I'm just curious of what you guys think. Do you really believe that there are bad foods? I mean the food that are labeled bad are usually chips, cakes, candies, sodas and etc... Do you really believe that there are bad foods, or is it just bad eating habits? I'm asking this, because I often hear people say, "there are no bad foods, only bad eating habit." So does this mean that anything that you consume in moderation is good for you, or is there some foods that once you eat it will cause havoc to your body? If so, can you list some of them?

Habits are indeed a huge part of the problem, but sugar/white bread (almost identical to sugar) is the real problem. It's become a base food and anyone with decent knowledge of the body knows sugar is a nitemare substance. It's addictive due to the multiple dramatic chemical release's it stimulates, which in turn encourages the bad habbits.

If you don't care about your health or the calories you're taking in (the better part of america) it's easy to get yourself in trouble. Simply put our bodies are not made to handle all the carbohydrate dense processed foods that are so available these days. Some peoples bodies are able to to handle processed crap better than others though.

With that said the body is for the most part a calories in calories out machine, but not when you're over producing insulin. Most processed foods cause an overproduction of insulin which encourages fat storage.

Don't ever let anyone tell you there are no bad foods though, that's simply not true.

Donuts
fried chicken
french fries
frozen waffles
croissants
anything with a pastry crust
potatoe chips, taco chips etc.
pork ribs
bacon

These are all bad foods, but it doesn't mean I'd never eat them, but they are severely restricted in my diet.

Cake, I eat lots of it, but only if I make it myself so I know what's in it.

Hydrogenated oils and fats are bad news. Your body takes them all in as-is, and as your cells are rebuilt, your lipid layer, which regulates everything that goes in and out of your cells, gets replaced with the hydrogenated oils.

They don't work terribly well in that role, though. Having hydrogenated oils all throughout your cells is now known to cause type II diabetes, heart disease, and various other problems.

Just 4g a day of hydrogenated oils or fats has been shown to double your risk of heart disease.

Some countries have outlawed them.

They're bad news.

Most other things ... even refined sugar and animal fats like butter ... are basically okay in moderation, provided you're at your ideal body weight, exercise regularly, and eat an otherwise healthy diet.

That's my thinking.

I often hear people say, "there are no bad foods, only bad eating habit." So does this mean that anything that you consume in moderation is good for you

Anything from Krispy Kreme is a bad food :nod: There is no such thing as a "good for you" donut at KK no matter how much positive spin you try to put on it, but hey, eating one every now and then will not hurt your progress.

Of course there are bad foods. There's all sorts of stuff that, if you eat it, causes you a whole mess of health problems, some more immediate than others.

Hemlock
Certain Mushrooms
Coins (especially coins with a high zinc content, like American pennies)
Raw Chicken
Really Old, Unpreserved Meat
Glass
Crab intestines
Cow brains
Wormwood
the wrong parts of certain Japanese fish
etc.

So, now that we've established that there is such a thing as "Stuff you could eat, and might even want to eat, but really shouldn't," we can feel free to put any substance that hurts you when you eat it in that category, like trans fats.

It reminds me of the old joke attributed alternately to George Bernard Shaw and Winston Churchill.

"Would you sleep with me for a million pounds?"

"I'd imagine so, Mr. Churchill/Shaw."

"Well, then, would you sleep with me for ten pounds?"

"Mr. Churchill/Shaw! What kind of woman do you think I am?!"

"We've already established that. We're just arguing on the price."

It seems like moderation is the key, but refined carbs tend to cause conditions in your body that make moderation increasingly difficult.

As for hydrogentated fats, I also believe they are not so good, but I would like to see documetion or you stat, adamc. If possible. Also trans fats, not so good.

It seems like moderation is the key, but refined carbs tend to cause conditions in your body that make moderation increasingly difficult.

As for hydrogentated fats, I also believe they are not so good, but I would like to see documetion or you stat, adamc. If possible. Also trans fats, not so good.

I don't have specific citation for Adamc's claim, but here is an overview of a lot of the research that started the trans fat/hydrogenated oil scare, with a broad bibliography of sources on the subject.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/reviews/transfats.html

I'm just curious of what you guys think. Do you really believe that there are bad foods? I mean the food that are labeled bad are usually chips, cakes, candies, sodas and etc... Do you really believe that there are bad foods, or is it just bad eating habits? I'm asking this, because I often hear people say, "there are no bad foods, only bad eating habit." So does this mean that anything that you consume in moderation is good for you, or is there some foods that once you eat it will cause havoc to your body? If so, can you list some of them?

Others have mentioned them, but offhand I would say the trans-fats may be the worst of the commonly available food ingredients. The evidence that these are downright toxic is apparently very compelling. I am usually a "live and let live" kinda guy, but I would support a ban on the use of these in foods. We would be better off returning to the use of animal fats in cookies, crackers, etc.