Updated: 6/15/2022
Let me preface this post by saying: “I eat these foods.” Yes, it is true, I do eat about 50% of the foods listed. Especially peanuts, Smartfood, and some of the carbohydrate foods listed at the bottom. Despite calling them all out as unhealthy foods, they aren’t all technically that bad for you, it’s just good to examine the nutritional details and figure out where we can make the best decisions.
If you take this list literally, it will just aggravate you, so take it with a grain of salt… or maybe a grain of whole wheat.
There are many terms that are misleading in the food advertising industry today. Think of how many times you see healthy phrases plastered all over food containers. Don’t allow yourself to be swayed by these words of trickery, none of these catchphrases mean ‘healthy food’ inherently – you have to read the labels.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common attempts to convince consumers a food is healthy when perhaps it’s really not.
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Examples of “Healthy Food” Words on Product Labels
- Fat-Free
- Reduced-Fat
- Low Fat
- Sugar-Free
- No Added Sugar
- Diet
We are supposed to believe that each of these categories makes food healthier. In reality, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Here is what those “healthy food” phrases actually translate to…
- Fat-free, but full of sugar and chemicals.
- Reduced fat, but increased carbohydrates.
- Low fat, but high glycemic index.
- Sugar-free, but artificial everything else.
- No added sugar… because the all-natural version has enough sugar to give you type II diabetes anyway.
- “Diet” food, but it causes cancer in lab rats so don’t drink/eat too much of it.
Consider the logic that food manufacturers would have us believe: fat-free is good for you; jelly beans, jolly ranchers, and cotton candy are fat-free; therefore all those sugary candies are good for you. Makes sense? Think about it.
In fact, a study at John Hopkins University recently determined a link between high blood sugar and heart disease. This means high glycemic foods, such as the candy I just mentioned as well as many similar products, are inherently unhealthy.
Let’s examine some examples of unhealthy foods that are supposed to be healthy, but will secretly kill you faster than the Terminator (not the Arnold character in any of the sequels).
1. Diet Soda
Why is it good? A sugar-free version of the popular carbonated beverage that you can drink on the go.
Why is it bad? OK, so soda is horrible for you, but take out the sugar and add in carcinogenic artificial sweeteners, combined with the artificial flavors and colors that are in all sodas, and you have a recipe for a tumor in a can.
Then of course you’ve got the caffeine factor, which is linked to hyperactivity and high blood pressure and can mess with your blood sugar. Unfortunately, caffeine is an oh-so-good pre-workout, morning, brunch, lunch, and afternoon supplement.
Instead choose: filtered water and the occasional glass of milk
2. “Sushi” – The White Rice and Imitation Crab Meat Variety
Why is it good? Seaweed contains essential nutrients such as selenium, calcium, iodine, and omega-3 fats. Sushi is nearly always wrapped in seaweed.
Why is it bad? The ‘California Role’ and similar foods don’t deserve to be called sushi. They are just small, compact, high glycemic, high calorie, carbohydrate nuggets. There’s not even much protein in these things. Eat 3-4 of them and you’ve had your serving for the day.
Aside from that, imitation crab meat isn’t even good for you. It is mostly just a crab-flavored processed tofu-like substance fortified with sugar. It isn’t tofu, it’s actually a bunch of processed white fish, but it tastes like tofu. Blah!
Instead choose: In order to get some healthy carbs, some high-quality protein, and the benefits of omega-3 fats, choose real sushi made with salmon or tuna. To make it even healthier, order sashimi instead of white rice.
3. Peanuts
Why is it good? Peanuts contain healthy fats that contribute to the reduction in triglycerides, which are known to promote cardiovascular disease. In addition to monosaturated fatty acids, peanuts also contain magnesium, vitamin E, arginine, fiber, copper, and folate all of which help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Why is it bad? Aside from being high in fat and calories, peanuts also are loaded with omega-6 fats that distort the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio. This ratio says that your intake of each omega-fatty acid should be 1:1. The reason why this ratio is recommended is a topic for a whole other article.
All we need to know is that the American diet is typically from 20:1 to 50:1 in favor of omega-6, so any effort to reverse this trend is important for combating over 10 different common diseases including Alzheimer’s, rheumatoid arthritis, and diabetes. Peanuts are often contaminated with a carcinogenic mold called aflatoxin, and they are also one of the most pesticide-contaminated crops.
Instead choose: almonds or all-natural organic peanut butter, but pour off the top layer of peanut oil and replace it with olive oil if the resulting peanut brick is too stiff. Olive oil is very low in omega-6 fats.
But honestly, if you want the peanuts you should just eat them in moderation. Despite being considered by some to be one of the unhealthy foods, they’re not that bad for you diet-wise if you stick to a measured serving or two.
4. Reduced-Fat Peanut Butter
Why is it good? All peanut butter provides a heart-healthy substantial quantity of monounsaturated fat.
Why is it bad? Most commercial peanut butter is made with the same type of sugar that cake frosting is made with. Reducing the fat makes it even worse because even MORE nasty sugar is added less healthy fats are available. I’d rather just eat the extra calories.
Instead choose: As with peanuts, choose almonds or all-natural organic peanut butter instead. Just remember to pour off the top layer of peanut oil and replace it with olive oil if the resulting peanut brick is too stiff. Olive oil is very low in omega-6 fats.
I personally, after switching to all-natural, can no longer stomach commercial peanut butter. It tastes like sweetened lard to me now so I’d rather barf than eat it at all.
5. Corn Oil
Why is it good? It contains omega-6 fatty acids, which are unsaturated fats that don’t raise cholesterol. Sweet.
Why is it bad? In the true spirit of peanuts, corn oil has 60 times more omega-6s than omega-3s. Omega-6 fatty acids increase inflammation, which boosts your risk of cancer, arthritis, and obesity. This is why we prefer a balanced ratio of omega-3s, which are found in walnuts, fish, and flaxseed.
Instead choose: Canola or Olive oils, which have a far better ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s. In my humble opinion, I choose extra virgin olive oil instead over all of the other alternatives, since canola and other oils have some less important issues of their own.
6. Fat-Free or Reduced Fat Salad Dressing
Why is it good? Less fat means fewer calories. Plus that salad dressing fat is lard just like mayo and Crisco. Sick.
Why is it bad? Firstly because when fat comes out, sugar goes in. Either that or artificial flavors and sweeteners combine to make this another of the unhealthy foods you might not have known about.
Secondly, since many vegetables are fat-soluble, removing the fat from the dressing means fewer salad nutrients will be absorbed into your body. This was confirmed by a study at Ohio State University wherein a higher fat salad dressing resulted in an increased uptake of the antioxidants lutein and beta-carotene.
Instead choose: A salad dressing made with olive oil, or just use olive oil and vinegar as your salad dressing. If you try it you might like it.
7. Soy-Based Anything
Why is it good? It’s not. But in the spirit of argument: vegetarians and vegans eat the stuff so they can get protein in their diets. Yay (::sarcasm:: Plus the stuff is apparently low in fat and an alternative to whey for the lactose intolerant.
