Making them from scratch the typical old fashioned way you would make them home are bad enough: a serving of pancakes contains 8.8 grams (g) of fat, and piling on more fat may not work within your meal plan. Roughly half of the fat in pancakes is from saturated fat: 3.9 g. A serving of pancakes contains 27.2 g of carbohydrates, or 8.3 to 12 percent of the amount you need in a single day (on average).
The cakes are worse in saturated fats and carbs from fast food chains, make at home cakes from a box and the premade frozen packages you can readily get from the grocery shelf.
Let's not forget all the store bought syrup and butter we tend to pile on top of them - who knows what the syrups and butters are made with at the fast food chains or you buy off the store shelf?!
IF you want pancakes or waffles then you should opt to make them from scratch using one of the many low-carb recipes you can find online. As far as the syrup goes, why not try a Keto Low Carb Sugar-free Maple Syrup you make yourself?! Butter - try whipping it up yourself! Here's a recipe for Homemade Organic Cultured Butter or you can make a simple Homemade Butter.
See: Fast Foods High in Carbohydrates
Also see: Are Pancakes Healthy?
READ MORE - Click the link below
2. Soft or Hard Pretzels - Although pretzels contain a mix of carbohydrates, protein, fat and fiber, they aren’t exactly a healthy snack option.
Hard Pretzels - Unhealthy? This is mostly because of the small amount of protein - roughly 2.8 grams in a 1-ounce serving. This is not enough to give the body a sufficient energy burst.
On the positive side, pretzels also contain about 5% of the daily value of fiber and a handful of vitamins and minerals including iron, magnesium, potassium, niacin, and vitamin E. In fact, just a 1-ounce serving contains 1.55 mg of iron, 9% of a woman’s RDA, and 1.7 mg of niacin (vitamin B3), 12% of a woman’s RDA.
Soft Pretzels - Each small soft pretzel contributes approximately 2 ounces of grains to your daily intake; the USDA recommends 6 to 7 total ounces of grains each day. Soft pretzels contain essential nutrients that your body needs for good health, but they also have some nutritional drawbacks. Consume them in moderation as part of a balanced diet.
A small soft pretzel contains 210 calories, or roughly 10 percent of the calories in a standard 2,000-calorie diet. Approximately 84 percent of these calories come from carbohydrates, and each pretzel contains 43 grams of total carbs, including about 1 gram of fiber. Each small pretzel also provides a small amount of protein -- 5 grams -- and 2 grams of fat. Watch your portion size when consuming soft pretzels. While small versions contain a moderate amount of calories, medium and large soft pretzels pack a hefty caloric punch at 389 and 483 calories, respectively.
Many soft pretzels are made from refined grains -- those that have had the nutrient-packed germ and bran removed -- which makes them less healthy than whole-grain foods. Eat them in moderation -- perhaps as a weekly treat -- and make sure you pair them with healthful toppings. Choose yellow or Dijon mustard over fatty condiments, and choose smaller versions with fewer calories.
Salt is one of the biggest downsides to eating pretzels. While sodium is a necessary part of your diet, you don’t actually have to add it to any of your foods to get the proper amount. The naturally occurring salt in whole food sources is enough for your body to function. Too much sodium in the body leads to a host of negative health effects like high blood pressure and heart disease. Salt will make you thirsty as your electrolyte balance can be thrown off. High salt can also lead to osteoporosis by causing calcium to leach out of the bones. '
You should check the label on your pretzels before buying them as some contain much more salt than others. You can even buy ones without salt to prevent these consequences.
More on Hard Pretzels - Are Pretzels Bad For You?
More on Soft Pretzels - Soft Pretzel Nutrition Information
3. Ready to Eat Cereals - While not all ready to eat cereals are bad for you, a lot of them are made with refined carbs and sugar - and loaded with them. Ready to eat breakfast cereals are among the most popular processed foods that are high in added sugars.
Starting the day with a high-sugar breakfast cereal will spike your blood sugar and insulin levels. A few hours later, your blood sugar may crash, and your body will crave another high-carb meal or snack — potentially creating a vicious cycle of overeating.
Excess consumption of sugar may also increase your risk of tooth decay, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
Read the labels, the "Nutrition Facts" panel on the box carefully before buying. Shoot for a minimum of 2.5 grams of fiber per serving. Some cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals -- look for one that supplies at least 25 percent of daily requirements. MayoClinic.com suggests adding a few tablespoons of unprocessed wheat bran to boost the fiber content and make your morning cereal even better for you.
Adding FRESH fruit, nuts, yogurt or milk to your cereal boosts its nutritional value.
