Funnel cake
Although the taste of funnel cake may be irresistible, this beloved fair and festival snack is terrible for you. One funnel cake can pack 700 calories, taking up a big chunk of your recommended daily caloric intake while also serving you 40 grams of fat. You may enjoy the smell of a funnel cake at the fair, but you might want to resist the temptation to eat one. The long-term consequences of eating fried foods are weight gain and increased risk of diabetes.
Deep dish pizza
Deep-dish pizza is delicious, but the crust can be very fattening. The dough and cheese are both high in calories, and meat toppings like bacon, sausage and pepperoni add even more calories. A two-slice serving of deep-dish pizza has about 1300 calories and 24 grams of saturated fat. You might find it hard to give up your favorite pizza, but you can still enjoy it if you order a thin crust pizza with veggies instead of meat.
Twinkies
Twinkies are marketed as “snack classics,” but they’re far from healthy. Each Twinkie contains 4.5 grams of fat, 150 calories, 220 milligrams of sodium and 18 grams of sugar. Those numbers are pretty alarming when you consider that the American Heart Association recommends limiting your daily intake of saturated fat to no more than 6 grams, sodium to no more than 2,300 milligrams and added sugars to no more than 24 grams per day.
Hot Pockets
Hot Pockets are frozen, handheld foods that are heated in a microwave or conventional oven. They’re popular with people who are too busy (or lazy) to cook a real meal, but some people find Hot Pockets unpleasant because of their strange taste and texture. The list of ingredients on Hot Pockets nutritional info is troubling. They contain numerous processed ingredients, unhealthy substitutions, and extremely high levels of fats, sodium, and saturated fat. Therefore, these frozen snacks should be avoided at all costs.
Mozzarella sticks
Mozzarella sticks are among the most popular appetizer choices at restaurants, but they’re also among the least nutritious. They’re typically fried, which adds calories and fat to a dish that’s already high in both. A serving of mozzarella sticks from Applebee’s contains 910 calories and more than 2,500 mg of sodium. Even if you share this dish with friends, it’s not a good choice for a snack.
Fruit juice
While 100 percent fruit juice is better than Sunny D, a cup of Welch’s grape juice still contains as much sugar as four glazed donuts. Although natural sugar can be part of a healthy diet, the sugar in juice is absorbed into your bloodstream just as quickly as other types of sugar. What’s more, most of the sweetness in juice comes from fructose, which may lead to abdominal weight gain in overweight people.
Diet sodas
Diet soda may not be as good for you as you think. The artificial sweetener aspartame is found in nearly all popular diet sodas. Aspartame was initially developed to aid weight loss, but recent studies have shown that it actually raises glucose levels and overloads the liver, causing excess fat to be created.
Pop-Tarts
We all remember eating Pop-Tarts in our childhood, but now that we’re adults, we know that they’re not the best choice for our health. These sugary pastries are full of preservatives that can harm our immune systems. One such preservative is called TBHQ (short for tbutylhydroquinone) and it’s found in many processed foods. It extends their shelf life and keeps them from spoiling. Each pastry contains 200 calories and provides little to no nutritional value, so it’s best to stay away from them entirely.
Oreos
It’s unfortunate that Oreos made this list, because they’re one of the best comfort foods around. Warm or cold milk and a few cookies are definitely a match made in heaven. But if you look on the back of the packaging, you’ll notice a secret ingredient: hydrogenated palm kernel oil. Palm oil is a type of vegetable oil that promotes inflammation in the body. It’s also loaded with fat and sugar, which is why you can’t eat just one Oreo. A 2013 scientific study found that they’re more addictive than morphine!
Chicken nuggets
Chicken nuggets, those popular fast-food items that everyone loves, contain far more synthetic ingredients than natural. They start off with real chicken, but they also contain diglycerides, coloring additive Red #40, and carrageenan. These three additives work together to keep the natural portions of the nuggets from going bad, but it also means a chicken nugget has more synthetic parts than real chicken. While fast food chicken nuggets are certainly not the healthiest choice, store-bought frozen nuggets are no better. The best alternative is to just take some organic chicken breasts, bread them, and then cook them in the oven.
