Unhealthy Foods

Rose May Pimentel in Health

Mar 19, 2021 • 3 min Read

We’re a nation that loves to eat but sometimes we end up making bad choices. We crave for creamy, crunchy, fried dishes, that cause bulging waistlines, higher cholesterol, and rising blood pressure because they taste good, of course! But these foods that we can’t resist eating are sometimes the sources of lifestyle diseases like diabetes, hypertension, heart attack, stroke, and cancer.

Here are some of the “not-so-healthy foods” you should avoid eating, if possible, (eat them in moderation), according to Dr. Willie Ong, a health expert:

* Soft drink

Each bottle of regular soft drink contains eight teaspoonfuls of sugar.  “It’s like eating pure sugar and taking in water,” according to Ong. Even diet soft drinks must be avoided as they have unhealthy artificial sweeteners. A scientific study links the amount of consumed soft drink to the development of diabetes and heart diseases. Kidney specialists claim that diet soft drinks contain phosphorus, a substance that is harmful to kidneys. Phosphorus can make a person lose calcium in the urine and make the bones brittle.

* Potato chips and french fries

Unknowingly, these popular snacks contain acrylamide, a known carcinogen and neurotoxin formed when foods are baked or fried at high temperatures. Scientists have proven that acrylamide causes cancer in laboratory rats and nerve damage in humans.

* Fatty sauces

These refer particularly to the gravy, mayonnaise, and lemon tartar sauce. “For fast-food chicken, it’s the gravy that makes the chicken taste good,” Ong says. “But it’s high in calories and fats, too.”

* Alcoholic drinks

“Alcohol abuse can lead to a score of medical problems, such as liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, stomach ulcers, oral cancers, brain damage, dementia, nerve damage, and vehicular accidents,” Ong says.

* Junk foods

Junk foods typically contain high levels of calories from sugar or fats with little protein, vitamins, or minerals. Foods commonly considered junk foods include salted snack foods, gum, candy, sweet desserts, fried fast food, and sugary carbonated beverages.

* Half-cooked meat

“Eating medium-rare meats can lead to various parasitic diseases,” Ong says. “If you don’t cook the pork well, you can get infected with icky pork tapeworms.” If possible, avoid eating chicken still with blood, because that’s how you get bird flu. 

* Street foods

There are many types of foods sold in the streets. Most common are kwek-kwek, isaw, fish balls, betamax, calamares, green mango with bagoong, etc., and some drinks such as buko juice, iskrambol, and sago at gulaman. “Eating street food is a dangerous habit,” says Ong. “If food handlers don’t wash their hands, don’t wear gloves, or don’t use purified water, the parasites and bacteria can be passed on to you through these delectable and tasty street foods.”

* Organ innards

Filipinos love to eat liver, kidneys, lungs, stomach, intestines, hearts, and brain tissues. These are also the possible contents of the best-selling sisig. “If you think about it, it’s easy to suspect that it is unhealthy,” Ong says.  “It contains high cholesterol, high fat, and high uric acid. Besides, some experts suspect that these may cause bowel cancer.”

* Pork ‘chicharons’ and ‘chicharong bulaklak’

They’re so tasty and so fatty.  “All these unhealthy oils can accumulate and block your arteries and put you on the road to a heart attack,” Ong points out.

* Lechon, crispy pata and pata tim:

“These are the most favorite of Filipinos,” Ong says. “And they are the fattest that can cause colon cancer.  These are high calorie foods but yummy, too.”

Indeed, you’re health is what you eat, so eat for health.

Stay healthy and safe!