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7 Foods U Should NEVER Eat!

Here are the top seven foods you should never ever feed your family or yourself!

1. Doughnuts

It's hard to resist the smell of a Krispy Kreme doughnut, which is why I never step foot in the store. Doughnuts are fried chock-full of sugar and white flour and loads of trans fat.

According to the Krispy Kreme website, an average 3.5 ounce sugar doughnut weighs in with about 400 calories and contains few other nutrients besides fat. These sugary treats may satisfy your craving but it won't satisfy your hunger as most of the calories come from fat.

'Eating a lot of refined sugar contributes to blood sugar 'swings' or extreme fluctuations, ' eDiets Chief Nutritionist Susan Burke said.

2. Cheeseburger with fries

The age-old classic may be delicious but think twice before sinking your teeth into that Big Mac.

The saturated fat found in cheese burgers has been linked to heart attacks, strokes and some types of cancer.

'In fact, fast-food portions are gargantuan, almost double the calories per meal compared to 20 years ago,' Susan says. 'Twenty years ago the average fast-food cheeseburger had about 300 calories. Today's BK Whopper with cheese has 720.

To burn the excess 420 calories, you'd have to run for 40 minutes. For example, in 1985 a medium French fry had 240 calories, 2.4 ounces. Today's 'medium' is 6.9 ounces and 610 calories.

'This fast-food meal of cheeseburger and fries has way too many calories and fat grams, not to mention grams of saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol and sodium.'

Let's break down this meal. First, take the white-flour bun (refined carbohydrates) , then add some processed cheese (saturated fat and trans fat, plus lots of additives and preservatives) and then top off with fried red meat (cholesterol and saturated fats). And let's not forget about the condiments such as the always fattening mayonnaise.

Not sounding so appetizing anymore, huh? Oh, and let's not forget about the infamous side dish.

You cheeseburger will most likely come with a side of French fries, which is sadly the most popular vegetable dish in the U.S.

Don't kid yourself, French fries are not vegetables, they are extremely high in fat and contain a tiny amount of nutrients.

3. Fried Chicken and Chicken Nuggets

With the recent class-action lawsuit between The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and KFC, the health risks posed by fried foods are becoming more public. The CSPI is suing the food chain for their use of cooking oil containing unhealthy trans fats. The lawsuit seeks to order KFC to use other types of cooking oils and to inform customers how much trans fats KFC's food contains.

Foods cooked in highly heated oils (most notably partially hydrogenated oil) have been known to cause cancer, weight gain and other serious health risks if ingested regularly. A 10-piece chicken McNugget from McDonald's has 420 calories, 24 grams of fat and 1120 milligrams of sodium. One Extra Crispy Chicken Breast from KFC has around 420 calories and eight grams of saturated fat. So unless you want to super size yourself, it's best to make a clean break with fried foods.

4. Oscar Mayer's Lunchables

Sure they are convenient and easy, but boy are they unhealthy! These kid-marketed lunches are loaded with saturated fat and sodium. They usually contain highly processed meats and cheeses, white flour crackers and sugary treats. Lunchables get two-thirds of their calories from fat and sugar. And they provide lopsided nutrition since they contain no fruits or vegetables.

'They insidiously promote obesity by making kids think that lunch normally comes in a cellophane-wrapped box,' Susan says. 'Parents are promoting their children's obesity by buying these items. They're expensive, too. Pack a sandwich and save dollars and health...'

5. Sugary Cereal

Not all cereals are created equally.. And while your kids might beg for the latest cookie or marshmallow chocolate surprise cereals, it is a safe bet they are about as healthy as a dessert. Keywords to look out for are puffed, dyed and sweetened.

Most kids' cereals are so highly processed they no longer look like the grains they were originally made from. A healthy alternative is oatmeal. Although, if you are buying pre-packaged oatmeal make sure to check the label and see how much sugar it contains, you might be surprised.

