Brain Damaging Foods That You Need To Avoid Instantly

By Kirsty 1 year ago

1. Soda Loaded With Sugar!

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You already know that sugary drinks can be very bad for you, but you might have thought more about your gut than your brain! High sugar levels can increase the risk of diabetes, which can then in turn increase the risk of brain conditions like Alzheimer's or dementia.

2. Bad Carbs! We're Talking White Bread

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There are good and bad carbohydrates in food, and we're talking here about refined carbs - the nasty ones you'll want to watch out for. This includes white bread - that's why wholegrain bread is always better. Refined carbs can have a high glycemic index, which could actually impair your brain power.

3. Put That Cookie Down!

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Foods which contain trans fat can be bad news for your brain. This food includes packaged cookies (as freshly baked cookies are much better, not to mention more delicious). Studies have shown that people who have a huge amount of trans fats can have poorer memory and brain decline.

4. High-Processed Foods: You Might Want To Put That TV Dinner Back

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Foods which have been highly processed have a huge amount of fat, sugar and salt. We all know TV dinners are unhealthy, but did you know they can affect the brain, too? Processed foods like microwaveable meals can cause weight gain - which in turn can negatively impact your brain.

5. Artificial Sweetener: Not So Sweet For The Brain

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Artificial sweeteners, like Aspartame, are found in many different products, mostly sugar-free (which is why the 'sugar-free' option isn't always the health kick you think it is!). While it's safe to consume as part of a balanced diet, it's been linked to cognitive problems.

6. Shots, Shots, Shots!

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Sure, alcohol really does a number on your brain function when you're drinking the stuff, but long-term it can actually impact your brain health-wise. While the odd glass here and there is okay, heavy drinking over time can lead to memory loss, changes in behaviour and even lack of sleep.

7. Something Smells Fishy

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Okay, so only certain types of fish are bad for you - just like some fish is important for a healthy diet. Fish that's high in mercury is what you have to watch out for - which is mostly found in larger, more predatory fish like swordfish. High mercury levels can be harmful.

8. Instant Noodles = Instant Regret

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Instant noodles may be a life-saver when you're short on time - or when you're a poor student, maybe - but unfortunately, as we all know, the very quick meals are the very bad meals. Instant noodles are highly processed, which means your brain can be impacted if you gain weight and become unhealthy.

9. Diet Sodas: Not So Healthy After All

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We just can't win, can we? If you've substituted the full-fat Coca Cola for the Diet recently, thinking you're living your best life, it's sadly not the case. Diet sodas don't have sugar in them, but they're filled with sweeteners for that very reason. High amounts of artificial sweeteners could lead to cognitive issues.

10. French Fries Might Fry Your Brain

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We all indulge in a large portion of French fries sometimes (okay, a lot of the time) and you might have just been worried about the effect on your weighing scales. But fried foods, like French fries and fried chicken, can cause inflammation in blood vessels that can result in bad news for the brain.

11. Don't Go Nuts With Donuts

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Unfortunately donuts are a double whammy when it comes to bad news for your brain and health: they're fried, and they're chock full of sugar. So what we just mentioned about inflammation and blood vessels is twice as much risk with these bad boys because of the sugar!

12. White Rice? No Dice

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Your blood sugar can be super spiked by the refined carbohydrates present in white rice. Apart from the fact that this could then result in a 'crash', leaving your brain foggy and not working, it could also mean an increased risk for things like Alzheimer's or dementia.

13. Rethink The Red Meat

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Red meat is actually bad news for both your head and heart - it's full of saturated fat, which can lead to a problematic build up in the body - including the brain. It can increase the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's because of the increased inflammation in the body.

14. Fatty Cheese (But It Tastes So Good!)

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We all know how amazing fatty, creamy cheese tastes - and we also know if something tastes good, it's most probably bad for us. Yep, fatty cheese is a no-no for brain health, too. Again, this is because of that high saturated fat content you can find in any fatty food, including cheese.

15. Butter: Is It Worth It?

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Butter is another full-fat dairy product that you need to pay more attention to - especially if you're mindlessly spreading on your toast and sandwiches day after day. It's much better to switch to a low-fat butter option if you still want to have it, to avoid all that saturated fat!

16. Salad Dressings: Just A Bottle Of Syrup?

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If you're usually loading up your salads and meals with bottled dressings, you may want to rethink that - no matter how good they taste! A lot of bottled dressings have an ingredient called high-fructose corn syrup - and that's basically the same thing that's in syrupy, sugary soda.

17. Processed Sausage Could Cause An Issue

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If you're a fan of buying ready-made sausages and other processed meats, sorry but we're about to burst this delicious bubble, too. Processed meats can increase the risk of developing dementia because processed food has higher saturated flat resulting in inflammation!

