17 Unhealthy Foods We Eat Although We Know They Are Bad For Us

We all have those guilty food pleasures that make our taste buds happy but leave our bodies feeling less than stellar. Despite knowing the health risks, many of us can’t resist reaching for these tempting treats.

From sugary delights to processed snacks, these foods often win the battle between immediate satisfaction and long-term health.

Let’s look at 17 unhealthy foods that keep finding their way onto our plates despite our better judgment.

1. Fast Food Burgers

Juicy, convenient, and oh-so-satisfying, fast food burgers remain a popular choice for millions daily. Loaded with saturated fats, excess sodium, and processed ingredients, these handheld meals can pack over 1,000 calories in a single serving.

I once tried giving up fast food burgers for a month and was amazed at how much better I felt. The combination of high-quality meat alternatives and fresher ingredients made a noticeable difference in my energy levels.

2. Sugary Sodas

Those fizzy, sweet drinks might quench your thirst momentarily, but they flood your system with unnecessary sugar. A typical 12-ounce can contains about 39 grams of sugar, roughly equivalent to 10 teaspoons.

Regular consumption has been linked to increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and tooth decay. Many people don’t realize that even drinking just one soda daily can add 15 pounds to their weight over a year.

3. Processed Deli Meats

Convenient for quick sandwiches, processed deli meats hide concerning health risks behind their savory appeal. These preserved products contain nitrates and nitrites as preservatives, which have been linked to increased cancer risk.

Growing up, my lunchbox always contained bologna sandwiches. Now I understand why my health-conscious grandmother would wrinkle her nose at them.

The high sodium content also contributes to water retention and elevated blood pressure in many regular consumers.

4. Microwave Popcorn

Movie night’s favorite snack comes with hidden dangers. Historically, some microwave popcorn bags used grease-resistant PFAS coatings; PFOA/PFOS have been phased out, but concerns about certain PFAS in packaging have persisted.

The artificial butter flavoring formerly included diacetyl, which was linked to respiratory problems in workers with heavy exposure, and most major brands have since reformulated.

The convenience factor keeps us coming back despite healthier alternatives like air-popped popcorn being available and nearly as convenient.

5. Deep-Fried Anything

Golden, crispy, and utterly irresistible, deep-fried foods satisfy our cravings for crunch and flavor. The cooking process can create acrylamide, a potential carcinogen, in starchy foods like fries, while piling on excessive calories and oils.

Last summer at the state fair, I indulged in deep-fried Oreos and felt the regret almost immediately. Deep-fried foods are particularly problematic because they combine unhealthy ingredients with an unhealthy cooking method, creating a double whammy for your body.

6. White Bread

Fluffy and versatile, white bread remains a pantry staple despite its minimal nutritional value. The refining process strips away fiber, vitamins, and minerals, leaving mostly simple carbohydrates that spike blood sugar levels quickly.

Regular consumption can lead to energy crashes and increased hunger shortly after eating. The lack of fiber also means it doesn’t keep you feeling full, making it easy to overeat without realizing.

7. Margarine

Once marketed as a healthy alternative to butter, margarine has fallen from grace. Older varieties often contained trans fats, but many modern margarines are now trans-fat-free (check the label); trans fats raise bad cholesterol levels while lowering good cholesterol.

I remember my mother switching our family to margarine in the 1990s health craze, believing it was heart-healthy. The plant sterols in some margarines may help lower cholesterol, but the processed nature and additives often outweigh these benefits.

8. Store-Bought Cookies

Those perfectly shaped treats in colorful packages tempt us from grocery store shelves. Loaded with refined sugar, white flour, and preservatives, they offer little nutritional value while packing a caloric punch.

While partially hydrogenated oils have largely been removed from U.S. products, these cookies can still rely on refined oils and be high in saturated fat.

Store-bought cookies are designed to have extended shelf lives, which means they contain ingredients that your body struggles to process naturally.

