Fitness and Exercise for Women

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Foods to Avoid

We all know that there are certain forbidden foods that we should eat, with caution or not at all, but that does not necessarily keep us away from them. Which foods are some of the worst offenders?

Fast Food
French fries deep fried in saturated oil (sometimes trans fats), buns made of white flour, sugary soda pops, hamburgers that could possibly be made with flour, texturized vegetable protein or other fillers to decrease the costs.

Everyday Food
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Most nutritionist agree that fast food should be eaten as seldom as possible. If you want to see an eye-opening documentary regarding the harmful effects of fast food, 'SuperSize Me,' directed and starring Morgan Spurlock. It is an entertaining and provocative film documenting his 30-day diet of McDonalds food. You will never look at french fries the same way again.

Margarine
Many people that think that margarine and butter are basically the same thing and that either one will do. This is not true. There is one major and critical difference between butter and margarine:

trans fats. Margarine has it and butter does not.

Trans fat is formed when liquid vegetable oil becomes solid. This practice is common in the manufacturing of shortening and margarine. Trans fats is selected by many companies because it increases the shelf life of foods and it reduces costs, more so than oil. But the cost to your health is highly increased.

Companies now have to disclose on their packaging labels the amount of trans fats that are used. It is best to avoid products that contain any amount of trans fats. Trans fat has been found to contribute to clogging of the arteries, increase the amount of "bad" cholesterol (LDL) and decrease the amount of "good" cholesterol. It also contributes to Type II diabetes and other serious health conditions. Stay away from it!

Alcohol
For those of us who like to have a drink from time to time, considering the calories in margaritas and pina colada type drinks, a nice glass of white wine or a champagne cocktail might a better choice. Here's why: a 4oz. frozen margarita contains 180 calories. When was the last time you had a 4 oz margarita? Most margarita glasses hold 12 oz. which increases the calorie count to 540 and 626 calories for a pina colada!

Now compare that to a 3.5 oz glass of white wine that has only 70 calories. A glass of red wine has 90 to 105 calories per glass. Red wine also has the health benefit of containing antioxidants, which fight free radicals in our bodies.

White Flour
So much of what we consume is made of white flour - breads, pastries, breaded frozen foods, pizza, pancakes...and the list goes on. White flour has gone through a refining

process that has stripped most vital nutrients and fiber from the finished product. In fact. up to 97% of the fiber has been removed from the flour. After the flour has been stripped, chemicals are then added by the so called "enriched" process.

Because everything of value has been removed, synthetic nutrients must be added back in to the flour. Of course, these are chemicals such as chlorine dioxide, potassium bromated, emulsifiers, ammonium carbonate, alum, chalk, alloxen and sorbitan mono-saturate. Not particularly appetizing.

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Salt
It is estimated that 70 - 80% of the salt we consume come from processed food. Our bodies need some sodium to function properly but consuming too much can lead to fluid retention, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular and kidney diseases. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a food safety and nutrition organization in Washington, D.C recently conducted a study of the amount of salt used in restaurants with astounding results.

They research the ingredients of at least 100 meals from 17 American restaurant chains and found that some dishes contained four days worth of salt! Michael Jacobson is with the Center for Science in the Public Interest and said that "Salt is probably the single deadliest ingredient in our food supply, causing tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths a year. And restaurants are a big part of the problem." The daily recommended amount of salt for adults falls between 1500

and 2400 mg. However, if you are over 50, are black or have high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease or diabetes, you may be more sensitive to sodium and may require less. You should consult with your physician to find out what your daily intake should be.

Caffeine
Caffeine can be found in coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolate, energy drinks and even over-the-counter medicine. As with most food we consume, moderation usually serves us best. Some of the problems that have been associated with too much caffeine

consumption are lack of sleep, release of adrenaline into our systems temporarily which is followed by fatigue and sometimes depression when we crash. It can also be quite addictive.