The 10 worst foods you can eat

Most of us are aware of the foods to avoid when looking to follow a healthy, balanced diet but which are the main culprits to steer clear of? Take a look at our list of 10 of the most sinful foods that are particularly bad for your body and your long-term wellbeing.

Pork scratchings

Heavy and hard, we are talking fatty pig skin deep fried and then doused in salt. Also, if you are lucky you might even get one sporting a few hairs; pig hair is usually removed by quickly burning the skin before it is cut into pieces and cooked in the hot fat.

Plus, they are not great for your teeth either; we couldn't get the stats on how many dental injuries have been inflicted by eating these suckers but we are guessing it's pretty high.

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Fried desserts

Fried desserts feature high up on the list of worst foods to eat as essentially you are dipping something in batter that is already high in sugar and fat, and then deep frying it.

And don't be fooled by pineapple and banana fritters either, they are no better because they are fruit, the layer of batter and the fact they are swimming in sugary syrup make them no go dishes too.

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Cheesy fries

Fries could feature as a bad food on their own, but cutting these from your life totally would be a hard move.

But taking a plate fried potato and layering it in cheese, well, that takes them up a notch in the bad food stakes. Cheese typically contains over 10 times as much saturated fat as fish and white meat and coupled with deep fried carbs, a serving of cheesy chips are a big bad no no.

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Fizzy drinks

Pop and soda - yeah they're bad, mainly because they pack massive amounts of calories, even in small quantities, so you are adding to your daily calorie quota and getting little nutritional value in return. Studies have also linked fizzy drink consumption to osteoporosis, tooth decay and heart disease.

And diet drinks are not recommended either, granted they are lower in calories but as they contribute to dental erosion (the bubbles in the drink are acidic) they are a no go as well.

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Coloured alcopops

Cutting alcohol totally from your diet is a bit like the chip situation, not entirely practical and could lead to a generally joyless existence, but there are boozy drinks that are far worse than the others and alcopops are one of them.

Alcopops are again big calorie culprits as they are packed with sugar and calorific alcohol. Plus the fact that they are full of colours and flavourings all contribute to making them a pretty toxic tipple. Little rule of thumb, the brighter the colour of the alcopop, potentially the worse it is for you.

Instead opt for clear spirits with soda, tonic or fruit juice and steer clear of the technicolour stuff.

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Liquid meals

Okay, they aren't inherently bad for you, but liquid meals or meal-replacement drinks do keep you from eating proper food.

You need to make sure you eat eating whole, natural foods to ensure you gain all your nutrients. Meal replacements maybe okay for people who are too ill to eat, but don't let them replace the real foods in your diet.

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Processed meats

These are also sometimes referred to as 'mystery meats' because it's ambiguous as to what some of them actually contain. But you can be assured that if it comes from a can and is kind of unrecognisable - it's not going to be great for your body.

Try to steer clear of sausages and salamis too, these food stuffs are generally all the unwanted bits churned up with fat and salt, we are talking heads, knees and toes (plus a few other less-desirable bits).

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Chicken nuggets

First off, chicken nuggets that are not made from fillets are the real bad guys. Again it's similar to the sausages situation, all the leftover carcass bits mixed up with sawdust-type stuff to bulk out the meat so manufacturers can crank out more portions.

But it's when these little nuggets are deep fried that really boosts their 'worst-food' status and it's all to do with the size. Smaller fried items, i.e. nuggets absorb more fat that larger pieces of fried goods, so a portion of nuggets will pack way more fat that a single larger fried piece. So if you want fried chicken - go for a big breast.

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Doughnuts

If there is one food that epitomises the 21st century junk food it's the doughnut. Coated, filled, glazed, sugared, jam crammed or plain old ring they are not great for your body.

And it's not only the refined flour, refined sugar and then the frying in the refined oil that makes them bad for you.

Doughnuts will upset blood-sugar balance, and give a quick high followed by a crash and burn low, then you guessed it, you're hungry again and reaching for another one - that's why they generally come in boxes of 10.

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Canned soups

Now, soups don't seem to be one of the bad boys and in comparison to some of the above, and they probably can sit quite comfy in the middle of the bad-food scale, but it's their salt-packing stealth that gets them into this list.

Soups mainly sport a healthy identity; wholesome, warming and good for you. The reality is many canned varieties are super-high in salt, so if you must have soup, avoid the canned ones or make your own.

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