Avoid cereals that list sugar at the top or near the top of the ingredient list. Also steer clear of cereal that lists multiple types of sugar, such as dextrose, high fructose corn syrup, honey and brown sugar. Zied notes that the words “frosty” and “crunchy” are often code for sugary. The words “granola” and “natural” can also be misleading. The nutrition academy says these products can be high in sugar, fat and sodium. Corn flakes and puffed cereals aren’t the best choices either. They’re highly processed, which means they’re low in fiber.
Read more: Good & Bad Cereals
Also read: Breakfast Cereals: Healthy or Unhealthy?
4. Milkshakes - Whether a milk shake is good or bad depends on its ingredients, your individual situation and fitness goals. Because shakes are based on protein-rich milk, they're a good way to get extra calories for sports training or when you need to gain weight. Of course, the same calories create a problem when you're on a weight-loss program.
Fast Food Milkshakes - Avoid them. Fast-food restaurants are notorious for their high-calorie foods, and that includes their milk shakes. Vanilla milk shakes from two major fast-food chains -- including one marketed as being made from reduced-fat ice cream -- have 530 to 550 calories in a 12-ounce shake. They have 15 grams of total fat, 10 to 12 grams of saturated fat and 86 to 92 grams of total carbohydrates. Extras such as crumbled chocolate cookies, candy or whipped cream put any shake further over the top in calories and sugar.
Homemade Milkshakes - If you are on a weight-loss program, then as long as you make your own and use low-fat alternatives, chances are you can enjoy an occasional guilt-free milk shake.
Recipes for healthier milkshakes: Bonnie's Low Carb Milkshakes or Keto Low Carb Milkshakes.
Note: there are many other low carb milkshake recipes online.
Remember: If you want a low calorie milkshake: the type of milk you use further affects calories and fat. Recipes for milk shakes often call for whole milk, and some even call for the addition of heavy cream. To create a healthier milk shake, replace them with skim milk. One-half cup of whole milk, which is enough for one 12-ounce milk shake, has 75 calories, 4 grams of fat and 3 grams of saturated fat. Skim milk drops to 42 calories and no fat. Be sure you buy milk fortified with vitamin D because your body can't absorb calcium without it.
Source: Are Milk Shakes Bad For You?
5. Store Bought Cereal Bars - In most cases: there are several different forms of sugar used in a product, each of these sugars are listed separately. In the case of some of the cereal bars, this gives the impression that the bars contain less sugar than they do – the amount of sugar, if it was given as a total, would have had to appear higher on the list.
Some of the different kinds of sugar found in the cereal bars were glucose syrup, honey, golden syrup, raw cane syrup, inverted sugar syrup, molasses, glucose-fructose syrup, barley malt syrup, dried glucose syrup, partially inverted sugar syrup, fructose, lactose, prebiotic oligofructose syrup, grape juice concentrate, oligofructose syrup, dextrose and sugar. A cereal bar that contains, for example, honey, glucose syrup and fructose would have these three ingredients listed separately on its list of ingredients, even though they are all sugar.
Your best bet: Find a low carb to make the at home if you can't find a true low carb cereal bar readymade. A good starting point for a do it yourself recipe for making at home:
Low Carb Crunch Protein Bars (Keto, Paleo, Vegan) or Keto Granola Bars.
Source: Cereal Bars Don't Deserve 'Healthy Image'
6. Cake with Frosting - Box-mix, ready-made frosting or all homemade. No matter how many recipes you may see for "healthy" cakes, cakes aren't healthy. However, some cakes are less unhealthy than others, and if you bake your own cakes, you can make substitutions to improve their nutritional profile. Choosing angel food cake, for example, allows you to have a slice of cake without consuming the very high amounts of calories, fat, sugar and sodium found in many frosted cakes.
Cakes contain lots of saturated fat, high in calories, high in sugar and quite a bit of sodium.
Frostings: When it comes to foods to avoid, frosting takes the cake. With nothing good to offer (except perhaps taste), it should only be enjoyed very sporadically, if at all.
Frosting contain an abundance of saturated fat, but many brands also contain the amount of trans fat in one serving that is "allowed" for one full day. High fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors / coloring, and a variety of other preservatives may also be present, but will vary brand to brand.
Consuming frosting regularly can lead to a host of health issues including, but not limited to, diabetes, heart disease, weight gain, liver dysfunction, and infertility in women (because of the trans fat). Due to its high sugar content, frosting can also lead to cavities and tooth decay.
With benefits that are slim to none and an array of associated problems too vast to list, frosting is one food that should be avoided. Having one cupcake or one slice of cake once in a while shouldn't do any harm, but making it a regular part of your diet could be putting your health in serious jeopardy.