'A little sugar isn't a problem but when the first ingredient on the box is sugar, then watch out,' she said. 'There is no fruit in Froot Loops. But the unsweetened original Cheerios or Rice Krispies are fine, and you can sweeten them naturally with blueberries and strawberries. '

6. Processed Meats.

What falls under the category of processed meats? Hot dogs, sausage, jerky, bacon, certain lunch meats and meats used in canned soup products. Almost all processed meats have sodium nitrite added as a preservative.

A recent study conducted at the University of Hawaii found that sodium nitrite can act as 'a precursor to highly carcinogenic nitrosamines -- potent cancer-causing chemicals that accelerate the formation and growth of cancer cells throughout the body.' So eliminate these meats from your diet before they eliminate you!

7. Canned soup.

Sometimes regarded as a healthy food, soups can be very deceiving. You must stay on your guard because many canned soups have high levels of trans fats, sodium and artificial preservatives such as MSG. Just one serving (which is roughly one cup) can have almost 1,000 milligrams of salt. Also, steer clear of soups that are cream-based, they can be high in calories and fat.

Susan says it is important to 'read labels from back to front. Ignore the health claims, and instead focus on the ingredients and serving size. Watch out for hydrogenated fat (trans fat) and sodium. If you're buying bread to go with you soup, the first ingredient should be whole grain -- either whole wheat, rye or other grain. If it just says 'wheat bread,' that doesn't mean whole wheat.'

We all want our family to be healthy and happy, so steer clear of these foods. Think it's difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle?

Think again!

eDiets make it simple to find healthy foods with the correct nutritional balance for you and your family. Our customized diet plans will help you lose weight and feel great!

http://ediets.com/news/NewsArticle.jsp?componentPath=&itemType=&start=1&id=1100001#article

Trans Fat- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans_fat

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Hurricane Ike - The Aftermath

September 15, 2008 - Boats and debris clutter the water in hurricane-hit Galveston, Texas, on September 13, 2008. Hurricane Ike's 110-mile-per-hour (177-kilometer-per-hour) winds delivered a punishing blow to the island city, shredding buildings, flooding streets, and knocking out power for millions of people.

A last minute turn by the storm as it approached the Texas coast on Saturday spared heavily populated Galveston from an expected 25-foot (7.6-meter) storm surge, according to meteorologists. (See photos of Texas after the storm.) —Photograph by David J. Phillip/AP/Pool

A pump jack - a device that mechanically extracts liquid from oil deposits--sits among floodwaters shimmering with oil in High Island, Texas, in an aerial photo taken on September 14, 2008. Hurricane Ike did only "moderate damage" to a handful of oil platforms and coastal refineries in the Gulf of Mexico, which sat in the direct path of the storm as it blew through over the weekend, according to the Reuters news agency.

Restoring power supplies knocked out by the storm will be the biggest hurdle, the agency reported. —Photograph by David J. Phillip/AP/Pool

A beachfront home stands alone amid the devastation from Hurricane Ike in Gilchrist, Texas, on September 14, 2008. As the storm approached the U.S. Gulf Coast on Saturday, an estimated 140,000 Texas residents refused to evacuate when ordered to do so, the Associated Press reported.

Now Texas has engaged in the largest search-and-rescue operation in its history, already saving more than 2,000 people left in the storm's wake. —Photograph by David J. Phillip/AP/Pool

Bicyclists ride past debris stacked on a seawall road in Galveston, Texas, on September 14, 2008.

Hurricane Ike is the most damaging hurricane to hit Texas in 25 years. Jeff Masters, director of Weather Underground, a private commercial forecasting service, said the costs of Ike's rampage could reach U.S. $22 billion, which would make it the third costliest U.S. hurricane on record behind Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Andrew in 1992. —Photograph by Matt Slocum/AP

An alligator crosses the road in Sabine Pass, Texas, a day after Hurricane Ike made landfall on the U.S. Gulf Coast September 13, 2008. The devastating storm triggered multiple calls to the U.S. Humane Society for rescue, evacuation, and shelter of pets, farm animals, and wildlife, according to the group's Web site.

