20 American Favorites You Should Eliminate From Your Regular Diet
Popular Doesn't Mean Healthy
American food culture is filled with convenient, comforting favorites, but unfortunately, that doesn't mean they're well-suited for daily eating if you're trying to be healthy. Lots of these foods tend to come loaded with added sugar, sodium, saturated fat, processed ingredients, and more, which means you should be careful how often you enjoy them. You don't have to swear them off forever by any means, but you should be removing these 20 foods from your everyday diet so that you build better lifestyle habits.
1. Sugary Soda
That fizzy sensation of pop might be hard to resist, but given how much added sugar is in most sodas, we'd recommend doing your best to at least try. Regular soda offers pretty much no meaningful nutrition and doesn't keep you full either. When you drink it regularly, you're consuming way more sugar and calories than you want.
2. Fast-Food Cheeseburgers
Americans love their fast food and their cheeseburgers, and while it's incredibly convenient to run to any chain to grab one, we'd recommend doing it less often. These combine refined buns with fatty meat, salty cheese, and heavily processed sauces all into one little handheld meal. The larger you go and the more toppings you add on, the worse it gets.
3. Processed Hot Dogs
Whether you're at a backyard party or a baseball game, hot dogs remain a popular American pick because they're cheap, tasty, and easy to customize. Sadly though, most varieties contain high amounts of sodium and saturated fat, all while offering very limited nutritional value.
4. Canned Cheese Dip
Whenever there's a party going on, you'll likely find some sort of canned cheese dip next to a large bowl of chips. While it's hard to deny that they're exceptionally tasty, you also can't ignore that they contain incredibly large amounts of sodium and processed fats. It doesn't help that it's paired with chips, which aren't very healthy either.
5. Frozen Pepperoni Pizza
Pizza is a favorite for most Americans, and having the option to keep frozen ones in your freezer is definitely convenient. However, just because it's easy doesn't mean it's good for you. When it comes to pepperoni pizza, they tend to be heavy in sodium, saturated fat, and refined carbs, not things you want to ingest too much of daily.
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6. Sweetened Breakfast Cereal
You might've grown up enjoying cereals like Froot Loops and Frosted Flakes, but these breakfast foods are really more dessert-like than you'd think. Some products contain enough added sugar that they're anything but balanced! Eating a whole bowl daily definitely isn't the best for your body.
7. Pancake Syrup
Did you know many bottles at the grocery store labeled pancake syrup really just contains corn syrup, flavoring, and coloring rather than real maple syrup? Pouring it freely over pancakes adds a large amount of sugar you might've not realized you were adding on.
8. Sausage Gravy And Biscuits
This Southern dish is truly a comforting and filling meal, but it's definitely not good for you if you eat it regularly. Biscuits and sausage gravy heavily relies on refined flour, saturated fat, and sodium, and large restaurant portions can easily turn breakfast into the richest meal of your day.
9. Fried Chicken
What American doesn't love fried chicken? It's salty, crispy, and juicy on the inside, but all of those delicious factors are hiding its high amounts of unhealthy fats, sodium, and high calories. Chicken might be a great protein, but not when it's deep-fried and covered in heavy batter.
10. Sweet Coffee Drinks
From frappucinos at Starbucks to double-doubles at Tim Horton's, people love their sweet coffee drinks in the morning as a pick-me-up. But sadly, with all that syrup, whipped cream, and sweet drizzles going into your coffee, you shouldn't be surprised that these contain way more added sugar than any beverage should have. It's basically dessert at this point!
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11. Boxed Macaroni And Cheese
We know that Kraft Dinner has a special place in many adult's and kid's hearts, but while boxed mac and cheese may be affordable and comforting, eating it regularly is bad for you. The pasta is refined and the powdered sauce is high in sodium. One whole bowl just gives you a lot of carbs and sodium for very little fiber or anything else.
12. Packaged Snack Cakes
Snacks from Little Debbie's, Hostess, and more are popular in America for their endless options and nostalgic tastes, but really, these are made with heavily processed ingredients, added sugars, and unhealthy fats. They can live for so long on your shelf because of it!
13. Bacon
Possibly one of the hardest things to give up on this list, bacon is one of America's staple foods. It's easy to add as a topping to pretty much any savory dish, and is a common and beloved addition to any American breakfast. But sadly, bacon contains significant amounts of sodium and saturated fat that make it unreasonable to eat daily.
14. Canned Frosting
Providing that nostalgic, sweet, and creamy flavor, canned frosting makes decorating homemade cakes simple, but you can't ignore that it's also largely a concentrated source of added sugar and fat. When you generously slather it onto baked goods, you're turning your treats into an unhealthy food you can't eat too much of.
15. Chili Cheese Fries
Chili cheese fries combine fried potatoes, salty meat, processed cheese, and rich toppings all into one single dish. It's so heavy and indulgent that even when shared as an appetizer, they still add a large amount of sodium and saturated fat.
16. Giant Deli Sandwiches
A deli sandwich doesn't sound too bad until you realize it’s packed with processed meat, cheese, mayonnaise, and an oversized refined roll. Sadly, sodium climbs very quickly when several cured meats and condiments all show up in one dish.
17. Ice Cream Milkshakes
Milkshakes definitely feel less like a beverage and more like a heavy dessert. They combine ice cream, flavored syrup, and sometimes whipped cream into a drink that can rival an entire meal in richness. Don't even get us started on the calorie count for a whole shake like this!
18. Instant Ramen
Instant ramen is a pantry favorite because it's inexpensive and undeniably practical, but healthwise, it's not the best. The seasoning packet alone can contain a large amount of sodium, and when you factor in that the basic noodles also provide limited fiber, protein, and vegetables on their own, it's not the most balanced of meals.
19. Store-Bought Cookies
Packaged cookies might seem innocent when you just eat a few, but most that you can buy from the grocery store contain lots of refined flour, added sugar, and saturated fat. They offer basically no nutritional value, and eating even just two or three is a lot higher in calories than you may expect.
20. Nachos Loaded With Toppings
Americans love their game day watch parties, and no watch party is complete without some nachos. Unfortunately though, a full plate of nachos usually comes with fried chips, processed cheese sauce, fatty meat, sour cream, and salty toppings all at once, which definitely shouldn't be a combination of foods you eat regularly.
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