A healthy diet emphasizes nutrient-dense foods, and the foods to avoid are foods without many beneficial nutrients and that have empty calories or other unhealthy components. You may not need to completely eliminate the worst foods from your diet, but limiting your intake can help you eat a healthier diet overall.
Background
Foods to avoid may be high in calories, and most of these calories come from added sugars, starches and saturated fats. A nutritious diet is based on foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, low-fat dairy, beans and nuts. These foods have positive effects on your health. In general, foods to avoid are often highly processed, and they may contain unhealthy components such as sodium, cholesterol and bad fats.
Fast Foods
Many kinds of fast food are high in calories, so they can contribute to weight gain. They can also be high in sodium, which leads to high blood pressure, and high in saturated fat, which raises your cholesterol. Pizza, chicken and beef dishes, tacos, burritos and burgers are examples of high-calorie options. If you choose to eat at fast-food restaurants, choose smaller portions or low-fat menu items.
Sweets
Baked goods -- such as cakes, cookies, pies and pastries -- dairy desserts, such as ice cream and pudding, and sugary drinks and candies are foods to avoid. They are among the top sources of calories, added sugars and saturated fat in the average American diet. You may be able to satisfy a craving for something sweet by having a small amount of a sugar-free substitute, such as a diet soda or a piece of low-calorie hard candy made with a sugar substitute.
Fried Foods
Fried foods may contribute to weight gain. They contain trans fats, which are unhealthy because they raise levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol -- the "bad" LDL cholesterol -- in your blood. French fries, onion rings, fried meat, fried zucchini and fried rice are high in sodium and total fat, and they do not provide nutritional benefits over foods such as baked potatoes, grilled onions or meat or steamed zucchini or rice. Choosing fresh, grilled or steamed foods instead of fried foods may also help you lose weight.
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