5 Foods That Are Bad for Your Health

It’s easy to get confused about which foods are healthy and which aren’t. Here are 5 foods that are generally unhealthy — although most people can eat them in moderation on special occasions without any permanent damage to their health.

1. Most commercial salad dressings.          Vegetables are incredibly healthy. The problem is that they often don’t taste very good on their own. That’s why many people use dressings to add flavor to their salads, turning these bland meals into delicious treats. But many salad dressings are actually loaded with unhealthy ingredients like sugar, vegetable oils, and trans fats, along with various artificial chemicals. Although vegetables are good for you, eating them with a dressing high in harmful ingredients negates any health benefit you get from the salad. Check the ingredients list before you use a salad dressing or make your own using healthy ingredients.                                                                     
2. Fruit juices… which are basically just liquid sugar.                                     A lot of people believe fruit juices are healthy. They must be because they come from fruit, right? But most fruit juice you find in the grocery store isn’t really fruit juice. Sometimes they don’t have any actual fruit in them, just chemicals that taste like fruit. What you’re drinking is basically fruit-flavored sugar water. That being said, even if you’re drinking 100% quality fruit juice, it’s still not the best choice. Fruit juice is like fruit, except with all the good stuff (like the fiber) taken out. The main thing left of the actual fruit is the sugar. Fruit juice actually contains a similar amount of sugar as a sugar-sweetened beverage.                                                                                                              
3. Vegan junk foods.                                                                                        Vegan diets are very popular these days, often due to ethical and environmental reasons. However, many people promote vegan diets for the purpose of improving health. There are many processed vegan foods on the market, often sold as convenient replacements for non-vegan foods. Vegan bacon is one example. But it’s important to keep in mind that these are usually highly processed, factory made products that are bad for almost anyone, including people who are vegan.                                                                          
4. Processed organic foods.
Unfortunately, the word “organic” has become a typical marketing buzzword in many instances. Food manufacturers have found all sorts of ways to make the same products, except with ingredients that happen to be organic. This includes ingredients like organic raw cane sugar, which is basically 100% identical to regular sugar. It’s still just glucose and fructose with little to no nutrients. In many cases, the difference between an ingredient and its organic counterpart is next to none. Processed foods that happen to be labeled organic aren’t necessarily healthy. Always check the label to see what’s inside.                                                                                                                   
5. Most processed breakfast cereals
The way some breakfast cereals are marketed can be deceiving. Many of them, including those that are marketed toward children, have various health claims listed on the box. This includes claims like “whole grain” or “low fat” that may be misleading. This is especially true when you look at the ingredients list and see that these products mostly contain: refined grains, sugar, artificial chemicals.

It’s important to always review product packaging to confirm what you’re actually putting in your body and whether it’s healthy for you. Truly healthy foods are whole, single-ingredient foods. Their health benefits speak for them. Real food doesn’t even need an ingredients list, because real food is the ingredient.

Does Eating an Apple Every Day Really Keep the Doctor Away?

Apples are certainly popular—ranking among the top three fruits produced around the world. They are easy to store and transport, and as a result, are typically available year-round in the U.S. In this piece we’ll explore how apples may benefit health.

Source of:

1. Fiber, insoluble and solubl
2. Phytochemicals (quercetin, catechin, chlorogenic acid, anthocyanin)
3. Vitamin C

One serving, or one medium apple, provides about 95 calories, 0 gram fat, 1 gram protein, 25 grams carbohydrate, 19 grams sugar (naturally occurring), and 3 grams fiber.

Benefits of eating apples:

• Support weight loss. Due to their fiber content, apples have been shown to promote feelings of fullness, decrease calorie intake, and increase weight loss.
• Improve bone health. Human, animal, and test-tube studies have found that eating a higher amount of fruit could be associated with increased bone mineral density and a lower risk of osteoporosis.
• Promote brain function. Animal studies suggest that eating apples could help reduce oxidative stress, prevent mental decline, and slow signs of aging.
• Reduce the risk of diabetes. According to one large review, eating one apple per day was tied to a 28% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, compared with not eating any apples at all.

Potential downsides

Eating an apple every day is unlikely to harm your health.

However, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing, and eating multiple apples each day may cause several adverse side effects.

In particular, rapidly increasing your intake of fiber over a short period of time can cause symptoms like gas, bloating, and stomach pain.

Rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, apples are an excellent addition to the diet and may offer several health benefits. However, many fruits and vegetables offer a similar set of nutrients and can be equally beneficial for health. Plus, incorporating a variety of other fruits and vegetables into your routine can add more flavor and nutritional value to your diet.

Here are a few other fruits and vegetables that you can swap in for apples from time to time: 
bananas, blueberries, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, grapefruit, mango, peaches, pears, pineapples, raspberries, spinach, strawberries, tomatoes.

More information about apples:

Healthy Eating

What Does Healthy Eating Mean?

Healthy eating means eating a variety of foods that give you the nutrients you need to maintain your health, feel good, and have energy. These nutrients include protein, carbohydrates, fat, water, vitamins, and minerals.

Nutrition is important for everyone. When combined with being physically active and maintaining a healthy weight, eating well is an excellent way to help your body stay strong and healthy. What you eat can affect your immune system, your mood, and your energy level.

Kid’s Healthy Eating Plate

The Kid’s Healthy Eating Plate provides a blueprint to help us make the best eating choices. So, you should follow these tips:

• The more veggies – and the greater the variety – the better.
• Potatoes and French fries don’t count as vegetables because of their negative impact on blood sugar.
• Eat plenty of fruits of all colors.
• Choose whole fruits or sliced fruits (rather than fruit juices; limit fruit juice to one small glass per day).
• Choose beans and peas, nuts, seeds, and other plant-based healthy protein options, as well as fish, eggs, and poultry.
• Limit red meat (beef, pork, lamb) and avoid processed meats (bacon, deli meats, hot dogs, sausages).
• Use healthy oils from plants like extra virgin olive, canola, corn, sunflower, and peanut oil in cooking, on salads and vegetables, and at the table.
• Limit butter to occasional use.
• Choose unflavored milk, plain yogurt, small amounts of cheese, and other unsweetened dairy foods.
• Milk and other dairy products are a convenient source of calcium and vitamin D, but the optimal intake of dairy products has yet to be determined and the research is still developing. For children consuming little or no milk, ask a doctor about possible calcium and vitamin D supplementation.
• Water is the best choice for quenching our thirst. It’s also sugar-free, and as easy to find as the nearest tap.