50 Things Nutritionists Never Eat—So You Shouldn’t Either
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Lindsay Tigar
Want to know what the experts avoid? Here’s the list of foods, processed goods, ingredients, and chemicals that nutritionists won’t put on their plates.
Artificial sweeteners
A grande iced coffee with skim milk and two Splendas, please? Think again—and hold the sweet stuff. “I do not think there is sufficient evidence to prove that most artificial sweeteners are safe for consumers, so I prefer to stay away from them and indulge in the real thing [sugar] occasionally and mindfully. Plus, there’s a plethora of research that shows how consuming diet beverages may counter-intuitively lead to weight gain, which can increase your risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease,” registered dietitian and nutritionist, Chelsey Amer says. Once you cut them out, you’ll be surprised how much your body will thank you.
Microwave popcorn
Love to curl up in front of The Voice with some vino and a buttery bag of popcorn? Resist. “I once ripped open an unpopped microwave popcorn bag and I haven’t eaten it since! There are too many artificial chemicals used in the flavorings inside the microwavable bag and I prefer to avoid overly processed products like this as much as possible,” Amer explains. But if you’re pop-crazy and can’t stop, she suggests making your own with popcorn kernels, a brown paper bag and olive oil with a touch of salt.
Processed deli meats
While it’s super-easy to make a turkey club when you buy deli meats in bulk on Sunday for your meal prep, there may be some dangerous ingredients lurking in those slices. “Processed deli meats can contain a wide variety of additives from nitrates to carrageenan that can increase inflammation in the body and have even been scientifically linked to increased risk in colon cancer,” says Megan Faletra, MS, an integrative dietitian nutritionist, certified yoga Instructor, and founder of The Well Essentials. Opt for organic, nitrate and antibiotic free deli meats from brands that are focused on changing the way meat products are produced in the USA.”
Reduced-fat peanut butter
You might think you’re doing your body good by getting the low-fat jar; you’d be better off going full fat. “While regular and reduced-fat peanut butter contain roughly the same amount of calories, the reduced fat varieties typically contain more added sugar or artificial sweeteners to improve the taste,” says Faletra. “The fat found in peanut butter is healthy for our bodies, so stick to the natural full-fat peanut butters.”
Margarine
If the dairy-free life isn’t for you—we feel ya—but you’re a waistline watcher, you might be tempted to reach for the “healthier” margarine. Hold that thought: “While many margarine brands are beginning to remove the trans fats from their products in order to comply with FDA regulations by 2018, most margarines rely primarily on highly processed vegetable oils (particularly soybean and palm oil),” Faletra says. “Choosing grass fed organic butter in moderation is a much better option for our health as these butters contain high-levels of heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids.”
Most frozen meals
While nutritionist Ha Nguyen, RD, used to nom on frozen meals as a kid—nearly every day after high school—today, she wouldn’t touch one with a 10-foot pole. Why? She explains, “Most prepackaged frozen meals are overly processed, made with refined flour, high in sodium, and full of additives and preservatives. All things that are not good for your body.” Learn to recognize the most harmful ingredients in processed food.
Pop Tarts
You might remember these commercials when you were in middle or high school—and maybe even argued with your pals over which flavor was the best—Nguyen recommends keeping ’em out of your shopping cart next time you’re at the store. “You mind as well send your kid off to school with a candy bar for breakfast. If you simply look at the first few ingredients they consists of refined sugars including corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, dextrose, and sugar,” she says. Opt for these healthier breakfast ideas instead.
Cheese in a can
Though arguably super fun to play with when you’re 16, as far as a nutritional value, there’s not much this canned faux-dairy can offer you. “Cheese spread is highly processed with very little actual ‘cheese’ in it,” says registered dietitian and nutritionist Michelle Jaelin, RD. It comes with a laundry list of artificial ingredients and colors that I don’t feel comfortable eating. It is called plastic cheese for a reason! If I want to eat cheese, I eat the real thing,” says.
Boutique fruit juices
While that carton might claim to give you the vitamins and minerals you need, registered dietitian and nutritionist Andy De Santis, RD, says fruit juices—even the boutique ones—are a slippery slope. “The alarming trend of expensive juices is concerning. These products are generally packed in calories and they won’t keep you feeling full or provide anywhere near the full nutritional benefit of eating whole fruits and veggies,” he says. “For reference, eating an apple, orange and banana would take me 10 minutes. Drinking them in a juice—maybe 10 seconds?” That’s a lot of calories in less than a minute.
