3 Foods to Avoid for Overall Health

How nutrition can affect our overall health and how good we feel

  Your brain requires a lot of nutrients to function and keep you well. Eating well helps to reduce the risk of physical health problems like heart disease and diabetes. It also helps with sleeping patterns, energy levels, and your general health.   You may have noticed that your mood often affects the types of food you choose, as well as how much you eat. Some foods can lift your mood, energy levels, and concentration, while others can have the opposite effect.   For example, eating lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains can reduce your risk of some mental health conditions such as depression, while eating foods that are high in sugar and saturated fat may increase your risk. Having a healthy, balanced diet plays an important role in your overall health and wellbeing, making you feel excellent and happy!

The 3 pure, white, and ΄deadly΄ foods we need to avoid and why

  Even though some foods are daily consumed and are considered plant based and not dangerous can have bad effects to health. These foods not only have a bad effect to the body when consumed, they are also included in most of the food products we buy and consume.

Sugar

It is nearly impossible for most of the people to resist to sugary items, and many people can take an all-or-nothing approach to sugary food. However, you do not have to stop eating sugar completely, as it may cause other psychological issues, you just need to try eating as less as possible. This can improve or even save your life, believe it or not.

Found in nearly all processed junk food, refined sugars are more harmful than most realize. Here is how too much sugar could put your health at risk and what damages can do to your body:

1.   It can develop arthritis:

   If you feel a terrible pain in the joints, most of the times mean inflammation in place. Unfortunately, to sugar lovers, sugar secretes inflammatory proteins and hormones, which generate chronic inflammation. The toxins found in sugar can even change your cartilage, making it more vulnerable to damage.

Even in cases were joint pain results from trauma, consuming sugar can hinder the healing process and make the pain worse. The best way to fight that, is to cut down sugar to the minimum, or even cut it completely.

2.   Can cause damage to your eyes and sight:

   Based on recent research and findings showed that there is a connection to sugar and vision problems, like blurriness, double vision, and long-term eyesight issues. High blood sugar can lead to swelling in the lens of the eye, setting a higher risk of developing cataracts. High blood sugar can also cause the blood vessels in the eyes to narrow, putting you at risk of glaucoma. If this state continues and left untreated, it could permanently damage the optic nerve. Apart from all the above, high blood sugar can make you susceptible to age-related macular degeneration, a condition where your retina deteriorates.

3.   There is a higher increase of yeast infections:

   Blood sugar spikes, particularly when your blood sugar is low in the morning, makes glucose run through your body, creating the perfect condition for yeast. Once yeast is formed, itchiness, inflammation, and burning down take place, among other uncomfortable symptoms.

4.   High sugar intakes can lead to serious depression:

   Consuming too much sugar can mess with the hormones and cause inflammatory responses in the brain. Consuming chocolate cake may make you feel better, but the feeling will not last long, especially if this is a habit. Based on American Journal of Clinical Nutrition postmenopausal women are at a higher risk of becoming depressed because of a diet high in sugars, but it can also happen to anyone consuming high amounts of sugar. Thankfully, a healthy diet may improve mood, calm anxiety, and make you feel less stressed.

5.   Skin might break out and age faster:

   Collagen and elastin, responsible for the smoothness and plumpness of the skin can break down faster when sugar is consumed in high amounts. When glucose attaches to proteins (like collagen and elastin), it gets more difficult for protein to repair itself. This results to more wrinkles at a faster rate.

6.   Teeth suffer as well:

   Increased consumption of sugar increases cavities, a well-known fact. Furthermore, sugar creates a chain reaction in the mouth, which can speed up or slow down based on the bacteria feeding off the sugar you consume. The bacteria create certain acids that eat away your tooth coating. This leads to painful toothaches and destroy teeth.

7.   Eating too much sugar can lead to malnutrition:

   Consuming meals high in sugar, tend to fill you up with empty calories, and resulting on not getting enough for protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Malnutrition, even when you are overeating, can cause a number of health problems, everything from heart issues to even death.

8.   You will crash a while after consuming sugar:

   After every snack with high sugar content, follows an inevitable crash. Sugar crashes do not make you feel good, and they could impact your long- term health. According to research, low blood sugar can result in increased hunger, anxiety, restlessness, dizziness, and more. Increased emotions of hunger can create what feel like strong sugar cravings, which can cause overeating and weight gain. Maintaining normal blood sugar levels, whether you have diabetes or not, can help you avoid consistent sugar crashes and ensure better health over your lifetime.

9.   High risk of developing diabetes:

   The pancreas is accountable for producing insulin, which helps the sugar consumed to move from the blood to the cells. According to research, type 2 diabetes is developed when the body becomes resistant to insulin. High blood sugar causes the pancreas to produce more insulin, and if this continues, it simply cannot keep up. Type 2 diabetes has many risk issues, but a high sugar diet is often what pushes your body from insulin resistant to diabetic. Many cases of type 2 diabetes are both preventable and reversible with big lifestyle changes. This usually involves a combination of weight loss, regular exercise, and eating fewer refined sugars.

10.   Brain function may decrease:

   Consuming too much sugar can impact your memory and mental function, especially as you age. Research shows that too much sugar is even a risk factor for dementia. The brain needs sugar to continue functioning normally but overloading it can cause even more long-term damage.

11.    The liver will be damaged long-term:

   The liver is mainly responsible for detoxifying chemicals and metabolizing drugs in the body. Without regular liver function, the toxins in your body might kill you. Fructose could be considered one of these toxins if too much is consumed over a long period of time. Research suggests too much fructose could lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Liver is responsible for metabolizing fructose. The same way too much alcohol can damage the liver, too much fructose can lead to serious problems. If a food contains high-fructose corn syrup, try to avoid it, and replace it with better options.

