Snacks can be a lifesaver when you do not have the time or wherewithal to eat a wholesome meal. However, some snacks are ultra-processed and no-gos if you cherish good health.
Of course, a one-off trial of any of these items is unlikely to kill you. However, the caveat for the 21 snacks on this list is that there is a high tendency for you to return for more, thanks to their ultra-processed ingredients that can cause addictions similar to that of nicotine. Eating these foods regularly can raise your risk of certain health conditions.
1. Fruit Snacks
The ‘fruit’ in the name can be a bit misleading. Most of the fruit snacks on store shelves are essentially candy being paraded as healthy snacks.
Usually, fruit snacks contain artificial flavours, colours and added sugar while lacking the nutrients and fibre that come from actual fruits. They are of very little value to your health; in fact, consuming them regularly can pose health risks.
2. Store-Bought Muffins
If you didn’t mix the batter with your kids and bake those muffins in your kitchen, then you are probably eating something that does more harm than good.
Food retail chains are not out to help you lower your cholesterol. Instead, their goal is to report even higher profits in the next quarter. So, the muffins you buy off their shelves come with addictive sugar and unhealthy fats – they have minimal nutritional benefits.
3. Energy Drinks
Taking energy drinks is similar to mixing a soda drink into your plain coffee. Consequently, the sugar and caffeine present in energy drinks keep consumers hyperactive. Obviously, hyperactivity is not entirely bad in itself, there are a few drawbacks to consuming energy drinks.
Short-lived energy surges and subsequent declines disrupt circadian rhythm, and severe cardiac conditions are serious consequences of prolonged energy drink consumption.
4. Artificially Flavored Yogurts
Do you like Greek yogurt and other plain variants? That would be a good choice, as regular yogurt contains microorganisms and probiotics that can improve your gut health.
However, food retail chains have developed flavoured, ready-to-go versions of yogurt. A major drawback of these types of yogurt is that it contains a high proportion of sugar, which makes most consumers prefer it – to their detriment, of course.
5. Instant Noodles
Thanks to the ultra-processing of instant noodles ingredients, the product usually becomes void of minerals and vitamins.
In addition, most brands of instant noodles contain not-entirely-healthy preservatives, detrimental fats and high doses of sodium. Steer clear of elevated blood pressure and other cardiovascular diseases by giving this food a wide berth.
6. Store-Bought Smoothies
Smoothies can be nutrient-packed drinks that are great natural sources of energy. But these praises come with a clause. Your smoothie is usually only healthy if you have bought different fruits, vegetables and protein sources to make a healthy blend for yourself.
Trust food retail chains to develop mass-produced, preservative- and flavour-packed variants of smoothies that have little nutritional value. Those may cause spikes in sugar levels and unhealthy weight gain.
7. Potato Chips
Do you like how tasty potato chips are? Like a lot of ultra-processed foods, some of these products have been engineered to keep your palates glued to the taste.
However, that’s not even our focus. Potato chips are fried in oil at elevated temperatures. This process results in the formation of acrylamide, a compound that research has found to be carcinogenic.
8. Soda
Go to your fridge and count the number of soda units in stock. Do you have some more in the pantry? How many bottles or cans of soda have you ingested this week?
These are questions that may tell you if you need to make a lifestyle change for your health. Habitual consumption of soda has links to one too many health problems. Due to their high sugar content, soda has been found to cause weight gain, dental decay, diabetes, heart disease – the list goes on.
9. Candy Bars
High-fructose corn syrup is the common sweetener used in the production of candy bars. It is a highly inflammatory ingredient.
The high sugar content of candy bars causes sudden surges in energy levels. However, the experience is often short-lived as the hunger pangs return briefly after. Regular consumption of this snack may also lead to insulin resistance.
10. Microwave Popcorn
Lucky you if your grandma was benevolent enough to teach you how to make popcorn from scratch. Microwave popcorn is not a healthy option. Here is why.
Besides the preservatives, unhealthy fat, and synthetic flavours, some brands package their microwave popcorn with per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, which are linked to cancer.