Why is it bad? Straight up, soy is thought to be linked to increased estrogen in males and increased breast cancer in women. The estrogenic effects are sometimes said to merely be the presence of the phytoestrogens and estrogen-mimicking compounds found in soy.
Because of these estrogenic compounds, infants, in particular, can be adversely affected in many negative ways from exposure to soy, including premature development in girls, and underdevelopment in boys.
Soy also promotes hypothyroidism, thyroid cancer, and infertility just to name a few additional disorders. Phytic acid, trypsin inhibitors, toxic lysinoalanine, and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines are all highly present in soy products.
Some people are allergic to soy protein. I think, for the most part, all the details support the fact that soy is generally one of the unhealthy foods.
Instead choose: any high-protein whole food such as brown rice, goat’s milk, coconut milk, almond milk, whole grains, nuts, seaweeds, seeds, beans, and lentils.
If you must have a protein powder, choose any of a variety of protein powders available on the market today, including whey and egg protein. I used to use Optimum Nutrition protein powder but now I mostly only use Muscle Milk.
As a side note, goat’s milk is considered one of the healthiest foods on the planet today, so give it a try.
8. Yogurt Cups, Especially With Fruit at the Bottom
Why is it good? Individually, fruit and yogurt are two of the healthiest food choices at the grocery store.
Why is it bad? Manufacturers load these products up with corn syrup, which effectively doubles the amount of sugar. All the better to entice kids to ask you to buy this crap.
Instead choose: Activia yogurt, which contains additional live active cultures to help your digestive system. Choose the Light version if you wish, but it is sweetened with sucralose (Splenda). (I opt for the light version.)
I enjoy Splenda quite often, but we have yet to know if there are significant long-term effects of its use. After all, there are a few theories that suggest that consuming sucralose is like consuming very small amounts of chlorinated pesticides. There are at this time no conclusive tests that sucralose has any long-term negative side effects.
9-11. Fruit Juice, Dried Fruit, and Fruit Cocktail
Why is it good? Well because fruit is good for you. It has a ton of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants; not to mention fiber.
Why is it bad? Fruit juice and fruit cocktail normally have sugar added. Some fruit cocktails come in a thick sugary syrup, and there’s more sugar in a glass of fruit juice than in a candy bar and as much as in a glass of soda (grape juice has about 40g of sugar in one serving). You get no fiber from fruit juice, and the stuff usually has preservatives added to it.
Dried fruit is similarly bad because it is also loaded with sugar, although not with added sugar. Think of it this way: take any fruit, which is naturally loaded with sugar, remove all the moisture thus shrinking it down to a fraction of its normal size, then sell it by the bucket load to consumers who don’t understand that this little tiny piece of fruit still has nearly all the calories and sugar of the original fruit!
Can anyone say “portion control”? What about a “blood sugar coma”? How about unhealthy foods?
Instead choose: to eat the whole fruit including the skin if possible, but limit it to one serving of fruit per meal/snack to avoid insulin spikes. If you must have a fruit cocktail, choose one that comes packed in its own juices instead of syrup.
12. Smartfood (Cheesy Popcorn)
Why is it good? Because cheesy popcorn is oh so tasty.
Why is it bad? Because you are really just eating the popcorn equivalent of potato chips. Seriously, compare total calories and you will find that you are not saving much on the calorie front by eating Smartfood instead of chips.
Instead choose: get some spray butter, pop some plain popcorn, spray a light coat of spray butter on the popped corn, sprinkle various spices on the corn (but go easy on the salts), and shake it up in a bag. Now you have a low-fat tasty treat.
Smartfood isn’t as bad as a candy bar or a Twinkie though, so go ahead and splurge every so often.
13. Beans Packed in Sugary Syrups Such as Boston Baked Beans
Why is it good? Baked beans are good for you because these types of beans are loaded with fiber
Why is it bad? The sugary syrup, just as much as in a can of soda, is just going to spike your blood sugar and insulin levels. This is never good for preventing heart disease or type II onset diabetes.
Instead choose: Red kidney beans. These unhealthy foods are packed with protein and fiber and can be mixed with any sort of salad or pasta. Sometimes I enjoy kidney beans straight out of the can; no cooking, just wash and chow.
There are also several other kinds of high protein, high fiber beans, but they typically have to be cooked first. I say this because I tend to be lazy about cooking and I know you do too. Try cooking up some nice black beans; high in protein and fiber, and low in everything bad.
14-20. Granola, White Pasta, Pasta Salad, English Muffins, Bagels, Croutons, and Pretzels
Why is it good? Granola has some fiber, pasta salad has some vegetables, croutons make our salad crunchy, English muffins are one step up from bagels, and pretzels are a quick low-fat snack.
Why is it bad? One word: carbohydrates. All of these unhealthy foods are made with corn syrup and/or processed white flour. These foods will spike your blood sugar faster than Bruce Lee could have kicked you in the face. You also won’t get much nutrition in the way of protein, fiber, vitamins, or minerals from any of these foods.
Instead choose: 100% whole grain or whole wheat pasta and English muffins for increased fiber and protein. Egg salad because, like it or not, eggs are good for you and are high in protein. Almond slices are high in omega-3 fats and are crunchy like croutons. Substitute healthy nuts for white starches whenever you can and you too can receive a 30% less chance of heart disease.
Final Thoughts
Clearly, there are many alternatives to sneaky consumer unhealthy foods. Fruits and vegetables remain a key ingredient in a healthy diet, and now you can look for tricky catchphrases when purchasing “health foods.” Drink plenty of water, get plenty of sleep, and eat wholesome low-sugar, healthy-fat foods; I bet you will end up doing OK as a result.
Resources:
Study Ties Obesity, Inflammatory Proteins to Heart Failure Risk
Many thanks.keep up the good work
It's best to avoid processed and prepackaged foods because of their higher levels of calories, fat, sodium and sugar. Better to focus on eating healthy foods which are low in calories and high in nutrition. Foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, and lean meats are all great choices.
Thanks for this post, I must agree with most of these dietary myths busted. I would like to add another similar myth concerning sea salt which is claimed to be healthier than ordinary table salt. Research shows that both contain the same amounts of sodium, and that table salt has added iodine, which is actually beneficial for the hormonal balance.
@ Soy. I dieted on soybeans(plain cooked boiled) as main source of maintenance protein for a 24 year old 175 lbs male. After 2 months and 25 lbs down The medium term effects on me were increased str/stamina/sex drive/ skin quality/ cleaner stool/increase sperm count. Don’t listen to that anti soy campaign crap(those greedy rich bastards want you buying their factory farm animal trash). Initially your intestines will feel funny but adjust in about 2 weeks if you have a healthy tract.