If you’re committed to healthy eating, you don’t need to eliminate cake from your diet. Instead, try to focus on choosing those that will help you increase your fruit and vegetable intake. Cakes made with dried fruit or apples, bananas, carrots, or pumpkin can be delicious treats for someone following a well-balanced diet. If these choices don’t sound appetizing enough, consider angel food or sponge cake. However, chocolate fudge cakes and other ultra-rich desserts should be saved for special occasions only.
If you want to adapt your favorite recipe to make it more nutritious, try replacing some of the sugar or fat in the cake with a fruit puree made from apples or apricots stewed in a small amount of water. Depending upon your personal preferences and the type of cake you’re trying to bake, fruit juice, flavored yogurt, or nonfat sour cream can also be used to cut calories without sacrificing taste.
The type of ingredients in a cake will also play an important role in determining whether or not the it is bad for your health. A cake made using organic sugar, whole wheat flour, free-range eggs, and a reduced fat olive oil-based spread can be both delicious and nutritious. These ingredients may cost slightly more than what you’re used to paying, but they are better for you than baking a cake that contains refined white flour, hydrogenated vegetable oils, and other unhealthy food additives.
Make frequent use of natural vanilla, cocoa, and cinnamon to boost your cake’s flavor without adding unnecessary calories. For a finishing touch that won’t ruin your diet, top it with powdered sugar or try a tangy cream cheese icing,
Regardless of the type you choose, portion control is an essential part of healthy eating. To avoid the risk of overindulgence, consider cutting your cake into several small squares or buying a set of mini-cake pans. Eat slowly, take small bites, and savor the results of your hard work.
Source: Is All Cake Bad For My Health?
Another: Is Cake Unhealthy?
The last: Is Frosting Bad For You?
7. Canned Fruits - Buyer Beware! Fruits canned in heavy syrup coat healthy pieces of fruit with loads of added sugar. One-half cup of pears canned in their own juice provides 60 calories and 12 grams of sugar. However, when packed in heavy syrup, the same amount contains 100 calories and 19 grams of sugar. Those extra 40 calories and 7 grams of sugar are all from added sugars.
Read the label: When you’re shopping for canned fruit, look for fruits labeled “packed in its own juice” or “unsweetened.” Fruits labeled “packed in syrup” or "packed in juice" may have added sugar, which translates into extra calories and carbohydrates. Canned fruit packed in its own juice retains its polyphenolic content, according to the American Council on Exercise.
Canned fruit may not have the fresh flavor and firm texture of recently harvested ripe fruit, but it does provide fiber, carbohydrates and essential minerals. Although fruit may lose some of its vitamin content during the canning process, its basic nutritional profile is similar to fresh fruit. For 15 g of carbohydrates and 60 calories, fresh fruit offers more volume than unsweetened canned fruit, which means that eating a serving of fresh fruit may satisfy your hunger more effectively than its canned equivalent.
The good about canned fruits: When storing fresh fruit for many days, the vitamin C content tends to diminish (the vitamin is easily destroyed by exposure to air). Canned fruit, however, will still retain much of its vitamin C—even when stored for several months—a clear advantage over fresh. Many fresh fruits are also shipped for miles or sit in storage for days before being enjoyed. This also leads to degradation of their nutritional content.
The Bottom Line: Canned fruit can certainly be a part of a healthy eating plan, but it’s important to read labels and choose cans wisely.
Source: Canned Fruit: Good or Bad?
2nd Source: Is Canned Fruit as Healthy as Fresh Fruit?
8. Sugary Drinks - Drinking sugary beverages is a major contributor to the increase of global obesity. There are many risks associated with drinking sugary drinks including increasing risk for: obesity, tooth decay, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, gout and making poor diet choices.
The sugar in the drinks (canned sodas, sweet iced teas) do not make you feel full and strongly linked to weight gain. The most common form of added sugar — sucrose or table sugar — supplies large amounts of the simple sugar fructose. Fructose does not lower the hunger hormone ghrelin or stimulate fullness in the same way as glucose, the sugar that forms when you digest starchy foods. Thus, when you consume liquid sugar, you usually add it on top of your total calorie intake — because sugary drinks don’t make you feel full.
