Top Ten Foods To Avoid (Or Ignore As Much As Possible).

I was thinking the other day that if more people simply avoided eating certain popular foods, we'd have less of an obesity epidemic.  So I decided to come up with my own list of the top ten foods to avoid as much as possible.  That doesn't mean eating them only once a day - it means eating these foods once a month or less.  Really. 

I'm pretty successful at keeping these foods out of our hands most of the time.  However, if you are a regular reader, you know I confessed to a milkshake habit recently.  I'm getting a handle on it though.  Without further preaching, here is my list of the top ten worst foods, in no particular order.

 
1.  Chips.  Need I say more?  Even baked, there is nothing here but fat and salt, neither of which is particularly good for you. 

2.  Ice Cream.  Cold, creamy, smooth and delicious, might as well spread it on your belly.  Don't try the "but it's dairy" routine.

3.  Fries.  No, these don't count as a vegetable and they are just as bad as chips.  Find a healthier version of potatoes.

4.  Sodas.  I know they can be addictive and taste good but really, would you mix up some sugar, water and a bit of food coloring and drink it?  That's basically what sodas are.  And because we tend to think what we drink doesn't count, these babies can pack on the pounds. 

5.  Pizza.  The pizza chains have taken what could be a decent food and turned it into a fat and salt nightmare.  Just say no unless your aim is to look like the Michelin man. 

6.  Hamburgers.  Same thing as pizza.  What could be a decent food has been supersized and fatticized into another metabolic nightmare for your body.

7.  Cookies, cakes, donuts, etc.  Little Debbie and the Kebler Elves are not your friends.  They are greedy profiteers who could care less that their products make rolls around your waist as long as they are putting dough in the bank. 

8.  Bacon and sausage, or any fatty meat.  Yes, I love good bacon, especially on a BLT.  However, fatty meat isn't going to do anything except make you a fatty.  There are better forms of protein.  Find them. 

9.  Coffee drinks.  Frozen, hot, latte or not, coffee drinks have become one of our pleasures but we don't stop to think about the growing calorie content.  These drinks have come along way from a simple cup of joe.

10.  Cheese.  Now you may wonder why I've put an innocent food like cheese on this list.  Cheese is fine in moderation but it has become a much abused additive to our food.  I actually love cheese but not when it is gobbed on sandwiches, pizza, casseroles or salads.  Cheese can be high in fat so use cautiously please.

I hope you'll think about this list, particularly if your kids eat these foods on a regular basis.  You are not doing them any favors if they do.  I hope everyone had a lovely Labor Day weekend and got some good exercise while enjoying friends and family.