Is it worth it: 8 products that are absolutely useless for the body and health

 Modern food culture is a very interesting phenomenon. Today it is much easier to eat right, monitor calories, food composition, processing and cooking, and therefore be healthier. But some things that are familiar to us, formed over decades, also remain in our lives. For example, we consume certain products every day that are absolutely useless in terms of health benefits for the body. In this article, we present you with 8 such products

Snacks (Chips, Croutons, and More)

Let’s start right away with one of everyone’s favorite products. In our article about chips, we already explored their history and cultural impact; now let’s focus on their effect on the body. Originally, chips weren't seen as entirely negative—much like dried salted bread. But they weren’t healthy either. Potatoes themselves are often debated by nutritionists, but once processed, they contain almost no useful nutrients.

Since chips are fried in oil at high temperatures, their nutritional value is close to zero. Moreover, spices, fats, and modern mechanical processing make them almost an artificial product—extremely high in calories. A single average-sized bag can provide up to one-third or more of your daily caloric intake. Due to their light texture, strong impact on taste receptors and the dopamine system, chips can also affect behavior, social habits, and even cognitive function.

The same applies to crouton-based snacks. Many are made by the simplest industrial methods and contain no benefits—often the opposite. Regular consumption will only lead to dependency on "easy calories" and a body weakened by excessive fat, salt, and overactivated dopamine reward cycles.

Soda Drinks

If we mention snacks, soda drinks immediately come to mind. And not by chance—these products are closely connected. Historically, soda wasn’t as harmful, though it still contained a lot of sugar. Things changed when custom-made soda was replaced by mass production. In factory settings, replicating the flavor of something like Coca-Cola without artificial flavors, colorings, sugars, and other additives is impossible. The result: a very tasty, addictive, but essentially useless product—primarily due to sugar. Here's a brief example:

How much sugar is there in a can of Coke?

That’s why soda is so appealing and easy to overconsume. It provides empty calories, a temporary sense of fullness, depletes calcium, and spikes insulin—making you feel energized, but only briefly, until you need another “refill.” And Coca-Cola isn’t even the most sugary drink. If you think there’s a “reasonable” amount of soda—think again. One of the world’s top footballers, Cristiano Ronaldo, publicly refused Coca-Cola at a press conference:

"Drink water": Ronaldo removes Coca-Cola bottles in press conference

Hard Candies, Gummies, and Caramel

Next in the list—candies many find harmless. But their production is mechanical, with almost no natural ingredients, and involves high sugar content, artificial flavors, and colorings. These directly and indirectly affect the body, brain function, and overall well-being. If you regularly snack on a couple of sweets during breaks, this habit won’t benefit you in the long term.

Store-Bought Sausages 

Now we come to foods that, at first glance, seem more useful than the previous ones. Here, distinctions matter. Natural sausages  have nutritional value and can complement a meal. BUT most store-bought meat products are made from low-quality ingredients, with lots of fat, emulsifiers, soy, flavors, and more. That makes store-bought sausages essentially useless in terms of health benefits. They do provide a feeling of fullness and calories—not as empty as in chips or soda—but still, not true proteins, fats, or carbs, just technical fillers with destructive effects over time.

Store-Bought Chocolate Candies

Continuing on sweets—let’s talk about chocolate. Real dark chocolate can have health benefits in small doses. But most chocolate candies rarely contain real chocolate. They usually have palm oil, cocoa substitutes, and a lot of sugar and additives. This spikes blood sugar and dopamine, and forms mental links that pull you back to sugar again and again. So from a nutritional standpoint, store-bought chocolate candies are useless.

Pastries and Confectionery Products

Including such a broad category may seem bold, but it's logical. Almost every pastry—whether homemade or factory-made—contains one or more potentially harmful ingredients. Most commonly: sugar. A lot of sugar. Cakes, pies, cupcakes—all usually include sugar in the batter, filling, frosting, and decoration. A single pastry can significantly raise—or exceed—your blood sugar level, which brings health risks.

Second issue: dough. Most baked goods are made of dough—shortcrust, yeast, puff pastry—all fast carbs with little nutritional value. Add frosting, chocolate, jams, and you get a time bomb (if consumed regularly). Homemade pastries may be slightly less harmful, but using sugar or frying oil still cancels out any real benefits. There are rare exceptions, but overall, pastries benefit your mood more than your health.

Alcohol

Not much needs to be said here. Many studies try to legitimize consumption, but ethanol—or ethyl alcohol—is absolutely unnecessary to the body, and quite the opposite. It affects the brain and nervous system, dulling processes and causing long-term irreversible damage. So the health benefit of any alcohol is zero, and giving it up won't cost you anything significant.

Store-Bought Sauces

Ketchup, mayonnaise, tartar sauce, and other “packet dressings” are heavily processed ingredients with sugar, salt, artificial flavors, and preservatives. Once in the body, these can disrupt digestion, irritate taste receptors, and reduce interest in natural foods over time. In moderation, they may not be harmful—but they also offer no benefits.

Well, the list turned out to be quite extensive, and probably everyone will find something from their diet here. In fact, there are more such products. For example, white bread may be a less useful fast carbohydrate, but since whole grain and natural bread have their own useful properties, it is not on the list. Healthy eating is not a dream or torture. Healthy eating is an investment in the future. Eat right. Good luck