Unhealthy Foods To Eliminate If You Want to Be Healthy

It is time to finally eliminate all of those unhealthy foods that we eat if you want to be healthy. Out with the Junk Food and in with the Real Food.

There are so many very healthy superfoods that you can easily replace them with thankfully. Unfortunately, there are many unhealthy choices that are taking over the market because it is easy and tends to be convenient to eat unhealthy so-called foods. I have included healthy solutions to make the transition from unhealthy to healthy foods easier for you.

It seems that people are not at all sure which are unhealthy foods and which are healthy foods. It is important to eliminate the unhealthy processed foods as soon as you can. This is especially important if you want to avoid diseases and to lose some weight.

10 Unhealthy Foods To Eliminate Now

These are all on the top of my list of foods that are very unhealthy.

1. Diet Pop

Why: More empty calories and health-destroying additives as well as side effects from the “fake” sweeteners.

Obesity is on the rise due to diet pop! Yes, it is true. Drinking two or more cans of pop a day increased waistlines by 500%. – University of Texas Health Science Center study.
Erodes your teeth just as much as crystal meth when drinking lots. – General Dentistry study
Kidney problems can be caused due to artificial sweeteners in the soda when drinking more than two sodas a day. – Harvard Medical School study
Strokes and heart disease was found to increase with a diet soda every day. – 2012 study found.

Solution: Drink more water, fresh juice, lemon water or cold herbal fruit tea sweetened with stevia or a healthy punch made with sparkling mineral water.

2. White Bread Is One of the Unhealthy Foods

Why: Most white bread that is made commercially is unhealthy, even for people who do tolerate gluten.

Mostly, they are made from refined wheat, which is simply empty calories, low in essential nutrients and leads to a spike in blood sugar.
Most bread is made from wheat, which is gluten. For most people any bread made from wheat is not a good idea, our Vital Health testing shows that most people do not test very well with wheat.

Solution: Have a brown rice cake or at least eat whole grain bread if you don’t need to be gluten-free as it is much better than filling up on empty carbs in white bread.

If you need to eat gluten-free, all the recipes on this site are gluten-free.
Here is a link to many of my Vegan Gluten-free Recipes.

3. Candy and Candy Bars Are Unhealthy Foods

Why: They are very unhealthy being high in sugar and processed fats.

They do not have any essential nutrients so candy bars are not even food. They are created to be tasty so you will want to eat lots and they are easy to eat fast.
It may taste good and make you feel full, but you will be hungry soon for two reasons. First these high in sugar bars metabolize very quickly and secondly, there is no real nourishment in them.
Read the ingredients, there are often many things you will have no idea what they are in the ingredients list including artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives, as well as lots of processed sugars.

Solution: Eat fruits instead or a little bit of dried fruit to satisfy your sweet tooth. Make yourself a healthy treat using ingredients that have nutrients and using healthy sweeteners. I have lot’s of healthy baking recipes, when eaten in moderation, on this site to fill a sugar craving.

4. Margarine

Why: It is full of artificial ingredients and Trans fats.

Once upon time margarine was thought to be a healthy alternative to butter but it is for sure one of the big unhealthy foods.
Finally, most people now know that this is not at all true. It is a very highly processed fat that they have tried to engineer to look and taste as good as butter. Of course, they failed. I would never eat it.
Apart from it not tasting good, it’s made with artificial ingredients, and is usually made with hydrogenated oils so it can be solid. They are full of Tran’s fats.

“The government is banning them from our food. Tran’s fats can increase your risk of heart disease. They increase your “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and decrease “good” cholesterol (HDL), fostering the buildup of fatty deposits that can clog your blood vessels and lead to a heart attack.” – Carol Dombrow RD, Heart and Stroke Canada.

Solution: Use coconut oil or a nut or seed butter or even real butter if you are not vegan.

Healthy fruit spinach — Healthy Organic Fruit & Spinach

5. Non-organic Strawberries, Spinach, Kale, Nectarines, and Apples

Why: These are the top 5 fruits and vegetables drenched in deadly pesticides and fungicides and always near the top of the list of the Dirty Dozen.

“The workers wear suits to protect themselves from the dozens and dozens of known dangerous pesticides applied to strawberries. When I saw this, I thought to myself, if this is how berries are grown, I don’t really want to eat them anymore,” said Kenner while filming Food Inc.

Millions of pounds of methyl bromide are used every year by California strawberry growers. It damages the ozone layer, so it is banned in many parts of the world. This chemical has an uncanny ability to damage DNA, creating a host of health problems.
Spinach: The green leaves are loved by grasshoppers and other insects, and the plants themselves suck up chemicals from the soil. For example, spinach has been shown to contain DDT from the soil, even though DDT was banned over 10 years ago. (You don’t just want to pass on spinach, though, so be sure to find organic spinach to benefit from all of the healthy nutrients spinach has to offer.)
Apples are susceptible to more than 30 insects and at least 10 diseases, and so are sprayed many times during the growing season. Fungicides and other chemicals are also added after picking to prevent tiny blemishes that can accumulate during storage of up to 9 months.

Solution: Grow your own organic ones or eat organic when they are in season. If I cannot afford organic of the above I just do not eat them. It is best to buy fruits and vegetables in season for not only the highest nutrients but usually the best prices as well.

6. Processed Meats Are Unhealthy Foods

Why: Filled with unhealthy ingredients and fewer nutrients.

What is processed meat? Here is a list: Sausages, hot dogs, salami, ham, cured bacon, salted and cured meat, corned beef, smoked meat, dried meat, beef jerky, and canned meat.