I would say be extremely careful on any processed soy product, liquid or solid. Be diligent in your research on the particular thing your going to eat. Don’t listen to many people and use your judgement cause manufactures add many things into processed foods. 2ndly there are Laws regulating what the manufacturer needs to tell you is in the product. And lastly they might lie and just not say. $$$$$$$ all about. Safe bet is to soak your own soy cook it eat it. Simple easy effective and ridiculously cheap.
Good job keep informing people…
Nik, a) don't think he's really that serious, chill out. b) literally eating almost anything other than bland vegetables regularly is unhealthy. Eating a lot of fruit is unhealthy, daily red meat consumption now (google it) is scientifically linked to early sudden death, etc. You can eat a hamburger two or three times a week and drink soda regularly and still live into your 80's and beyond as long as you aren't like 300lbs. You can also die of heart attacks and coronary disease as a vegetarian.
c) you are using metabolically completely wrong, lol
Unfortunately, as Alan said, there is as much misinformation here as good information. The worst offender is the oft-quoted but little understood study about "carcinogenic" artificial sweeteners, most notably aspartame. The study in question had rats consuming what was considered within the FDA approved limits of aspartame intake. What this doesn't mean is that rats were consuming normal amounts. The FDA maximum intake is approximately 21 cans of diet soda per day. If you drink 21 cans of Diet Coke a day and are surprised you have cancer, you kind of deserve it. Regardless, the FDA pretty much debunked all of these studies and has put more time into aspartame safety research than almost any other additive. Furthermore, almost every major cancer research institute has echoed the FDA's position on aspartame. Diet soda isn't particularly healthy, but calling it tumor in a can is somewhat ridiculous, as carcinogens are found in almost everything. Did you know browning or heating most foods actually creates some chemicals that are carcinogenic? Acrylamide is found naturally in many foods, like olives and prunes, but also is created by browning or toasting pretty much most starchy foods. If you live in California, you'll see the legal warning on any fast food restaurant that is now required by law. TL;DR, almost every chemical becomes a carcinogen at certain quantities. Calling something a carcinogen without sufficient research is hilarious and misleading.
A fair bit of information mixed with mus-information here. Phytoestrogens are actually good for us. The author makes it sound like it's poison. If there were all the proposed issues with it why then societies that eat a lot of soya don't exhibit them, China, Japan Soya is a very good food source if eaten in moderation, and of course make sure it's not genetically modified.
Nik Datuashvili what about chobani yogurt?? lots of protein??
Nik Datuashvili — wow brutal but i love this page, very informative
Nope. You're just an ignorant, sad, metabolically deranged fool too afraid to eat real foods, like meat and vegetables, as the mainstay of your diet.
This is stupid, what's the point of this article? Don't eat! What wasn't unhealthy? Fruits contain sugar and some are naturally high in sugar. It's contradictory to the whole low-sugar craze. And vegetables without salad dressing without anything is just plain retarded. Are people suppose to be cows and just eat like one? Eat in moderation. I was only here for a school project finding healthy foods versus unhealthy foods for early childhood education, but I'm beginning to notice there are too many unreliable sources.
was this page stolen from a 12 yr olds homework assignment? add your references or do ACTUAL research and form your own opinion on soy instead of just copy and pasting from a Anti Soy website.
Sounds like a Soy farmer's rebuttal, why don't you provide an ACTUAL reference or a source for you opinion.
The information on soy is based on some flimsy research. Here’s a good post about it: https://zenhabits.net/soy/ I used to believe what you wrote about soy too but this post really made me think and do more research.
[…] the help of this article, i hope this gave you an insight on some food to watch out for the next time you go to the grocery […]
yogurtz bad for you.
Fruit is tasty.
Thanks alot for the article! Very informative (like the sarcasm-smell here, too!).
This was a fantastic little read. I can’t say I learned anything new, but the information in here is compiled well.
I am really surprised at how defensive some commenters are over artificial sweeteners.
I used sugartwin and equal moderately for a few years and over that prolonged period, my health deteriorated….until I stopped using them. Then my head and body aches ‘magically’ disappeared.
For the most part, these foods really are not the problem, but rather, how the food industry is processing and refining them. Bad food industry!
Yes Fruit Juice is very bad for you even certain pure fruit juices like Pure Grape Juice which has 3.5 times more sugar than Tango and about 4 times the calories.I don’t care about the vitamins this makes a food unhealthy because you can get vitamins from vegetables.
Fermented soy is the only acceptable soy that you should eat. The way it’s processed in the USA they don’t take the time or care to take the time to make it healthy. Asian cultures ONLY ate fermented soy, which eliminates the phytic acid in the soy (which is the bad stuff!) read more here https://www.optimumchoices.com/Soy.htm or any of the other 1000000 articles out there stating that unfermented soy is like eating death… I was a soy baby because I was lactose intollerent, and now I have thyroid issues and sugar/carb addictions. I also developed very early, which is another side affect of feeding soy to infants, and I stuggled with weight gain due to the underactive thyroid… so I say a bif F*CK you to soy!
Thank you Rachael. Soy lovers just can’t accept the truth.
It’s hard to find someone credible when they promote the use of aspartame and then look at soy like it’s the product of the devil. The research linking soy with increased estrogen production is about as abundant as the research linking aspartame with cancer. Yet you dismiss the link between aspartame and cancer, and wholeheartedly believe in the link between soy and estrogen levels.
And, as another poster pointed out, Asian cultures (hello, Japan!) have been consuming it for centuries, if not thousands of years, and they are far healthier than Americans, or any Western culture for that matter. And no, that difference cannot be attributed entirely to soy, because soy is just part of their diet. The other huge factor is they eat WAY fewer processed foods than we do. So, if you run into the supermarket and buy some soy that’s been processed, dyed, and shaped to look like a hot dog, are there going to be negative health risks? Hurr durr. Processed food is bad for you, period, whether it is soy or grains or dairy or veggies. Replacing some of the meat in your diet with tofu is not going to make you grow breasts overnight, and many nutritionists actually RECOMMEND that people do this (omnivores, too!) because Americans eat WAY too much meat. Now, eating soy at every freakin’ meal is probably not a good idea, but aside from fresh veggies, eating ANY food that often will have negative side effects.
This article is quite an eye-opener, indeed, it’s hard to find food nowadays that are truly healthy, most commercially produced food contain one or two bad things, so we just have to be careful in choosing what we put into our mouth. Eversince the family had to switch to a wheat and dairy free diet I’ve started to keep my eyes out for those food that are “unhealthily healthy” this article is one of those helpful tips I need exactly
This article can be summed up this way: don’t buy mass-manufactured goods
Also bagels, granola, and white pasta are perfectly healthy for you assuming you get them from the proper source. Blanketing them with an ‘unhealthy’ label simply because they contain carbohydrates is fucking ridiculous. Completely omitting carbohydrates from your diet is BAD, and even if no single carbohydrate is a necessary nutrient, humans are recommended by the Institute of Medicine and the WHO to acquire at least 50% of their dietary energy from carbohydrates. The point is to pick your carbs wisely.