9. Flavored Yogurt

Masquerading as a health food, flavored yogurts often contain more sugar than ice cream. A single 6-ounce container can pack up to 25 grams of sugar, nearly two-thirds of the recommended daily limit. The fruit at the bottom isn’t just fruit.

My nutritionist showed me how to decode labels after I’d been eating flavored yogurt daily, thinking it was helping my diet.

The high sugar content negates many of the probiotic benefits yogurt naturally provides.

10. Frozen Pizza

Ready in minutes and satisfying our cheese cravings, frozen pizzas remain a weeknight dinner savior. The convenience comes at a cost of excessive sodium, refined carbohydrates, and preservatives.

A single serving can contain more than half your daily sodium allowance. The processed meats commonly found as toppings add nitrates and saturated fats, while the cheese is often a processed variety with additives.

11. Energy Drinks

Promising a quick boost, energy drinks deliver a concerning cocktail of caffeine, sugar, and artificial ingredients. The caffeine content can be up to three times that of coffee, potentially causing heart palpitations and anxiety.

During college finals week, I relied on these for late-night studying until I experienced my first panic attack.

Many contain unregulated herbal stimulants with unknown long-term effects, while the high acidity damages tooth enamel with regular consumption.

12. Breakfast Cereals

Colorful boxes with cartoon characters hide a morning sugar bomb that many of us pour into our bowls daily. Even varieties marketed as healthy often contain more sugar per serving than desserts.

The processing strips away fiber and nutrients from the original grains. The worst offenders can be up to 50% sugar by weight, setting both children and adults up for mid-morning energy crashes and increased hunger.

13. Packaged Ramen Noodles

College students’ budget-friendly meal comes with hidden costs to health. The noodles are deep-fried before packaging, making them high in fat before you even add the seasoning packet.

Speaking of seasoning, a single packet contains nearly an entire day’s worth of sodium. I lived on these during my first apartment days, wondering why I always felt bloated.

The lack of fiber and nutrients makes them particularly empty calories.

14. Fruit Juices

Surprisingly unhealthy, commercial fruit juices provide concentrated sugar without the fiber of whole fruits. A glass of orange juice requires several oranges, delivering all their sugar but none of the satisfying fiber.

Pasteurization can reduce some heat-sensitive vitamins (like vitamin C), and some products are fortified. By law, 100% fruit juice cannot contain added sugar, but many “juice drinks” do have added sugars and preservatives, so labels matter.

Portion for portion, it can be nearly as problematic as soda in terms of sugar content.

15. Artificial Sweeteners

Zero calories doesn’t mean zero consequences. These synthetic sugar substitutes can help some people reduce sugar and calories, but research is mixed and suggests they may also affect appetite or gut bacteria in ways that don’t help everyone.

My aunt switched to diet sodas exclusively twenty years ago to lose weight, but found herself gaining instead.

Some studies find benefits for weight management when they replace sugar, while others show neutral or negative effects. Responses vary by sweetener and individual.

16. Flavored Coffee Drinks

That morning, a mocha provides more than just caffeine. Specialty coffee drinks can contain 50–80 grams (about 10–16 teaspoons) of sugar and as many calories as a full meal.

The whipped cream, flavored syrups, and whole milk add saturated fat along with the sugar overload. A grande-sized flavored latte can easily exceed 400 calories without providing substantial nutrition, essentially functioning as a dessert rather than a beverage.

17. Store-Bought Smoothies

Marketed as health in a bottle, commercial smoothies often contain added sugars, fruit concentrates, and minimal actual fruit. Many contain more sugar than a candy bar while lacking the fiber of whole fruits.

Processing and pasteurization/HPP change enzyme activity, but the bigger issue is the added sugars and large portions. When I worked at a smoothie shop in college, I was shocked to see how much sweetened yogurt and sherbet went into our “healthy” smoothies.

The portions are typically much larger than necessary, adding excessive calories.