Health-conscious people will not be found eating them. When it is processed, many chemicals are added that have been found to be very unhealthy.
Those who eat processed meats have a higher risk of getting Type 2 Diabetes, colon cancer, and heart disease according to research.
Bacon is loaded with calories and 69% of those calories in bacon are bad fat.
Cancer and chronic pulmonary disease are caused when processed meat with nitrates like bacon are consumed. – University of Zurich and Columbia University
Many of the processed meats are cured with …” sugar, high fructose corn syrup, propylene glycol, sodium phosphates, maple syrup, sodium erythorbate, natural and artificial maple flavor, corn syrup, caramel color, sucralose, sodium nitrite.” (read the label and ingredients).

“Processed meat has slightly more fat and calories and less protein and cholesterol per serving than unprocessed meat. The biggest nutritional differences between unprocessed and processed red meat are salt (four times more salt is found in processed meat) and non-salt preservatives (higher in processed meat).” – Harvard Health

Solution: Don’t eat processed meat. If you do eat meat then there are many healthier options available. Try to shop local, humane and organic for all of your meat. Many farmers markets, health food stores, and even regular grocery stores now carry organic meat options.

7. Canned, Jarred Fruit Juices

Why: It is not healthy at all being full of sugar!

Many people think drinking fruit juice is healthy, but it usually is not. Most of the fruit juices that you can purchase on the market are simply water flavored with fruit with lots of added sugar.

Fruit juice has just as much sugar as Coke or Pepsi, and sometimes even more. Diabetes is a concern when it comes to drinking fruit juice regularly.

Solution: Make your own fresh juices, they are actually quite easy to make yourself and then you can get all of the nutrients and health benefits of the fruits. Drink more water, or lemon water or cold herbal fruit tea sweetened with stevia or a healthy punch made with sparkling mineral water.

8. Junk Food

Why: Filled with Empty Calories and Chemicals

Craving Junk Food — Should she eat this?

Teenage girls eating lots of food may be at a higher risk of breast cancer, a study claims. Lead researcher Sandra Haslam, of Michigan University, said: “Our findings show the culprit is the fat itself rather than weight gain.”
Junk food is addictive because it is filled with flavour enhancing chemicals that are rewarding to the addict. Chemicals like MSG, high-fructose corn syrup, and aspartame, are all highly addictive. MSG excites the brain so much that it causes neurological brain damage but because it tastes so good, people keep on eating it.
Effects memory! Healthy people who ate junk food for five days in a 2011 study had impaired reaction times. – American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
One fast-food meal will have all of the calories you need for a whole day but will leave you feeling hungry for more!

‘I used to live on processed fast food. I drank a ton of soda and ate greasy, cheesy foods constantly.” says Cameron Diaz who is considered one of the most beautiful women in the world.

Solution: Have a bag of sugar snap peas, carrots, and celery. Also, have a bag of nuts and seeds nearby for convenient and healthy snacking.

9. Alcohol

Why: Destroys brain cells.

It damages the brain. “People who have been drinking large amounts of alcohol for long periods of time run the risk of developing serious and persistent changes in the brain. Damage may be a result of the direct effects of alcohol on the brain or may result indirectly, from a poor general health status or from severe liver disease.” – Alcohol Alert.
Alcohol drinks are full of calories and no nutrients. A five-ounce glass of wine, a 12-ounce beer or 1.5-ounce shot of liquor has about 150 calories and no nutrients.
Drinking alcohol causes cancer. “Consumption of alcoholic beverages has been shown to cause cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus.”
There also seems to be evidence about the relationship between alcohol and cancer of the liver and breast.
It is not good for unborn babies in the womb. Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are linked to women drinking during pregnancy.
Lowers your vitality. In our testing, we always find that alcohol lowers the vitality of everyone which includes me.

“The day I became free of alcohol was the day that I fully understood and embraced the truth that I would not be giving anything up by not drinking.” Liz Hemingway

Solution: Drink something healthy like sparkling water with lemon juice. Here are a few healthy drinks to make for you and for parties: Festive Fruit Punch without Alcohol or Bloody Mary – Alcohol-Free and Healthy, Hot Mulled Cider, Creamy Spicy Vegan Chai, Fresh Mint Tea.

I can be silly and fun without it and be naturally high. No need for a substance to do that. Best of all I am left full of vibrant energy after parties, no hangovers. So no alcohol for me.

10. Potato Chips and French Fries

Why: High in calories and are not healthy.

Deep fried Potatoes — Deep-fried potato chips

Whole unpeeled white potatoes are actually healthy.
French fries and potato chips are high in calories, and it is so easy to eat lots of them. Eating French fries and potato chips will help you gain weight according to studies.
Also, note that when potatoes are fried they can contain large amounts of acrylamides which are cancer forming putting them in this list of unhealthy foods.

Solution: Steam, boil or bake your unpeeled potatoes. If you want crunchy food, eat carrots or nuts for easy and healthy snacking options.

So time to make healthy choices of the food you eat for your wellness.

Eat lots of tasty superfoods every day. Check them out below today or if you are busy bookmark the page. Every superfood has three recipes to help you add them to your meals.

Here are 5 Healthy Recipes for 5 Unhealthy Foods

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READ: Superfoods – Over 100 of the Healthiest Foods You Should Have in Your Diet and learn more about the variety of Superfoods we think you should be eating.

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The Most Addictive Foods (and least) According to Science – We often talk about junk food like it’s an addictive drug. New research from Michigan highlights that those highly-processed and fatty foods like pizza, chips and sugary chocolate are, in fact, addictive. The study also determined which healthy foods we have more control over.