I don’t know why the author of this article would single out white pasta, that’s such a joke! Pasta is not the same as bread where white=bad. Brown pasta has a higher glucose score and equal insulin score to white pasta, LEARN YOUR FACTS BEFORE YOU SPEW NONSENSE!!
I’m really tired of people that chime in with comments saying it’s okay to eat most of this stuff as long as it’s in moderation or whatever the excuses are. This article is mostly on point from what I see. Too many people can’t wrap their head around the idea that things they thought were healthy their whole life really aren’t that great for you. Before you contradict this article, do some true research, not just one google search. From my research, the best thing you can do is eat sort of like a wild animal or caveman l. By this I mean eat fruits, vegetables, meat, nuts and beans. And eat NATURALLY! One thing people dont understand is that grains are not meant for humans! The only time mammals ever eat grains is right before winter because it turns into fat. Everything you get from grains, and yes, Im also talking about your “healthy” whole wheat grains, you should get from other natural fruits and vegetables and other foods. They provide complex carbs and are packed with much more nutrients than pasta, rice, or bread. The agriculture industry has led people to believe that these grains are essential to health, when really, they’re just loaded with two to three times more carbs than what we need, which just turns into sugar (even if you work out because it’s still way more carbs than what we were naturally supposed to consume). Vegetables provide the right amount of carbs and great amounts of fiber and other nutrients. Do not eat chemically or scientifically altered foods or ingredients. Always choose natural over artificial anything. It naturally grew on this planet in the form it did or a reason. All these soy products are incredibly bad as well. It’s loaded with Endocrine Disrupting Carcinogens! And judging from all the pro-soy comments, this is one of the biggest controversial subjects that people just can’t accept that the way you buy it in america is horrible! I must admit, I don’t know about the form it’s in in those far eastern villages, but at least in America, you are not getting anything good out of it. If you really care about your health, dont just think you can eat these in moderation and regularly exercise and you’ll be fine. No doubt will you be healthier than most, but you are only holding your true healthy potential back. I have personally found that even though I train all the time (I’m about to enter into an Olympic triathlon next month), I have seen the greatest change to my physical fitness levels and overall well being by switching up my diet. Going all natural, eliminating grains and soy, has not only made me look better physically, but I feel so much more energized and happy. Please take my advice, or at the very least, do your own in-depth research to learn for yourself. The documentary “Fathead” is a good start.
soy is one of the most healthy things for you on the planet, period. it has been a staple in asian diets for thousands of years and they are( or were) the healthiest people in the world. you are an idiot. like everything, you should never eat too much, but to continue the misinformation about soy is ridiculous
Thank you for your kind words. Men should avoid processed soy. Period.
I agree, and soy–as we know it is genetically modified. I think that is where the real trouble lies!
You article has really opened my eyes. I always thought that peanut is healthy. I am surprised to read that aside from being high in fat and calories, peanuts also are loaded with omega-6 fats that distort the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio.
I didn’t read the entire thing, only bits and pieces (I ran into this on accident while looking for something entirely unrelated). But I have a few problems.
1. At no point, even through hundreds of rigorous studies, has there ever been a hinted link between FDA-approved artificial sweeteners and cancer.
2. Soy may increase risk if breast cancer in women, but it significantly reduces the risk of many other cancers, particularly in men.
3. Show me a food out there, natural or not, that can’t be connected to cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, or some other horrible condition.
If you exercise, eat okay, keep your stress levels minimized, and stop freaking out about every little thing that goes into your body, I think you’ll be okay. For the first time in history, people are living longer than ever before. Yet, we spend more time and money worrying about our health than is necessary.
I’m going to eat what I want, and exercise when I want. I have my own diet and my own set rules. Do I eat the best in the world? Absolutely not. Do I eat stuff I probably shouldn’t eat? All the time. Do I care? No. At my current weight, I am on the lower-end of my height’s weight range. At my current body fat level, I count as “athletic”. My profession: student/software engineer. I sit on my butt all day and write computer code.
If I live to be a hundred, great. If you outlive me, good for you. But I’m going to keep drinking my regular Dr Pepper, eat my home-made bean burritos with green chile, and get a Big Mac now and then because I want to. And I deserve it.
And on an entirely unrelated note: my theory on why cancer rates are going up: they are not. Scientists and doctors have spent the last 50 developing newer and better ways of detecting cancer. And with the computer revolution and Moore’s law, detecting cancer is getting easier by the day. So they’re not detecting more cancer because more people are getting cancer, they’re detecting more cancer because they have better ways of finding it.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to put my soapbox away since I have to get some sleep.
Thank you for this. Do you read all the contradictions in here? It is enough to make your head spin. Everything you enjoy-in moderation and be good to yourself, eat what makes you feel healthy and happy. Bravo.
Nice post. It is always better to avoid processed meats. These include hot dogs, bacon and sausages among others. They mask saturated fat, cholesterol and preservatives with their delicious tastes (:
This article along with all other articles written from a company recommending their product, are bullshit. Nobody is getting cancer from drinking diet soda, or the studies would be out showing a linking. They’re just trying to get you to spend more money, preferably with them. Never trust anybody trying to sell you something.
You’re silly and clearly believe anything anyone tells you.
The government is also trying to sell you stuff (they’re called lobbyists,) yet you continue to choose to be blind to what’s going on around you.
Aspartame excites neurons to the point where they die in 20 minutes. Normally they live for anywhere from 30-70 years because they’re nerve cells and nerve cells have extremely long interphases as opposed to other cells in the body.
Aspartame is horrible for you. So is sugar. The only sugar substitute that is healthy is Stevia, which is 100% natural and has 0 calories.
I think we need to know more about this drink that we love so much.
The phosphoric acid present in soft drink competes with the hydrochloric acid of the stomach and affects its functions. When the stomach becomes ineffective, food remains undigested causing indigestion, gassiness or bloating.
DO NOT buy Activia!!
“Bifidius Regularis” is absolute bullshit. You better do a Google search on Activia and its lawsuits before you buy this yogurt.
Kroger makes an excellent low-carb yogurt called “Carb-Master.” Mix some natural peanut/almond butter into it, and you got yourself a healthy low-carb snack.
Don’t believe everything you read in articles!
I keep reading negative reviews of Activia, so there might be something to this. I still enjoy Activia, but will read more about the lawsuits and such.
Activia isn’t inherently bad except for the fact that it’s dairy and all that added sugar makes the whole point of better health sort of a pointless effort if you’re eating Activia.
You’re better off getting a high-quality probiotic supplement like Primal Flora. Not sure if they sell it outside of the US, but it doesn’t get much better than that.
Aspartame has been found to be safe for human consumption by more than ninety countries worldwide, with FDA officials describing aspartame as “one of the most thoroughly tested and studied food additives the agency has ever approved” and its safety as “clear cut”. The weight of existing scientific evidence indicates that aspartame is safe at current levels of consumption as a non-nutritive sweetener.
There are no “carcinogens” in aspartame. ANYTHING, when injected at 10 times its body weight every day of its life, will give a rat cancer.
