Questioning the quality of the food you consume is something worth doing. But what exactly defines "good" food? We aren't just asking what tastes good or looks good, but rather what food is good down to its core, and what separates it from all the other junk? The answer seems pretty clear: fruits and vegetables are good, sweets and candies are not so good. But sometimes to know why something is truly "good," you have to be able to identify and understand what makes something "bad."
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"It isn't just how you cook it, it is what you cook," says Dr. Michael Hirt, internist and board certified nutritionist at the Center for Integrative Medicine.
Processed meats
These meats contain nitrates and a lot of preservatives. A new study from the Harvard School of Public Health has revealed that eating processed meats leads to an increased risk of heart disease and type-2 diabetes. When it comes to protein, try get from sources such as vegetables, seeds and nut butters.
If you’re going to get protein from animal sources, Experts recommend yogurt, eggs (up to four eggs per week), tuna and other fish, and chicken. For non-animal sources, add more quinoa, edamame, legumes and almond milk to your diet.
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HOT DOGS
“When you’re grilling outside, hot dogs may be the first thing that comes to mind, but they should not be the first thing to hit your plate. Not only are they high in fat, one dog also has more than a quarter of the day’s sodium. Throw this salty dog in a bun and drown it in condiments, and you’ve got yourself a diet disaster. Not to mention, research has shown a correlation between processed meats and colorectal cancer.” - Jim White, R.D., personal trainer and registered dietitian
Margarine
According to experts at the Mayo Clinic, some margarine may actually be worse for you than butter, due to the process of hydrogenation, which creates trans fats. Experts suggest olive oil, canola oil and grape seed oil as healthier replacements for margarine when cooking.
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Packaged snack cakes and cookies
Home-baked or bakery-made pastries and desserts are better choices than those from a box, which often contain a lot of added sugar. It also has about 40 different chemicals or preservatives to prevent them from turning bad.
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Anything fat-free.
No-fat items are on list of products to be wary of, because they often compensate for fat with large amounts of sugar, and are highly processed. These non-fat yogurts can contain artificial sweeteners. Eating healthy doesn't mean cutting fat out of your diet entirely, but rather focusing on “good fats,” such as olive oil, avocado and nuts.
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Artificial sweeteners
Think that just because you’re not using refined sugar, you’re being healthy? Think again, says Amani Golshani. “Artificial sweeteners have actually been linked to people not losing weight,” she says, noting that drinks containing artificial sweeteners and colours are extremely unhealthy.
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The same goes for foods with dyes and artificial flavours. “A lot of people are sensitive to this in a way they can’t even pinpoint,” she says, and strongly recommends cutting these artificial ingredients out of your diet.
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Ketchup
“Sure it tastes good on just about everything, but what you might not realize is how quickly the sugar and calories in ketchup can accumulate. Just one measly tablespoon has up to four grams of sugar and 20 calories—which might not seem like a lot—but the average consumer will douse their food with at least four or five. Plus, it’s loaded with high fructose corn syrup, which has been shown to increase appetite and, over time, lead to health problems such as obesity and diabetes. If you really can't live without the stuff, use an all-natural version with no added sugar, chemicals or HFCS.” - Lisa Moskovitz, R.D., founder of The NY Nutrition Group.
Juice
“Juice is just a sugary beverage masked to be a healthy. Although there are some vitamins in it because of its fruit content, some varieties have just as much sugar as a soda. Plus, when you transform produce into juice, you take away its fiber—one of the major benefits of consuming whole fruits and vegetables.” - Leah Kaufman, MS, RD, CDN a New York City-based Registered Dietitian
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Cheese and Fries
“When I see cheese fries on the menu, I wonder why the dish even exists. They take a perfectly nutritious potato, deep fry it and then to top it all off, they load it up with salty, greasy, processed cheese. No, thank you.” - Christine M. Palumbo, MBA, RDN, FAND, a Chicago area registered dietitian and nutrition communications consultant
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