Bacon
Bacon might smell and taste divine, but it’s also terrible for your health in a bunch of different ways. For starters, bacon is high in advanced glycation end products (AGEs), compounds that are created when cured meats are cooked at high temperatures. AGEs have been linked to a number of less-than-ideal health outcomes, including inflammation and elevated rates of cancer. Bacon is also high in nitrates, another carcinogen, and – just to top things off – it boasts around three grams of fat per slice.
Coffee creamer
Don’t let the name fool you; coffee creamer doesn’t actually contain any cream. What it does contain is a wildly unhealthy blend of sugar and soybean oil, with some diglycerides thrown in for good measure. Although real dairy has been demonised in recent years, you’re much better going with real milk or cream instead of artificial creamers.
Breakfast cereals
Cereal aisles in American supermarkets offer a dizzying array of luridly colourful options, many of which are packed full of nasties. As well as insanely high sugar contents, many cereals in the US come with a number of ingredients that have been banned in most other countries around the world. Of particular concern are the yellow and red food dyes, which a number of studies have linked to behavioural and attentional problems in children, and butylated hydroxytoluene, which might be a carcinogen.
Baked goods
Many baked goods, such as pizzas and bagels, contain potassium bromate, an oxidising agent that whitens dough. The chemical has been linked to a number of genuinely horrific health outcomes, including tumours, kidney failure and cell deterioration. Unsurprisingly, potassium bromate has been banned in the European Union and a number of other countries, but it’s still regularly used in food manufacturing in the U.S.
Margarine
Invented by a French chemist in 1869, margarine replaced butter as the spread of choice for many in the early 2000s as society collectively freaked out about saturated fat. Unfortunately for everyone who made the switch, it has since emerged that the trans fats margarine is packed full of are actually far more detrimental to health, with studies linking them to heart disease, inflammation and increases in “bad” cholesterol.
Chips
A single ounce of potato chips – the equivalent to about three handfuls – contains around 150 calories and 10 grams of fat. And be honest, no one stops after a few handfuls. Chips are amongst the most moreish foods on the planet, which makes overeating more of a question of ‘by how much’ rather than ‘if’. It’s been estimated that eating chips three times a week is enough to add seven pounds to your weight over a year.
Frosting
The best part of a cupcake is also the part that might just send you to an early grave. Frosting contains a number of insidious ingredients including titanium dioxide – which has been shown to cause lung cancer in animals – and propylene glycol, which has been linked to kidney problems. Many frosting manufacturers complete the full-frontal assault on your internal organs by using oils that are high in trans fats.
Bottled smoothies
The truly nefarious thing about bottled smoothies is the fact that so many people think they’re actually healthy – a myth that the companies who produce them are only too happy to perpetuate. In reality, smoothies pack about as much sugar as soda, leading to dramatic spikes in insulin and raising the risk of diabetes. The heat treatment that most smoothies are subjected to also effectively destroys the vitamins and antioxidants in the fruit, meaning these drinks have absolutely no redeeming qualities.
Fast food
Everyone knows that fast food tends to pack high levels of salt and fat, but there’s another, hidden danger. The takeaway boxes that fast food is often served in are normally made out of polystyrene, an effective insulator that is incredibly cheap to produce. Unfortunately, when subjected to heat – for example when it’s used as a container for freshly cooked food – polystyrene leeches highly carcinogenic compounds.
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise seems pretty innocuous, and many people are surprised to learn just how unhealthy it is. The condiment is packed full of fat, sugar and enough preservatives to ensure that what is essentially a jar of blended eggs can last for years. Low fat options are no better, as they compensate by adding in extra sugar.
Hot dogs
Hot dogs are high in fat, salt and cancer-causing nitrates, which should already give you pause for thought. However, their most horrifying ingredient is sodium phosphate, a preservative with such a bad reputation that even McDonald’s has backed away from using it. The chemical – which has been banned in a number of countries – has been shown to cause severe kidney damage when ingested in sufficient quantities.
Bleached flour bread
If you’re shopping for bread in the United States, it’s worth scrutinising the small print on the label. Any bread that doesn’t specify ‘unbleached flour’ has likely been made with a chemical called azodicarbonamide, a whitening agent that’s supposed to make bread look more visually appealing. Unfortunately, azodicarbonamide – which is also used in the manufacturing of yoga mats – has been linked to asthma in humans, and animal studies suggest it might disrupt hormone production.
