Other than donuts and french fries, what are the top 20 or more worst food items for your health?

My own demons are ice cream and baked goods. I’ve managed to back away from my former bacon and sausage adoration, but the ice cream addiction is tough to shake.

Soda.
Energy drinks.

I was hoping a long list of things, other than (from a random to me site) https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/20-foods-to-avoid-like-the-plague

..I notice bacon is not in that site’s link.

“Flame-ups and high heat cause charring, and charred meats may contain cancer-causing agents. Cut off any charred parts before serving grilled goodies. Marinating meat is shown to reduce the potential for carcinogen development.”
https://mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/advice-for-safe-and-healthy-grilling

I’m looking for Mayo clinic’s list.

Soda

Highly processed sugary snacks like Twinkies and Ding Dongs, and Hostess Cupcakes.

Highly processed salty snacks such as Cheetos, and potato chips.

Highly processed packaged foods with way too much sodium, sugar, and preservatives such as Campbell’s soups, most brands of instant (non baked) ramen soups, Cup o’Noodles, most frozen entrees, white bread.

Fruit drinks that are labeled as “cocktail” that are not 100% juice.

Energy drinks

Most items from fast food restaurants such as cheeseburgers, and fried chicken, and submarine sandwiches filled with processed meats such as salami, bacon, and bologna.

Most fried foods, whether cooked at home, eaten at a sit down style restaurant, or picked up from a fast food take out place.

Cheese, if eaten in large quantities on a regular basis.

Imitation processed “cheese food” such as American cheese, and that gooey orange nacho cheese.

Most brands of hotdogs.

Candy, ice cream, and baked goods such as cookies, pie, and cake, if eaten too often, and at the exclusion of other healthier foods.

My family has discovered that fried foods such as fried chicken, French fries, make them feel exhausted after they eat them Fried foods are bad for you because they heat and cool the oils repeatedly, which hastens oxidation. That’s never a good thing.

Sugar is probably worst of all the dietary no-no’s, and high fructose corn syrup is worse yet.

Pork fat. Red meat. Eggs.

Fried butter.

Seriously, it’s a thing.

Anything that’s white.

Deep fried Twinkies.

@kritiper Anything white? Even egg whites? Rice? Milk? White fish? Coconut?

If you’re going to eat baked goods (cakes, etc.), probably better to eat homemade stuff where you can cut the sugar a bit, rather than store bought, boxed stuff which they pump up with sugar so it appeals to sweet lovers.

coffee

Almost anything that’s white.

Did anyone mention ice cream? It’s basically fat, sugar with flavoring.

Pop.
Candy.
Cakes.
Fried foods.

@jca2 I have a friend who used to make butter ball cookies at Christmas and hand them out. Last year I got a craving for them. I haven’t had them in 22 years. They’re basically a streusel formed into a ball, baked, then rolled in powdered sugar. Nothing but butter and sugar and oh so yummy! I got ahold of her and asked her for the recipe. She sent it to me. They were awful! Turns out she’d halved the sugar so they wouldn’t be so high in calories! What the hell?! What’s the point, LOL! Just don’t make ‘em if you feel they’re too fattening.

I was at a meeting last week. Among other things they offered 16 oz bottles of free sweetened or unsweetened iced tea. Of course, I go with the unsweetened, 0 calories. On the back of the sweetened bottles, in big huge number it said, “165 calories.” All from sugar. Holy shit!

@Dutchess_III: That’s why I don’t drink sweetened ice tea or soda that’s not Diet. I know there are people who will say Diet soda is the worst thing for you, so awful, and they will have horror stories about it, but that’s my one vice haha. I don’t drink much alcohol and I don’t smoke anything, so let me have my little vice.

I was at a picnic once and I was sitting at a table with some strangers, and I pulled out a bottle of diet soda and asked people at the table if anyone wanted any. One lady said “I used to drink that until I found out how it rots your innards.” It was like “okaaaay then.” Haha

Oh, I hear that! It probably isn’t the best in the world, but it can’t be any worse than cups full of sugar in nondiet.

How about Mayo’s list, or another org like Mayo?

It’s a fat we add for flavor. In moderation it’s fine. Even donuts and French fries in moderation are fine.

@Flo, here is some info from The Mayo Clinic that talks about why excess added sugar in foods is not very healthy:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/added-sugar/art-20045328

This info from The Mayo Clinic gives a good overview on what types of foods are necessary for good health. So if you think about other foods that don’t have these qualities, then you can probably put them in the “unhealthy” foods column.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/dietary-guidelines/art-20045584

And here is more info from The Mayo Clinic about processed foods, what that means, and how they can be less healthy. The less processed a food is, the better. Whole foods are better than highly processed foods:

https://mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/processed-foods-what-you-should-know

@Kardamom, Thanks, I meant Mayo’s version of a list of 20 or more bad items, (see my link in my first response) It makes it easy to just get the list first.

Oh! The Mayo Clinic, not Mayonnaise!

For me, at the top of my list are foods I’m allergic to. After that, it would be high glycemic foods.

@snowberry I understand. If you’re allergic to a healthy food and not allergic to an unhealthy food, and if you have to make a choice.