Processed foods come with a host of hidden dangers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, foods with added sugar generally contain fewer nutrients than foods like fruit that have naturally occurring sugars. White flour lacks the insoluble fiber and complex carbohydrates found in whole wheat flour; trans fats raise your levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, increasing your risk of coronary heart disease. Eliminating these foods from your diet is difficult because they're so pervasive, especially in prepared foods. But it can be done.
Step 1
Cook your own food whenever possible. That's the best way of making sure that no added sugar, white flour or trans fats have gone into it.
Step 2
Read the ingredients lists on the food you buy. Look for words like "enriched flour" or "wheat flour" that tip you off to the fact the food contains white flour; if the flour is made of whole wheat, it'll say so. Words like "high-fructose corn syrup", "invert sugar," "lactose," "maltose," "corn sweetener" and "fructose" all signal the presence of added sugars. If you see the words "partially hydrogenated," it clues you in to the existence of trans fats in the food.
Step 3
Get picky in restaurants. Ask whether there's white flour or sugar in the food you're ordering and whether the food is cooked in trans fat free oil. Send the food back if it tastes like it has white flour or added sugar in it, or if you don't believe it was cooked in healthy oil.
Step 4
Look out for (and avoid) natural sources of trans fats including milk, milk products and meats.
Step 5
Watch what you drink: Make sure to read the nutritional labels on your drinks, too. Many of them have added sugar.
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