Sausages, hot dogs
Take yourself out to the ball game, but skip the hot dog. You might be better off with a brewski and a bag of peanuts. “Not only are hot dogs high in fat and relatively low in protein, which is the exact combination you don’t want in your meat, but they are generally chock-full of sodium, which none of us need more of,” De Santis says. “The icing on the cake? There is a growing body of evidence that connects eating processed meats with an increased risk of cancer in the digestive tract.”
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Cheese
Say it isn’t so! While everything in moderation is a good rule of thumb for almost anything, De Santis put cheese on the naughty list because there are better ways to get calcium. “Cheese is generally high in calories, saturated fat, and sodium, all of which we need to cut back on. You are better off with a low-fat milk, a soy or almond alternative, or vitamin D-fortified yogurt. Don’t forget that nuts, seeds, legumes and dark leafy greens also contain calcium.”
Spam
You may want to pass on meat that comes from a factory instead of a butcher. “Preservatives, sodium, and uncertainty of the meat’s origin are three things that make me worry,” says registered dietician and nutritionist Gabriella Vetere, RDN. “Choose meat that your body can recognize, not one full of chemicals and preservatives,”
Ramen noodles
Your penny-pinching, hungover, inner college student may be weeping, but your body will thank you when you avoid this sodium pit. Exercise physiologist and nutritionist Rachel Straub, MS, recommends steering clear of these packaged goods because they’re loaded with salt and very little, if any, nutritional value.
Lunchables
They might seem like a breeze when you’re in a bind with no time to pack a snack for your kiddo, Straub says to try to refrain. “Since they have processed meats full of nitrates, refined grains, and candy, of course, this just isn’t a healthy choice,” she says.
Blended fruit yogurts
The commercials are catchy—and they may bring back fond memories of snacking as a kid—but when it comes to getting the essential nutrients that yogurt is meant to deliver, most of blended fruit yogurts are a bad idea. As Straub explains, “It is basically dessert for breakfast. Nearly 50 percent of the calories can come from added sugar, so they just aren’t a healthy choice. I would much rather have a plain yogurt with a piece of real fruit or any of these healthy toppings.”
Doughnuts
Your Instagram feed might deliver a different message about these powdered (and sometimes rainbow-colored) haloes of dough, but that dozen you pick up before a Monday morning meeting is doing damage, says personal trainer, author, nutritionist, and health and wellness coach Jamie Logie. “Doughnuts are made of refined (possibly GMO) white flour which is super high glycemic.” That means it causes sudden spikes in your blood sugar. “And they’re deep-fried in artery clogging and cancer causing trans fats and covered in sugar. They won’t fill you up, make you hungrier and are filled with pretty much the worst ingredients out there.”
Fast food burgers
The healthiest part of those kid meals you used to beg your parents for when you were coming home from baseball practice? Probably the plastic toy. Logie says that while making your own patty on the grill at home can be a good nutritional choice, the one from the fast food window is questionable. “One hamburger patty can be made up of dozens of different cows that come from feed-lot, confinement-based living. They are pumped full of hormones, have high levels of inflammation and are raised on some pretty horrific feed,” he says. “You then have a high starch white flour bun and then depending what you have on it can contain inferior bacon and essentially plastic processed cheese.” Get some tips on healthier grillingfor your burgers this summer.
Movie theater popcorn
Like peanut butter and jelly, toast and butter and macaroni and cheese, some things just seem like they were meant for one another. Though it’s second nature to grab a can of buttery-salty goodness while you check out the latest blockbuster, Logie challenges you to resist. Large sizes at theaters can contain over 1000 calories and 40 grams of fat—and that’s without the butter topping, Logie says. For an alternative, pop your own on the stove top with some olive oil and salt, and sneak it into the theater. (We promise not to tell!)
Raw oysters
Though oysters have an aphrodisiac reputation and can really hit the spot with a glass of white wine on a sunny day, nutritionist Jennifer Bowers, PhD, RD shies away from the slimy mollusk for the threat it can pose on your digestive system. “There are so many potential food-borne illnesses are associated with undercooked seafood—hepatitis A and noroviruses, specifically. Oysters commonly carry Vibrio vulnificus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus,” she explains. “Having said that, I think oysters taste horrible (personal opinion!), so it’s certainly not worth the risk for me. If you’re going to eat oysters, switch from raw ‘on the half shell’ variety to cooked to lower your risk of getting sick.”
Regular soda
You probably don’t need us to tell you that even an eight-ounce glass of any soda is bad news for your bod. Just in case you need the reminder, though, Bowers explains just how bad of an idea drinking liquid calories really is. “The sugar load in just one serving is simply not worth the glucose rush, mood issues, headache, and calorie bomb. The huge intake of soda in this country, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, is strongly associated with the rising obesity
epidemic,” she explains.
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