Top 10 Most HARMFUL Foods People Keep EATING

Top 10 Most HARMFUL Foods People Keep EATING Graphic © herbshealthhappiness.com
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Poor diet is a major risk factor for several potentially fatal non-communicable diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. ^[1] Popular health Youtuber Dr. Ekberg listed 10 most harmful foods in his video, focusing on correcting common misinformation that often leads to bad food choices. Here’s the list together with our research and scientific referencing:

1. Canned Soup

Dr. Ekberg illustrates the “shadow meaning” of the marketing term “enriched foods”. While it sounds nice, these are typically unhealthy: Food that is marketed as “enriched” typically lost its naturally-occurring nutrients during food processing and now needs these nutrients added back.

He isn’t wrong, and his statement correlates with that of UNICEF, who have stated that many foods are enriched because a lot of nutrients are lost when they are processed. For example wheat flour typically has iron, folic acid, and riboflavin added back in to make it “enriched”. ^[2] But if they called it “destroyed and then artificially revitalized” it wouldn’t sell anything like as well…

Caution must be taken when including enriched or fortified foods in our diet, because they cannot in fact replace or compensate for an unhealthy and unbalanced diet. ^[3]

Canned soup is one of the commonly enriched foods and MSG is an often-added ingredient that makes it unhealthy. Monosodium glutamate is one of the most common food additives used today and it has been linked to hypertension, obesity, and problems with the gastrointestinal, neurological, reproductive, and endocrine systems. ^[4]

Studies have also shown that canned soup specifically has been linked to increased urinary BPA; you read that right, BPA or bisphenol A, a chemical primarily used in the production of plastics. ^[5] This has been linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetes. ^[6]

There’s more… phosphate in canned soup has also been known to decrease bone health, due to the increase in production of parathyroid hormone or PTH. Elevated PTH causes calcium release from bone, eventually leading to bone loss and osteoporosis. ^[7]

2. White Bread

The first reason white bread has gained a bad rep is because of its high glycemic index; with an extremely high GI score of 100. The higher the GI, the faster sugar or glucose is released into the blood stream, making this food a no-no for diabetics or people struggling with high blood sugar. ^[8]

A further component of flour you might choose to be cautious of is gluten. Gluten sensitivity and celiac disease affect a surprisingly high number of people, including an estimated 2 million people in the United States. ^[9] In the presence of gluten, people suffering from celiac disease and gluten sensitivity experience a myriad of gastrointestinal problems such as abdominal pain and discomfort, fatigue, bloating, diarrhea, and flatulence. ^[10]

Wheat grain, depleted of nutrients and fiber and tagged as “enriched”, can be found in white bread. ^[2] Wheat agglutinin is also a source of lectin, which is reported by Harvard School of Public Health to cause diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, bloating, and gas. ^[11] White there are benefits to lectins such as their antioxidant activity, eating food with high amounts of lectins should be limited.

Going further; Dr. Ekberg specifically mentions a common trace ingredient found in bread: glyphosate. Glyphosate is a herbicide that has been the subject of great controversy over carcinogenicity claims. It can be found in trace amounts in various food products. Research has concluded that while there are some laws in place that regulate the use of his chemical, it may sometimes be found above legally permitted limits in food. ^[12]

3. Canned Tuna

Tuna (not just canned tuna) typically has trace amounts of mercury because this element tends to bioaccumulate in organisms (especially those found in the sea). In fact, researchers have advised using tuna fish as biomarkers of mercury toxicity because of their mercury content. ^[13] With that said, Dr. Ekberg cautions to decrease your risk for potential mercury poisoning by limiting the amount you consume. Milatou suggests only eating 400 grams of tuna per week to avoid toxicity. ^[14]

4. Diet Soda

In order to cut out its sugar content, diet soda typically contains aspartame, a highly controversial synthetic sweetener that has been linked to obesity, metabolic syndrome, and problems with gut microbiota. Recently, it has also been linked to kidney damage or nephrotoxicity. ^[15] Sucralose is another common synthetic sweetener that, similar to aspartame, has been linked to destruction of good microbiota and even the generation of chrolopropanolols, which are toxic chemical compounds. ^[16]

5. Potato Chips

Potatoes themselves are not the problem here; but potato chips that have been processed and deep fried are very high in empty calories.

These food products are designed to produce cravings instead of satisfying your hunger – not good! One of the ingredients that increases cravings and causes you to “eat the whole bag by accident” is salt. The USDA reports that one bag of plain salted chips that is about 8 ounces has over 1200mg of sodium. ^[17] That is more than half of the recommended daily intake of sodium! ^[18]

Since they are also deep fried, the oil used is also a big source of unhealthy fats that can cause heart disease and insulin resistance. ^[19]

6. Fake Maple Syrup

Dr. Ekberg makes this distinction very clear – it is fake maple syrup, not natural, organic maple syrup, that is specifically unhealthy. Eating it every day becomes a problem because of its high sugar content; most commercial maple syrup is not natural and is largely made of high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup has been linked to hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, and diabetes. ^[20] When maple syrup is touted as sugar free, it means it contains the same artificial sweeteners as diet soda and also has the same unhealthy characteristics. ^[15][16]

7. Margarine

Modern margarine is largely made of highly processed seed and plant oils – which are sources of trans fat! Trans fat increases your risk for coronary heart disease. ^[21] Dr. Ekberg also warns us against the astonishingly deceptive “0 percent” labels, since products that claim “0 percent trans fat per serving” could also mean 0.49% per serving, and multiply that by how many servings are in a tub and you’re definitely not eating zero percent fat only. Isn’t it extraordinary and shocking, the sheer deception in food marketing?

8. Energy Drinks

While energy drinks have gained popularity because of their ability to give you a boost of energy, their energy boost is primarily because of two things: sugar and caffeine. Energy drinks are loaded with sugar, which causes hyperglycemia and the “spike” of energy you feel. Couple that with caffeine and you’ve got yourself a powerful stimulant. Studies have linked energy drinks and energy shots to tachycardia (elevated heart rate), vomiting, arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat), seizures, and even death. ^[22]

9. Fruit Juice

Although marketed as healthy. most fruit juice is little more than sugar water. When fruit juices are processed and packed in bottles or boxes to prolong their shelf life, they are pasteurized, meaning most of their nutrient content has been removed. Again, this is why fruit juices are marketed as enriched because they need vitamins and minerals put back in after processing. ^[2] Dr. Ekberg also mentions that dangers of fruit juice concentrate, even the natural or organic kind – concentrating fruit extract concentrates their fructose or sugar content, which can be unhealthy if you are managing your blood sugar. A study has linked increased intake of natural fruit juices to high caloric intake, weight gain, fasting hypergylcemia, and insulin intolerance. ^[23]

10. Deli And Luncheon Meats

The last items on Dr. Ekberg’s list are deli and luncheon meats, which have been linked to an astonishing 30 percent increased risk for heart disease. ^[24] They are typically high in sodium and preservatives. In 2018, a study on processed red meat suggested that it could potentially increase your risk for overall, breast, or prostate cancer. ^[25] These kinds of processed meats may contain added MSG and aspartame as well. ^[4][15]