Supermarkets are often considered to be the minefield that offers a variety of treats for your tastebuds! Sometimes, it could be a tricky thing to pick the most ideal item from the thousands of offerings racked on the shelf.
While some of these items offer a bit of nutritional value to your health, some might end up taking a toll too, like the dietary detonators you might find in several grocery stores in the U.S.! Though not all grocery edibles are bad, these are the picks you should never add to your cart…! Read more to see if your favorite goodie is on the list!
Just throw a handful of hot dogs and sausages on the grill, dab some cheese on your bread, fill it up, and there you go, your breakfast is ready!
Sounds amazing though, but this perfectly preserved processed meat does zero good to your health, according to experts. Jonathan Schoenfeld, co-author of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition even says that it’s a great idea to not be an excessive consumer of meat.
Anything canned, packed, and preserved boasts voluminous added preservatives compared to fresh meat products like ham. Shockingly, the canned meat products have more sodium and might pose a threat to your cardiovascular strain.
It’s one of the most polarizing food products on the planet, and people have a strong outlook when it comes to consuming Spam goodies. The highly processed canned meat is voluminous in fat, sodium, and calories, and lacks nutritional value, and you might not want to take a toll on your health by adding this to your cart!
The melon-shaped meat alternative packs tons of goodness for vegan lovers and has become a classic pick to treat your tastebuds with something other than meat.
Made from tofu, Tofurky sausage does have quite a few health perks to complement the risk factors it already has. Though tofurky is an absolutely healthy snack when homemade, the ones picked from the store are high in sodium content, and it cannot be a healthy option comparatively.
Granola sounds healthy on the breakfast menu! Perhaps, almost half the nation relies on clumps of oats glued together with several servings of sugar, and that’s somehow healthy.
Or is it, anyway? Shockingly, one cup of this granola oats has a calorie intake of about four servings of cereal! Though Quaker Granola Oats is synonymous with healthy, the startling amount of sugar additives might favor your weight gain and barricade your fitness goals altogether.
It’s a no-doubter that Wonder Bread is too soft and pillowy, and guess the credits for its cushiony texture goes to the process used to prepare it!
First, the flour is treated and softened using special chemicals. Reportedly, one slice of Wonder Bread serves you nothing more than an empty bread packed with added sugars and carbs, something you wouldn’t want to add to your shelf if you’re a fitness freak!
White bread is a classic staple in several households across the country.
While Arnold is a popular bread manufacturer, they do not actually add the whole grains and fiber that was removed during the grain refining process. Of all the other ingredients used to make the bread, sugar and inflammatory soybean oil are used in Arnold bread products, and that doesn’t sound pretty appetizing though!
There can be nothing like Guerrero Soft Taco Tortillas to make an authentic Mexican recipe at home! Ideally speaking, taco tortillas should taste like an ensemble of sweet corn and fiber.
However, with regards to the famous Guerrero Soft Taco Tortillas, you can expect a blend of more sodium even before you put in any fillings inside them!
This cookie forms a more appetizing menu on the breakfast table, especially in the States. It’s sure tasty, but all that flavor is packed with some compromise with its nutritional value.
This dark chocolate cookie contains carbs equivalent to five slices of toast and about half a day’s intake of sugar. Shockingly, this is not the right way to start your morning!
Rice still forms a staple food in many dishes in the U.S. However, from a nutritional perspective, the white rice you lift from grocery stores is pale compared to its whole grain counterpart, the brown rice.
Though it gets digested pretty fast, white rice is processed into sugar and keeps you filled for a shorter period. In the end, your cravings increase, and refined white rice like this turns your body into a warehouse for belly fat.
Though you can use olive oil instead of butter here, you can expect a different flavor than the one in the boxed version.
The food mix is a blend of preserved rice, seasonings, and vermicelli pasta, which you need to cook in butter. However, a single bowl might end up with around 40% more sodium intake than what you’re supposed to have per day.
