Nutrition Diet: Which food should be eaten less for a healthier lifestyle?

October 22, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the World Health Organization, limiting the intake of fats, sugars, and salt is essential for maintaining a healthy diet. To achieve this, it's crucial for individuals to understand which food should be eaten less and why, enabling them to make more informed and nutritious choices for long-term health.

Quick Summary

This guide details the specific food groups and products, such as ultra-processed items, sugary drinks, and refined grains, that should be consumed in moderation or reduced. It explains the health risks associated with overconsumption and offers practical strategies for making healthier substitutions.

Key Points

Minimize Processed Foods: Reduce intake of ultra-processed items like fast food, packaged snacks, and sugary cereals, which are high in unhealthy ingredients.
Limit Added Sugar: Cut back on sugary drinks and sweets, as excessive added sugar can contribute to weight gain, diabetes, and dental problems.
Prioritize Whole Grains: Replace refined grains like white bread and pasta with whole-grain versions to increase fiber and nutrient intake and better stabilize blood sugar.
Decrease Unhealthy Fats: Reduce saturated fats (found in fatty meats, butter) and avoid trans fats, opting instead for healthier unsaturated fats.
Control Sodium Intake: Be mindful of hidden salt in packaged and processed foods to help manage blood pressure and reduce heart disease risk.
Make Mindful Swaps: Replace unhealthy snacks and drinks with nutritious alternatives like fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, and water.

For many, navigating the world of nutrition is about more than just what to eat more of; it's also about knowing what to eat less of. While a restrictive approach is often unsustainable, a mindful reduction of certain nutrient-poor foods can significantly improve overall health and well-being. By focusing on moderation and opting for nutrient-dense alternatives, you can foster a healthier relationship with food and lower your risk of developing chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.

The Primary Culprits: Foods to Minimize

Eating less of certain food types is key to a balanced nutrition diet. These items are often high in calories but low in essential nutrients, providing what are commonly referred to as 'empty calories'.

Ultra-Processed Foods and Fast Food

These products are engineered to be hyper-palatable, making them easy to overeat. They are typically loaded with added sugars, unhealthy fats, and artificial ingredients while lacking in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Examples include mass-produced baked goods, sugary cereals, fast-food burgers, and packaged snacks like chips and crackers. Reducing your reliance on these items is one of the most effective steps you can take to improve your diet.

Sugary Drinks and Added Sugars

Sugar-sweetened beverages, including sodas, fruit juices, energy drinks, and sweetened teas, are major sources of added sugar in many diets. The liquid sugar provides a high calorie load without producing a feeling of fullness, which can lead to weight gain. Excess consumption is a significant risk factor for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and dental decay. Minimizing your intake of these drinks and reaching for water, unsweetened tea, or naturally flavored water is a simple yet impactful change.

Refined Grains

Refined grains, such as white bread, white rice, and conventional pasta, are stripped of their outer layers (bran and germ) during processing. This removes fiber, vitamins, and minerals, making them less nutritious than their whole-grain counterparts. They are quickly digested by the body, which can lead to spikes in blood sugar levels. A consistent high intake of refined grains is associated with a greater risk of obesity and related health issues.

Processed and Fatty Meats

Processed meats like bacon, sausages, hot dogs, and deli meats are often high in sodium, saturated fat, and preservatives. The World Health Organization classifies processed meat as a carcinogen due to its link to an increased risk of bowel cancer. Similarly, fatty cuts of red meat should be limited. Opting for leaner cuts, fish, or plant-based proteins can help reduce your intake of unhealthy fats and sodium.

Saturated and Trans Fats

While some dietary fat is essential, it's important to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy fats. Saturated fats (found in fatty meats, butter, cream) and especially industrially-produced trans fats (often in fried and pre-packaged baked goods) are linked to higher levels of LDL ('bad') cholesterol and an increased risk of heart disease. A shift towards unsaturated fats found in olive oil, fish, and nuts is recommended.

The Path to Healthier Habits: Swapping and Reducing

Changing your eating habits requires more than just knowing what to avoid; it involves creating sustainable strategies for moderation. Making deliberate substitutions and controlling portion sizes are excellent starting points. Planning meals and snacks can also help you avoid unhealthy choices when you're hungry and tempted by convenience foods.