Thats interesting that peanuts are on the list. I read an article that says that nuts are good for your heart. Perhaps it was almonds or pine nuts that they suggested. I have been trying to get heart healthy lately so I have been doing a lot of reading on the subject. One resource, if you are trying to get heart healthy is the Harmony Heart Group website, for general heart health information.
Peanuts are actually in the bean family. They also give off a poisonous chemical so I avoid them.
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So peanut butter is good for me? Cuz i had a plain wheat bread peanut butter sandwich for dinner and i’m hoping that all of the fat in peanut butter will not affect me. im doing good calorie wise
All natural peanut butter is OK to eat, but not with white bread – whole grain bread is a lesser evil. I would go easy on the peanut butter sandwiches if you’re trying to lose weight, but if you only care about gaining weight/muscle, all natural peanut butter sandwiches on whole grain wheat is OK.
Difficult to find the author credible when he/she recommends the use of “spray butter”.
Oh yeah, I used to love the spray butter. Haven’t used it in years though. Currently I use only real butter, no margarine, no PAM for cooking. Only butter.
Very well written article. In fact I also use to drink lot of fruit juice thinking they are really good for health but only recently I came to know that the normal fruit juices are full of suger which really does no mch good to our health.
Excellent post! I normally eat a lot of baked beans. After reading your post I feel that all this while I was under a wrong impression that I am eating healthy fibre rich diet. I never knew it can increase my suger level.
Thank you so much for opening my eyes. In fact all this while i use to think that i am eating healthy food by just reading the low fat drinks and diets is more than enough. I really never knew that these low fat drinks & food are just marketing gimics.
lol these foods are all to healthy, i almost never eat them.
Please can you back your article up with well conducted research articles to support your statements. Thanks.
No thanks. I’ve provided some links to research, but this is an old post and I’m not going back to cite anything. Take it or leave it.
Activia? Seriously? That crap’s loaded with poison!
No, opt for Stonyfield yogurt, instead. Organic, natural, and loaded with live active cultures. It’s consistency is different from that processed crap you mentioned, but you quickly get used to it to the point that you love it. Yes, I said “love it.”
You should avoid ALL artificial ingredients. Splenda was “discovered” when they were trying to develop a new pesticide. Don’t eat it. Opt for regular sugar — preferably Sugar in the Raw — and work on evolving your preferences to less sweeter foods.
Regarding carbs, you are right — choose whole, unbleached grains. Balance your carbs out with good protein sources, such as eggs.
I’m sorry but that’s one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard.
Recommending sugar to anyone is like asking them to dip their hand into a vat of acid.
Avoid sugar like the plague. Buy Stevia instead. It’s 100% natural and has 0 calories.
this is very true, im a medical science student
the lies around food are getting on my nerves
i grew up in central europe, there we usually cook for ourselves and the foods sold at stores are a way more natural (or organic as you say)
however its horrifying to see people eating more and more artificial ..erm lets call it “food”. people are getting cancer, obesity, diabetes, allergies, neurological conditions due to interfering with the natural trust me. for example, you dont need most vaccines,they are quite bad for the immunity. you need fat, healthy fat from butter and nuts etc., but you dont need disgusting margarine. you dont need low sugar stuffs loaded with much more poisonous sweeteners. you need food thats worthy of the term food. real food is healthy and tasty. ive been eating the real food since childhood so i can tell
its not good for ya remember. plus pork meat.
You say soda is bad for you because of artificial sweetener but later contradict yourself. Is it because carcinogenic sweetener is different than splenda? And with the soy thing, I dont understand why there is such contradiction out there on this subject. I thought tofu was supposed to be amazing for you. I also read that soy is good, it’s soy isolate you want to avoid. As a vegetarian who enjoys soy, I’m concerned and confused.
Honestly, all sweeteners are sketchy, both natural and artificial. Choose your poison. As far as soy goes, men should avoid it but women can enjoy it in moderation.
Thanks for the post. Is it better to eat 3,000 calories of healthy food then 2,000 calories unhealthy food? Why?
A calorie is still a calorie, so if you are trying to lose weight then the total calorie count comes into play. If you have absolutely no goals whatsoever and you are just eating to eat, then 3000 calories of healthy food would be better than 2000 calories of unhealthy food, because the unhealthy food will be affecting different aspects of your physical health and you will end up with diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, or some other such malady. However, if you continue to eat 3000 calories of healthy food but you don’t burn 3000 calories a day, then eventually those extra calories will start to add up, you will put weight on, and you will still end up with the negative side effects of being overweight, which still includes high blood pressure and heart disease.
lol i dont bother reading this. Am to tired from athletics 😛
Very good post ! I am a very health conscious person and I make sure to buy all the natural healthy foods which contain adequate nutrients like crunchy carrots, sparkling red succulent looking tomatoes, mineral and iron packed green leafy delicious vegetable. Eating healthy food is really very important for overall well being.
First of all I must appreciate you efforts in posting such a wonderful and informative article. Healthy food is indeed a very essential part of our life. I completely agree that today there are many terms that are misleading in the food advertising industry today. One should not go by the advertisements or labeling it is very essential to find out the details and ingredients utilized in the product.
Beyond the possibility of deleterious effects of diet soda causing cancer it also has no calories and may trick the body into producing insulin just by the taste on the tongue; as a result creating hunger and perhaps more sugar consumption later. Not really going to hurt you so long as it’s not all you drink. Alcohol isn’t going to hurt you as long as it’s not all you drink and in moderation. Same with this whole list. Furthermore, this is only restricted to diet, if you ate every so called bad food on this list but ran 10 miles a day (assuming you built up to this level of running) you would surprisingly be healthier than you might think. Diet is only a single component to the puzzle of what is “healthy.” As it’s said want the simple answer just eat fruits and vegetables and a bit of fish, beans, whole grains. Eat real foods and not just things that say “Natural” because they often are not. Finally, everyone has different reactions to foods and chemicals based on immune system, age, metabolism etc… so find what works for you.
Exactly.
[…] 20 Healthiest Foods That These 20 healthy foods are actually unhealthy foods, but you … Eat 3-4 of them and you’ve had your serving for the day … this that all whole wheat foods turn into sugar … […]
wow, thanks really for opening my eyes!! for all this time, trying to see what’s healthy or not, this is the most extraordinary and totally smart list that has been thought out very very carefully! for all this time trying to lose weight and eat healthy, i never realized that some of these “LOW FAT” “DIET” phrases actually hide something a little bit dirty. and i actually thought that eating those 20 foods would help me stay fit and healthy but it would just kill me slowly (XP) THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!! I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU FOR SHARING YOUR ARTICLE!! you’re like a super hero! (imagine that putting this on web would save a sea of people by telling them these things) THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!
I am lactos intolerant and you’re saying that soy is bad for you. So then my question is:
What am I supposed to eat instead?
I would much rather not have to take lactos pills… I’m not really one for that. I suppose another question to more specifically define things would be:
Is it only certain soy products? Or just soy over all?
