The Dinner Diva: Top 10 list of the absolute worst foods

I am usually listing the healthiest foods so you can be healthier and thinner. So this column is a bit of a departure since this time I'm the bearer of bad tidings. I must admit though, it was kind of fun being a naughty girl — even if it was just a one-list stand.

__IMAGE1__Here's my top-10 world's-worst foods to be avoided at any cost. Brand names aren't listed, but you will know which stuff to steer clear of next time you're making the rounds in the grocery store.

Don't do donuts. Check it out: white flour, white sugar and deep fat fried. ‘Nuf said.

Marginal margarine. Mostly just dyed, flavored shortening, margarine is the king of the hydrogenated oils. There are new brands without the trans fats although \"marginal\" at best as an alternative to real butter. At least we know what butter is.

Cereal killer. I'm talking about the artificially dyed, flavored, chock-full-of-sugar and guaranteed-to-make-the-milk-turn-purple-in-the-bowl kind. That's not cereal; that's chemical warfare.

Thirst for ad-venture. Why would we drink sports drinks the same color as toilet bowl cleaner and anti-freeze? It could have something to do with the marketing, I think.

You're toast. Speaking of marketing, check out the wide variety of \"toaster pastries\" available. Defying logic on all fronts, the two inches worth of ingredients on the packages contain things I bet you couldn't identify in a line up.

Chip on your shoulder. Another fatty, too salty and artificially flavored, colored and enhanced product, most chips are a nutritional nightmare and pile on the pounds while completely ignoring anything having to do with nutrition.

Chickening out. Chicken nuggets are a happy meal for most children and plenty of adults like them, too. But the sorry truth is that most all of these commercially prepared, deep-fried pieces of poultry are paltry in the nutrition department and contain a lot of ingredients you want to avoid, like hydrogenated oils.

Carbon nation. Soft drinks are among the worst of the worst. Nine teaspoons of sugar per can, calcium-robbing phosphorus and a pound packer, this is one drink to pour down the drain.

Don't give me your bologna. Literally. Bologna and its kin, the hot dog, are made from who knows what, sodium nitrates (known carcinogens) and enough fat to lube your Buick. This one belongs in the dog house.