9 food items which can make or break your health!

Confused which foods are good or bad for your health? Here's a list.

Confused what to eat and what to avoid? Here's a simple guide. Faith Toogood, a nutritionist working with Spire Bristol Hospital, London, lists down several food items which you should include and ditch from your diet plans.

4 foods you should give up eating

Sugar: The sweet stuff is enemy number one when it comes to losing weight. Recent studies have suggested that our excessive consumption of sugar is contributing to the obesity epidemic -- on average we're eating about twice as much sugar as we should be. Try to opt for low-sugar alternatives and get in the habit of reading the labels of the foods you buy -- and if sugar is listed in the first three ingredients then don't buy it. You can also opt for sugar substitutes. Here are 6 healthy substitutes for white sugar.

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Trans-fats: A trans-fat is a form of unsaturated fat which behaves like a saturated fat because of its chemical structure. It should be avoided as trans-fats increase the levels of 'bad' cholesterol in your blood, while also lowering the amount of 'good' cholesterol in the blood. This can lead to problems such as heart disease, hypertension, obesity, etc.

Processed meats: The definition of a processed meat includes any meat that has had something done to it to make it last longer (through salting, curing, smoking or using chemical preservatives) which includes lunch meats such as Parma ham and bacon. It is best to avoid such meats especially the red variety as they can lead to several health ailments in the long run.

Ready-to-eat meals: They've been on the bad list for a while, but ready meals are often laden with a large amount of salt and sugar and are highly processed. Popular choices such as lasagne and curry are some of the worst culprits as they can contain large amounts of saturated fat. They often lead to weight gain.

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5 foods you should eat to boost your health

Nuts: Nuts are packed with protein, fibre and essential fats, which makes them a very healthy snack. Just a handful of nuts contain a variety of vitamins and minerals -- from vitamin E to help your skin to zinc which aids fertility. The best choices include almonds, brazil nuts, cashews and walnuts. You can snack on them to curb hunger pangs in the evening or night.

Oats: Oats have long been associated with a healthy lifestyle and for good reason. Wholegrain oats are a good source of carbohydrate, magnesium and have a low glycemic index, which means they release energy into the blood stream slowly. They keep diabetes at bay and also help people who want to lose weight. (Read: 7 healthy snacks for people on a weight loss diet)

Kale: This leafy green known as karam sag in India has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity and rightly so. It's extremely nutritious, widely available and cheap so there's no excuse not to give it a try. Kale is very low in fat and calories and it's also a good source of dietary fibre, iron and calcium.

Oily fish: There is some evidence that oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines help protect against cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer, age-related vision loss and dementia. Eating two portions of fish a week, with at least one of these being an oily fish, can help maintain a healthy blood pressure and reduce risk of heart disease.

Pulses and beans: Pulses include foods such as beans, lentils and chickpeas - they're a great, low-fat source of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals such as iron which makes them an excellent addition to a healthy diet. Eat them in abundance to up your health.

With inputs from IANS.

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