, who why drink it?
Save your health and save a fortune, also, and drink Mother Nature’s truly all natural drink: water.
Salty Snacks
Do you remember that famous potato chip commercial that touted “Betcha can’t eat just one”?
That’s the problem with salty snacks. The more you eat, the more you want, so the more you will eat. Talk about a lot of extra empty calories!
Besides the high salt content, almost all salty snacks are fried with partially hydrogenated oils (again, read GMO oil) which make them loaded with trans-fats.
A new study shows that after eating a salty treat such as potato chips or salted nuts, the damage to your arteries can be seen in just 30 minutes! Extremely salty foods reduce the ability of your blood vessels to widen, so says a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Read the labels and you will also find that these foods usually use artificial flavors, seasonings, and colors to make them more appealing. The damage that is being done to your heart and arteries is definitely NOT so appealing, however.
Be smart! Save money and learn to cook at home. It’s safer, it’s cheaper, and it’s much, much healthier!
Ketchup
Ok, so most ketchup ends up on French fries and hamburgers, right?
What you didn’t know, however, is that simple ketchup it making your already unhealthy fries and burger even worse.
The second biggest ingredient in ketchup is high fructose corn syrup (sugar). That means that it’s GMO corn. Some labels even state that their ketchup has two different kinds of sugar!
Combining sugar and fats (ketchup on your fries) is a dangerous combination as far as your health is concerned. Also, the ketchup is usually listed as being from concentrate, which means it’s been heated and boiled down. This removes many of the nutrients that would give it any health benefits.
Many brands of ketchup also contain excessive sodium levels, artificial colors, and artificial flavors, as well as a ton of preservatives. Most of these things are just not good for your body.
If you love ketchup, look for ketchup that has little or no added sugars and keep your consumption to a minimum.