Just as many articles on healthy eating look towards the types of foods we should be eating as well as the benefits we can extract from them, it is probably just as important to analyse the food that is bad for you and understand why they do no favours for your health.
In this article, we look at food that is bad for you with particular focus on foods that contain additives (anything with an E-number amongst others).
We live in a situation now where there are probably more foods on the market that are composed of synthetic substances than there are foods that are made from natural ingredients.
It's important to understand that food that is made from these synthetic substances, such as preservatives, alter the chemical structure of the food itself and thus change the way the body reacts to it.
Food that is bad for you can be sometimes found in the most unsuspecting places.
For example, an unassuming sandwich you pick up for lunch from a supermarket fridge may have an unusually high amount of salt to preserve its 'freshness.
' It may also contain a plethora of sugars and sweeteners to bolster the flavour of the low quality ingredients that are incomparable with a fresh handmade sandwich you may get from your local café or deli.
Because it appears fresh out of the wrapper, we take for granted what it actually takes to make it look that way! The truth is, preservatives and sweeteners are a hidden danger that may cause as many health problems as food that is bad for you simply because it's high in saturated fats and sugar.
Food that is bad for you because of its artificial content come in many varieties; an obvious example would be processed foods.
However, it's not always obvious which foods are processed and which aren't.
For example, a bowlful of your favourite breakfast cereal may be an example of synthetic ingredients working at their best.
These cereals, already containing a shameful amount of nutrients in the first place due to the fact that they are made from super refined grain produce, are almost completely stripped of any vitamins and minerals they may contain as they are converted into flakes or crisps.
So much so that in order for the manufacturer to retain any credibility in its produce, nutrients have to be added back in to the food post process.
  Just remember that food that is bad for you comes in many shapes and forms and it's always important to be vigilant.
Your safest bet is to always aim to eat fresh produce as much as possible.
More often than not these natural foods are more expensive than their mass produced counterparts, but this is simply because they are more expensive to make and have a shorter shelf life.
If it means spending a bit more on a fresh sandwich for lunch everyday for the sake of your long term good health, then perhaps it's worth it...