Large amounts of sugar are turned into fat in your liver. Sugary drinks are the easiest and most common way to consume excessive amounts of fructose. When you consume too much, your liver becomes overloaded and turns the fructose into fat. Some of the fat gets shipped out as blood triglycerides, while part of it remains in your liver. Over time, this can contribute to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
Sugar increases belly fat accumulation. High sugar intake is associated with weight gain. In particular, fructose is linked to a significant increase in the dangerous fat around your belly and organs. This is known as visceral fat or belly fat. Excessive belly fat is tied to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Sugary soda may cause insulin resistance — a Key Feature of Metabolic Syndrome. The hormone insulin drives glucose from your bloodstream into your cells. But when you drink sugary soda, your cells may become less sensitive or resistant to the effects of insulin. When this happens, your pancreas must make even more insulin to remove the glucose from your bloodstream — so insulin levels in your blood spike. This condition is known as insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is arguably the main driver behind metabolic syndrome — a stepping stone towards type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
The sugary sodas may lead to Type 2 diabetes. It is a common disease, affecting millions of people worldwide. It is characterized by elevated blood sugar due to insulin resistance or deficiency.
Sugary sodas have no nutritional value. They contain no essential nutrients — no vitamins, no minerals, and no fiber. It adds nothing to your diet except excessive amounts of added sugar and unnecessary calories.
The sodas maybe addicting. Binging on sugar may have similar effects in certain people, as your brain is hardwired to seek out activities that release dopamine. In fact, numerous studies suggest that sugar — and processed junk foods in general — affect your brain like hard drugs.
Sugar intake has long been linked to heart disease risk. It is well established that sugar-sweetened drinks increase risk factors for heart disease, including high blood sugar, blood triglycerides, and small, dense LDL particles. Recent human studies note a strong association between sugar intake and heart disease risk in all populations.
Soda drinker have a higher risk of cancer. Cancer tends to go hand-in-hand with other chronic diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. For this reason, it is unsurprising to see that sugary drinks are frequently associated with an increased risk of cancer.
*Postmenopausal women who drink a lot of sugary soda may also be at greater risk for endometrial cancer, or cancer of the inner lining of the uterus.
The sugar is a determent to the health of your teeth. Soda contains acids like phosphoric acid and carbonic acid. These acids create a highly acidic environment in your mouth, which makes your teeth vulnerable to decay. While the acids in soda can themselves cause damage, it is the combination with sugar that makes soda particularly harmful. Sugar provides easily digestible energy for the bad bacteria in your mouth. This, combined with the acids, wreaks havoc on dental health over time.
Soda drinker have an increased risk of gout. Gout is a medical condition characterized by inflammation and pain in your joints, particularly your big toes.
High sugar consumption is linked to dementia. Dementia is a collective term for declines in brain function in older adults. The most common form is Alzheimer's disease. Research shows that any incremental increase in blood sugar is strongly associated with an increased risk of dementia. In other words, the higher your blood sugar, the higher your risk of dementia.
It can cause a lower intake of calcium and milk. A concern with drinking sugary drinks, especially for kids, is the sugary drink can replace other nutrient rich drinks in the diet. A 2007 meta-analysis study looking at over 88 studies (found a clear association between soft drink consumption and a lowered intake of milk, calcium and other nutrients. A concern for a lowered intake of calcium is a higher risk for osteoporosis later in life.
Poor dietary choices. Unfortunately, when you are drinking sugary drinks, you may be more likely to eat unhealthier food which can further increase risk for conditions listed above.
Bottom Line: Drinking high amounts of sugar-sweetened beverages — such as soda — can have various adverse impacts on your health.
Link: 13 Ways Sugary Soda is Bad for You Health
Link: 7 Ways Sugary Drinks are Bad for You
9. Candies - While an occasional candy bar can be part of an otherwise healthy diet, eating candy regularly can negatively affect your health. Too much candy can provide you with large amounts of unhealthy substances, such as sugars and fats.
Saturated fats, sugars, and calories are the enemies here. The candy can cause weight gain, reduces nutrients intake, tooth decay & risk of diseases. In away, the candies are much like the sugary sodas (see #8 in this blog post for more).
High-fat, high-calorie and high-sugar diets are responsible for a whole host of health conditions. Large amounts of sugar contributes to insulin resistance, which can cause diabetes. Sugar leaches calcium from your bones, making osteoporosis a worry. Eating a lot of fat increases your risk of heart disease, obesity and depression. Poor diets lower the effectiveness of your immune system, making it easier for your body to succumb to a virus. Many of these conditions play a role in the development of others. For example, being overweight increases your risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Healthier choices: The American Heart Association explains that added sugar intake should be limited to no more than half of your discretionary allowance, which is roughly 100 calories or 6 teaspoons a day for women, or 150 calories or 9 teaspoons a day for men. There are some natural alternatives you can eat that have no added sugar, such as raisins and dates mixed with nuts or dried fruit. Be aware that even though these products have no added sugar, they are still high in sugar content, especially dried fruits that are condensed.
See: The Effects of Candy on the Body
See: Why is Candy Bad for Your Health?