12.   Blood arteries might close up:

   Arteries, which are responsible for transporting blood throughout the body, are susceptible to harm if too much sugar is present. According to research of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, high blood sugar is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis, or plaque buildup in the arteries. Arteries must be able to transport oxygen-rich blood throughout the body to keep the organs functioning. Depending on the arteries affected, untreated atherosclerosis could cause a stroke or kidney failure.

13.    High sugar consumption may lead to cancer:

   Insulin resistance can cause more long-term damage than a blood glucose meter can predict. An article published in the Journal of Diabetes Research suggests having consistently high blood sugar can increase your cancer risk. Diabetics can often experience inflammation, which may create an environment that supports the development of cancer cells.

14.    The heart also suffers from high sugar consumption:

   Researchers state that sugar, not just salt, could contribute to high blood pressure, a main risk factor for many heart problems. According to JAMA Internal Medicine, consuming large amounts of added sugars increases your risk of dying from heart disease. Harvard Health Publications estimates people who get 10% or more of their daily calories from sugar get them from drinks with added sugars. Since sugar-sweetened beverages are so bad, due to the sugar contained, reducing consumption of soda, juice, and energy drinks could save your heart from irreversible damage.

15.    Fat gets store all over the body:

It is not only fat that makes you fat, but also sugar. One review showed people who increased their sugar intake gained weight, while those who decreased their intake lost weight.

16.   Will cause overeating and increased hunger:

   Processed foods are generally high in refined sugars, which can make you feel hungrier the more you eat. This results from a hormone called ghrelin which is released when your stomach is empty, and when your stomach is full secretion stops. Eating large amounts of fructose (found in sugar-sweetened drinks) can mess with this appetite system.

17.   Addiction to sugar, which is a real and bad addiction:

   Sugar basically is not a drug, but an addiction can occur to it very easily. According to Scientific American, brain responds to refined sugars like how it might respond to gambling or cocaine. Without much warning, the brain’s reward centers make sweet treats feel like necessities. Craving may start taking place for refined carbohydrates when you are not even hungry.

Salt

1.   Increased salt consumption may be associated with stomach cancer:

   Some studies show that increased salt intake may be linked to an increased risk of stomach cancer. This may occur due to the increased the growth of Helicobacter pylori, a type of bacteria associated with a higher risk of stomach cancer. One study in 2011 looked at over 1,000 participants and showed that a higher salt intake was associated with a higher risk of stomach cancer.

2.   Increased salt consumption may lead to high blood pressure:

   Consuming salt too often may lead to high blood pressure and furthermore, may cause extra strain on the heart, which is one of the risk factors for heart disease.

3.   High salt consumption may lead to heart diseases:

   Doctors usually suggest that almost everyone with high blood pressure should be on a low-sodium diet. That means limiting the daily sodium at 2,300 mg at the highest. Lowering blood pressure is an important way to reduce the risk of heart disease. Too much salt may cause fluid to build up around the heart and lungs, making the heart work harder. The recommended daily consumption of sodium is suggested to be 2,000 mg for people with heart failure, especially if they also have high blood pressure.

4.   Salt can dry the body out:

   Salt has the function of absorbing liquids and drying out the body, which when highly consumed can cause dryness of the body and skin. This can cause damage to body organs, since they do not have enough fluid to operate.

White Flour

   Even though white flour is a main ingredient in our diet, which is also included in many ready-made products and fast foods, it is not that healthy ingredient to consume. Further below are some of the main harms white flour does to our body:

1.   High acidic content:

   During the process of refining, all the nutrients are removed, and white flour becomes acidic in nature. A diet high in acidic foods like fast foods other white flour products forces the body to pull calcium from bones which in turn affects bone density. Over-acidity is one of the primary causes of chronic inflammation, which may cause arthritis and other chronic illnesses.

2. Digestive issues:

   White flour has been given the name "glue of the gut", by nutritionists, as it all turns to glue in the intestines. It has no fibre, it congests the system, slows down digestion which leads to slow metabolism, and can often lead to weight gain, stress, headaches and migraines and constipation.

3. Nutrient deficient:

   White flour is usually refined so the inner germ layer and the outer bran are removed. In the process, much of the fibre and essential nutrients like vitamins and minerals and phytochemicals are lost. In addition, the bleaching process is done using chemicals which gives white flour its distinctive white colour. While these may not be directly harmful to your health, they are still artificial ingredients that are advised to be eliminated from your diet.

4. L-cysteine:

   This is a non-essential amino acid which is added to the baked goods like pizza doughs, cookies, and fast-food buns. The cheaper production method of L-cysteine includes synthesizing it from duck or chicken feathers, human hair, and other petroleum by-products.

5. High consumption may lead to diabetes:

   It contains alloxan that has a negative effect on your body. It destroys the beta-cells of the pancreas and is also toxic for the body. It is also known to be a contaminant that can cause diabetes.

6. May cause hypertension and heart- diseases:

   The consumption of refined carbohydrates, like white flour, behave like sugar in the body which can disrupt the relationship between glucose and insulin. This may ultimately lead to the development of high blood pressure or worsen existing hypertension. Researchers demonstrate that high refined carbohydrate intake is associated with higher total mortality from cardiovascular disease, whereas total fat and types of fat are not associated with cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction, or cardiovascular death. This finding is supported by many studies indicating a strong association between refined grain intake and cardiovascular disease risk.

In conclusion, these three ingredients- sugar, salt and flour- should be included in the minimum quantities in our diet, so that we avoid all these negative effects. Additionally, we should be more careful and read the food labels on the ready-made products and be more selective as they tend to be high in those ingredients.