22 Worst Foods That Are Never Worth Eating, Say Experts
Tiffany Gagnon - Eat This! Not That!

1. TORTILLA CHIPS: This classic party food doesn't contain a long list
of ingredients, but none of those ingredients contain a high dose of
nutrients.

"Generally speaking, for most crackers and chips, much of the
nutritional value of the grain has been removed during processing -
especially when these foods are white rather than whole-wheat because
the husk and outer layers of the grain have been removed. They aren't necessarily bad but they just don't offer much with respect to
nutrients," Smith says.

Eat This Instead: For a more nutrient-dense alternative (that still
offers crunch without those empty calories), try air-popped popcorn with
your own added herbs and spices or crackers made from whole-wheat with
four to five grams of fiber per serving.

2. SODA: Not only is soda void of vitamins and minerals and packed with
empty calories coming from sugar, but it also contains a ton of
ingredients that can do some harm to your body.

"Regular and diet sodas are loaded with artificial chemicals like
colorings and sweeteners. Both calorie-containing and zero-calorie
(these, in particular, may negatively influence feelings of fullness and satiety) should be avoided. Also, dark-colored sodas often contain
additives like phosphoric acid that can be dangerous to bone health,"
Smith warns.

Drink This Instead: Sometimes that fizzy pop craving just won't go away, though. Instead of soda, experiment with sodium-free, sugar-free
sparkling water with either a splash of low- or no-sugar juice, freshly-squeezed juice, or a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon. If it's the
flavor rather than the fizz you're after, Smith also recommends infusing regular water with fruits and vegetables.

"A few of my favorites are mint and orange, cucumber on its own or with
orange, and strawberry with pineapple," Smith says.

3. PRETZELS: Pretzels seem like a relatively harmless snack. They've got
the crunch and saltiness that many of us crave, and they're not really
full of sugar or harmful artificial ingredients. The problem? They don't
fuel your body. If you have fitness or weight loss goals, a bag of
pretzels' empty calories aren't going to help you get over the finish
line any faster.

Eat This Instead: Smith recommends kale chips as a healthier
alternative.

4. WHITE PASTA: It seems as though pasta is always condemned to the "diet-don't" list, right? The truth is, it can offer some nutrients if
and only if you choose the right kind. It's also very important to pay
close attention to portion size if you're watching your weight. "It's
better to choose whole grain because it contains more fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protein since the husk of the grain is left on," Smith
says. Psst! Pair your whole-grain pasta with a healthy pasta sauce to
avoid added sugars.

Eat This Instead: While we like whole-grain pasta, the healthiest way to
get your noodle fix is with substitutes like spaghetti squash or
zucchini noodles. Both are rich in potassium, as well as vitamins A and
C!

5. WHITE FLOUR As a rule of thumb, it's always healthier to choose
whole-wheat and whole-grain options over products made with white flour.
To get white flour, wheat grains are heavily refined and processed,
stripping food of the fiber that our bodies love so much. Whole-wheat
flour is made from the same grains but retains its fiber content because
it hasn't undergone that heavy processing. Getting enough fiber is
important in any diet because it helps lower cholesterol, boosts weight
loss, and aids waste elimination.

Eat This Instead: If you know that quitting white flour foods - bagels,
cereal, crackers, baked goods, etc. - will be a particularly tough
adjustment for you, look for 100% whole-wheat bread, or choose pastas or crackers that contain a mix of white and whole wheat flour.

6. HEAT-PASTEURIZED JUICES: Different from those cold-pressed green
juices that you see popping up everywhere, heat-pasteurized juices
aren't as healthy as they may appear. Juices, like orange and cranberry,
often have to be heated at very high levels and have to be higher in
sugar-many contain added sugar-in order to undergo processing. "The pasteurization process can kill some of the nutrients because the
temperature is so high," Smith explains.

Drink This Instead: Try to choose cold-pressed or non-processed juices
that contain a higher ratio of vegetables to fruit in order to avoid
spikes in blood sugar and reap the most health benefits. Also, keep in
mind that fruit juice can often dismantle weight-loss efforts rather
quickly-so don't even bother with a juice cleanse!

7. SWEET WINE: Yes, wine has some antioxidants-most notably the
resveratrol in red wine, which may help prevent damage to blood vessels,
reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the "bad"
cholesterol), and prevent blood clots. But typically, the sweeter the
wine, the more calories it contains. Dry wines have about 106 calories
per glass, whereas sweet dessert wines have around 225 or more. Three
glasses of wine with dinner could easily add up to an extra 400
calories. You'll get some of that resveratrol but not much in the way of nutrition.

Drink This Instead: "Studies suggest that red and purple grape juices
may provide some of the same heart benefits of red wine," says Katherine Zeratsky, RD, LD.


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