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With shelter-in-places order enacted in almost every U.S. state, most of us are relying on our pantry foods during the novel coronavirus outbreak. But some of the foods that we’re reaching for during quarantine may not be the healthiest, some experts argue. In fact, there a few foods that should be absolutely banned from your house. What are they?
The One Pantry Food You Should Avoid Because It Slows Down Your Metabolism In The Morning
Ted Kallmyer, macro coach and author of Healthy Eater: My #1 pantry food that should be avoided at all costs is Crisco. People are baking more because of stay-at-home orders, and this is a shelve-stable product, so more people might be using it--but shouldn't. It's full of trans fat!
Amanda Webster, certified mind body coach and holistic nutritionist: The pantry food that almost every single one of my clients has when we assess their current food habits is some variety of Instant Noodles. They theorize that it's "just noodles and some broth" not realizing that it is high in MSG and often has up to double the sodium content we should be consuming in a day. This can cause kidney disease, hypertension and diabetes, to name a few.
Joy Dixon, certified health coach of Order Up Vegan: One pantry item that is unhealthy is brown sugar. People often think it's a healthier option compared to white sugar but it's not. I like to refer to brown sugar as white sugar's cousin because it's simply white sugar that was processed with molasses. As a result, brown sugar still elevates blood sugar levels, causes inflammation, and negatively impacts mood. A healthier alternative is coconut sugar.
Julie Mancuso, B.A., R.H..N., registered nutritionist, and owner of JM Nutrition, a nutritional counselling service by registered nutritionists and dietitians: Packaged donuts should not find their way into the pantry of anyone who is even remotely concerned with health. In fact, these unhealthy monstrosities should not even be allowed to enter your house. Granted, packaged donuts are highly palatable. But the reason why they're so tasty is threefold: sugar, fat and salt–a dangerous combination makes them very hard to resist. Because packaged donuts contain the three ingredients in large amounts, they engage the full range of our senses, stimulating neurons and leading to a quick surge in pleasure. The subsequent reward can result in an addiction if indulged in regularly. Over time, the consumption of foods such as packaged donuts often results in the increased risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, some cancers–just to name a few.
