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Jan 29, 2024 · Avoid these specific foods: peanuts, wheat, corn, barley, hard cheese, sorghum, alcohol, cottonseed, sugar cane, sugar beets, rye and anything that eats these foods. Pigs, chickens, cows, and anything produced by these animals like eggs and milk.
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Jul 15, 2024 · Fast foods, junk foods, and highly processed foods are typical examples. To help you avoid the pitfalls of unhealthy eating and stay on track with a healthy diet, here are some examples of healthy and unhealthy foods: Discover examples of food that nourish and fortify your body with every bite. Your diet should include some of these:
View printable materials about food safety, including guides, activity books, and tip sheets. View lessons, workshops, activities, and curricula for teachers. Topics include food, nutrition, physical activity, and food safety. Use this checklist to track healthy eating and exercise habits throughout your day!
- Overview
- Junk Food 101
- Addictive Qualities
- Associated With Obesity and Other Chronic Diseases
- The Harms of Diet Obsession
- Everything in Moderation?
- How to Eat Less Junk Food
- The Bottom Line
Junk food is found just about everywhere.
It’s sold at supermarkets, convenience stores, workplaces, schools, and in vending machines.
The availability and convenience of junk food make it difficult to limit or avoid.
You may have wondered whether you should steer clear of it at all cost or follow the mantra to enjoy everything in moderation.
While everyone’s definition of junk food may vary, most people agree it’s not the healthiest thing for you.
These highly processed snacks contain an abundance of calories — especially in the form of fat and sugar — and little to no vitamins, minerals, or fiber (1).
Examples include:
•soda
•chips
•candy
Junk food is thought to be addictive.
These addictive qualities are centered around sugar and fat (3).
Sugar may stimulate the same brain reward pathways as drugs like cocaine (4, 5, 6).
Independently, sugar hasn’t been consistently shown to be addictive in humans, but when combined with fat, the combination can be hard to resist (7, 8, 9).
Studies observe that the combination of sugar and fat is more commonly associated with addictive symptoms — such as withdrawal or loss of control over consumption — than sugar alone (10, 11).
A review of 52 studies found that the foods most associated with addictive symptoms were highly processed and contained high amounts of fat and refined carbs, such as sugar (12).
Obesity
Junk food has a low satiety value, meaning it’s not very filling. Liquid calories — soda, sports drinks, and specialty coffees — are one of the worst offenders as they can deliver hundreds of calories without affecting your appetite. A review of 32 studies found that, for every serving of sugar-sweetened beverage consumed, people gained 0.25–0.5 pounds (0.12–0.22 kg) over one year (21). While seemingly insignificant, this can correlate to several pounds over the course of a few years. Other reviews have noted similar results suggesting that junk food — especially sugar-sweetened beverages — are significantly associated with weight gain in both children and adults (22, 23, 24, 25).
Heart Disease
Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. Sugar intake is one of several risk factors for this disease. Added sugars have been shown to raise a specific type of fat in your blood — called triglycerides — and increase blood pressure, both of which are major risk factors for heart disease (26, 27). Regularly eating fast food has also been found to increase triglycerides and reduce HDL (good) cholesterol — another risk factor for heart disease (28).
Type 2 Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes occurs when your body becomes insensitive to the effects of insulin, the hormone that lowers blood sugar. Excess body fat, high blood pressure, low HDL (good) cholesterol, and a history of heart disease or stroke are leading risk factors for type 2 diabetes (29). Junk food consumption is associated with excess body fat, high blood pressure, and low HDL cholesterol — all of which increase your risk of type 2 diabetes (30, 31, 32, 33). Summary While no one cause for the growing rates of obesity and chronic disease can be established, the easy access to as well as low cost and high palatability of junk food is a major contributor.
Though it’s important to know which foods can contribute to poor health and weight gain, constantly obsessing over food is unhealthy.
Classifying foods as clean or dirty, or good or bad, can lead you to form an unhealthy relationship with food.
One study found that following a strict, all-or-nothing approach to dieting was associated with overeating and weight gain (34).
In other words, people who restricted themselves had a harder time maintaining a healthy weight compared to those who were more flexible with their food choices.
Another study observed that strict dieting was linked to the symptoms of disordered eating, anxiety, and depression (35).
What’s more, people who dieted more strictly on the weekends were more likely to increase their weight in one year, than those who dieted less strictly on the weekends (36).
Everything in moderation is the typical advice when it comes to junk food.
Eating your favorite treats in moderation can help you stick to your diet (especially long term), enjoy holidays and other special events, and avoid unhealthy preoccupations with food.
Besides, completely abstaining from junk food is not sustainable, enjoyable, or worthwhile for your health.
But not all foods may be enjoyed in moderation by all people.
Some have tendencies to overconsume foods until they feel uncomfortably full. This is what’s known as binge eating.
Binge eating is often followed by feelings of loss of control along with unpleasant feelings and emotions (37).
Here are several ways you can reduce your junk food consumption.
First, try leaving it on the store shelf. Not having it in your house takes away the temptation altogether.
Second, avoid eating chips or other snacks directly out of the bag. Instead, portion a small amount into a bowl and enjoy.
Also, replace your junk food with healthier choices. Fill up on:
•Fruits: apples, bananas, oranges, and berries
•Vegetables: leafy greens, peppers, broccoli, and cauliflower
Junk foods are high in calories, sugar, and fat, but lack important nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
They’re thought to be a key component in the obesity epidemic and a driving factor in the development of certain chronic diseases.
The combination of fat and sugar make junk foods addicting and easy to overconsume.
Still, completely avoiding them may not be beneficial. Enjoying your favorite treat on occasion is a more healthful and sustainable approach for most people.
Use this easy wallet cutout card to identify dangerous food ingredients you should avoid. Keep it with you as a guide to help keep harmful foods out of your pantry.
Trying to explain to your child the reasons to avoid eating too many sweets or junk food and still can’t get to the point? Then this FREE printable will ease your job!
People also ask
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Below is a downloadable low FODMAP diet chart PDF that contains the most common foods in a handy printable format. The chart can be printed and be attached to your fridge or hung on the wall in your kitchen as a quick reference or reminder of what foods are low in FODMAPs and high in FODMAPs.
