Five foods you should avoid at all costs!

These irresistible treats may taste delicious, making you crave for more and more. But, do you know that they can seriously mess with your health? Here are a handful of foods that you need to avoid as much as possible to avoid damaging effects on your body, skin, and waistline.

Baked goods like doughnuts, muffins, cakes, and cookies might look so good and tasty. Loaded with unwanted sugars and difficult to digest, they can add tons of calories to your diet. According to experts, sugar in baked goods increases inflammation in the skin, causing pimples, acne and rosacea.

Research suggests that a diet high in processed meats like bacon and sausage can increase your risk of dying from cancer or cardiovascular disease. They aren't just packed with unhealthy fats, but contain nitrates and nitrites, chemical additives that have been linked to various cancers.

Artificial sweeteners in diet soda that have more intense flavor than real sugar can dull our senses to naturally sweet foods like fruits over time. Research has linked artificial sweeteners to tooth decay, depression, and metabolic diseases.

Since most frosting contains trans fats, consuming it regularly can lead to a host of health issues. While frosting is a delicious addition to your cakes and cookies, it is full of calories and fat, which are disastrous for your waistline and health.

Cereals are high in fibre, low in sugar and salt and can be beneficial as part of a healthy diet. But, watch out for those products that contain high levels of sugar, which is a major contributing factor for escalating obesity epidemic, tooth decay, diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.

In fact, those popular brands of kids' breakfast cereals might not be as healthy as you thought. For instance, the sugar content in Kellogg's Cocoa Krispies is at 39%, Kellogg's Corn Pops, Froot Loops, Lucky Charms, Reese’s Puffs (41%), Kellogg’s Froot Loops Marshmallow (48%), Kellogg's Honey Smacks (56%), Quaker Oats Oh!s (44%), Quaker Oats Cap'n Crunch Original (44%), Post Golden Crisp (52%). So, it's always better that you opt for low sugar, gluten-free options.

By: Salome Phelamei