healthy living: foods to completely avoid

Everyone has their go-to guilty pleasures when it comes to food. I get it. I certainly have mine. However, there are a few foods that I won't go anywhere near. Most of them are loaded with chemicals, have nasty side effects, are loaded with calories, don't offer any nutritional value, and can even cause cancer.

1. Soda: I quit drinking soda a few years ago (I quit cold turkey) and haven't missed it at all since. Oh and for those of you who think you're doing yourself a favor by drinking diet soda. You're wrong. Both are loaded with nasty chemicals that have been linked to cancer and artificial sugars that will stick right to your gut. Substitute your soda for some tea or water. 

2. Red meat: I only eat fish, but even when I was a meat eater, I always avoided red meat. Red meat has been linked to many forms of cancer (especially prostate cancer for all of you gentlemen who might be reading this). It has also been linked to cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, and a higher risk for early death. Also, cooking red meat releases nitrosamines, which have been linked to an increase in the chance of developing cancer.

3. Processed meats: Since we just talked about red meat, lets talk about processed meats (which are even worse).  I'm talking about hot dogs, sandwich meats, bacon, sausage, pepperoni, salami, frozen meals that have meat, canned soups with meat, canned raviolis with meat, etc. Processed meats are usually packaged with a KNOWN carcinogenic ingredient called sodium nitrate. What does sodium nitrate do? It keeps the processed meat looking bright pink so it looks fresh even when it isn't. BARF. A study done in 2005 by the University of Hawaii found that processed meats increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by 67%.  My point? Avoid this crap. 

4. 500+ Calorie Frappuccinos: I try really hard to avoid drinking my calories (unless of course I'm enjoying an alcoholic beverage) and when I see girls carrying around venti fraps I just about die. So many calories, so much sugar, and tons of fat. Stick with regular coffee or tea. Pretty please.

5. Refried Beans: Regular refried beans are made with lard. Yes, lard. So for all of you vegetarian/vegans out there that think they can go to Taco Bell and just get a bean burrito. WRONG. They are not even vegetarian. Lard = animal fat. Lard is fattening and gross. Start buying vegetarian refried beans that are cooked with canola oil. 

6. Most Canned Soups: While there are a lot of canned soups out now that don't contain a horrible amount of sodium, many of them still do. Even the ones that advertise "reduced/low sodium" still contain about half of your daily recommended sodium intake. Be very careful when buying canned soups and ALWAYS read the label. A diet that is high in sodium can cause hypertension, bloating, dehydration, osteoporosis, and digestive issues. 

I think that about covers it. There are a few others, but these are definitely my top 6. 

It's so important to know what you're putting into your body. Food is supposed to fuel the body, not harm the body. Stop eating garbage and start eating whole foods. 

xo

*image from pinterest