ns fat, as they are typically fried in partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. A typical medium-sized order of fast food french fries contains a whopping 14.5 grams of trans fat (health officials including the American Heart Association recommend consuming no more than 2 grams of trans fat per day). Other deep-fried fast food snacks like onion rings, fish and chips, and fried chicken strips are also laden with trans fat.
3. Charred Steak
Although barbequing is an American pastime that we’re not likely to give up any time soon, it’s important to choose lean cuts whenever possible and to make sure you’re not overcooking your meat. Like bacon, fatty cuts of red meat such as steak are high in heart disease-promoting saturated fat and can also form carcinogenic compounds when cooked at high temperatures. A study of over half a million people published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2009 found that people who ate red meat every day had an increased risk of dying over a ten year period, mostly because of heart disease or cancer, compared to people who ate less red meat. Moreover, charred meat contains certain chemicals, including heterocyclic amines, which have been linked to increased cancer risk. So if you do occasionally grill red meat, try not to char it.
Soda is the number one source of added sugar in the American diet. Added sugars may cause obesity, diabetes, tooth decay and increased triglyceride levels that may lead to heart disease. Soda is an especially unhealthy source of added sugar because it provides no redeeming nutrients. Soft drinks also contain a lot of artificial dyes and chemicals that some research suggests may contribute to hyperactivity in children and other health problems. Although diet soda doesn’t contain sugar, keep in mind that it may still harm your health because of its artificial ingredient content. Some studies indicate that the artificial sweeteners in diet soda may contribute to obesity because they “trick” your metabolism and make you crave sweets the same way real sugar does. The next time you crave a sugary drink, try a little bit of 100 percent juice—you’ll still get your sugar fix, but without consuming anything artificial. You’ll also get some healthy vitamins and antioxidants, to boot.
5. Packaged Snack Foods
Just because you bought a snack at the grocery store instead of the fast food drive-through doesn’t mean it’s healthy. To give cookies, chips, cake mixes and other packaged foods a long shelf life and pleasant taste, these foods are often loaded with trans fat (partially-hydrogenated oil is resistant to spoilage), salt, sugar, and artificial preservatives. Since they’re typically made from processed grains, most supermarket and convenience store snacks are also high in simple carbohydrates, which raise your blood sugar and contribute to weight gain. Fortunately, most supermarkets also offer some healthy snack options, like fruit, yogurt and lightly-sweetened whole grain products, so it should be easy enough to steer clear of the frozen pie aisle. If you’re not sure whether a snack is healthy or not, check the label. Some bad ingredients to watch out for include: high fructose corn syrup, partially-hydrogenated oil, sodium (your daily intake shouldn’t exceed 2,300 mg), enriched flour, and monosodium glutamate (MSG).