Hi viewers! We all have our guilty pleasure foods, ice cream, chocolate,
and a burger. But are they really that bad for your health? Could you get away with just having
it every once in a while? In today's video we’re gonna discover what foods you should cut out
completely and some options you can have instead. Some of them might surprise you, so stick around.
What you should give up: Chips / French Fries
Sometimes there’s nothing better than your favorite bag of chips. There are
so many flavors! And really, aren't they just potatoes after all? Not quite. Sure
they start out as potatoes but once they are processed they barely have any nutrients left.
Once potatoes go through the process of becoming a chip or a fry, they can create compounds called
acrylamides, which have been linked to cancer. We know fried foods should only be a treat,
but research shows that eating these kinds of foods many times a week (at least 4)
is connected to stuff like type 2 diabetes, weight gain, hypertension, and heart failure.
What you can have instead: Rice cakes / Popcorn
There are so many options now that grocery stores usually have an “organic” or “healthy” aisle. This
is a great place to start when you’re looking for substitutions. Now don’t just go blindly
into the dark, make sure you keep reading the label to avoid added sugars, and stuff that’s
super processed. But overall rice cakes usually have less calories, and they’re not fried. So
you don’t have to worry about all that trans fat entering your system and causing inflammation.
When it comes to popcorn, we do NOT mean microwave popcorn,
that’s a no no. We’re talking air popped, homemade popcorn. You can buy a bag of kernels,
and pop them either on the stove with coconut or olive oil, or with a popcorn
popper. The added bonus of making it this way is that you can customize your popcorn
however you like! Wanna add hot sauce, go for it? Steak spice? Why not! Get creative!
What you should give up: White Bread:
We get it, making a sandwich is one of the easiest ways to satisfy a hunger craving,
we’re big sandwich fans over here. But making that delicious PB and J with white bread might
not be the best choice. The reason why the bread is white is because the wheat
has been stripped of all nutrients. Because it’s nothing but empty calories and sugar,
it’ll probably make your blood sugar spike. Don't be fooled by the term “enriched flour”
as that only means the nutrients have been stripped. Don’t worry you can still have bread!
What you can have instead:
Sprouted, Fiber-rich bread The good news is that you can
still enjoy your sandwiches! You just have to modify them a little bit. Try going for
bread that has the grain intact, for example, sprouted, whole grain and seeded options. Whole
grain breads will provide you with lots of dietary fiber, promote better gut health,
and will allow your blood sugar to rise slowly rather than shooting up like with white bread.
What you should give up: Diet Soda
Really, we should say sugary drinks in general, like fruit juices, sports drinks
and diet soda. The sodas especially are packed with artificial sweeteners that sort of trick
your body into thinking it’s sugar anyway. Artificial sweeteners have been linked to
cancer and the development of diabetes. Along with this, diet soda is linked to metabolic
syndrome, higher blood pressure, increased visceral fat, and higher blood fat levels.
What you can have instead:
Water Shocker,
of course we were gonna say water. Studies show that we should aim for about 3 - 4 liters a day
depending on your specific makeup. If plain water is too boring, you can infuse it with fruit,
OR you can go for sparkling water. Which will help quench your thirst for something carbonated.
What you should give up: Certain Breakfast Cereals
We will preface this by saying that you can probably find a few brands of cereal that are
healthy, although most are pretty processed. The biggest issue with this ready to go meal
is that they’re full of sugar. A recent study suggests that processed breakfast
cereals have major amounts of sugar in them, and are classified as “unhealthy”.
What you can have instead: Oatmeal
We can’t say enough about how great oatmeal can be for you. Especially when you make it at home from
scratch. Plus you can customize it with raisins, bananas, apples or nuts. Oatmeal will provide
you with something called dietary fiber which has been linked with a lower risk of several cancers,
hypertension, stroke, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain digestive diseases.
Oatmeal can improve or lower blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity.
