10 unhealthy foods to avoid
IT’S easy to get confused about which foods are healthy and which are not.
Avoiding certain foods can be hard, especially when they are specifically designed to taste good.
You know what I am talking about – those delicious but unhealthy guilty pleasures we’ve all been gorging on recently.
What we seem to forget is that what we eat contributes largely to our well-being. There are also certain things almost everyone gets wrong about healthy eating.
In an interview with health expert Vanessa Ascencao, she said that the body needs nutrients, not calories, and some of the most nutrient-dense foods are high in calories.
“Not eating enough calories may trigger the body’s starvation mechanism, and by counting calories you may miss out on high-quality foods, rich in nutrients and essential for effective body function.
“Eat a healthy, balanced diet, filled with whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and organic free-range protein. These will help you achieve optimal overall health,” said Ascencao.
Also, some foods are associated with negative health outcomes.
Paul Kasenene, a doctor specialising in nutritional, functional and lifestyle medicine, shared 10 foods on Twitter people should avoid if they want better health:
■ Sugar
■ Soda and sugary drinks
■ White bread
■ Margarine
■ Sausages
■ Deep-fried foods – chips, chicken, pork, crisps
■ Refined wheat foods – chapati, mandazi (fried dough)
■ Ice cream and sweets
■ Cow’s milk
■ Beer
Kasenene suggests substituting healthy alternatives, such replacing cow’s milk with plant-based milks (almond, oat, coconut, organic soy).