Is there such a thing called healthy noodles? Perhaps, not!
Though traditional pasta has got a pretty bad wrap, other noodle offerings in the market might actually dare you to say they’re healthy. Whether this product contains yolk or not, it still lacks the nutrients— thanks to the refined flour used to make the noodles.
This is something that most vegans swear by, but not literally. Shockingly, not even the spinach additive is good enough to save this linguine!
Though the green leaf is the second primary ingredient, it still adds more color to the noodles than the nutrients. Not to forget the 200 calories intake per serving, though! To get the real feel of the “with spinach” mechanism while cooking, you can add fresh spinach to your noodles!
If you wish to start your day with a wholesome breakfast, the best you can do is to make a tasty noodle than this one.
American Beauty rotini lacks enough nutrition to help you kickstart your day, and their fiber count is pretty low too. A bowl of rotini would’ve been better had it not been for the low nutritional value that makes you crave for a second or sometimes even a third serving!
Though “farfalle” is just an Italian term for butterflies, or even better, the “bow-tie” pasta, you might not want to indulge in a wholesome breakfast that lacks enough fiber. Really?
Well, one box of San Giorgio’s bow-tie pasta almost lacks enough protein count and is ripped off almost all the fiber content. You wouldn’t want to add a menu of non-nutritious pasta packed with additives to your breakfast table, do you?
Nissin sure makes a whole variety of offerings to treat your tastebuds with a unique flavor.
But where does all that unsurpassed taste come from? You’d eat the whole bowl of Nissin Chow noodles and might not know that almost half your day is sunken in saturated fat, sodium, plus several ladles of inflammatory vegetable oils.
Though the box boasts that there are “other natural flavors,” you cannot always swear by what the box promises, right?
The delicious flavor aside, a cup of Nissin chicken noodles is loaded with sodium and saturated fat that’s beyond your day’s intake. Moreover, a single cup of noodles weighs more in carbs than it should with the proteins and nutrients.
It’s traditional to follow every bit of the method when it comes to baking cakes or even making pancakes. However, the store is filled with instant bake mixes to help you make cakes and pancakes without added hassle.
Shockingly, ready-made pancake mixes are way different and unhealthy than the ones you make at home. Not only do they have processed ingredients and preservatives, but they also have hydrogenated oil that might end up increasing your bad cholesterol. That’s pretty some bad news, right?!
The world-renowned brand might sound alluring enough to add to your grocery shelf, but it still packs some non-nutritional values in its boxed contents.
For example, the artificial sweeteners and sugars used in the making actually keep the so-called “sugar-free” promise at bay. Perhaps, that doesn’t sound pretty good, especially when you want your kids to enjoy a sugar-free dessert, right?
Just because Lentil Chips is gluten-free, it still doesn’t make a wise choice for you.
If you’re a lentil chip fan, then don’t be too shocked to know that the great source of fiber contains potassium chloride, calcium chloride, and canola oil too. Perhaps, all these ingredients might urge you to think twice before you pick them up from the stores!
The only benefit of all-purpose flour is that it’s gluten-free, making it an apt choice for people with gluten allergies. However, it’s pretty bankrupt in its nutritional value and is high in calories and carbohydrates.
During processing, it’s stripped of its nutrients, just like all the other white flours. This comes as a no-exceptional shock, especially if you’re looking forward to adding the non-nutritious gluten-free flour to your diet.
Muffins might sound enticing enough to tingle your tastebuds with some sweet flavor.
But if you want to safeguard your family from too much sugar intake, then Udi's Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Muffins is not what you’re looking for. Not only is the calorie intake high, but you get very few proteins compared to the carbs and sugar content.
Promises are after all just words, especially when you see the so-called “gluten-free” printed on the box of a world-renowned brand like Betty Crocker!
If you’re okay with consuming around 160 calories per intake, then you might sound fine with the cake mix. But don’t go by the gluten-free promise as most of Betty Crocker’s products are deemed to have unhealthy trans-fats!
