Food is a double-edged sword. Eating the right food is necessary simply to keep us alive. But make the wrong food choices, and you can ruin your health — and possibly shorten your life.
Following are some foods you should never buy again. In some cases, these foods are known to cause harm to the human body. In other cases, better choices are available.
1. White rice
White rice is a stockpile staple because it can last for decades when stored properly, as we detail in “20 Things That Are Actually Worth Stockpiling.” But there are better choices for your health.
A 2010 study found that people who ate at least five weekly servings of white rice had a 17% higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than those who ate less than one serving per month.
So, switch to brown rice. In the study, those who ate a least at least two servings of brown rice weekly had an 11% lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than those who ate less than one serving a month.
2. Lunch meats
Lunch meats long have been a staple of meals eaten at work or school. But in 2015, the World Health Organization delivered the bad news: The august agency declared processed meats to be a carcinogen.
In other words, consuming hot dogs, ham, bacon, sausage and some deli meats can put you at higher risk for cancer.
3. Swordfish
Fish can be a cornerstone of a healthful diet. A recent study also found it to be the most important dietary factor in avoiding cognitive decline as you age, as we report in “Eating This Food Can Reduce Your Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease.”
But it’s best to consume fish with a low mercury content, because mercury can damage the human brain and nervous system.
To stay safe, you may want to avoid eating swordfish, which tends to have high levels of mercury, which enters the environment naturally but also through pollution. That is because the mighty swordfish gobbles up a lot of smaller fish that tend to feast on mercury-laden plants and animals.
All that mercury eventually ends up in the swordfish — and potentially in you. The Food and Drug Administration offers a list of fish that are safer to eat.
4. Soda
Sorry, folks — that daily Coke or Mountain Dew puts you at risk for more than just a sugar-induced crash later in the day. Drinking soda is tough on your teeth. But even worse, it’s bad for your heart.
In fact, men who drink just one can of a sugary drink daily increase their risk of heart attack by 20% compared with men who seldom drink sugary drinks, according to the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Consumption of sugary soda also is linked to higher rates of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
5. Energy drinks
Sure, guzzling an energy drink can put rocket fuel in your day. But it also can damage your health over the long haul.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says energy drinks can lead to heart problems such as irregular heartbeat and even heart failure. These drinks also have been linked to everything from dehydration to insomnia and increased anxiety.
6. Ice cream
Everyone knows ice cream is not good for your waistline or your arteries. Somewhat bizarrely, eating ice cream may also trigger a cycle of brain activity typically seen in drug addicts.
A 2012 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating ice cream regularly “is related to a reduction in reward-region responsivity in humans, paralleling the tolerance observed in drug addiction.”
In other words, over time, you may need to eat more and more ice cream just to reach the same level of satisfaction you previously got from gobbling the cold treat. Who knew?
7. Multigrain bread
The very name “multigrain” screams that this is good for you. After all, when it comes to healthful fare, more has to be better, right?
But the prefix “multi” here is a bit misleading. According to the Mayo Clinic, multigrain simply means the bread contains more than one type of grain. It does not tell you anything about whether those grains are good for you.
So, put the multigrain bread back on the shelf and choose its neighbor instead, “100% whole grain” bread, which uses all parts of the grain kernel (the bran, germ and endosperm). That is the good stuff.
8. Microwave popcorn
This one is a little controversial. Some people say that an ingredient in many brands of microwave popcorn, diacetyl, can trigger a condition known as “popcorn lung.”
In essence, the danger is that you might develop the lung disease bronchiolitis obliterans, which damages the smallest airways and can leave you coughing and short of breath.
However, those who work in microwave-popcorn factories are at the greatest risk of this illness, and it’s unclear if simply eating this type of popcorn puts you in danger. To be safe, though, it might be best to simply pop and flavor your own popcorn.
9. Canned soup
Soup generally is good for you, but there is one huge drawback to buying canned varieties: sodium. Many canned soups are loaded with sodium, which can cause health maladies such as high blood pressure and heart issues.
So, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services urges you to look for low-sodium or “no salt added” varieties. Or even better, make your own soup so you can control sodium levels.