Instant porridge
Porridge is often touted as the perfect breakfast food, providing a lasting supply of energy that lasts well into the day. Not all porridge is created equally, however. Those little packets and cartons of instant porridge might be irresistibly convenient, but they contain high levels of sugar that essentially negate all of the benefits. Even the unflavoured varieties generally pack around eight grams of sugar, enough to cause a dramatic spike in your insulin levels.
Veggie burgers
Health concerns around red meat have grown in recent years, with studies linking it to cardiovascular disease, strokes and cancers of the colon and bowels. As a result, many consumers are opting to go for veggie options when it comes to foods like burgers. Unfortunately, these really aren’t much healthier. Veggie burgers often make up for their lack of meat with chemicals like disodium inosinate (a flavour enhancer that might impact the circulatory system), high levels of sodium and caramel colour.
Sprinkles
Whilst they might add an appealing burst of colour to your desserts, sprinkles are little more than wax, sugar and an array of harmful ingredients. These include hydrogenated vegetable oils, which have been linked to heart disease and high blood levels of cholesterol, artificial flavours and dyes such as the infamous Yellow 5.
Dried fruit
Fruit is one of the healthiest foods available, so dried fruit should be healthy too, right? Wrong. Dried fruit snacks often contain sulphites, a preservative that has been linked to skin and digestive issues. Additionally, dried fruit is full of sugar and it’s incredibly easier to overindulge. When you’re looking for a healthy snack, fresh fruit is always going to be your best bet.
Single cheese slices
Some might argue that a burger just wouldn’t be complete without a slice (or two) of plasticky, unnaturally yellow cheese. However, these people might reassess their position if they knew about the health effects of sodium citrate, an artificial flavour found in cheese singles. The chemical has been linked to muscle spasms and might be dangerous for people with kidney problems.
Bouillon cubes
Bouillon cubes provide an easy way to add some umami to stews and soups, but they’re full of a surprising number of nasties. Chief amongst these is palm oil – which has been linked to heart disease – and Yellow 5, a food dye that has the alarming ability to induce asthma in individuals who didn’t previously suffer from the condition.
Pancake syrup
A synthetic product meant to emulate natural maple syrup, pancake syrup is chock full of high-fructose corn syrup, which has been linked to diabetes, obesity and liver damage. As if that’s not bad enough, the syrup also gets its colour from carcinogenic caramel products. Whilst real maple syrup is still high in sugar, and should be used sparingly, it offers a much healthier way to enjoy pancakes and French toast.
Granola bars
Granola bars masquerade as healthy snacks, weaselling their way into calorie-conscious consumers’ shopping baskets and cupboards. The reality, however, is that granola bars are often stuffed full of added sugars, either in the form of chocolate chips or high fructose corn syrup. It’s not unusual for a granola bar to pack upwards of 13 grams of sugar, which isn’t far off what you’d find in a chocolate bar.
Cool whip
Cool Whip never actually describes itself as cream, and with good reason: it isn’t. Instead, Cool Whip is made from a blend of hydrogenated vegetable oils and high fructose corn syrup, making it incredibly high in trans fats and refined sugars, both of which have been linked to a number of adverse health effects including high cholesterol, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Boxed mac and cheese
Boxed mac and cheese might be a beloved comfort food, but there’s nothing comforting about the ingredients. Most alarming are the inclusions of yellow food dyes that have been linked to hyperactivity in children and phthalates, a potential carcinogen and endocrine disruptor that has been banned from toy manufacturing. If you wouldn’t let your kids touch it, why would you let them eat it?
Pickles
Traditionally, pickles are made by brining cucumbers in vinegar. When they’re made this way they can actually be quite healthy, boasting high levels of probiotics and a number of beneficial vitamins. Unfortunately, in a bid to make their products more visually appealing, many manufacturers add yellow food dyes to their jars, and some brands also add polysorbate 80, an emulsifier that has been shown to cause cancer in rodents.
Turkey bacon
Turkey bacon positions itself as a healthier alternative to bacon made from pork, and many consumers are buying into the myth. Unfortunately, it’s just that: a myth. Turkey bacon suffers from all the same problems as the more traditional kind, namely high levels of fat, sodium and nitrates that form carcinogenic compounds during digestion. Sadly, healthy bacon is simply too good to be true.
Yogurt-coated raisins
The yogurt-coated raisin is another snack that has managed to sneak into the health food aisle, despite having absolutely no business being there. The “yogurt” coating isn’t really yogurt at all, and is instead an intensely unhealthy blend of sugar, hydrogenated oils, titanium dioxide and just enough yogurt powder to prevent the manufacturers from getting sued for false advertising.