10. Potato & Corn Chips, Also French Fries (Onions Rings)
Weight Gain: Chips are high in calories and fat, you will be eating additional calories that increase your risk of gaining weight. You get about 430 calories from a basket of chips and salsa – it also provides you with about 22g of fat. Even if you eat only 1oz of tortilla chips, you would be putting 140 calories and 7g of fat into your body. Overtime, this increases your risk of becoming obese, which in turn leads to several problems, including hypertension, diabetes, and some forms of cancer.
Low Nutrition: Chips, including tortilla chips, in your diet to replace other more nutritious food options is never a good thing. Chips are not rich in minerals and vitamins. You will be better off eating some healthy snacks that provide you with any nutrients you may not be getting at meal times.
Sodium - Hypertension: The presence of a high amount of sodium in chips makes them a bad choice if you already have some heart problems. An ounce of tortilla chips may contain up to 160mg of sodium – eating a bag would mean you are consuming more than an ounce of chips. Their high sodium content also increases your risk of developing hypertension even if you do not already have any cardiovascular problem.
Ideally, you should be consuming less than 2,300mg of sodium a day – go for even lower (around 1,500mg/day) if you already have hypertension. A high sodium diet increases your blood pressure that can lead to heart failure, stroke, kidney disease, and coronary heart disease.Oil/Fat- High Cholesterol: Are potato and corn chips bad for you? Yes, they are, if you eat in excess. And one big reason is that it can increase your cholesterol levels. That happens because chips are rich in bad fat. Since these chips are deep-fried, their fat content goes up. Even worse, the fat found in chips is Trans-fat, which is the most dangerous type of fat, as it increases bad cholesterol levels.
Potato Chips & French Fries: A lot of the harmful effects of potato chips come from the way in which they are cooked. The perfect chip is fried until it is lightly golden brown. Achieving this technique requires high heat. Chips are traditionally washed, blanched and deep-fat fried until completely crispy. While fat certainly can make foods tasty, it's long been known that foods that are high in fat are typically not good for you. Beyond this, frying foods using high heat can affect their nutrient content. This is exactly what happens to chips. The process of washing, blanching and frying causes the potatoes to lose most of their beneficial nutrients, including antioxidants.
The cooking process used to make chips can also create by-products that are negative to your health. There is one molecule in particular, called acrylamide, that is known to be a neurotoxin and cause cancer. Acrylamide can accumulate in the body and increase your chances of certain diseases. Acrylamide tends to form in starchy foods when they are cooked at high temperatures. Potato, a vegetable well-known for its starchiness, is known to have a very high acrylamide concentration when made into potato chips. The majority of acrylamide in your diet likely comes from some sort of fried potato product, like French fries or chips.
Corn Chips: These seemingly harmless chips, you would be adding extra fat, calories, and sodium to your diet. So, are they bad for your health? Yes, they are, especially when you eat on a regular basis.
And it could be worse with packaged tortillas. So many unhealthy additives may be involved in the process of turning soft tortilla into a crunchy corn snack, and this can make those chips bad for your health.
Onion Rings: Just like above: calories intake may get out of control. Frying can multiply the amount of calories many more times than you care to imagine. Deep-frying also depletes onions of its minerals, vitamins and antioxidants. Deep-fried onion rings may be tasty but they are usually nothing more than fats and calories. Excess fats leads to obesity, which brings on other serious illnesses such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, bone disease, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, body pain and some types of cancers.
Are there a healthier choices? You may find that your supermarket now offers potato chips that are baked, kettle cooked or vacuum fried. Vacuum-fried foods may not use any oil, so this method may reduce the fat content of chips; microwaved chips are starting to become popular and may even be sold as fortified foods in the near future. You should be aware that most potato chips are likely to have some amount of acrylamide, though, as it forms at high temperatures in starchy foods regardless of cooking technique. If you're keen on eating chips but want to avoid acrylamide, you can always try vegetable crisps of a different type. Always look for low-salt, low-fat versions, which are less likely to contain the same type of by-products and may retain more vitamins and minerals.
A good idea would be to try baked tortilla chips. They container fewer calories and are low in fat as compared to fried chips. Alternatively, you can try unsalted whole-wheat pretzels with air-popped popcorns to keep your calorie intake low – you will also get additional fiber in this case. And of course, you can also try low-sodium baked apple chips or veggie chips to satisfy your hunger without having to deal with serious side effects.
Source: Are Tortilla (Corn) Chips Bad for You?
Source: Why are Chips Bad for You?
Source: Are Onion Rings Healthy?
Additional Source: Top 10 Foods Highest in Carbohydrates
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