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11 Doctors Reveal the Foods They'd Never Touch

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Sticky Candies
We're looking at you, caramels. Not only is the sugar content in these badboys typically through the roof (one piece contains almost 7 grams!), but chewing on them often quickly leads to tooth decay. "The adherence in caramel candies sticks to your teeth along with the bad bacteria trapped underneath it," says Victoria Veytsman, New York City dentist and RealSelf contributor. "It is difficult to brush off and gets stuck in the micro nooks and crannies of teeth."

In fact, even after rinsing with water or mouthwash doesn't do a good job of removing it, and your saliva has a tough time washing it away as the time goes on." I've also seen many fillings and teeth chip or fracture because of the stickiness of the caramels," adds Dr. Veytsman.

While most candy is crawling with sugar, the best way to curb your sweet tooth cravings is with dark chocolate. In fact, studies have found that a compound in chocolate may be even better for your teeth than fluoride, as it helps harden tooth enamel.

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Energy Drinks
We've heard these buzzy beverages are bad for us, but can't help but give in when an afternoon crash hits hard. The truth is, energy drinks are far more dangerous than your average cup (or three) of joe. In fact, the Drug Abuse Warning Network reports a sharp increase in the number of emergency visits as a result of consuming energy drinks, from 1,128 visits in 2005 to 13,114 visits in 2009.

"There is so much caffeine in these drinks that they can cause an arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rhythm," says Nicole Weinberg, M.D., cardiologist at Providence Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. "In rare and extreme cases, sudden death has been linked with excessive caffeine from these energy drinks."

From a medical standpoint, these energy-boosting beverages have little-to-no nutritional value -- they're loaded with as much as five times the amount of caffeine in one regular cup of coffee, a caffeine-containing plant called guarana, as much as 35 grams of sugar, as well as taurine, ginseng and some B vitamins which are thrown in for kicks. It's also worth noting that energy drinks are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), so there's more of a risk for negative side effects than almost anything else on the market, Dr. Weinberg notes.

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BY JENN SINRICH | SEP 19, 2017 | SHARES
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