Htydjtk

I think the simplest way to emphasize avoidance would be to use the word shun.

shun v. tr.

to keep away from; take pains to avoid.
_{See TFD Online}

Note the "take pains" in the definition. It suggests a strenuous avoidance, which should be what you're looking for.

Nota bene: To all those who subscribe to the narrow viewpoint that shun is archaic, or only ever used for people, or subject to other strictures, here are a few current links. Note that the first link is from the Washington Post and is no more than a few months old.

Will the new women in Congress embrace bipartisanship—or shun it?
Do you shun the use of autoclickers?
Dividend ETFs Tend to Shun Tech Sector—Barron's
CR Boldface: Shunning the use of titles
NM debtors tend to shun filing Chapter 13
Why did nomadic peoples shun the use of pottery?

... and my current favorite:
Consumers shun macaroni products (!)

Shun is not only commonplace but is frequently used in a variety of contexts by intelligent English speakers—especially when they want to make a strong statement about avoidance. This has been true for centuries and is still true today.

The expression to steer clear of something or someone sounds stronger, I think. It's oftentimes used in situations where you're advised to avoid something that can be very dangerous for you. Somebody advising you against doing drugs would be one good example. The following is how the Cambridge Dictionary defines this expression:

to avoid someone or something that seems unpleasant, dangerous, or likely to cause problems

Example sentence:

They warned their children to steer clear of drugs.

How about plain old Do not? It's not sexy, but it gets the point across unambiguously.

I'm jumping in with an edit...

Avoid setting the cat/house on fire.

Shun setting the cat/house on fire.

Abstain from setting the cat/house on fire.

Do not set the cat/house on fire.

The phrasing "Avoid <noun>" implies physically avoiding contact with it. It may be necessary to replace the noun (in the example "macaroni and cheese") with a verb phrase clarifying the activity you want to be avoided (presumably eating in this case).

In any case, if you are going to introduce a verb phrase, it would be better to just say "Do not <verb>...".

"Avoid macaroni and cheese" - Ambiguous. Should I just not be in the same room as macaroni and cheese?

"Avoid eating macaroni and cheese" - Better, but still not an absolute command.

"Do not eat macaroni and cheese" - Most direct

Abstain

restrain oneself from doing or enjoying something

While abstaining, a person consciously restrains himself from taking pleasure.

E.g.

"she intends to abstain from sex before marriage"

In income tax terminology, evade is a much stronger word than avoid. In fact, avoiding taxes is legal and evading taxes is illegal.

An example of avoiding taxes is to have paid some medical bills in 2018 which were not due until 2019. The floor on the medical tax deduction for 2018 is 7.5%, as opposed to 10% for 2019. Of course the calculation is not this simple, and you would have to take into account what your medical bills were in 2018 versus what they are likely to be in 2019. But this is legal, and avoiding taxes is recommended by CPAs. (If you didn't do this already, it is too late.)

An example of evading taxes is to not report income or to overstate deductions. For example to "make a mistake" by overstating your charitable deductions. There are many sophisticated ways to evade taxes, and they are illegal.

See, for example What is the difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion. I will not quote from this article, because it would only verify what I said above, not significantly add to it.

Whether you can take this distinction and apply it to diet busting foods like chocolate cream pie a la mode is problematical.

Not sure how strong you want to be here, but, eschew is pretty strong.

From MW eschew:

eschew v.

to avoid habitually on moral or practical grounds

I agree with @Robusto that shun is the simplest and therefore in most situations the best. All the alternatives I can think of are slightly (or very) anachronistic.

That said, spurn - while a little old-fashioned - adds an extra note of active disdain.

spurn v.

to reject with contempt