Nutrient rich foods nourish your body with the vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, protein, carbohydrates, fats and enzymes it needs to function. Unfortunately, it has become increasingly commonplace for companies to produce, and for all of us to consume, food products with almost no nutritional value whatsoever.
To make you aware of some of the worst offending foods, we’ve compiled a list of 50 commonly eaten foods with almost 0 nutritional value. While some on this list are foods we all know to be unhealthy, you may be surprised by others. The purpose of such a list isn’t to discourage you from eating these foods altogether, but to make you aware of how shockingly little they actually nourish your body.
Breakfast
This is said to be the most important meal of the day. Here are some foods that might not be such a good way to start it off.
1. Bran Muffin The word ‘bran” makes it sound healthy, but actually this muffin contains 680 calories and 40 grams of fat. Most muffins and scones are high in fat and scones contain Tran’s fat as well.
2. Doughnuts One piece of a glazed doughnut contains 200 calories. Even worse, they contain 4 grams of Tran’s fat which is 2 times more than the recommended amount per day.
3. Cinnabon There is nothing healthy about these cinnamon buns at all. You might as well eat 3 brownies for breakfast. Over 32 grams of fat and 813 calories.
4. Breakfast or Cereal Bar These bars are low in fat but high in sugar. They offer very little in vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
5. Bacon With considerably low protein content, this is not a particularly nutritious meat. Bacon is also extremely high in fat.
6. Frozen Waffles Another example of empty calories. Most people add margarine and syrup, hence adding even more calories and Tran’s fat.
7. Dry Breakfast Cereals Most are high in sugar, salt, and preservatives. Even the “highly nutritious” cereals have refined grains to which vitamins and minerals are then added.
8. Pop Tarts Although they contain no cholesterol, they are still very high in sugar. They also have minimal or no protein.
9. Bagel with Cream Cheese Bagels contain white flour which has no nutritional value. Spread it with cream cheese and you add calories and fat.
Snacks
Snacking is a way of life for many people. Unfortunately a lot of today’s snacks are pre packaged and loaded with sugars.
10. Candy Bars Some of them can actually have a few grams of protein but they are a nutritional nightmare. After all they are located in the candy isle.
11. Potato Chips They are fried and packed with tons of preservatives to keep them fresh for months.
12. Granola Bars The chewier they are the more sugar and fat they have. The oils and grains that go into them have minimal vitamins and minerals.
13. Sun Chips They are low in saturated fat but they are not as healthy as they are cracked up to be. This snack has over 200 calories and and 180 milligrams of sodium.
14. Berry Blast Power bar Contains no fiber and lists evaporated cane juice (sugar) as its first ingredient.
15. Mini Pretzels Pretzels are processed wheat and contain no vitamins or minerals. They also are high in sodium.
16. Pork Rinds Fried pork skins. Need we say any more?
17. Fruit snacks These gummy fruit snacks might say they are low in fat but they are packed with fructose corn syrup, chemicals, and most of them have a minimal amount of vitamins if any.
18. Crackers Most are made with white flour and are loaded with Tran’s fat. Read your labels to find the few that aren’t.
19. Corn Chips Basically the same as potato chips. They are fried and when eaten like nachos with cheese, sour cream, and guacamole they become even worse.
20. Twinkies The creamy filling is fake whip cream, and the rest of it is sugar, flour, and flavoring.
Drinks
We face liquid temptation all day long. From coffee to soda to evening dinner drinks, today’s beverages account for 21% of the calories the average American consumes a day.
21. Soda Sorry, but this includes diet also. There is absolutely no nutritional value and it’s fortified with a bunch of chemicals.
22. Kool-Aid It is artificially flavored and is really nothing but sugar water.
23. Sweet Tea Tea alone can contain some antioxidants, but when adding sugar combined with the caffeine, there is no nutritional value.
24. Fruit drinks & punch Anything that says “ades”or “cocktail “behind it might look healthy but contains little juice and lots of added sugar.
25. Frozen coffee drinks Frozen coffee mixtures pollute the antioxidants in a simple cup of joe. With whole milk, sugary syrups, and whip cream you end up with half a day’s worth of calories.
26. Vitamin Water Vitamins and water might sound like the ultimate in nutrition, but one bottle carries more sugar and calories than a can of coke.
27. Chai Tea Latte Flavored lattes, even ones with healthy stuff like chai are bad news. Stick to skinny lattes and unsweetened chai.
28. Hot chocolate Not to be confused with hot cocoa which does have some nutritional value. Hot chocolate has an extremely high fat content and is very high in sugar even when used with skim milk.
29. Red Bull This energy drink contains a small amount of vitamin B but it is packed with chemicals, calories, caffeine, and sugar.
30. Premade Fruit Smoothies Very low in fiber and contain high fructose corn syrup. It’s better to make them yourself.
Dinner
This is usually the one meal a day where everyone is together. Having a nutritious dinner is good for you and your families’ health.
31. Mashed potatoes and gravy Prepared with cream and loads of butter, the little nutritional value the potatoes have is compromised. Adding the gravy just increases the fat content and calories.
33. Pasta Unless this is whole grain, you are basically having the same issue as eating white rice.
34. French Fries Loaded with starch, oil, and salt. They are also high in Tran’s fat and have no nutritional value.
35. Canned vegetables Processed or canned vegetables lose almost all of their nutritional value. Fresh and frozen are the best for you.
36. White rice This is processed white grains which means the fiber and nutritional value have been removed.
37. Fried non-fish seafood Seafood like shrimp, clams, and lobster contain high Trans fat. They also contain mercury and possibly parasites.
38. Boxed macaroni and cheese While nothing beats this boxed macaroni and cheese for comfort food, the nutrition of this dish leaves something to be desired.
39. Egg rolls Basically a deep fried fat bomb. The frying takes away any nutritional value of the cabbage and carrots that are used.
40. Hot dogs Beef and pork hot dogs are made from cows and pigs with no byproducts. However, most contain sodium nitrate which is a chemical used to preserve them. This alleviates any nutritional value you might have gotten.
Desserts
Desserts, although delectable in taste, are made with mostly sugar. Sorry to say there are few out there than can be called “nutritious”.
41. Cheesecake If this was made from real cheese it might not be so bad. Unfortunately this is made from butter, sugar, cream cheese, chocolate, and cream.
42. Oreo Cookies Contain about 60% of fat and extremely high in Tran’s fat. The filling packs on an additional 160 calories per cookie.
43. Key Lime Pie There is only a tiny amount of lime juice in this mix. Instead it’s full of sugar, cream, and graham cracker crust.
44. Candy coated popcorn The little vitamins that popcorn does contain are diminished by the high in sugar candy coating.
45. Carrot cake Nothing is healthy about these carrots. This dessert is made from white flour, sugar, and oil and has no nutritional value.
46. Italian ices These ices are nothing but sugar water. They contain an extremely high amount of fructose corn syrup.
47. Hard Candy This list includes lollipops, jawbreakers, after dinner mints. Their only ingredients are chemicals and sugar.
48. Bread Pudding White bread has no nutritional value at all. This is a recipe for high saturated fat and calories.
49. Marshmallows A confection composed of corn syrup, invert sugar, and more sugar. They do contain 20% water.
50. Jelly Beans They do have zero fat, sodium and cholesterol but have no nutritional value whatsoever.
The foods mentioned here are pretty easy to spot. Just consider this list as a reminder that there are plenty more out there. Always remember to read your labels and keep the serving size in mind.
via http://radiologytechnicianschools.net/50-popular-foods-with-almost-zero-nutritional-value/
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