Substances like salt, sugar, and certain types of fats can have serious consequences if consumed too frequently.
Top 9 Unhealthiest Foods on the Planet
According to Eat This Not That, popular foods like toast, coffee creamer, and potato chips are loaded with added sugars, sodium, saturated fats, and trans fats.
Even many foods touted as healthy can still harbor harmful ingredients.
Coffee Creamer
The issue with some unhealthy coffee creamers is that they contain too much cream. Coffee creamers may also have synthetic additives like mono and diglycerides.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that monoglycerides are safe in small amounts; however, many monoglycerides contain trans fats, which are not healthy.
According to the National Library of Medicine, trans fats can increase cholesterol levels and the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
White Bread
If the ingredient label on your loaf of bread mentions bleached flour, you may be chewing on some unwanted chemicals.
Some manufacturers use azodicarbonamide, a dough conditioner used to make bread flour finer. The Center for Science in the Public Interest advises avoiding it. Evidence suggests that azodicarbonamide breaks down into a chemical called urethane during baking, which is considered a carcinogen.
Sugary Fruit Juices
Not all fruit juices are created equal. While products like 100% pomegranate juice provide antioxidants and vitamins, as well as natural sugars, some juice brands sell products that contain more sugar than actual fruit.
Most sweetness in fruit juices comes from fructose, a type of sugar linked to the development of visceral fat in overweight individuals, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Diet Soda
All popular diet sodas contain aspartame, an artificial sweetener originally developed to aid in weight loss. However, recent findings reveal that they may have the opposite effect by increasing glucose levels, overloading the liver, and causing excess sugars to convert to fat, according to a study in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.
Additionally, research from PLOS Medicine indicates that aspartame is associated with an increased risk of cancer.
Popular diet sodas contain aspartame, an artificial sweetener linked to an increased cancer risk. (Image: Shutterstock).
Fried Foods
Besides their very high fat and calorie content, the main issue with fried foods is that they contain high levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that can cause inflammation.
These compounds form when animal-derived products are cooked at high temperatures for long periods. According to a 2015 review published in the journal Advances in Nutrition, experts concluded that continuous exposure to AGEs over time can lead to inflammation and oxidative stress in the body, which contributes to an increased disease risk.
Bacon and Sausages
These two foods are typically made from red meat, which is high in saturated fats. Processed red meat often contains high sodium levels, as well as additives like nitrates and nitrites.
Studies have shown that nitrites can lead to various cancers, and these additives can turn into carcinogenic nitrosamines when exposed to high temperatures, according to Meat Science.
Excess White Sugar
According to the American Heart Association, adults in the U.S. consume about 77 grams of sugar per day — 20 grams more than the FDA’s recommended limit of 50 grams per day.
The American Heart Association advises Americans to consume less than this amount. The high intake of refined white sugar in the U.S. is linked to everything from an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
Charred Meat
When grilling meat, heterocyclic amines (HCAs) develop when creatine, sugars, and amino acids in the meat react with the high temperatures of the grill. Several published studies have linked HCAs to an increased risk of various cancers, including pancreatic cancer.
Charred foods have many negative health effects. (Image: Shutterstock).
Fast Food
Fast food is convenient and tasty, but it is very high in sodium, saturated fats, and trans fats. This is why fast food is considered one of the unhealthiest foods to eat, as it is linked to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
Energy Drinks
Energy drinks are expensive chemical cocktails with high caffeine content and lots of sugar.
A study from the University of Maryland found that energy drinks erode your teeth 11% more than regular soda.
Another concerning finding came from a case study of a 50-year-old construction worker, which revealed that excessive energy drink consumption could damage the liver.
A report published in BMJ Case Reports in 2016 indicated that the man developed acute hepatitis after consuming 4-5 energy drinks daily for three weeks.
