According to Science, This is the Unhealthiest Food on the Planet

It’s completely normal to crave sweet treats like cake, donuts, and ice cream or savory snacks like chips, pretzels, and salty french fries, as long as you enjoy them in moderation. Being aware of what’s actually in the foods you eat can make a big difference — especially in the U.S., where many common foods are loaded with added sugar, sodium, saturated fats, and hard-to-pronounce chemicals. According to the American Heart Association, the American Institute for Cancer Research, and the USDA, there’s one food that's considered the unhealthiest food on the planet: potato chips. High amounts of sodium and saturated fats and very low levels of fiber make this ultra-processed food No. 1 on the list of the 100 most unhealthy foods. Most bags of potato chips not only have exorbitant levels of sodium, they also contain artificial flavors and colors. Take Ruffles Cheddar & Sour Cream Potato Chips, for example. These addicting chips are made with Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 — two common food dyes that are considered animal and human carcinogens. That doesn’t mean you can’t have potato chips, but maybe look for ones that get a healthier rating. According to dieticians, the 6 healthiest potato chips include Jackson’s Sweet Potato Chips, Roots Purple Sea Salt Potato Chips, Terra Vegetable Chips with Sea Salt, Siete’s Kettle Cooked Potato Chips, Popchips Sea Salt, and Pure Protein Popper Crisps. All have simple ingredients, caloric density, low saturated fats, and low sodium content.

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Woman’s Viral Video of An Elderly DoorDash Driver Allows Him to Retire

When Brittany Smith (inset) of Manchester, Tenn., heard her doorbell ring, she expected to find a 20-something delivery driver from DoorDash. What she found was 78-year-old Richard Pulley. After watching Richard struggle to get up the steps, she wondered why someone of his age would be delivering food. A brief conversation revealed the Richard had returned to work to supplement the income of he and his wife Brenda after she lost her job and medical bills accumulated. It didn’t take Brittany long to set up a GoFundMe page entitled “Give Richard a Chance to Rest Again.” After going viral, the donations began to pour in, and when it was all said and done, the amount collected was over $900,000, far surpassing the original $20,000 goal. DoorDash also contributed an additional $20,000 to the total after hearing Richard’s story. The fundraiser allowed the couple to retire and relieved the financial pressure on them. Just when you begin to lose faith in humanity, someone goes and does something like this.

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America Just Hit a Milestone That Once Seemed Impossible

It’s something that would have seemed impossible just a few decades ago, but somehow, smoking a cigarette has become thoroughly uncool. Research out this week shows how the smoking rate in America has plummeted to a record low. Scientists studied national survey data that estimated that less than 10% of U.S. adults smoked a cigarette in 2024 — the first time this rate has ever dropped to single digits. There have been few public health victories more dramatic in recent history than the curbing of smoking. In 1964 — the same year the U.S. Surgeon General issued his report outlining the now-established dangers of smoking — 42% of adults reported smoking. Following that report and a widespread public health campaign, the smoking rate slowly but steadily declined over time. This drop has especially accelerated since the early 2000s, however, thanks largely to younger generations that avoided picking up a cigarette in the first place. The loss of smoking might be a downer for people who love their action movie clichés, but it’s undoubtedly been good for lungs everywhere.

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Why You Should Throw Out Black Takeout Containers

If you wanted to, you could easily identify types of food from their takeout container. Clear plastic clamshell? That’s a salad. Flat, square box? You know there’s a pizza in there. White wax paper secured with a rubber band? Get ready to dig into a sub. Black container with a plastic top? That screams sushi or Chinese food. While you’re no doubt happy to get your hands on the food, a new study from the environmental health research and advocacy group Toxic-Free Future suggests that you shouldn’t be too happy if you see a black plastic container. That’s because researchers have found that these containers quite often contain toxic flame retardants. These chemicals — which include harmful compounds like deca-BDE, TBBPA and RDP — are permitted in the black plastic that's used to manufacture electronics, but not items that we handle on a daily basis, and certainly not those that touch our food. Is it safe to eat takeout delivered in black plastic? According to Megan Liu, the lead author on the study, no. “Flame retardants can leach out of kitchen utensils into food, and it’s alarming to think that we could be eating flame retardants,” she says. Researchers found levels of deca-BDE to be up to 1,200 times greater than the limit of 10 ppm, which is outrageous when you consider the fact that people eat off those trays. What should you do with black plastic containers? According to Liu, toss them out — don’t even recycle them.

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