Without realizing it, unhealthy foods often enter our bodies, for example foods that contain too many calories, sugar, fat, and salt. If eating unhealthy food becomes a habit, it is not impossible that this can trigger disease.
The habit of consuming unhealthy foods is one of the main risk factors for the emergence of various chronic diseases, ranging from diabetes, obesity, heart disease, stroke, to cancer. This risk will be higher, if you also smoke frequently, consume alcoholic beverages, and rarely exercise.
In order to maintain a healthy body and avoid these various diseases, you need to start living a healthy lifestyle. One way is to limit or avoid unhealthy foods and increase the consumption of healthy foods every day.
Various Types of Unhealthy Food
Here are some types of unhealthy foods that are important for you to avoid:
1. Processed meat
Various types of processed meat, such as sausage, smoked meat, corned beef, or nuggets, is known to contain high levels of salt and fat. These foods are also generally added preservatives so that they can be stored longer.
If consumed in excess, processed meat is at risk of causing various diseases, such as hypertension, high cholesterol, and heart disease. This is the reason why processed meat is an unhealthy type of food that needs to be avoided.
Replace processed meat with fresh chicken or beef. Besides being more delicious and free from preservatives, fresh meat also contains more protein, vitamins, and minerals.
2. Fast food
Ready-to-eat food or junk food it does have a delicious taste, but this type of unhealthy food is high in calories and low in nutrients. If consumed in large quantities or often, fast food can increase the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, or even cancer.
3. Offal
If consumed in the right amount, offal is actually a nutritious food. This is thanks to the protein, vitamins and minerals in it.
On the other hand, offal can become unhealthy food if consumed in excess. This is because offal contain lots of bad cholesterol (LDL) and purines. These foods even need to be shunned by people who suffer from gout, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease.
4. Sweet cakes and biscuits
Sweet cakes and biscuits are also unhealthy foods that should be avoided. In addition to containing a lot of refined flour, these foods generally also contain high sugar and saturated fat.
Instead, choose a variety of healthy snacks that contain more nutrients, such as almonds, edamame, fruit, and low-fat yogurt.
5. Ice cream
Maybe you are one of those people who always keep ice cream inside freezer refrigerator at home. However, remember. These snacks are unhealthy foods because they contain very high calories, saturated fat, and sugar.
If you want to eat ice cream, you should choose products that are low in sugar, fat, and calories. You can also make your own, healthier ice cream from fresh fruit and low-fat milk or yogurt.
6. Frozen French Fries
This type of unhealthy food contains high enough calories and is closely associated with weight gain if consumed too often. Therefore, it is better to replace frozen french fries with natural potatoes that are boiled or baked without adding a lot of salt.
7. White bread
If consumed in appropriate amounts, white bread is actually a good food to increase energy. This is because white bread contains carbohydrates that are quite high.
However, these foods are low in vitamins and minerals, and generally contain a lot of fat and sugar, especially when consumed with packaged jam, sweetened condensed milk, mayonnaise, and processed meats.
As a solution, you can replace white bread with whole wheat bread or bread made from whole grains. This type of bread contains more nutrients, such as fiber, protein, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.
Not only focusing on avoiding unhealthy foods, you also need to stay away from various types of sugary drinks, be it energy drinks or packaged or canned drinks. Instead, you just need to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day.
If you are bored with the taste of plain water, you can make infused water consisting of a mixture of water and fruit, vegetables, or herbal plants, such as lemon, orange, cucumber, ginger, or mint leaves.
In addition, some types of drinks, such as green tea and black tea, can also be alternative drinks without calories that are rich in antioxidants for the body.
After knowing the various types of unhealthy foods and their bad effects on the body, now start getting used to choosing healthier foods.
If you still have questions about the types of unhealthy foods that need to be avoided or the diet that suits your health condition, don't hesitate to consult with your doctor.
