There is a lot of misleading information out there as to what is healthy, so no matter your macros, here is a list of things to keep a wary eye out for:

Energy bars:  Most bars are no better in terms of sugar and chemical content than a candy bar.  You don’t need to be eating your daily ration of carbs from one tiny overly processed snack.  Honey is still a sugar.

Microwave popcorn:  FDA indicated the chemical coating in the bags used for this common snack breaks down when heated to form a compound that has been found to cause cancer in animals.  Yum?  If you must have popcorn, it’s better to make your own on the stove with a little bit of coconut oil and salt.

Frozen diet dinners:  Super simple and convenient, I get it.  But also super tiny and filled with chemicals and preservatives!  I’d much rather have a huge bowl of real food filled with natural ingredients.

Salad dressings:  Store bought salad dressings are filled with preservatives and unneeded added sugars.  You can make your own at home simply mixing some red wine or apple cider vinegar with some olive or avocado oil. So much better tasting and much better for you.

Flavored yogurt:  Next time you are in the dairy aisle, just look at the sugar content of flavored yogurts.  It’s horrifying.  These handy little cups are pushed as healthy, but really they are loaded with sugar (I’ve seen up to 30g in one serving).  Opt instead for plain Greek yogurt with some grain-free granola.

Fat-free foods:  When you take out the fat, you take out the flavor.  Food companies compensate for this by increasing the sugar and artificial flavors.  As you are shopping compare the labels.

Sports Drinks:  If you are training for an Ironman Triathlon, pushing yourself to do 5+ hours of intense cardio a day, then maybe you need a sports drink.  For the rest of us, just hydrate with water. It’s cheaper and better for you.

Whole wheat/multigrain bread:  First of all, avoid “enriched” anything.  Most nutrients have been lost during processing, so they have added them back in again.  It’s a good bet that anything added in is not bioavailable (meaning your body can use it).  Whole grain bread is just as bad for you as white bread or tortillas.

Vegetable pasta:  I know it seems like a great idea, but the amount of pureed veggies in these pastas is so minimal that you aren’t getting any benefits out of it.  It’s still just a grain-based pasta.

Peanut Butter:  Some nut butters can be a small part of a healthy diet, but you have to watch the portion sizes and ingredients on the labels. Aim to only eat nut butters that contain only the nuts themselves and salt.  No added sugars, no palm oil.  (Palm oil is toxic for you and leads to the deforestation of the rainforests [1].)

Dried fruit/fruit juice:  Fruit juice is simply sugar water without any of the fiber you get when eating whole fruit.  One glass of orange juice is THREE oranges worth of sugar!  Dried fruit is highly processed and has added chemicals to lengthen shelf life.  Just don’t.

Soy:  Soy is in most processed foods and has been linked to heart disease, hormonal imbalances, cancer (most notably breast and prostate), thyroid disease, and memory loss.  Soy contains chemicals that mimic estrogen, which may be why many of the issues it causes are hormone related.

Diet Soda:  The artificial sweeteners in diet soda will cause an insulin response, which lowers blood sugar.  Because no actual sugar was consumed, the lower blood sugar triggers intense hunger and cravings for sugar.  Because of this, diet soda drinkers also tend to be more overweight than non drinkers, and have higher risk of Type-2 Diabetes. The phosphoric acid also eats at your tooth enamel.

Margarine:  High I trans fatty acids, which cause a lot of problems including lowered insulin response, increasing LDL cholesterol, decreasing immune response.  Saturated fats have been found to have NO link to heart disease, whereas trans fats have a very strong link.  Stick with organic butter instead, for your heart’s sake.

Granola/oatmeal/whole grain cereals:  your body processes whole grains, the same way it processes white grains, the same way it processes sugar.  Stick with grain free food choices.

That was a whole lotta no, so let’s end with some positivity!

Here is a HUGE list of good healthy foods you can and should be adding into your diet!

 

[1] (https://cspinet.org/sites/default/files/attachment/palm_oil_final_5-27-05.pdf