If you could first explain to me in a bit more detail about the ailments of soy and other possible alternatives that would be much appreciated. (( And no, I really am NOT giving you sass… I’m just curious. ))
Thanks!
Soy is not that great for men, but it won’t kill you. I also have a problem with lactose and so I drink lactose-free milk, either Lactaid or a generic brand.
Instead of soy milk try almond milk! Its AWESOME and healthy for you with no risk of any cancer… as far as I know!
You can make a great almond bread as a sub for normal bread to cut down your carb intakes to!
Jae
Okay, almond milk is great and all, except: 1) it’s EXPENSIVEEE and 2) NO protein. Fail x2. This is why I suck it up and continue to drink soy milk.
Alright, so another reason not to use soy is that GMO soy is specifically doused in Roundup herbicide.
Why do you need milk in the first place? We don’t use any milk at our house.
BTW you can make cashew and almond milk in your blender. Doesn’t have to be expensive.
you can always use almond products, i am also lactose and tolerant and i usually drink almond milk in place of cow’s milk. 😀
There is no decent evidence that artificial sweeteners cause cancer, you lunatic.
Almond Milk!
I think perhaps we should all just calm down a little bit. No matter what you eat you will always be getting something wrong. So long as you stick to eating as simply as possible with plenty of fish, white meat, vegetables, some fruits and not to many calorific cooking techniques you should be alright. Scientists will always try to eradicate the risk factor in life but the truth is it just can’t be done. You could spend you’re entire life consuming nothing but raw vegetables and water and that won’t do a damn thing to stop the bus that runs you over sometime in your mid thirties.Balance, moderation, excercise – these are the key. X x
hey, this is great. i’m not sure why it’s gotten so many sassy comments, for pete’s sake. who knew soy could inspire such anger?
i have a digestive disorder and was tired of taking pills, so last year i did an experiment. for a few months, i logged everything i ate and exactly what happened in my body afterwards. i’d read plenty about nutrition, but this was the best thing i ever did in figuring out which foods were good for me and which ones weren’t. our bodies are geniuses and will always tell us when we’re eating crap.
in my experiment, i found (briefly):
soy is really hard to digest. i don’t know about it’s scientific/nutritional properties. i just know that when i consume it, it sits in my body for a long time and i don’t feel very good.
anything from a box or can makes me sick, so i’m guessing it’s anything with preservatives and synthetic stuff. frozen meals are lethal.
any meat other than fish is really hard to digest.
beets are awesome.
greens like kale, spinach and chard are way more awesome than lettuce.
added sugars absolutely wreck my guts.
breads/baked goods of any kind are just awful.
milk from a local dairy farm that comes in a glass jar is the only milk i can drink (i’m guessing that has to do with preservatives and processing again).
homemade yogurt is the best food on the planet.
sushi rolls make my guts hurt a lot.
so does melty cheese.
alcohol of any kind and in any amount doesn’t like me very much.
after observing exactly what specific foods did to me, i just stopped eating/drinking things that made my guts hurt. (which happen to be a lot of foods you just listed above. except i still eat sushi rolls and red wine. i just can’t quit them, although i pay every time.) i lost about 25 pounds. (and i’m off my gut meds.) i didn’t count calories or fat grams or carb ratios. i just stopped eating stuff that made my body hurt.
all this to say… i think the sassy commenters should save the sass and just pay attention to what foods do to their bodies. and also: thanks for a great article!
I agree with you p.h. There is so much information on the internet that it is hard to know what to do but if you take the time to listen to your body, it will let you know what is good and what is detrimental for you.
fyi: there is absolutely zero studies showing a link b/w cancer and soy milk … zero peer reviewed decisive studies … phytoestrogens are not human estrogen … the dairy industry is huge and has been pushing the soy is bad thing and of course WHEY PUSHERS use milk with hormones to make their whey protein so they fall right in line with the conspiracy theorists of the dairy industry.
interesting you left out dairy (with all it’s hormones) out of the equation … also, beef (unless organic) are given 6 steroids to increase size … you WHEY pushers rip on soy milk but forget about the actual ESTROGEN AND PROGESTERONE given directly to cows for beef!
6 steroids to increase size… 6 different ones, or the same one 6 times? ive got to say dude, that is a fine piece of wisdom you decided to share. protein, in the form of corn gluten and soyhulls, is fed to cows (more specifically steers for meat consumption or lactating cows, dairy or beef) to increase size or milk production. usually between 5-18 lbs per day. of course the animal can weigh well over a thousand pounds, and drinks between 15-30 gallons of water a day, so 5-18 lbs is not as much as it seems. alot of people on here seem to be convinced that cows grow because of estrogen injections… they grow the same way you will if you eat lots of food and lots of protein 🙂
Oh God I’m Eat Sushi Every Weekend. Great Information I’ will chance my Eating Behavior soon.
Whatever. Trying to be funny doesn’t change the fact that you are misinforming people with some claims you can’t prove. And yes, this article may have a lot of traffic, but some of it may come thanks to bloggers like me who link to it as an example of wrong advice.
Please, please, show us a prove soy is bad and sugar-free soda can cause cancer. If you are right that’s something all the world should know about. Don’t hide your sources, where are your sources?
OK OK! Why’s everyone riding me today?
Aspartame has not been linked directly to the development of cancer and in fact, “Aspartame is made up of three chemicals that are all naturally found in foods and can be found in the body.” That doesn’t necessarily mean it is safe for you, and to be perfectly healthy you might consider not putting any chemical substances into your body, but then I guess that would also include creatine, diet pills, and just about any other supplement and medicine on the market. I don’t think artificial sweeteners should be consumed, but Aspartame at least doesn’t appear to lead to cancer.
Aspartame at Cancer.org
Aspartame and Cancer
Artificial Sweeteners
However, sugar is indirectly linked to increased cancer because it promotes obesity and elevates insulin levels, which both lead to increased risk of cancer. I guess that means we should choose diet soda over regular soda. In my opinion, we should just drink water.
ACS Guidelines on Nutrition and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention
Regarding soy, I maintain that soy is estrogenic. It is not horribly estrogenic, but it is estrogenic none-the-less. Men should avoid it. However, there is evidence that soy reduces the risk of prostate cancer. I guess the tradeoffs for men to consume soy, are reduced risk of prostate cancer vs. elevated estrogen levels and other estrogenic responses in the body.
Soy Decreases Cancer Risk for Men and Women
Soy consumption and prostate cancer risk in men: a revisit of a meta-analysis
Raw organic foods are best. Most health problems are the direct result of malnutrition. Good fresh food tastes very good once the addiction to excess fat, salt and sugar is broken. Fresh vegetables fruit and meat should be eaten everyday in an ideal diet. Simple food is easier to digest and provides better nutrition. A day of food for me looks something like this: Breakfast= 1 Whole Apple. 2 hours later 1 Whole Bannana (minus the skin). 2 hours later a serving of yogurt. For dinner a large salad of fresh greens grated beets and carrots, sweet bell pepper with a dressing consisting of olive oil, balsamic vineagar, lemon juice (fresh) and a little mustard. 4 to 8 ounces of whole fish (or chicken or red meat). Not the Ideal diet but better than most. I am 41 years old, 5 foot 7 inches and I weigh 145lbs. Just my two cents.
