Many of us want to have healthy lifestyle and it’s important that we have the best available foods. There are bad ingredients that we shouldn’t have in foods; such as refined white flour, white sugar and trans fat. They aren’t the best choices of health and it’s important to weight down. They could really make us ill, despite being called “health” foods. One of the commonly advertised types of drinks are no-sugar soft drinks and other beverages. They may have nearly zero calorie; but they can be quite risky in the long run. Instead of using sugar, these beverages often contain artificial sweeteners. Although sugar is a troublemaker, artificial sweeteners can be even worse. They could be really harmful to our health and must be avoided whenever possible. Among the most commonly used artificial sweeteners is aspartame and it’s been used in hundreds of food products. Aspartame is believed to increase the risks of seizures, emotional disorders, diabetes, birth defects and tumors. Stevia is a plant-based sweetener with minimal side effects, but we should still limit its usages to avoid various risks.
Marketers also try to convince us that sports drinks are necessary when we often exercise heavily. In reality, sports drinks are not healthy at all. They often contain high level of sugar and caffeine, as well as coloring and artificial flavoring. Some of the health drinks are no different with Cool-Aid with some salt in them. It is better to have diluted, freshly squeezed fruit juices, with a bit of salt added; to ensure the electrolyte balance is maintained after heavy exercises. It is easy to make our own sports drinks; we could add just enough sugar to improve the taste, they would be no preservatives, artificial sweeteners, synthetic nutrients and other chemicals. Energy bars are often offered as health foods, which contain high level of energy. If we choose it, we should make sure that it’s made with natural sweeteners, real fruits, flax seeds and oats. Another type of food that we may need to avoid is some soy-based products. In Asia, soy is usually processed to break it down to more digestible form, such as tofu, tempeh and miso.
However, modern soy-based products may not be as healthy. As an example, soy is often used as meat alternative, or TVP (textured vegetable protein). Some TVP products can be quite unhealthy, due to the large presence of toxins. Anti-nutrients in some soybean products could cause problems in thyroid and pancreas, as well as increasing the chance of cancer. There’s also a possibility that the absorption of essential minerals can be blocked by regular consumption of soybeans. Unprepared grains may result in a number of dietary issues. In fact, there’s indication that anti nutrients are the trigger of mental disorders, colitis and Crohn’s disease. When we purchase foods, we should make sure that they are made from grains that are properly prepared. Wholegrain bread is among the best options that we can choose.