Nine Alarmingly Unhealthy Snacks To Avoid - Read And Weep

Whenever you get ready to eat anything, it would be ideal to carefully analyze the nutritional value of the meal or snack and to investigate whether the food really meets your needs. We're not going to do that all the time, of course, but we can definitely do better.

A snack that is high on the nutritional value index is healthy for you. On the other hand, snacks that are low on nutritional value index but high in calories and unhealthy, processed, fats should be avoided at any cost.

Such snacks are unhealthy and only contribute towards making us obese and often nutritionally deficient, as well. Owing to our busy schedules and easy access to low-cost snack vending machines, we tend to satisfy our hunger pangs with unhealthy snacks. While buying snacks, you should always look out for the calories, total fat, trans and unsaturated fats, milligrams of sodium, and grams of sugar specified on the nutrition facts label.

Another fact commonly associated with munching unhealthy snacks is that people tend to forget to keep the portion sizes in control. Working people tend to consume chips, crackers, pretzels, and fries in between meals and many a times it becomes an addiction. Unhealthy snacks taste great but are bad for the body.

Some of the most commonly consumed unhealthy snacks that ought to be avoided are listed below.

Cookies

Cookies are loaded with trans fats and excess sugar. They are high on hydrogenated vegetable oils, flour, and shortening and are clearly among the unhealthiest snacks that you can consume. All these ingredients are excellent resources for childhood obesity, or obesity in adulthood for that matter. They taste good but are not filling and as a result are over-consumed.

Potato Chips

Potato chips are one of the most easily available, sinfully tasty, but extremely unhealthy snacks. They are full of fats, oils, and salt. The amount of salt consumed while eating potato chips is good enough to cause hypertension and water retention when consumed on a regular basis. Consumption of potato chips also contributes greatly to obesity. Potato chips are known to contain acrylamide, a carcinogen that forms when foods are fried or baked at high temperatures.

Ice cream

Ice cream is made of whole milk and refined sugars, both of which are rich in fats and can cause obesity. They are full of calories but less in nutrients and are therefore not healthy. Unless, of course, you opt for home-made options such as those made exclusively with bananas.

Chicken nuggets

Most people think that because chicken nuggets have chicken as the basic ingredient, they is bound to be healthy. On the contrary, chicken nuggets are one of the worst snacks. Chicken nuggets comprise hydrogenated oils which make them easy to reheat and transport. Trans fat found in chicken nuggets is known to cause heart disease, cancer, and obesity. People are best advised not be lured by the protein content of chicken nuggets. There sure are healthier alternatives to meet your protein requirements without the extra dose of fat and sodium found in chicken nuggets.