Some foods, despite tasting good, contain enough calories, sugars, salt, nitrates or saturated fat, which can raise your cholesterol, to make them unhealthy dietary choices. Consuming these foods--which also lack vitamins, minerals and fiber--over the long term can result in weight gain and the development of obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease. "Nutrition Action Health Letter" and The-PerfectShape.com recommend eating the following 10 unhealthiest foods sparingly if at all.
Soft Drinks
Water, sugar and artificial colors and flavors make up most soft drinks. One 355-ml can of soda contains about 150 calories and 30 mg of caffeine according to The-PerfectShape.com.
Doughnuts
Doughnuts have minimal nutritional value and contain high amounts of saturated fat, often including trans fat, sugar and refined flour. An average doughnut has about 250 to 300 calories and between 10 and 20 g of fat, depending on the type, according to The-Natural-Health-Hub.com and The-PerfectShape.com.
Burgers
Hamburgers generally contain a large amount of fat, salt and calories, depending on their specific ingredients and the cooking method--and that does not count the refined-white-flour bun, which lacks nutrients. A hamburger with condiments has about 280 calories and 13 g of fat, according to The-PerfectShape.com.
Hot Dogs
Hot dogs generally contain pork or beef--or sometimes pork mixed with chicken. A plain hot dog has approximately 250 calories, between 15 and 20 g of fat, and up to 700 mg of sodium, according to The-PerfectShape.com and NutritionData.com.
Bacon
One regular slice of bacon provides about 150 calories, more than 10 g of saturated fat and high amounts of sodium according to The-PerfectShape.com. Additionally, bacon generally contains high levels of nitrates which help preserve color and reduce bacteria. Consumption of nitrates leads to the production of carcinogenic nitrosamines in the body.
Potato Chips
A 55-g bag of potato chips, according to The-PerfectShape.com, offers about 400 calories, 21 g of fat and more than 300 mg of sodium. The high level of saturated fat in potato chips can raise your cholesterol level and increase your risk of heart disease. The cooking process--potato chips cook very quickly at a high temperature--produces acrylamide, a potential carcinogen, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Canned Soup
In addition to high amounts of sodium, up to 1,000 mg per serving, many soups contain monosodium glutamate, MSG. Read soup labels carefully to choose low-sodium and non-MSG varieties, or make your own soup from scratch.
French Fries
French fries have more than 400 calories, 20 g of fat and upwards of 300 mg of sodium per serving at many fast-food restaurants, according to The-PerfectShape.com. Like potato chips, french fries contain acrylamide as a result of the cooking process.
Frozen Pot Pies
According to "Nutrition Action Health Letter," a frozen pot pie may contain close to 1,000 calories, 50 g of fat, including a high amount of saturated fat, and more than 1,000 mg of sodium per serving.
Breakfast Cereals
Many breakfast cereals contain very high amounts of sugar, sodium and processed grains, according to The-Natural-Health-Hub.com. Many also lack basic nutrients, including proteins and fiber, as a result of the extrusion process, which damages the whole grain.
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