Introduction
Welcome to Eat This Not That, the ultimate guide to making healthier food choices. Eating healthy is one of the most important things you can do for your health, and this guide will help you make the best decisions for your body. We’ll cover the #1 worst thing anyone can do for their health, and provide tips and tricks to help you make healthier choices. So let’s get started!
The #1 Worst Thing Anyone Can Do for Their Health — Eat This Not That
When it comes to our health, what we eat can have a huge impact. Eating the wrong foods can lead to a variety of health issues, from obesity to diabetes to heart disease. So it’s important to make sure we’re eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong ones.
The #1 worst thing anyone can do for their health is to eat processed foods. Processed foods are those that have been altered from their natural state, usually by adding preservatives, artificial flavors, and other additives. These foods are often high in calories, fat, sugar, and sodium, and they lack the essential vitamins and minerals that our bodies need to stay healthy.
Instead of processed foods, it’s important to focus on eating whole, unprocessed foods. These include fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Eating a diet rich in these foods can help you maintain a healthy weight, reduce your risk of chronic diseases, and provide your body with the nutrients it needs to stay healthy.
So if you want to stay healthy, make sure to avoid processed foods and focus on eating whole, unprocessed foods. Your body will thank you!
Staying healthy has many factors—lifestyle choices, genetics, and environment all play a part. But if you asked the average doctor, “What’s the worst thing a person could do to wreck their health”—or conversely, what’s one change you can make to have the most far-reaching positive effects on health—chances are you’d get the same answer. Read on to find out more—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.
Pound for pound—pardon the pun—being overweight or obese is the worst thing you can do for your health. Carrying excess weight increases the risk of many serious diseases, compromises the immune system, and shortens lifespan. “From cancer to diabetes to heart disease, obesity increases the risk and severity of these medical conditions,” John Magaña Morton, MD, a Yale Medicine obesity expert and division chief of bariatric and minimally invasive surgery, told ETNT Health. “When you add in that obesity decreases the effectiveness of medical treatment and raises the risk of complications during treatment, obesity is by far the most consequential health condition we have.”
Obesity is determined by the body mass index (BMI). A BMI of 18 to 25 is considered normal, while a BMI over 25 is considered overweight. A BMI over 30 is considered obesity, which brings an increased risk for health problems.
RELATED: Losing This Kind of Fat is Most Important, Say Studies
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is associated with an increased risk of the following serious health consequences:
RELATED: Over 60? Don’t Say These Things to Your Doctor
People tend to become obese because they regularly consume more calories than they expend. Some foods that are highly processed—including simple carbs, sweets, packaged snack foods and fast food—don’t fill you up, and they encourage you to overeat. A diet that’s heavy in processed foods like chips and cookies will increase a person’s blood sugar, which can cause insulin to spike and crash, leading to frequent feelings of hunger.
RELATED: These are the 5 “Worst States for Driving,” Says New Study
Experts say there’s no magic bullet (or diet) for weight loss. The key is to consume fewer calories. “The truth is, almost any diet will work [for weight loss] if it helps you take in fewer calories,” says Harvard Medical School.
So doctors advise eating high-quality calories, like those provided by the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables, fish and olive oil, and is low in red meat, processed meats and processed foods. “The quality of the diet is much more important than the quantity of calories,” says JoAnn Manson, MD, DrPH, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and chief of preventive medicine at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. “A high-quality diet will almost automatically lead to better calorie control—you’re going to be eating foods with higher satiety.” And to get through this pandemic at your healthiest, don’t miss these 35 Places You’re Most Likely to Catch COVID.