Are America's Unhealthiest Foods Really That Bad?

Topping the list of America's unhealthiest foods were Red Lobster's Ultimate Fondue, Applebee's Quesadilla Burger, Chili's Big Mouth Bites, and The Cheesecake Factory's Chicken and Biscuits.

Two brave reporters from ABC News even tested whether eating foods such as the ones named in the America's unhealthiest foods list caused an immediate physical effect after only one meal. They found that yes, after just one sitting, the negative effects of packing in so much fat and so many calories caused a visible and easily felt reaction in their bodies.

Nearly everyone knows the feeling of lethargy and sleepiness that comes after packing in a giant cheeseburger and milkshake. Jokes are made about regretting what was just eaten, and America's unhealthiest foods, such as fast food, fried food, desserts, and junk food show up in commercials constantly as advertisements for indigestion medication or diet aids.

Perhaps part of the problem is the lack of good, solid information. We live in the age of nutritionalism, where anything but a holistic view is taken when we look at food. How many calories does it have? How much saturated fat? Protein? Carbs? Meanwhile, America's unhealthiest foods tempt us from commercials and billboards the entire time, advertising their inexpensive prices, which marketing campaigns hit us extra hard in our difficult economic times. But we are only now beginning to come around to the knowledge that, once explained seems so simple. This knowledge is a more holistic view of food. For instance, yes, fruit has lots of sugar, but it also has specific fibers and proteins that help you to digest that sugar. It is not the same as having candy, or even fruit juice, which is often filled with artificial sugars and stripped of its natural ingredients that help us digest it in its original form.

When ABC's reporters tested their blood before and after having a meal consisting of some of America's unhealthiest foods, they literally saw the fat swimming through their blood stream after finishing the meal. They also could hear their heart rate slow as a result of their constricted arteries. One of them got a headache within a couple hours of eating. All of these are clear signs that what you just ate was not the best choice.

Price is a big issue when considering what we eat, and America's unhealthiest foods beat out most alternatives in that category. However, studies have been done that show that those costs come out of your wallet later, in medical fees rather than in grocery bills. Most of the time, they are even multiplied several times.

America's unhealthiest foods are enigmatic and pervasive. We see them everywhere, we see a commercial for a fast food restaurant directly after one telling us to remember to get our "Daily 5" fruits and vegetables. When it comes time to decide what to put in our mouths and stomachs, perhaps mindfulness is part of the answer. Will that burger, one of America's unhealthiest foods, feed my body in the way that it wants to be fed, with nutrients and good fats? Or will it clog my arteries and shorten my life span? Each of us has to decide what is most important.