13 Beloved Foods From Around the World That Are Surprisingly Unhealthy

Some of the most beloved international foods are also bad for your health. Despite its reputation for culinary indulgence, the United States does not have a corner on the market for unhealthy foods that people just can’t quit.

Canadians love a comfort food called poutine that is loaded with carbs and fat. When people hear “Japanese food,” they first think of healthy cuisine such as sushi and not Japanese fried chicken. Baklava is a sweet Middle Eastern treat that is also loaded with sugar, fat, and calories. Even something as seemingly innocuous as bubble tea is pumped full of sugar and unhealthy syrups.

The following foods from around the world are guilty pleasures that people still enjoy even though they are unhealthy. How many have you tried?

Poutine

Poutine is Canadian comfort food that originated in Quebec circa the late 1950s. Served as a main course or side dish, poutine consists of french fries topped with cheese curds and brown gravy.

A typical serving of poutine is about 1,000 calories and high in saturated fat, carbs, and sodium. Since your body takes a short eternity to break down saturated fat, that late-night, fatty poutine meal you wolfed down could stick to your insides for up to 72 hours before your body fully digests it. Blame Canada!

Carbonara

Carbonara is a dish of pasta — usually spaghetti — made with eggs, cheese, salt, and bacon. The dish originated in Italy’s Lazio region.

Since creamy sauces such as carbonara are made using butter or heavy cream, the dish is packed with saturated fat and calories. A typical serving is about 574 calories with 27 grams of fat, and the bits of bacon up the sodium content considerably. Mamma mia!

Churro

A churro is a Spanish and Mexican pastry consisting of fried-dough sticks that are sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and dipped in hot chocolate.

When you hear people talk about the health benefits of a Mediterranean diet, they aren’t referring to churros. The popular dessert is considered one of the five most fattening foods in the world.

Cronut

A Cronut is a trademarked pastry created by French pastry chef Domnique Ansel in New York City in 2013. The ring-shaped treat is shaped like a doughnut but is made from flaky layers of croissant-type dough that is deep-fried and filled with vanilla cream.

Although Time praised the Cronut as one of the best inventions of 2013, the magazine isn’t a nutritionist or dietician. A single Cronut exceeds the full daily allowance of saturated fat and sugar for an adult.

Chicken Karaage

Chicken karaage is how the Japanese prepare fried chicken. To make karaage, chicken thighs are dipped in a thick batter and fried in vegetable or canola oil. The chicken pieces are then served with rice or shredded cabbage.

Japanese fried chicken is just as unhealthy as KFC or any other fried chicken. The combination of batter and frying oil in chicken karaage adds extra fat and carbs that you wouldn’t get if you ate chicken prepared in a different way, such as grilled or baked.

Bubble Tea

Bubble tea, or boba tea, is a sweet Taiwanese drink consisting of tea mixed with milk, fruit syrup, and little chewy globules of tapioca.

The high sugar content of bubble tea negates any health benefits one might get from the green tea base. A 16-ounce serving of bubble tea has about 38 grams of sugar and up to 335 calories. With those numbers, a can of Coca-Cola is a healthier option than this trendy beverage.

Samosa

A samosa is a savory, deep-fried, triangular-shaped pastry from India stuffed with spiced potatoes, onions, peas, and sometimes meat or fish. Samosas are served as appetizers or a snack.

Because samosas are deep-fried and high in calories, they are not considered “healthy” by anyone’s definition of the word. The amount of saturated and trans fat in samosas are associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

Fried Plantains

Plantains are a staple ingredient in many Central American, South American, and Caribbean dishes. The tropical “cooking bananas” are not inherently unhealthy, but frying them — as with most foods — changes everything.

Fried plantains are usually sliced and served as a part of a dish. Since the plantains are fried in a considerable amount of oil and salt is also added, they are high in calories and fat. A healthier option is to bake plantain chips or cook them in an air fryer.

Fondue

Fondue is a fon-don’t for those concerned about eating healthy. Fondue is a Swiss dish consisting of a pot of melted cheese in which guests dip pieces of bread, fruit, or meat using long forks.

Typical cheese fondue has 670 calories and up to 29 grams of fat per serving, and that’s before we even take into account what you are dipping into the fondue, which could bump those numbers up even higher. Experimenting with low-fat cheeses can reduce those numbers significantly.

Baklava

Baklava is a layered pastry popular in Persian and Greek cuisine. The dessert is made of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with honey.

High in sugar and carbs, baklava can cause blood sugar levels to spike, leading to weight gain and other metabolic issues. The healthiest way to enjoy baklava — aside from not eating it at all — is to share a small piece with a friend. This is not a second-helping type of dessert.

Pizza

I don’t trust people who don’t like pizza, but how unhealthy the globally popular Italian dish is depends on how it is prepared and what toppings are used.

A thin-crust pizza with tomatoes, olive oil, and basil is in another realm from a deep-dish pizza slathered in cheese, processed meat, and maybe even a stuffed meat crust for extra calories. Daily consumption of “loaded” pizza can lead to weight gain, high cholesterol, and other health problems.

Fish-and-chips

Originating in England, fish-and-chips consists of batter-fried fish served with chips of potatoes and garnished with lemon and parsley. Fish-and-chips shops first appeared in England in the 1860s.

A 6-ounce serving of fried fish and 10-ounce serving of chips contains about 1,000 calories and a whopping 52 grams of fat. If you add tartar sauce or mayo to the mix, those numbers jump up even higher. By comparison, a Burger King Whopper has 678 calories and 37 grams of fat… and actually tastes good and not like a piece of fried mystery fish wrapped in paper.

Tamale

A tamale is a traditional Mexican dish made of masa and filled with meat, cheese, vegetables, or some combination of all of those. The tamales are steamed in corn husks or wrapped banana leaves.

Tamales are a traditional holiday treat for many families, but this tasty food is often made with fatty meat, lard, and lots of salt, which makes them high in calories and unhealthy. Adding cheese or sour cream to tamales doubles your trouble.

Cheeseburger

Cheeseburgers are significantly higher in cholesterol, calories, and sodium than a plain hamburger, so you’re better off holding the cheese.

Pad Thai

Pad Thai is a noodle dish loaded with sugar, oil, and sodium-heavy sauces that is served with crushed peanuts.

Corn Dog

A corn dog is a frankfurter coated in cornmeal batter, deep-fried in vegetable oil, and served on a stick. The unhealthy combo of processed meat and vegetable oil is a double whammy.

Pierogi

These Polish pasta dumplings are stuffed with cheese and potatoes and served with butter and sour cream, which makes them high in fat and calories.

Crème Brûlée

This rich French custard dessert is topped with caramelized sugar and is high in sugar, fat, and cholesterol from the cream and egg yolks used to make the custard base.