Where to start whit this article? Soy bad for males? Cancer in a can (I guess you a referring to aspartame)? I think you may also believe Bush bombed the Pentagon, Area 51 and conspiracies like that… You should stop misinforming people unless you can back up your claims with reliable sources.
The first rule about Area 51: don’t write online about Area 51. Now they are going to find us! Better watch your back man…
Yes, I agree. Almost all of these tactics are just marketing hype! Eat whole foods, fruit, vegetable, nuts, and seeds and you will do just fine. All the “low fat” labels out there are loaded with other bad things such as sugar or sodium, which may be worse for you than the original fat it replaced!
Have a healthy day!
Charlot 🙂
If this was facebook, I’d like it! ^^
Has anyone noticed the SOURCES of these claims?
If all may please draw their attention to the very bottom of the article, you may see in very small print, the link to only two sources.
One – a study based around the possible health effects of the induced soybean isoflavone glycinol. Although this may seem like an article that is saying right out loud that soy is bad, if the writer of this article read the full text, or just the introduction, they may notice that the study is demonstrating that glycinol induces increases estrogen levels that is very possibly BENEFICIAL to postmenopausal women requiring hormone replacement therapy. Furthermore, the article begins with a look at the BENEFITS of soy, where soy components have been demonstrated to reduce cancer effects and is also a cancer inhibitor, inhibiting cancer cell growth.
The second article is a newspaper article from the Gazette from the John Hopkins University, reporting a study from the university linking obesity to heart inflammation and therefore, heart failure.
This article does not cite any sources that relate to, demonstrate or support the strong claims above. In short, not extraordinarily reliable.
One more reason to really look before you believe.
But this article sure does get a lot of traffic! 😀
Also, there are a ton of true facts in this post in addition to my opinions. It is somewhat of an extremist article, but it does force you to think.
I thought roasting the peanuts REMOVED those toxins?
Weird, because only a week ago, my doctor told me I was extremely healthy and to keep doing what I was doing. My BMI is 18.5 exactly; 17.5% body fat; strength train 3x week, walk daily. And… my breakfast is giving me cancer? I eat natural peanut butter almost daily. I actually even gave my doctor a “day in the life” outline of what I ate and he had no complaints. I’ve been going to him for nearly 25 years, and doesn’t hesitate to tell me if he thinks I should change what I’m doing. (not American, btw!)
I suggest you people can follow eating indian meals,which are mainly with medicinal spices -such a balanced food.Have you ever tasted south indian meals …? TRY ONCE ………REALLY GOOD COMBINATION OF EVERYTHING YOU NEED..
meh. some of your research is right but most of it is misleading and highly exaggerated.
and by the way your body loves to use carbs as its main source of energy.
and about “no added sugar” translates to type II diabetes? please, people get type II diabetes for a variety of factors, some that dont even involve nutrition.
Does it really matter so much if you eat foods that are unhealthy sometimes. Everyone will die anyway no matter how ‘healthy’ you try to be
jeez….ok well part of this was help full some parts were ridiculous…..like bagels, white pasta, pretzels, english muffins, pasta salad and granola are NOT killing me slowly sure theyre not perfect foods but jeez…..
Each person has their own limits and needs and deals with certain types of foods differently. There is no set rule when it comes to eating, but it is a fact that some products have higher risks of damaging our health than others. But at this point, it is hard to know what is or isn’t healthy for us.
My daughter has a dairy allergy (she projectile vomits, has stomach spasms, breaks out in a rash from head to toe, and stops breathing). We’ve had to raise her on soy formula (when I quit producing milk) and soy milk for her bottles. The only way she can eat anything resembling dairy is to use a soy alternative. This is not an uncommon allergy (in fact, it’s pretty common and it’s not something that people grow out of). How does your theory about soy products fit into this? Is there scientific proof (any supporting material you could cite) that soy products are so dangerous? What alternatives do you suggest for this?
In her case, soy is probably the best choice. Soy has been linked to increased cancer rates (like a million other substances), and in men, increased estrogen. I wish I had more time to help you, but I’m strapped. You will have to do some additional research on your own I’m afraid, but like I said, soy milk is probably a good choice for your daughter given her condition. I’d prefer males to stay away from soy, more so than females.
I have noticed more and more coconut milk, waters and such, i know they may be high in sugars, but have high neutritional values, you may want to do some research in coconut products.
I used to drink Myoplex, among other Abbott Labs shakes religiously at work on my breaks for the last few years. After doing research on soy and reading roughly a 50/50 mix that soy can cause or doesn’t cause hair loss in men, and also in regards to the estrogen/phytoestrogen components in soy, I’ve stopped taking the Myoplex and I’ve switched to organic 2% milk. I’m considering buying a whey protein powder and blending it with the 2% milk and adding a multivitamin that uses real vitamin E(d-alpha tocopherol) and an active form of B-12(methylcobalamin), as well as honey. For the last 2 weeks, I’ve been eating plain, pure honey, including the comb once in a while and I’ve noticed a huge increase in energy just from that.
my family and i have eaten soy for forever. we eat soy, fruits, veggies basically natural as possible. im fine. people who live off animals are the ones in trouble!
Soy is gross. Meat and milk forever!
Werd!
While I disagree with you about soy products, I appreciate the rest of this article, being vegan. There is so much misinformation and too much trust put into ‘fat free’ and ‘no sugar added’ products, and to think these companies actually care about your health more than their own wallet is just sad. What’s worse, is it’s harder to go vegan or be even remotely healthy, especially for younger generations. Say your 15-16 and can’t buy groceries, your parents won’t listen because they trust product labeling. I practically starved through my teen years because I didn’t want to eat my step mom’s 2-tablespoon butter-cooked corn or cholestoral chicken or mcdonalds or dominoes or wendys (you get the point.) All because of this stupid misinformation for companies to get money in their wallets. Sure, who the hell wants to be 60-70+ years old anyway; but think about your body, your energy, your contribution to the downpour of our economy (it takes ten times the energy to produce meat than plant-based foods, and more plant consumption to mass produce these animals.) Think about how you look, most of the people in America are overweight, this isn’t me generalizing (look around, look at a few different weight statistics, go to Walmart, etc) Your complexion, hair growth, figure, eye sight, energy, can all be improved by avoiding the crap the author listed (and much more ‘crap’ to be avoided, trust me) I really, really encourage a vegan lifestyle, not because I’m some biased liberal, but out of concern for you and the world around me. Heart attacks hurt like a *****, you know.
Sorry to go off in my own rant here, but this just got me going, heh.
Appreciate the article.