Processed oils
Recent studies have found that processed oils like canola, cottonseed and corn are seriously detrimental to health. This is because the oils are heated to incredibly high temperatures during production, which oxidises them and creates damaging free radicals. Instead of processed oils, opt for organic, extra virgin olive oil.
Cheetos
Cheetos’ ability to melt the second they touch your tongue has been dubbed “vanishing caloric density” by food scientists. It’s been linked to dramatic overconsumption, which is understandable given it doesn’t really feel like you’re eating anything in the first place. To make matters worse, Cheetos contain a number of dodgy ingredients like monosodium glutamate and Yellow 6 food dye.
Canned soup
Convenient and comforting as it is, canned soup also comes with a number of drawbacks as far as your health is concerned. The main issue is the exorbitant amount of salt found in a can, with a single serving often containing almost 2 grams of the stuff. There are also potential concerns around chemicals leeching out of the can and into the soup.
Sugar-free Jell-O
Whilst regular Jell-O contains alarming levels of sugar, it’s still healthier than its sugar-free counterpart. Aspartame, acesulfame potassium and red food dyes are amongst the nasties that can be found in sugarless Jello-O, and these chemicals have been implicated in a range of conditions from cancer to hyperactivity in kids. If you have to have Jello-O, you’re best off sticking with the regular, sugary variety and eating it infrequently.
Refined carbohydrates
Foods like white pasta, white rice and white bread all have one thing in common: they’re all refined carbohydrates. Although they are often considered to be more palatable, refined carbohydrates have been shown to promote inflammation and don’t contain many of the healthy nutrients – including vitamins, minerals and antioxidants – that whole grain products do.
Easy Cheese
Cheese in a can is a distinctly American product, and would likely provoke violence in Italy or France. It’s also shockingly bad for you. Two spoonfuls of Easy Cheese contains 275 calories and 21 grams of fat, around half of which is saturated. Sprayable cheese is also devoid of the nutritional benefits of real cheese, which include high levels of calcium and vitamin K.
Fried foods
What do calamari, fried chicken and onion rings all have in common? They all taste delicious, and they’re all absolutely terrible for your health. The main problem with deep fried foods is the fact that they’re essentially bathed in super-heated oil, which means they’re packed full of advanced glycation end products. These compounds have been shown to dramatically increase inflammation in the body, elevating risks of everything from depression to cancer.
Energy drinks
Because of their association with sports and exercise, many people mistakenly believe that energy drinks are healthy products. In reality, energy drinks are crammed full of harmful ingredients including sugar, artificial sweeteners and food dyes. Alarming research has even suggested that long-term consumption of energy drinks could cause lasting liver damage.
Sausages
Recent studies have indicated that sausages might be as potent a carcinogen as smoking. For one thing, sausages are generally made out of red meat like pork (yes, pork is a red meat). For another, they’re usually highly processed, packing unhealthy levels of sodium and nitrates. Even supposedly healthy sausages are likely to contain a number of additives and other nasties that are best avoided.
Pre-made pie crust
Ready made pie crust might save you some time in the kitchen, but a quick glance at the ingredients should make you question whether it’s worth it. The most concerning additives in pie mix are BHA and BHT, preservatives that have been banned in a number of countries due to a number of studies linking them to cancer.
BBQ sauce
Condiments are known to be one of the sneakiest sources (no pun intended) of hidden calories, and BBQ sauce is the worst of the bunch. Most brands of BBQ sauce make use of high-fructose corn syrup, a hyper sweet product which has been linked to inflammation, diabetes and heart disease.
Cheesecake Factory cheesecake
Given that the restaurant is literally named after the dessert, it’s not surprising that cheesecake is one of the most ordered items at Cheesecake Factory. However, most patrons probably don’t realise exactly what they’re ordering. A single slice of Cheesecake Factory cheesecake packs an astronomical 830 calories, 51 grams of sugar and 59 grams of fat, over half of which comes in form of harmful saturated fat.
Bottled water
If you’re thinking there’s no way water can be bad for you, you’re right… kind of. The problem here isn’t the water, it’s the bottles it comes in. The plastic that water bottles are made from often contains bisphenol-A (commonly referred to as BPA), a chemical that has been shown to disrupt hormone production, leading to potentially severe outcomes including infertility and certain types of cancer.
