The typical American diet includes processed foods that contain high amounts of calories, sodium, sweeteners and unhealthy fats. Eating these foods increases your risk of obesity, hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to the USDA Dietary Guidelines. Consult your nutritionist about the health risks of these foods.
Doughnuts
Doughnuts are among the worst foods you can eat. Doughnuts are high in calories, sugar, saturated fat and sodium. Plus doughnuts are low in fiber. A doughnut can contain 250 to over 500 calories with 40 g of fat, over 50 g of sugar and over 400 mg of sodium. Increasing your calorie consumption can cause you to gain weight and elevate your risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Processed food manufacturers may also use trans fats to extend the shelf life of the product. Trans fats are bad for your health and can clog your arteries and increase your risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attack.
Hot Dogs
Hot dogs are a popular American fast food served at ballparks, picnics, parties and summer holiday celebrations. Yet hot dogs contain nitrites that can increase your risk of cancer. Nitrites are preservatives that during the cooking process combine with amines that are naturally present in meat and form carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds. Nitrites can also combine with amines in your stomach to form N-nitroso compounds. N-nitroso compounds are carcinogenic and are associated with cancers of the oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, urinary bladder and brain.
Fried Potatoes
Fried potatoes are also a risk for cancer and cardiovascular disease. Cooking potatoes at high temperatures causes a chemical reaction between sugars and an amino acid called asparagine, which are both naturally present in potatoes, and forms acrylamide, a carcinogenic substance. Frequent eating of acrylamide-containing potato chips can cause inflammation of your arteries and an increased risk for developing atherosclerosis, according to research by scientists at the National Institute of Food and Nutrition in Warsaw, Poland and published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" in 2009.
Popcorn
Popcorn is a healthy food naturally low in calories, fats, sugar and sodium. Yet, processed popcorn often contains high amounts of sodium and unhealthy fats, including trans fat and saturated fat, particularly in microwave popcorn. One cup of popcorn made with partially hydrogenated soy oil contains 1,927 calories and 218 g of fat, of which 30 g is trans fat and 39 g is saturated fat. The amount of sodium can vary widely depending on how much salt the manufacturer, entertainment vendor or you choose to add.
References
- United States Department of Agriculture; Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010; 2010
- "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Potato Chips Humans; Marek Naruszewicz, et al.; Mar 2009
- Dunkin Donuts; Nutrition Guide- Donuts; June 10, 2011
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Trans Fats 101; Nov. 3, 2010
- Cancer Prevention Coalition; Hot Dogs and Nitrites; 2003
- Food and Drug Administration; Acrylamide Questions and Answers; 2009
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