Processed meats, high fructose corn syrup, and other foods have all been related to early death.
Some people may be surprised to learn that not all "processed" foods are made equal. There are slightly processed meals, such as canned veggies and frozen meats, and highly processed foods, such as mass-produced store-bought pieces of bread, TV dinners, and other foods high in saturated fats, added sugars, and almost no fiber.
"Nutritionally speaking," writes Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D., a nutritionist at the Mayo Clinic, "minimally processed foods often offer equal nutritional benefits—vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and fiber—as the natural, unprocessed ones." "Natural or added nutrients may be present in ultra-processed meals... Ultra-processed meals, on the other hand, frequently provide more calories than nutrients."
This is only one of the unhealthy eating behaviors identified by the Mayo Clinic over the years as influencing your health and lifetime. Read on for a list of other eating habits that the Mayo Clinic recommends you avoid to benefit your health and life.
1. Consuming Highly Processed Foods
"Increased intake of ultra-processed food was associated with higher mortality in the general population," according to a study published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
2. Eating Processed, Red Meats
"A new analysis of the literature on red meat intake looked at six studies that followed over 1.5 million participants for 5.5 to 28 years," The Mayo Clinic's Liza Torborg reports. "According to the study, eating processed beef regularly is linked to an elevated risk of heart disease, cancer—particularly colon cancer—and early mortality. Bacon, sausage, hot dogs, ham, deli meats, canned meats, jerky, and meat that has been processed, cured, fermented, or salted are examples of processed meats. These meats are heavy in saturated fat, salt, and nitrates or nitrites, all of which are thought to play a role in the hazards they entail."
3. Eating Fried Foods
According to The Mayo Clinic Minute, "researchers have connected fried foods to type-2 diabetes and heart problems," but "studies also show that consuming fried foods every day will shorten your life." According to Stephen Kopecky, M.D., a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic, our bodies weren't built to eat the number of fried foods available today. "You don't put gasoline in your diesel tank if you have a diesel engine," he says.
4. Added Sugars
Avoiding added sugars—ingredients that are used in foods to provide added sweetness and calories, ranging from the much-maligned high fructose corn syrup to healthier-sounding ones like agave, date syrup, and cane syrup—is one of the most important things you can do for your health, according to a study published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
"Existing fundamental science evidence, observational data, and clinical trial outcomes imply that reducing added sugar consumption, particularly added fructose, could lead to reduced diabetes-related morbidity and possibly early mortality," the report concluded. "Limiting consumption of foods and beverages containing added sugars, particularly added fructose, on an individual level may be one of the most effective measures for guaranteeing one's robust future health."
5. Excessive Alcohol Consumption
"Keep in mind that even moderate alcohol consumption isn't without risk," the Mayo Clinic Staff cautions. "For example, even light drinkers (those who consume no more than one drink a day) have a small but real risk of cancers like esophageal cancer."
On the other hand, excessive drinking can result in pancreatitis, sudden death "if you already have cardiovascular disease," heart muscle damage leading to heart failure, liver disease, stroke, suicide, and brain damage, to name a few.