If you’re a fitness geek who hates to compromise in the snacking department, then you might as well stay yards away from the grocery shelf racked up with Glutino Gluten Free Pretzel Twists! Perhaps, this goodie from Glutino packs over 20% of your daily sodium intake in just one pretzel serving.
You wouldn’t want to take home a belly-bloating treat like this one, do you?!
Before you tear into a bag of delicious chips or pretzels, make sure you are aware of the risk you’re taking. It’s not a joke because these salty treats possess zero nutritional value despite being low-fat goodies.
They’re not bad after all, but what about all that sodium intake that’s pretty more than what’s allotted for you on a daily basis? Maybe you can think of consuming a handful of chips and pretzels instead of chomping the whole packet!
This is one of the most delicious chips you would’ve ever eaten! What more?
You cannot simply take your eyes off the grocery rack that flaunts a parade of this mouthwatering treat. But the classic bag is highly processed with an excessive amount of fat and calories, and is not something you would want to add to your cart every time you visit the grocery store!
Though Gardetto’s replaced the hydrogenated oils with soybean oil, the bag of garlic rye chips is still packed with other unappetizing ingredients like disodium inosinate, caramel color, and disodium guanylate. Compared to the 160 calories per serving, the protein loses the battle in the nutrition department with its 3-gram value, which by all means, is not enough nutritional value for healthy eating!
This is yet another highly processed promise from the makers but you’re warned to not rely on what the package prints say!
Hmmm…the bag says it’s made from “real” avocados, but if you take a brief look at the ingredients statement, you can see a whole lot of other things, including “avocado powder.” Shockingly, none of the fiber and fats in this snack hail from the creamy, nutrient-laden fruit!
Perhaps, all that flavor boasted by this Frito-Lay make is an epitome of a laundry list of additives and ingredients. It’s tasty, and that’s an unbeatable offer you could take home with a packet of these cheese flavored corn chips.
But where does all that caramel coloring come from? Well, it’s nothing but Carcinogen that’s the most wicked of the lot, and you might as well stray yourself away from these chips the next time you spot them on the grocery rack!
It might seem like a great idea to snack on some Doritos while watching your favorite movie!
But behind all that spicy-sweet element is a shocking inclusion of other ingredients like inflammatory vegetable oil, sugar, and salt. Is there a need to say more about why you shouldn’t be picking the Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili on your next grocery shopping?!
The moment you see something “cheesy” on the package, you can only dare to walk towards the rack and lift the item off the shelf!
Though cheese nachos are tasty, they still contain trans-fats which might soar beyond your day’s saturated fat limit. And if you’re persistent with your fitness goals, then the Bugles Cheese-Flavored Nachos is not what you’re looking for!
These baked snacks are packed with a promise that they’re void of artificial flavors and preservatives. So, how are they preserved anyway?
Perhaps, the fish are swimming in a pool of too much sodium! And when you dare to consume the Pepperidge Farm crackers, you’re doing no good to yourself as your salt intake might’ve already crossed the daily limit.
Though Gardetto’s snack mix is commendable for packing a whole lot of goodness void of trans-fats, it still makes a big no-no for fitness cautious consumers.
Perhaps, each carb-filled serving is doused in a fusion of chemical-based preservatives, artificial seasonings, BHT, and inflammatory vegetable oils. Of all, the protein intake is pretty low compared to the calories and sodium level.
You might be shocked already to see your favorite cracker on this list!
Sorry to say, but each serving boasts about 4.5 grams of fat from canola, soybean, and partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil. Well, that’s not all to it as Ritz Crackers also have a hidden inclusion of high fructose corn syrup in each boxed content.
Pop-Secret Jumbo Pop Butter makes an unavoidable movie-time snack, especially during weekends when you’re sharing some screen time with friends and family!
