What are junk foods?

Junk foods refer to unhealthy foods that’re high in calories from fat or sugar, with little or no dietary fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, or other essential sorts of nutritional value. Junk foods range from drinks to solid foods. Here a list of junk foods that should be taken in moderation.

Carbonated drinks

Refined sugar is one of the worst ingredients of our modern diet. Carbonated beverages have high quantities of it. When drinking carbonated drinks, your calorie level increases drastically, which could lead to diabetes. It could also lead to obesity and several heart problems. You should take carbonated drinks in small quantities. Alternative drinks that could improve your health includes; water, soda water, homemade fruit juice, and tea. 

Pizza

More like a disease, pizza has spread around the whole globe. It is one of the most enjoyable junk foods. People consider pizza as round bread covered with cheese and toppings but what they don’t know is that it’s actually from refined dough, heavily processed meats, and unhealthy ingredients. Not keeping track of pizza intake can lead to severe and congestive heart failure, obesity, high BP. An alternative is homemade pizza but you should be take it in moderation.

White bread

These are generally unhealthy. White bread can easily cause diabetes because they’re high in sugar and low in fibers. It should be avoided.

Packaged fruit juices

Yes, fruit juices. They boast of their supplement and promise good health, but fruit juices have the same amount of sugar in carbonated drinks or even more. Adverts show that certain fruit juices contain zero sugar, but that’s not always the case. The amount of sugar in fruit juices has killed all the necessary supplements. Instead of taking that risk, just enjoy yourself with a cup of freshly squeezed juice from orange , apple , blueberry, pomegranate , mango , lemon, and other fruits.

Cereal

Very popular among children and frequently eaten with milk. Taken mostly for breakfast in every household. When producing cereals, the grains are shredded, rolled up, flaked, and covered in lots of sugar. The amount of sugar in packaged cereals makes them as sweet as candy or even more.

Fried, grilled foods

Frying and grilling are very unhealthy ways of cooking. Foods cooked in this way ends up with too many calories. Several types of chemical compounds become toxic under high heat. Those toxic compounds include acrylamides, acrolein, heterocyclic amines, oxysterols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which are very unhealthy for humans.

Pastries, cookies, and cakes

Most pastries, cookies, and cakes contain excess fat, which is unhealthy. The packaged ones are made of refined flour and sugar and are high in unhealthy trans-fat. These foods might be tasty but are very unhealthy.

French fries and potato chips

The whole potato is very healthy, but it becomes very unhealthy when dried and fried. A single chip is very high in calories, and they’re very easy to eat in excess. These foods lead to weight gain. They contain carcinogenic compounds, which is very bad for the human system.

Ice cream

This dairy product might be sweet, but it houses a lot of calories. They contain lots of sugar, which could spike up blood sugar and can cause diabetes. It should be avoided.

Candy

Candies are extremely unhealthy. They’re composed mainly of sugar, refined wheat, and processed fats. They’re rid of essential nutrients. Instead of filling your face with candies, rather have fun with some dark chocolates or fruits. 

Processed meats

Studies show that those who consume processed meat are likely to have colon cancer, diabetes, and several heart disease forms. 

Margarine

Many people replace butter with margarine, claiming that it’s healthier than butter. That’s very wrong. Margarine is just a bar of trans-fat and chemical compounds made to excite consumers’ taste buds. The chemicals in margarine are likely to cause heart disease and obesity. Butter is a better option.

Baked beans

Very easily, baked beans cause you to feel bloated. This type of bloating comes with obesity. Baked beans are go through various processes that make beneficial chemicals in them become toxic. It’s advisable to take them in very little quantity.

All junk foods should be taken in minimal quantities or totally avoided. As we all know, health is wealth. Take care of your health, and avoid junk foods. The consequence of consuming junk food is very dire, and it’s a gamble with your health. Avoid junk foods.