There are actually a bunch of foods that, if we knew about their effects, we would never consume.

1. Energy bars
Energy bars are associated with a healthy lifestyle, but nutritionists more often place them among undesirable foods due to their effects on our health. Energy bars contain a lot of sugar (if it's artificial, it's even more harmful), a lot of salt (which hides the sugar and stimulates cravings for more), and saturated fats. So much for healthy stuff! Research has shown that there is actually no difference between candy and energy bars. Both are equally harmful, with rare exceptions. Yes, even exceptions exist ...

2. Whole wheat bread
Whole wheat bread is made from finely ground grains, which gives it an attractive brown appearance, contains a lot of fiber, and keeps us full for longer. However, dieticians from around the world report that such breads, especially those bought in large supermarket chains, contain a lot of salt, sugar, and a huge amount of preservatives. If you bake the same bread at home, it will be much healthier and more beneficial. And a tip: add a little vitamin C to the dough, and you’ll get a specialty that can’t be compared to store-bought imitations.

3. Don’t fall for sugar-free and fat-free products
Products with less of something are impoverished products that result from chemical processes, which are mostly not good for your health. Since products with less sugar or less fat also have less flavor, flavor enhancers have to be added, and this completely ruins the already impoverished food.

4. Processed meat
Processed meat contains a huge amount of additives to prolong shelf life. Such ingredients are found in bacon, sausages, hot dogs, corned beef, canned meat… Homemade ground meat is much healthier because at least you know what you’re eating.

5. Rice cakes
These are the tempting rice cakes that have no fat, sugar, fiber, minerals, or calories. Their glycemic index can be a whopping 82, while pure sugar is 100 and a cup of ice cream is 66. Empty rice cakes (empty because they have nothing beneficial) contain a lot of artificial sweeteners, so they cannot be considered a healthy snack.

6. Food colorings
Food colorings, which are found even in pickles, smoked salmon, salad dressings... are becoming an increasing problem. The worst part is that foods for children are often artificially colored, which is linked to problems like depression and sleep disturbances. Nutritionists, therefore, advise us to avoid foods with intense colors.

7. Soy milk
Scientists confirm that soy contains a lot of isoflavones, which act like the female hormone estrogen. If men get (too) much of this hormone, it is first seen as breast enlargement, and in women, it causes weight gain. Due to hormonal issues, nutritionists advise against soy milk.

8. Compotes
The problem with some (not all!) canned compotes is the excessive amount of sugar added to such compotes. The juice becomes more like syrup, and the content of vitamins is therefore lower.

9. Refined pasta
Most people think that refined pasta contains more nutrients, but that’s not true. It only means that such pasta contains less fiber and more calories. Whole wheat pasta is somewhat better, but the high levels of preservatives are problematic. That’s why the best pasta is homemade pasta (something they've known and practiced for a long time in the homeland of pasta).