Animal experts expect Ike's effect on animals to be small compared to Hurricane Katrina three years ago. After Katrina wreaked havoc in Louisiana, the Humane Society reported rescuing and caring for more than 10,000 abandoned and lost animals. —Photograph by Eric Gay/AP

Galveston, Texas, resident hugs U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Lopaka Mounts on September 13, 2008, the day Hurricane Ike, struck the U.S. Gulf Coast. Mounts was on a search-and-rescue mission to find survivors of the Category 2 hurricane.

A spokesperson for Texas Governor Rick Perry told the press that the recovery effort following Ike would likely be the largest search-and-rescue operation the state had ever conducted. —Photograph by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. James L. Harper Jr./Handout/Reuters

Paul Lopez barbeques on a balcony in Galveston, Texas, on September 14, 2008. A day after Hurricane Ike devastated the town, many residents had no power. In total, Ike left an estimated 2.4 million Texans and 200,000 Louisianans without electricity. —Photograph by L.M. Otero/AP

Hurricane Ike - Storm Pummels Texas Coast

01 September 13, 2008 - A worker inspects damage in front of the JPMorgan Chase Tower in downtown Houston, Texas, after powerful Hurricane Ike slammed into the Gulf Coast, shredding buildings, flooding streets, and knocking out power for millions of people. With winds reaching 110 miles (177 kilometers) an hour, Ike came ashore over Galveston, Texas, as a strong Category 2 storm just after 3 a.m. EST. The massive storm, nearly as big as Texas itself, moved over Houston before dawn, blowing out windows and scattering documents from skyscrapers such as the 75-story Chase Tower, the state's tallest building.

According to the Associated Press, Ike is the first hurricane since Alicia in 1983 to land a direct hit on Houston. —Photograph by Mark Wilson/Getty Images

The town of Clear Lake Shores in Galveston County, Texas, sits deep in floodwaters on September 13, 2008, after Hurricane Ike battered the coast early Saturday morning. Ike inundated the barrier island of Galveston with a 13.5-foot (4-meter) storm surge - a wall of water pushed ashore by the storm's winds.

Officials were relieved that the actual surge was much lower than the catastrophic 20 to 25 feet (6 to 7.6 meters) of water initially predicted. But heavily flooded streets are still hampering efforts to rescue people who chose to ride out the storm despite official warnings of "certain death" if they stayed. —Photograph by Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

Debris scattered by Hurricane Ike covers State Highway 146 in Seabrook, Texas, on September 13, 2008. Because of Ike's unusually large size, hurricane - force winds and rain continued to pound a large swath of Texas and Louisiana well after landfall, forcing rescue crews to wait for the storm to pass to begin operations.

As of 2 p.m. EST, many roads were still impassable, and it remained unclear how many people might have died or been injured in Ike's wake. —Photograph by Frank Franklin II/AP

A building sits damaged in Galveston, Texas, on September 13, 2008, after Hurricane Ike made landfall over the island community in the early hours on Saturday.

Despite strong warnings from government officials, more than ten thousand people chose to stay in coastal areas as Ike approached. "We'll probably do the largest search-and-rescue operation that's ever been conducted in the state of Texas," Andrew Barlow, spokesperson for Texas Governor Rick Perry, told the Associated Press. —Photograph by Matt Slocum/AP

Black smoke pours from a burning beach house in Galveston, Texas, on September 12, 2008, a day before Hurricane Ike came ashore over the barrier island as a Category 2 storm. Even hours before making official landfall, Ike's strong winds were pushing surges of water over the Galveston seawall, and flooded streets kept emergency crews from reaching the blaze, local paper The Daily News reported.

Ike moved north and dropped to a Category 1 storm late Saturday afternoon.

The hurricane is expected to eventually turn toward Arkansas and weaken to a tropical storm. —Photograph by David J. Phillip/AP