It’s also a great source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. You can have it warm,
or make overnight oats with berries and nuts, for a quick and easy breakfast option.
What you should give up: Cookies, Cakes, and Pastries
Although delicious, these yummy treats are just that, treats,
and should never be part of your regular diet. Most of these sweets are extremely processed,
and won’t do you any favors when it comes to sugar intake and fiber content. They’re usually
made with refined sugar, flour, and unhealthy trans fats and, depending on how processed it is,
it could also have preservatives and chemicals, too. Some studies show there could be a link
between processed foods and depression, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke and more.
What you can have instead: Homemade Goodies
The good news is you definitely don’t have to give up on these sweet treats all together. Instead of
buying the ultra processed versions, try your hand at homemade. This way you can control what
goes into your goodies, and if you want to go a step further you can step up the ingredients to
make it healthier. Use whole wheat flour instead of refined. Use raisins instead of chocolate
chips. The options are truly endless when you’re making it yourself. Plus if you don’t know how
you can enlist the help of your favorite baker and have a nice time creating yummy treats together.
What you should give up: Low fat or Flavored Yogurt
Wait, what?? We thought yogurt was healthy? Well SOME kinds of yogurt are,
but these are not it. When it comes to the kinds that have fruit, or fruit at the bottom,
or are flavored, you should always check the label as they can hide way too much added
sugar. Some and even have up to 15 grams of added sugar. Not just sugar, but there also could be
additives like gums and starches that you probably don’t want to put into your body.
What you can have instead: Greek Yogurt
Just like our last entry, you don’t have to give up yogurt completely - you just have to be aware
of the ingredients and swap it for a different kind of yogurt, like Greek. Greek yogurt is full
of gut friendly probiotics, can give you a boost of calcium which is especially great for women,
usually contains vitamin B12 and includes helpful bacterial cultures. Try to add your
own fruit or honey to spice it up. You can also add it to your smoothies for added benefits.
What you should give up: Pretzels
How many times have you reached for a pretzel thinking this is
way healthier than a bag of chips. Well you’d only be a little correct…
You see pretzels are an unhealthy snack in disguise. They’re usually made with refined flour,
which as we discussed earlier is not the best thing you can put into your body. Refined carbs
or processed carbs are digested quickly and can be considered empty calories. They’re usually high on
the glycemic index, which means they’ll spike your blood sugar, and could increase the risk
of many diseases. Since they’re considered processed food, they also will have many
ingredients including salt, corn syrup and corn oil. You usually want to stick to foods that
have as little ingredients as possible, whole unprocessed foods is what you wanna go for.
What you can have instead:
Kale Chips Just hear us out,
Kale chips can be really tasty! Sure they take a little bit of work, but when you nail the recipe
it’ll be so worth it, plus they’re really healthy, so you can have them guilt free! They’re made of
only one ingredient, kale, so you’re good there, plus you know exactly what’s going into them.
Kale is known as a super food and is one of the most nutrient dense foods you can eat! They’re
a leafy green which means it’s super high in antioxidants, which get rid of free radicals
in the body. Kale also contains beta carotene and vitamin C, protects your heart, are anti-viral,
anti-depressant, blood pressure lowering, and have anti-cancer effects as well. We’d
call that a step up from a damaging pretzel anyday. Not to mention you can customize
your kale chips with sea salt, olive oil and any other spices to add some extra benefits.
You don’t have to overhaul your whole diet to see some incredible benefits.
These small switches will add dividends to your life and most likely will make
you feel like a million bucks! Giving up your favorite treats can be difficult,
but give a few of these a try and you may be surprised at how much you like them!
Wanna know more about eating healthy and improving your lifestyle? Check out:
8 Healthy Fruits You Should Be Eating and 8 You Shouldn’t
OR 16 Alkaline Foods You Must Have In Your Daily Diet
Go ahead! Click one, or better yet, watch both. Which healthy
swap are you excited to try? Let us know in the comments below.