Foods You Should Try To Avoid

By Coach Maria - Salus Nutritionist & Food Expert

Convenience food is...well...convenient.  You can find it everywhere we go, to tempt us, to convince us that we need to buy it and eat it.

Convenience food, however, is not going to provide us with the nutrition that our bodies need (unless, of course we're talking about the convenience of an apple or a bag of carrots!).

There is a dark side to convenience food that we should all be aware of so we can make an informed decision.

• Diet Soda - any food/drink containing artificial sweeteners such as sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame K and neotame, to name a few, create health issues and problems that can cause metabolic dysfunction, weight gain, inflammatory bowel disease, headaches/migraines, joint pain and neurological changes.  Solution:  If you're craving soda, try an alternative drink like sparkling water that is flavored or, better yet, make your own at home!

• Fast Food - loaded with genetically modified ingredients, food dyes, artificial sweeteners and an excess of other needless ingredients, fast food threatens our health in a major way, especially if we rely on fast food often.  Solution:  Learn to cook!  This doesn't have to be complicated.  You will find easy recipes on this blog that are not only tasty, but easy!

• White Chocolate - treating yourself to a bite of an organic dark chocolate is a great way to satisfy that sweet tooth.  It contains phytonutrients that increase blood flow to the brain, protects blood vessels and can boost mood and even focus.  White chocolate, however, contains none of that.  In fact, it's a nutritional blank slate.

• Butter-Flavored Microwave Popcorn - this type of popcorn contains a chemical used in many butter-flavored products and can have a negative impact on your health with prolonged consumption.  When it was discovered that factory workers at these popcorn factories were experiencing health problems known as 'popcorn lung", the manufacturers replaced the original chemical (Diacetyl) with another chemical which, under certain conditions actually turns back into Diacetyl.  The problem is, this chemical does not appear in the ingredient list because of the "trade secret" clause.  Solution:  Make your own popcorn at home and drizzle with REAL butter.

• Food Dyes - Health advocates including physicians and pediatricians have tried for years to get the FDA to ban food dyes since there is a link between certain food dyes and hyperactivity in children and cancer in animals.  Included in those are Red 3, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6.  Colorful cereals and even some drinks like Tropicana Twister Berry have harmful food dyes.  Solution: Read ingredient labels!  Even some healthy food like cheese and yogurt can contain these food dyes.