Refined Sugar
Reports suggest that sugars and sweeteners account up to 20% of the average people’s diet. Lacking in nutrients and fiber, refined sugars are empty calories with a high calorific density often leading to obesity. Most of the sugar is hidden, and gets into the diet through jams, fruit juices and daily snacks. Sugars enter the bloodstream quickly and raise the blood sugar levels. This can contribute largely to type 2 diabetes. Excess blood sugar is also associated with colon, stomach and cervical cancers as well as heart diseases
Red Meat
Red meat seems like a nutritious source of protein for many people but it carries a myriad of problems. Red meat packs a large dose of saturated fats and cholesterol. This alone sets the stage for many of today’s killer diseases like coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes, kidney failure and arthritis. It has also been associated with several cancers such as stomach, kidney, prostate, colon and brain cancers. (Checkout Webmd article on How red meat bad for health.)
Fried Food
Without realizing it, most people consume about 40% of their daily calorie intake as fats. The recommended intake is under 15%. Fried foods provide the body with too much fat to handle. Excess fat and cholesterol causes the arteries to harden and narrow, a condition called atherosclerosis. This slows down circulation and enough oxygen cannot reach vital organs. When this affects the arteries supplying blood to the heart and brain, a heart attack and stroke occurs. More than 30% of cancers are directly related to excessive fat consumption.
Salted Foods
The average person consumes about 10-20 grams (2-4 teaspoons) of salt daily when the recommended amount is less than 5 grams. Excess sodium accumulates in body tissues and they retain water. The resultant swelling elevates the blood pressure, which in turn stresses the heart. (Hypertension) Strokes may occur as a complication from hypertension. The dangers of salt can be seen in Japan, where the leading cause of death is hypertension largely due to their high salt consumption.
Soft Drinks
The general consumption of soft drinks has doubled within the last decade. Most soft drinks are one glass of water, 8-12 teaspoons of sugar and a dose of chemicals. They add to an excess of calories and fat in the blood leading to build up of life threatening cholesterol. Soft drinks cause havoc on blood sugar levels culminating in diabetes. The chemicals used in soft drinks such as phosphorus is eliminated through the kidney by combining it with calcium thus aggravating osteoporosis.
Processed Meat
Meat Delicacies, Ham, Sausage, Salami, Hot dogs, Small sausages
Sausages, ham and bacon are an ideal breakfast option for many people. However, processed meat contain preservatives mainly nitrates. Nitrates affect the body’s ability to process sugar and in turn cause irregular blood sugar levels. Thyroid and colon cancers have been associated with cured meat. Processed meat contains excess sodium, which contributes to hypertension, arteriosclerosis and kidney problems. According to Harvard School of Public Health, consumption of cured meat increases one’s risk of heart disease by 42%.
Stimulant Beverages
Majority of people drink at least one cup of coffee, tea or cola a day. These beverages contain caffeine and it has been shown that small doses taken regularly over time will produce some degree of addiction. Caffeine causes an over stimulated nervous system resulting in nervousness, anxiety and insomnia. Cumulatively these lead to chronic fatigue and hypertension. Caffeinated drinks stimulate the stomach to excrete excess acid thus aggravating ulcers. Overtime this habit can lead to osteoporosis and anemia since caffeine interferes with calcium and iron absorption.
Cheese
Cheese while a part of many staple dishes in many countries contains large quantities of saturated fats and cholesterol. Even moderate cheese consumption can put you at risk of heart disease. A dangerous item largely contained in cheese is sodium. Small portions of cheese pack unhealthy amounts of sodium. One runs risk of hypertension, strokes, liver cirrhosis, and body fluid imbalances. Moreover, most cheese contains carcinogenic chemicals.
Whole Milk
This may come as a surprise as it is one of the most widely consumed foods. Milk contains a large quantity of fats. Whole milk is 50% fats and 20% protein, contains cholesterol and no dietary fiber. Milk burdens an already overloaded metabolic system. This increases the consumer’s risk of heart disease. Cow’s milk protein is also associated with diabetes and certain cancers. Milk is also the most common food allergen in the world.
Breakfast Cereal
What is a better jump starter in the morning than a bowl of cereal? Disappointingly, breakfast cereals are mostly just excess sugar, coloring and additives with minimal nutritional value. They cause a rise in blood sugar levels putting one at risk of diabetes. Many breakfast cereals contain chemicals such as butylated hydrotoluene (BHT), butylated hydroanisole (BHA) and monosodium glutamate (MSG) that are banned in many countries. Most are manufactured through extrusion (excessive heating), a process that destroys nutrients and increases toxicity.
Pastries
The dangerous pastries are the ones made from white flour such as spaghetti, macaroni and white bread. Refined white flour is rid of fiber, nutrients and vitamins during the milling process. Being very high in empty carbohydrates, most of it eventually ends up as fats. Artificial chemicals are used to produce pastries such as propylene glycol(anti freeze) to keep bread white and calcium sulphate(plaster of paris) to make it easier to knead large batches of dough.
Margarine
Most people today wrongfully replace butter with margarine in their daily diet. Statistics alone proves just how dangerous margarine is. At the turn of the century, heart disease was rare in the developed countries but now it has risen to be a top killer ever since the spread preference switched to margarine. Margarine contains unnatural trans fatty acids and free radicals created through the hydrogenation process that contribute to cancers, heart diseases, diabetes and weak immunity. It also contains additives and harmful chemicals like emulsifiers.
Seed and vegetable oils
Touted as a healthy food choice, these oils such as sunflower, soybean and corn oil are potentially deadly. They are refined meaning they are barely natural. They contain large amounts of omega-6 fatty acids a common cause of tissue inflammation. Excess omega-6 acids in the blood can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and a weakened immunity. Vegetable oils also contain toxic chemicals introduced in the refinement stages. Recommended substitutes are coconut or olive oil.