Comparison Table: Unhealthy vs. Healthy Swaps


Food to Eat Less	Healthier Alternative	Reason for Swap
Sugary Soda	Water, infused water, or herbal tea	Reduces added sugar intake and calories, improves hydration.
White Bread & Pasta	Whole-grain bread & pasta, brown rice	Provides more fiber and nutrients, stabilizes blood sugar levels.
Potato Chips	Air-popped popcorn, roasted nuts, or vegetable sticks	Lower in calories and unhealthy fats, higher in fiber and nutrients.
Processed Meats	Lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, or tofu	Lower in sodium, saturated fat, and chemical additives.
Store-bought Cake & Cookies	Fresh fruit, plain yogurt with berries, dark chocolate	Reduces intake of added sugars and unhealthy fats, adds nutrients.
French Fries	Oven-baked sweet potato wedges	Reduces unhealthy oil absorption and sodium, adds fiber and vitamins.
Sugary Breakfast Cereals	Whole-oats, unsweetened cereals with fruit	Lowers added sugar intake, increases fiber for lasting fullness.

Key Strategies for Reduction

Read Nutrition Labels: Scrutinize labels for 'added sugars' and 'sodium' content. Choose products with lower numbers.
Cook at Home More Often: Preparing meals at home gives you full control over ingredients, allowing you to reduce unhealthy fats, salt, and sugar.
Stay Hydrated with Water: Many people mistake thirst for hunger. Drinking plenty of water can reduce cravings for sugary drinks and snacks.
Mindful Eating: Pay attention to what and how you are eating. Eating slowly can help you recognize your body's fullness cues, preventing overconsumption.
Don't Reward with Food: Find non-food rewards for successes to break the association between food and pleasure beyond basic nourishment.
Meal Planning: Planning meals and snacks in advance ensures you have healthy options readily available and reduces the likelihood of impulsive, unhealthy choices.

Conclusion

Adopting a healthier nutrition diet isn't about complete deprivation but about making conscious choices to eat less of certain foods. By reducing your intake of ultra-processed items, excessive sugar, unhealthy fats, and refined grains, you can significantly lower your risk of chronic diseases and improve your overall energy and well-being. Focusing on whole, nutrient-dense foods and applying practical strategies like reading labels and cooking at home will help you achieve a balanced diet that is both nourishing and sustainable. Remember, every small, healthy substitution contributes to a positive long-term impact on your health.

For more detailed guidance and resources on making healthier eating choices, you can consult the World Health Organization website. https://www.who.int/initiatives/behealthy/healthy-diet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Ultra-processed foods are industrial formulations made primarily from substances extracted from foods, with added colorings, flavorings, and other additives. They are often high in sugar, unhealthy fats, and salt, and low in nutrients and fiber.

To reduce sugar intake, you can make simple swaps like choosing plain yogurt and adding fresh fruit instead of flavored varieties, drinking water instead of soda, or opting for a small amount of dark chocolate over milk chocolate.

No, not all processed foods are unhealthy. Many healthy items like shelled nuts, canned beans, and frozen fruits and vegetables have been processed. The key is to distinguish between minimally processed, nutrient-dense foods and ultra-processed, nutrient-poor ones.

Trans fats are a type of unsaturated fat created artificially by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil. They increase 'bad' LDL cholesterol and lower 'good' HDL cholesterol, raising the risk of heart disease. Industrially-produced trans fats should be avoided completely.

Most of the salt we consume comes from processed and packaged foods, not from a salt shaker. To reduce intake, focus on eating fewer packaged snacks, fast food, canned soups, and deli meats. Read labels to choose lower-sodium options.

No, fruit juice is often high in sugar and calories and lacks the fiber of whole fruit. It's better to eat whole fruits to get the benefits of fiber and nutrients while reducing sugar intake.

Excessive consumption of red and processed meat has been linked to an increased risk of chronic diseases, including heart disease and certain cancers, particularly bowel cancer. It's recommended to eat less of these and choose lean, unprocessed protein sources more often.