It is easy to get confused about which foods are healthy and which are not.
Avoiding certain meals can be hard, especially when they are specifically designed to taste good.
You know what I am talking about – those delicious, but unhealthy guilty pleasures we have all been gorging ourselves on recently.
What we seem to forget, is that what we eat contributes largely to our well-being. While keeping a healthy lifestyle is important, following a healthy diet is the key factor that makes or breaks our health. There are also certain things almost everyone gets wrong about healthy eating.
In an interview with health expert Vanessa Ascencao, she said that the body needs nutrients not calories. That some of the most nutrient-dense foods are high in calories.
“Not eating enough calories may trigger the body’s starvation mechanism and, by counting calories you may miss out on high-quality foods, rich in nutrients and essential for effective body function.
“Eat a healthy, balanced diet, filled with whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, and organic free-range protein. These are nourishing for the body and will help you achieve optimal overall health,” said Ascencao.
Also, some foods are found to be associated with negative health outcomes.
Paul Kasenene, who is a medical doctor specialising in nutritional, functional, and lifestyle medicine took to Twitter this week and shared ten foods that he suggests people avoid if they want better health.
Here are my top 10 foods to avoid if you want better #health
1. Sugar
2. Soda & sugary drinks
3. White bread
4 Margarine
5. Sausages
6. Deep fried foods – chips, chicken, pork, crisps
7. Refined wheat foods – chapati, mandazi
8. Ice cream & sweets
9. Cow's milk
10. Beer pic.twitter.com/XdqueNWWAn— Dr Kasenene (@drkasenene) August 17, 2020
Kasenene also gave suggestions on how people can substitute these foods for healthier ones. For example, he said cow’s milk can be substituted with plant based milks including almond, oat, coconut, or even organic soy milk.