Ten Foods to Avoid to Remain Healthy

Many people claim they can eat whatever it is they want and never gain a pound. That may be the case now but that isn't usually the case always. Even if they can scarf down a huge bag of chips or a large ice cream sundae and not gain a pound from it does not mean that it is a healthy or good option. Here are some foods that Nutrition Action Health Letter, www.cspinet.org has listed among the top foods to avoid at all costs.

Pepperidge Farms Chicken Pot Pie - with over 1000 calories per pie, and many of us eat the whole pie, this is not a good option for anyone

McDonald's Chicken Selects - a five piece order has over 600 calories and 11 grams of fat as well as 1500 grams of sodium

The Cheesecake Factory 6 carb cheesecake - 610 calories in just one slice

Dove Ice cream - with 300 calories and 11 grams of fat in one half cup, that is more fat than anyone needs in a full day

Starbucks Venti Caffe Mocha - almost 500 calories and 16 grams of bad fat, not the best choice for a drink - the website quoted this as "a Big Mac in a cup"

Fresh Chicken and Broccoli Pasta at Ruby Tuesday's - over 2000 calories and 128 grams of fat in this one meal

Burger King Quad Stacker - 4 beef patties, 4 slices of cheese and 8 strips of bacon, not to mention the sauce and the bun, 1000 calories and 30 grams of fat and 1800 mg of sodium

Campbell's Soup - more sodium in that one can of soup than you can even imagine

Chipoltle Chicken Burrito with the works - 19 grams of saturated fat and over 1000 calories, without the sour cream and cheese, you are still looking at too much fat and calories but it does shave off a little

Mint Chip Dazzler at Haagen Dazs - 38 grams of saturated fat and over 1200 calories, that is about half of all the calories you should consume in one day

All of us have had these things at least a few times. Many people do not even bother reading labels. That can prove to be a very bad thing. You need to not only read the labels but read them correctly. On the label of Pepperidge Farms Pot Pies, it lists the information for one serving but says that there are two servings in the box meaning that only half of the pot pie is one serving. Most people will eat one pot pie by themselves since they are not that large. You would have to double all the information on the label to get accurate information but many people do not read enough of the label to know that is the case. You have to be proactive in how you eat now. There are hidden dangers in many items. Many people think that Campbell's soups are the healthier alternative to lunch than some other choices. With the amount of sodium in that one can of soup, you could really do a number on your blood pressure or create other health problems if you ate a lot of their soups. Moderation is key to everything in life. Just watch how often you eat these things and you will be doing yourself a big favor.

Now that we spoke of the no-no list, here are some things that you should eat according to the Nutrition Action Health Letter at www.cspinet.org .

Sweet potatoes - forever on the list of super foods, this is one of the best vegetables for you to consume with many vitamins and minerals packed into them

Grape tomatoes - packed with vitamin C and vitamin A and are great to snack on with some dip or alone

Fat free or 1% milk - (not whole or 2% milk though) - contains little or no artery clogging fat or cholesterol

Broccoli - loaded with vitamin C and folic acid, kids usually love broccoli with a little bit of cheese sauce on it

Wild Salmon - fewer PCB's than other fish and loaded with Omega 3

Crisp breads - such as whole grain rye crackers, whole grains are great for you

Brown rice - white rice is low in nutritional value and high on the glycemic index, brown rice is much healthier for you and tastes great too

Citrus fruits - filled with vitamin C, fiber and folic acid, a great snack choice

Butternut squash - vitamin C, A and fiber

Spinach or kale - loaded with vitamin C and calcium

So you see, not all foods that you like are necessarily bad for you. You probably didn't even realize that you do eat a lot of super foods already. How many people eat broccoli quite a bit or brown rice and didn't even realize that they were on the good list. Many have believed that milk is one of the bad things because of the fat content but if you switch to either fat free or 1%, you can still enjoy a glass of milk. Soy milk is a great alternative as well. It is so easy to slip some of these super foods into your every day meals. When it comes to kids, sneaking good things in is what most parents must do to get them to eat good. Kids generally like milk and citrus fruits. Most kids like broccoli and the ones that do not, you can cover it in some type of sauce or cheese. Sweet potatoes are usually a good one too. If you make sweet potato fries, they may not even realize that there is a difference. Children that enjoy eating fish usually will like salmon. There are ways to get not only kids but all of us to eat healthier. Moderation with the bad stuff is key. Do not deny yourself things, just eat a little at a time of the bad stuff. Enjoy life but try to live a healthy one.