- 1. French Fries
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- Potatoes are bad enough when consumed
in their raw state, as their simple sugars are rapidly converted to glucose
that raises insulin levels and can devastate your health. But when they
are cooked in trans fat at high temperatures, all sorts of interesting
and very unpleasant things occur.
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- It is theoretically possible to create
a more 'healthy' French fry if you cook it in a healthy fat like virgin
coconut oil. Due to its high saturated fat content, coconut oil is extremely
stable and is not damaged by the high temperatures of cooking. This is
why coconut oil should be the only oil you use to cook with.
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- Replace with Sweet Potatoes which are
high in vitamins. Cut into French fries, place on baking sheet, dab on
whipped egg whites, cook until golden brown and crunchy. Sprinkle with
cinnamon if you like. Delicious and healthy.
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- And it is a well known joke in the field
of nutrition that it just might be better to have one cigarette instead
of one French fry. Now think about that!
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- 2. Donuts
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- Doughnuts are fried, full of sugar and
white flour and most all varieties contain trans fat. Store-bought doughnuts
are made up of about 35 percent to 40 percent trans fat. An average doughnut
will give you about 200 to 300 calories, mostly from sugar, and few other
nutrients. It's too bad that Americans view doughnuts as a breakfast food
as, nutritionally speaking, eating a doughnut is one of the worst ways
to start off your day. It will through off your blood sugar and won't stay
with you so you'll be hungry again soon.
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- Instead, enjoy a whole wheat English
muffin topped with sugar free preserves. You wont even miss that gut bomb
called a donut.
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- 3. Soda
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- One can of soda has about 10 teaspoons
of sugar, 150 calories, 30 to 55 mg of caffeine, and is loaded with artificial
food colors and sulphites. I can't think of any good reason to ever have
it. The diet varieties are also problematic as they are filled with harmful
artificial sweeteners like aspartame.
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- Studies have linked soda to osteoporosis,
obesity, tooth decay and heart disease, yet the average American drinks
an estimated 56 gallons of soft drinks each year. Plus, drinking all that
sugar will likely suppress your appetite for healthy foods, which pave
the way for nutrient deficiencies.
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- Reach for a club soda with a splash of
lemon juice or a twist of lime. Refreshing and calorie free.
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- 4. Bacon and Hot Dogs or all cured meats
that contain Nitrates.
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- Many foods, especially cured meats such
as bacon and hot dogs, use nitrates to preserve color and maintain microbial
safety. Nitrate is harmless, but it can convert to nitrite, which can form
nitrosamines, a powerful cancer-causing chemical, in your body.
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- Opt for Nitrate-free turkey bacon or
nitrate free veggie hots dogs, the taste will be the same without all the
calories, fat, and sodium.
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- 5. Potato Chips
- They are high in fat, high in sodium
and good for nothing except weight gain, raising your blood pressure and
increasing your waste line! And stay away from the low fat ones that contain
Olestra. Olestra is not a healthy fat substitute as it is a fake fat which
binds with fat soluble vitamins A, E, D, and K. These vitamins keep the
immune system healthy and prevent some cancers, but Olestra binds with
them and eliminates them from your system. Olestra has also caused digestive
upset in some people, too.
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- Exchange your salty potato chips for
whole wheat crackers, whole wheat pretzels, or air-popped pop corn.
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- You can always catch JNL at her website,
www.jennifernicolelee.com, join her mailing list and get the latest news
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