18. Fast Food Makes Fast Work Of Brain Problems

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If you're living off the greasy drive-thru menu, we don't blame you - it's easily done, and it tastes good at the time. But fast food like burgers and fries are high in saturated fat, which can increase plaque on the brain that can lead to Alzheimer's. The high level of sodium in these salty snacks, too, can make your brain feel foggy.

19. Pastries Are A No-Go!

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Sweet pastries, no matter how good they taste, are full of high sugar content. A high amount of glucose in the brain can lead to memory problems, as well as a whole other list of health things to think about if you're eating too many, like gaining weight and high fat content.

20. White Pasta - Switch To Brown!

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Eating lots of white pasta could actually lead to brain decline - this is due to an increased risk of inflammation due to the refined carb content. So in terms of carbs, this can be one of the bad ones. You're much better eating brown pasta, or a healthier alternative to white.

21. Pizza Dough Isn't The Best

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Knowing that pizza isn't exactly healthy is something most people ignore when it comes to their weekly takeout - because it tastes so good! But pizza dough is full of those refined carbs (they're everywhere, aren't they?) that can negatively impact brain function. The good news is having pizza only one day at the weekend isn't too unhealthy.

22. Cured Meats Won't Preserve Your Brain

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Nitrates have been linked to mental health problems like depression - and cured meats like the ones you find at the deli counter are high in nitrates. It's used as a preservative to help keep the color in the deli slices while they're on display - so they look great, sure, but for your brain? Not so much.

23. Twinkies (You Knew This One Was Going To Turn Up!)

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You've probably got a box in your kitchen right now, haven't you? We don't blame you - they're a staple snack. But they're also high in sugar and full of trans fats, which can lead to worse memory function as well as overall brain decline if you're consuming a lot of it.

24. Sweet Coffee: Not So Sweet

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Bad news for those already planning their next seasonal Starbucks order! This entirely depends on how much sugar you have in your coffee in regard to brain effects, but those who drink coffee overloaded with syrups, cream and flavorings will see a spike in blood sugar, eventually increased the risk of brain problems. You're better drinking black coffee!

25. Energy Drinks: Brain Boost In The Wrong Way

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Nobody is walking around thinking that those energy drinks you've been downing are healthy, but you might not have thought they could negatively impact your brain instead of making it more focused! Energy drinks are - you guessed it - super high in sugar! Which also means your brain can get addicted to it, too.

26. Sugary Cereals: Not A Great Start To The Day!

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Cereal should be a healthy breakfast option - and in most cases, it is, providing you're not choosing the sugary options. We get why those quirky breakfast cereals like Choco Flakes and Lucky Charms are so appealing, because plain cereal is boring, but the high sugar content can mean bad news for body and brain health.

27. Pancakes And Waffles: Carb And Fat Stack

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What makes pancakes and waffles even worse is that - along with having a high sugar content in themselves - it's 99.9% certain you're also going to pair them with something else unhealthy, like a stodgy processed spread or some chocolate sprinkles. Pancakes and waffles = refined carbs and saturated fat.

28. Cake Frosting: Try A Plain Sponge Instead!

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You're baking a cake for a friend's party and you're licking frosting out of the bowl as you go - no biggy. But cake frosting is filled with trans fats, which have been known to slow down cognitive function and neuron activity through inflammation in the brain.

29. Seed Oil: It's Seedy, All Right

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If you're using anything but olive oil or coconut oil for your cooking, you might want to switch. Anything made with seed oil that has been highly processed results in a huge amount of omega-6 fatty acids. This then triggers the body to produce chemicals that can result in brain inflammation!

30. Vegan 'Meat' Alternatives

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Yes, these things are plant-based and a great alternative for non-meat-eaters - but that isn't to say that every ingredient packed into them hasn't been highly processed. High processed food could eventually lead to cognitive decline as well as trouble remembering things!

31. Muffins: Put It Down!

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Muffins are delicious, there's no two ways bout it. But grabbing a muffin from a shop or a fast food chain will be full of harmful things, such as hydrogenated oil., soy bean oil and corn syrup. Studies have shown that these ingredients are linked with cognitive impairment.

32. Soy Sauce: So Much Sodium!

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Soy sauce is loaded with sodium. So consuming a lot of soy sauce can restrict blood to the brain because of the intensely high content of sodium it contains. Try switching it out for the low sodium content soy sauce instead which has less harmful effects on the body and brain.

33. Frozen Pies: Easy Cooking, Hard Hitting

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Frozen pies are one of those dinners that are great for convenience. But, at what cost? Frozen pies are often full of trans fats. More and more research has been done into trans fats as well as looking at the link between them and brain shrinkage.

