As the saying goes that you are what you eat, you are healthy if you eat healthily. We often neglect this simple fact and don’t find any problem in having a cheat meal once in a while. To some extent it’s fine, and to some extent, we are quite aware of which foods are usually healthy and which foods we should avoid eating. Unhealthy food doesn’t only add unwanted fats to your tummy and other parts of the body, it also deteriorates our cardiovascular health, damages our organs, metabolism and increases the toxicity levels inside our body.
Image Source : https://pixabay.com
Most of us who care about their health do try to avoid all these foods in some capacity. However, there are certain hidden foods that you might be eating thinking them as healthy foods. You must be aware of these as they can be more dangerous than the unhealthy food you’re aware of.
Here is a list of foods that you might be thinking are healthy, but in fact, they are unhealthy and you should avoid consuming them :
Soy
This one is especially for the guys out there. Soy is considered to be a healthy food and a rich source of protein. However, too much use of soy can have serious unwanted impacts on the body, especially for men. There is a chemical found in soy called isoflavones which mimics the function of estrogen. Due to this, soy can cause a deficiency of estrogen which is naturally produced in our body. Also, it can lower the sperm count in men.Margarine
This item is my favorite on the list. You know why? Because I’m almost tired of watching the commercials of margarine that keep telling the people about how healthy it is for your body and how it’s essential for the growth of our children. Now, I almost sigh every time I watch a margarine commercial. The reason behind it is that margarine is not at all what it’s presented to be. It’s not healthy at all, and in fact, it has several negative health impacts because of which you should completely avoid margarine. No matter how much the commercials tell you that their margarine is cholesterol free, always know that it’s a whole lot of trans fat and nothing else. The reality is completely opposite, as trans-fat becomes a reason for damaged blood vessels and elevated cholesterol levels. Try to substitute your margarine which something healthier, like butter. For the fat requirement of your body, try to go for foods containing omega 3 fatty acids.Canned vegetable soup
Just because it has a vegetable in its name doesn’t mean it’s healthy. These processed food items are certainly very convenient to cook and eat, but that isn’t a good enough reason for you to be eating them. You need to understand the fact that its filled with preservatives which don’t let it go bad for ages. Does it happen to the natural food that you eat? Certainly not, because that’s food, and this is something else. The sodium content of these preservatives can cause heart problems and hypertension very easily.Shark Meat
When did seafood start getting unhealthy? Well, ever since we started eating sharks. That’s not because they are wild predators. But that’s because of a phenomenon called “Bioaccumulation”. To put this in simple words, the heavy metal contaminants present in the water are consumed by all the fish. However, the bigger fish that eats smaller fish has 10s of times more concentration of dangerous heavy metals in their tissues due to bioaccumulation. Due to this, shark meat can have elevated levels of heavy metals like arsenic, lead, and mercury which are simply poisonous to us. Mercury is so bad for us that it can cause cognitive disability, mental damage, blindness, and even death. This means that not just shark meat is dangerous, any large fish will have the same phenomenon. For instance, the whale is also not a good food option because of this, but nobody eats whale, well unless if you’re in China maybe (No discrimination intended).Snack bars
You probably eat those as a quick snack for an energy boost up. However, that’s not a good thing to eat at all. You will be filling yourself with tons of fats and added sugars that are included in it as an addition to the other things you eat. Try to avoid it.White Bread
Again, the commercials would tell you exactly otherwise, and how it’s the best thing to eat for breakfast for you. However, this isn’t designed for health but only designed for industrial business feasibility. They have an amazing shelf life, unlike the conventional healthy whole grain brown bread. So basically, it is a really bad option to go with in terms of nutrition. It also contains added preservatives. On top of that, we are several reasons to avoid high carb food like this.Fish Sticks
Or any kind of fried fish, despite being such a healthy seafood, when we cover it up with breadcrumbs before dipping it into a load of unhealthy fatty oil which is absorbed heavily in it, it somehow becomes an unhealthy food item. So, many other recipes like this could turn out to be a health disaster. Therefore, for most foods it’s not about the raw food itself, it’s about the recipe and the way we cook it for ourselves.
Conclusion
So, this list is exclusively designed to help you correct some beliefs you might have had previously. Certainly, I’m sure you have enough knowledge about which foods are not good for you. But here, we have tried to clarify about some foods that you might be thinking were healthy for you. Like they say, an unfaithful friend is more dangerous than your faithful enemy. Let’s say that these foods are your unfaithful friends, while the obviously unhealthy foods you knew about are your faithful enemies. Now that you know what to do, you go warrior!
Disclaimer
Please note that individual results will vary from person to person. All and any information and statements contained in this article are not intended to replace your doctor’s advice or treatment. We do not provide medical advice, prescription, or diagnose illness. Therefore, our views and nutritional statements are not intended to replace your doctor’s medical advice. If you have a health concern or condition, see your doctor before starting anything on your own.