Maraschino cherries
They might be one of the most iconic toppings for a sundae, but Maraschino cherries are also likely to wreak havoc on your health thanks to a number of sinister ingredients. Chief amongst these are harmful food dyes, preservatives and high-fructose corn syrup. The fact that they generally last years before technically going out of date highlights the fact that Maraschino cherries are more chemical than food.
Fettuccine Alfredo
Ostensibly an Italian dish, in reality Fettuccine Alfredo is almost never found in Italy, and has instead been crafted to cater to American tastes. The dish is packed full of cream, butter and cheese, which team up to drive the calorie count through the roof. Olive Garden’s take on the dish packs a whopping 1,310 calories and 1,200 grams of sodium, meaning it’ll increase your waistline and your blood pressure at the same time.
Breakfast biscuits
It might be tempting to save yourself a few hours of baking by opting for store bought breakfast biscuits. However, many popular brands, such as Pillsbury, include a number of nasties in their ingredients. Of particular concern are bleached flour and hydrogenated oil, which the FDA has highlighted for its link to cardiovascular disease.
Shark meat
Shark meat is a rarity in Western cuisines, but if you do find it on the menu you should give it a hard pass. Because sharks prey on smaller fish, which are often contaminated with mercury, their meat tends to pack dangerous levels of the toxic metal. There have even been documented cases of people experiencing severe mercury poisoning after consuming shark meat, with side effects ranging from blindness to death.
Taco bowls
Taco bowls are often served at trendy eateries, where they are presented as a healthier option. In reality, taco bowls aren’t much better than regular tacos, and in some cases can be worse. Whilst it is possible to keep them healthy, most taco bows are loaded with meat, cheese and sauce, making them extremely high in fat, sugar and sodium.
Frozen pizza
When it comes to cooking, convenience usually comes at a cost. In the case of frozen pizzas, that cost is your health. Many brands of frozen pizza contain additives like L-Cysteine hydrochloride (which is used in medical settings to treat overdoses) and ammonium sulfate, which might look familiar if you’ve ever read the ingredients of lawn fertiliser.
Artificial chocolate
Real chocolate is often high in sugar and fat (unless it’s dark, in which case it can be healthy in moderation), but it’s generally free from sinister chemicals. The same cannot be said for artificial chocolate, like the kind often found on donuts. Studies have linked polysorbate-60 – an emulsifier found in artificial chocolate – to cancer in animals, and it’s suspected to be toxic to humans.
Nachos
Nachos themselves aren’t all that bad for you. They don’t contain much in the way of nutritional value, but they’re not particularly harmful on their own. Problems arise when it comes to the toppings, however, with nachos normally coming smothered under a towering mound of sugary salsa, ground beef, calorie-dense sour cream and handfuls of shredded cheese.
Water enhancers
The Mayo Clinic recommends that men drink about 15 cups of water a day, whilst women should aim for 11. It can be hard remembering to drink that much water, and many people turn to flavour enhancers to encourage themselves to down more fluids. Unfortunately, most brands of water enhancer fill their products with harmful chemicals like acesulfame potassium, a sweetener which has been linked to metabolic disorders.
Soybean oil
Soy has become firmly associated with the healthy eating movement, with derivative products like tofu and soy milk often lining the shelves of trendy health food stores. However, whilst most soy products are quite good for you, the same absolutely cannot be said for soybean oil. A number of studies have linked the oil – which seems to increase inflammation – to some seriously worrying conditions, including Alzheimers and depression.
Bottled/canned coffee
As estimated 74 percent of Americans drink coffee every single day, with many relying on it to get going in the morning. Studies have shown that coffee is actually incredibly healthy, protecting regular drinkers from a range of ailments including diabetes, depression and certain cancers. However, these benefits don’t extend to commercially available bottled and canned coffees, which are often packed full of sugar or artificial sweeteners.
Frozen fish
Fish doesn’t tend to freeze as well as other meats, and often expels large amounts of water when it defrosted. To mitigate this, food manufacturers often add a chemical called sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) prior to freezing, which helps the fish retain its moisture when it thaws. However, STPP has shown signs of being neurotoxic, meaning it probably shouldn’t be eaten by anyone, and definitely shouldn’t be fed to kids.