34. Frozen Pizza: Make Your Own Instead

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Frozen pizzas, they're easy, they're quick and tasty - even if not as good as a fresh pizza. But, that's where the positives end. Because they are generally very high in fat. Some people have suggested that after too much of these foods, brain function will feel a little bit slow and lethargic

35. Ice Cream: Brain Freeze

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Ice cream is a lot of our weak points. It's just so good! But this tasty treat is completely full of artery clogging ingredients which have a negative impact on our memory function and on our brain skills which may feel less sharper over time.

36. Fruit Juice: We Think We're Being Healthy And We're Not

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When you go to grab a drink, a healthy alternative to soda seems to be fruit juice. And while it may be considered better than soda, it's still not good for us! It's so high in sugar that it has been linked in several studies to cognitive decline.

37. Sour Patch Kids: Make You And Your Brain Wince!

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Sour Patch Kids are one of THE all time favourite sweets., They're also one of the worst to eat in terms of impacting our brains and cognitive function. This is because they are so high in sugar, as well as additional chemicals which are thought to leas to slower brain function.

38. Margarine: Not A Healthy Alternative

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Many of us made the switch a few years ago from butter to margarine because studies claimed that since butter was so bad, margarine was a man made alternative. Now, it seems that the trans fats and artificial chemicals may actually be much worse - and for our brains too!

39. Drink Syrups: Not So Sweet For Your Brain

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You may have a collection of syrups to dd to your coffee or ice cream etc.. And while it may feel like a harmless little treat - it's not the case! It's so packed full of sugar, or if not sugar artificial sweetener, which both have detrimental effects on your cognitive function over time!

40. Bacon: Bacon Isn't Good For Me!

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Sorry King Curtis, we're going to have to disagree because bacon is not good for us, or our brains. In fact it has dangerous substances in it for our body, and the curing contains something called histamine which has been linked to damaging brain impact and causing brain fog.

41. Bagels: Why Is It All The Good Stuff Is So Bad For Us?

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Bagels, bagels, bagels. This will break many heats to discover that bagels may be very bad for our brains. They are mostly after all made up of refined carbs. Refined carbs have been linked in various studies to speeding up or triggering the disease, Alzheimer's.

42. Ketchup And Mayo: Condiment Chaos

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Ketchup and mayo, a condiment lover's dream. And, while it feels harmless to have a squirt of ketchup on your (okay pretty much every) meal, this would be false thinking. These sauces are full of salt and sugar, particularly ketchup. And as for mayo, that is full of  processed vegetable oil which is also bad for our brains.

43. Semolina And Spelt: And All Things Gluten

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So gluten is problematic for many areas of our body, including many people's digestion. It also may be the case that gluten affects out nervous system and in extreme cases it may lead to learning disorders and brain disfunction or the slowing down of cognitive processes.

44. Canned Foods: Can Contain Lead

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Eating canned food in high quantities may not be so good for us. This is because sometimes canned foods contain lead which is a heavy metal. These kinds of metals can be toxic and may impact our nervous system which in turn, affects our brain.

45. Cheesecake: High Fats And Carbs

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Cheesecake, one of the most popular deserts out there. But cheesecakes are high fat and high refined carbs which is a devilish combination in terms of our brain health. Consuming both of these things together has been shown by some studies to slow down the workings of our brains.

46. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups: Not The Reese's Too!

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And unfortunately the very same is true for the very beloved Reese's chocolate peanut butter cups. And along with this it's also packed full of sugars and all those delicious ingredients that do absolutely no good to our bodies OR our brain function.

47. Moldy Foods: Not Something We Intentionally Consume

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Okay so we don't purposefully eat mold (at least I hope not) but that's not to say that we don't. That bread that's been in the cupboard looks alright and I can't see any green - must be fine! Well maybe not... mold contains mycotoxins and these may be linked to causing haemorrhagic infarcts which are dead tissues which are caused by veins being blocked.

48. Pork Chops: Less Meat More Veggies

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Pork chops are made of red meat and they're also super fatty. This is not a good combination when it comes to our brain health. As we already know, red meats impact brain health. And...coupled with all of those bad fats, this has even more impact on our brain activity.

49. Instant Soups: Soup For Brains!

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There is barely any actual beneficial contents in these instant soups. So yes, they may be convenience, but apart from filling you up all they're doing is bad for your brain. These soups are high in sodium and sugars which as we know - lead to cognitive decline!

50. Buttermilk: Delicious yes, healthy no!

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Buttermilk is one of those things that is incredibly moreish...if not a little sickly! But, the damage is much worse than feeling a little bit overfull. Not only is it packed with sugar, it also contains histamine which as we know is dangerous for the brain.
 

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