11. Processed Meat Snack
Processed meat products are often treated with nitrites to retain the red hue. However, extended ingestion of nitrites has been linked to cancer risks.
Also, snacks like pepperoni and jerky meat fall under the processed meat category and contain substantial amounts of saturated fats and sodium, making them potential triggers of cardiovascular diseases.
12. Frozen Desserts
Imagine eating your cold desserts with only a negligible amount of sugar. Well, it is unimaginable, correct? That is because frozen desserts like ice cream are synonymous with high sugar content.
The huge calories are likely to ripple into significant weight gain, not to speak of the potential effects of the preservatives and synthetic flavours used in whipping up these desserts.
13. Bagels
It is easy to think of bagels as healthy snacks as they fall under the bread family of food products. However, if you are not buying it from a local, handmade bakery, then its production probably involves alluring and unhealthy ingredients.
For example, ultra-processed bagels on the shelves of food retail stores will likely be dense with refined carbs and preservatives and short on fibre and micronutrients. Some even come with calorie-dense spreads.
14. French Fries
Do you love chicken and chips? Fry your chips and grill some chicken at home if possible. More often than not, the oil for frying commercial food is unhealthy.
Such oil may increase your cholesterol levels. Likewise, it may contain elevated levels of acrylamide from chip particles broken off into the oil during frying. So, it is advisable to consume French fries in moderation.
15. Nachos With Cheese
If you are a regular fan of eating out and going to the movies, you are likely to have encountered nachos one too many times.
Nachos made it to this list partly because hardly anyone eats them without the very processed cheese sauce. This combination exposes consumers to sodium, saturated fats, and calories. All these are the unfortunate precursors of heart conditions and obesity.
16. Cereal Bars
These ultra-processed snacks are often touted as healthy. Their selling point is that they are usually advertised as a more nutritious alternative to candy bars, but they are not that safe either.
Cereal bars are usually highly processed, low in fibre and high in sugar, so they, too, have the potential to cause weight gain and inflammation in regular consumers.
17. Pizza
Most store-bought pizzas contain high-fat cheese, toppings of processed meat and a refined flour base.
Make your own pizza at home to get the nutritious benefits of whole-grain dough and vegetable toppings.
18. Salted Nuts
All nuts are nutrient-dense and are usually good snacks to take on the go. However, the processes that the nuts go through are very important.
The type of nut this list spotlights is the salted variant. Salting nuts requires oil to make the salt stick, which loads them with a high amount of sodium and saturated fat. As we know, this combination can lead to elevated blood pressure and associated heart diseases. Dry-roasted, raw and unsalted nuts are healthier alternatives.
19. Cream-Filled Cookies
Baby Boomers are likely to tell tales of homemade cookies. These homemade baked goods are a far departure from the cookies coming off production lines and sitting on grocery store shelves these days.
The refined sugar, high calories and unhealthy fat in cream-filled cookies do not translate to nutritional benefits. On the contrary, consuming them regularly is a buildup to heart conditions, diabetes and obesity.
20. White Bread
White bread is made from refined flour, produced by removing the germ and bran of the wheat grains while milling.
Consequently, white bread is not only high in calories but is also short on nutrients. Likewise, it is lacking in fibre. So, regular consumption of white bread tends to cause type 2 diabetes and weight gain.
21. Pastries and Donuts
Milky donuts, cupcakes and similar yummies only have allure behind transparent food display glasses. However, they can have major consequences when consumed regularly.
The sugar-laden toppings, unhealthy fats and high carbs are detrimental to cardiovascular health and weight.
How to Make Healthier Choices
If you are accustomed to a sedentary lifestyle or are advanced in age, then your risk of developing the health issues that accompany these 21 snacks is even higher. To invest in your health and lower your risk of disease, follow these tips:
- Make a healthy grocery list before doing your shopping so that you are less tempted to fill your cart with processed items.
- Continue to research foods that are beneficial to your health and make the commitment to add more of them to your diet.
- If you have to eat snacks at all, make sure they are not ultra-processed. Opt for items like whole fruits and raw nuts.
Happy healthy snacking!
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