The good news, however, is that each serving is free from partially hydrogenated oils. The bad news is, Pop Secret still has a load of over 20% of saturated fat in the making of your favorite snack!
Though Jolly Time warns consumers with the “natural flavor” inscription on their packages, there still goes in a lot of other things that you might oversee while tossing a box into your cart.
Jolly Time Blast O Butter packs a great deal of fiber in its box contents, but that doesn’t mean your health is spared! The delicious popcorn is still drenched in saturated fat, and it’s not good news!
All that color might sure allure you to somehow add a box or two into your shopping cart. But looks certainly deceive, especially when you're out on a shopping spree in your local grocery store.
Picks from Fruit Roll-Ups are made from sugar, palm oil, corn syrup, and even dried corn syrup. Moreover, the magnetizing colors aren’t natural by even a point one percent as they are artificial and not from real fruits.
Dates are packed with selenium, copper, and magnesium to give you all the bone health you need.
However, they’re meant to be consumed in their natural and less-preserved state. But in case you’re a fan of Sunsweet California Dates, then be sure to check the sugar-coating as it just pushes these dates to an unhealthy candy status.
If you’re craving a healthy snack and if it’s something to do with yogurt raisins, then you might already have the Mariani Vanilla Flavored Yogurt Raisins in your mind.
However, these yogurt raisins are just a blend of sugar, nonfat milk powder, whey powder, hydrogenated palm oil, and soy lecithin. Don’t be too shocked to know that even the toothpaste whitening agent, titanium dioxide, is used in this seemingly healthy snack.
Cookies are delicious but you need to keep your hands off the cookie jar, especially if it’s from Keebler! You can think of adding them to your cart only if you wish to bid adieu to your fitness goals.
Adding a couple of these coconut cookies to your daily appetite might push you to gain almost a pound in just 20 days!
This is yet another delicious cookie brand from a world-renowned maker.
However, the fat in these mouthwatering cookies primarily hails from palm oil and soybean. Remember, even if you tend to remove sugar from the equation, you still cannot forgo the calories plus the saturated fat levels and artificial sweeteners included in just a single pack!
Who doesn’t like shortcakes, especially the ones from Little Debbie? Imagine walking along with the grocery rack, and the very sight of the snack might want you to have a piece or two on the spot!
Debbie’s strawberry-flavored shortcake rolls are tastier but beware that it’s just “artificial” strawberry and not the real one. The lab-engineered additive makes the rolls look and taste like the real fruit. Well, no thanks, Debbie!
Just because these delicious brownies from Entenmann’s are mini-sized, never underestimate what they can do to your health if overeaten.
Maybe a pack once in a while will do, but never make a habit out of these goodies as they are too high in calorie levels, as much as 190 calories in a single pack! Each pack comprises a non-nutritious equation of fully hydrogenated oils, salt, carbs, and a bit of additive to make your appetite addictive and risky!
If you’re having a sweet tooth already, then there’s no crime in adding something healthy to your cart, even if it’s a bit edgy on the sweeter side!
But make sure you think twice before lifting Pop-Tarts as it’s just a too-sugary pastry that is made using four different types of sugar. We bet you’re not someone who wants a wider waistline anytime soon!
You see, different packages can boast a whole lot of promises based on their nutritional value. But the reality check might dawn upon you the moment you see that you get just 2 grams of protein per box of the goodie. Sunbelt’s cereal bars are seemingly made with whole grains, but if it contains only 2 grams of fiber, judge for yourself whether it really makes a healthy snack or not! It’s pretty shocking to know that these favorite grocery items pack a second-thought criterion owing to the whatnot of drawbacks in their make! Though you cannot bring down your addiction to these eatables overnight, it’s quite safe to cut down on your daily intake slowly.
What’s your favorite binge-worthy snack like? Do you prefer homemade goodies or store-bought ones? And please share what you think about these unhealthy snacks! Get in touch with us through your amazing comments, and please don’t forget to share this article with all your friends, especially snack lovers!