My friend is a genetic engineer who did his masters work on yogurt. He basically developed activia, but if you are going to eat yogurt with fruit in it already, stonyfield farms is definitely the best. It has the most cultures that regulate your digestive system, more than activia.
Thanks for the tips about Stonyfield Farms yogurt!
wait, wait, wait.. who said that i thought these were healthy? indicate these factors in a non-biased and conclusive matter?
what next? wine doesn’t make you fat?
what the problem is… assumptions… finger pointing is a bad idea… get it?
How much is Whey paying you?
I get a small commission on every jug of protein purchased through Project Swole. I need those commissions to help pay my web server bills.
After reading this, I’m beginning to think that it’s better NOT to eat and simply die of starvation. I’m beginning to think that EVERYTHING is bad! Very depressing. We’ve been told what NOT to eat, which just about includes everything. Now how about telling us what we CAN safely and happily eat without gagging from the taste of the stuff.
Could you please let me know where you got your information about soy from as I’d be interested to read it.
I’m not 100% sure. I wrote that article years ago.
Well. I grew up in a farm where we had a bit of everything: Pork (all the bits), beef, vegetables. etc etc etc… fruit in abundance and all types of sweet desserts cakes and the things that make life great. The problem is, back then we worked hard. You can’t go on eating the same when you don’t need it or don’t do enough exercise to match the dosage. And, having to read all this “city brat” cheap commentology on what’s good or not… what a waste of time. I read pages of comments where the only conclusion to draw is that nothing is good for you. Not if you decide to eat tofu for the rest of your life and not have a balanced diet. Go enjoy yourselves. Maybe you’d be able to have better opinions if you had ever got out of your office and stuck your hands in the dirt, get some farm action.
Being a farmer is brilliant. I wish I could have grown up on a farm. Sure it’s hard work, but it would have been a tremendous experience.
I’m Japanese and I’ve been eating soy since I was a kid. Apparently I’m doomed.
Prepare for certain demise.
You all need to get a life, especially Steve!
This is just so sad, and rather pathetic
Give Soy and sushi a break, who even knows of any sushi place that used wholegrain rice!
I am sitting eating burger rings and loving it!!!
suck on that steve!!!!
On the topic of GMO, I recommend you watch “The Future of Food”. I found it on the Fancast website but you can view it for free and without commercials at The Future of Food website (https://www.thefutureoffood.com). If half of what they claim is true, it’s the end of the world!
some1 pls reply asap i got a question about the fruit juice the only fruit juice i drink is v8 i also drink the vegetable 1 should i quit drinking v8 fruit shakes and maybe the vegetable 1 some1 pls reply
Just drink the V8 juice. It tastes good and is pretty good for you. I prefer the veggie juice over the fruit juice, as most fruit juice is pure sugar.
Get yourself a juicer and make your own veggie juices. These are better for you than buying it in a bottle. You can even taste the difference plus it’s fresher!
some1 pls reply asap i got a question about the fruit juice the only fruit juice i ever drink is v8 i also drink the vegetable 1 should i quit drinking v8 fruit shakes pls reply
Processed food is the prominent factor in most unhealthy diets-just what Steve is trying to point out here. Sure, butter is high in fat, but take a look at the French-their diet is full of high fat-content foods such as filet mignon, creme brule, creamy ragout, the list goes on and on… The key to their health I think is also what steve is pointing out: Balance. Like many other healthy countries, they tend to eat food in moderation, even when they don’t, quality, non-processed food is eaten. Taking the time to cook up your own food (or have someone else do it for you 😀 ) with real ingrediants really pays off in the long-run, especially in this mess of a processed food-based society we’re living in.
-And Steve no wonder you might have developed an aversion for tofu… ice cream?! that sounds disgusting. Real tofu with egg noodles, veggies, and a nice peanut sauce is the way to do it 😀
mmmm…. peanut sauce….
Oh and GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism not Organ
Thanks Pam.
Hi there,
I just wanted to let you know than non hydrogenated margarine is available. It is made through a process called inter esterification and it is a better choice than butter.
I can’t believe that any margarine can be better than butter, it is still extremely processed in very unnatural ways.
Real homegrown/homemade butter from grass fed cows is healthy…aside from the high fat content of course…margarine..even without considering the fat, is still unhealthy. Butter that you get from the stores..still healthier than margarine, but mostly comes from factory milk farms where the cows are fed hormones and antibiotics and then other chemicals are added to the butter to make it last longer and look nicer But still better than margarine.
i need 200 examples!
he listed every single food. and he forgot to list the worst food: butter, yet he listed soy which it a whole lot better than eating the real meat provided with the saturated fat. saturated fat from animals is basically pre-digested fat which is the exact same fat that covers our body.
Actually, it is recommended that you eat butter instead of margarine because margarine is loaded with trans-fats and butter just has saturated fats.
i agree that! But I’m too fat. T_T
I’d say butter is the opposite of most of the foods listed here, i.e. most people think it’s unhealthy but it’s actually healthy.
Agreed. People need to stop giving saturated fats a bad rep, given that there has been no proof till this day that it raises low-density lipoproteins, nor that it makes increases weight intake. In fact, the biggest weight-gain occurred after the low-fat diet became activate a few decades ago.
Eating fat will make you fat is a similar analogy to “eating hair will make you grow hair”. Our body needs fat, and in natural forms. Yes, this includes butter and meat! Specifically pasture-raised animals. Grass-fed beef has an omega-3 to 6 ratio of 1:2. Not to mention the health benefits of Stearic and Conjugated Linoleic Acid, as well as the complete protein benefit. The only vegan food I’ve found a complete protein in so far has been quinoa: delicious by the way!
I sympathize with vegetarians when it comes to commercially raised (i.e. abused) animals, as well as hunting/fishing for sport. However, the concept of not eating meat because it ‘hurts other animals’ is ridiculous. The entire food chain functions on consuming meat and vegetables. Many household pets are pure carnivores, and would not survive without meat. I do not expect a carnivorous animal to spare my life if I am caught in the wild with them.
As for soybeans, maybe the advocates should take a look at the soil degradation results of farming soybeans, and how it is damages the environment.
As for the japanese soy intake, they actually consume very little soy in their diet.
Humanity has survived for thousands of years on naturally raised food, and that is what we should focus on. The advent of mass-produced low quality farming, as well as refining methods to increase the shelf-life of foods is a huge downfall of our time.
Butter is all natural. Margarine is not, even bugs won’t eat it. Why should we?
https://www.stop-trans-fat.com/margarine.html
Going back as close to nature is the only way to live and live healthily. Anything manufactured and designed by scientists are most likely going to do more harm to us than good.
Man, i eat nothin’ but Bacon, Eggs, Steak & Shrimp daily. And i’m in good health. But when it comes to Alcohol, i drink No Beer or Cocktails. That’s all empty calories. Strictly straight 80 proof whiskey. 0 sugar, 0 carb, 0 fat.
good plan
Since when were half these foods healthly to begin with??
Eh… half of these foods are considered healthy by most average Americans.
Diet Soda: You said drink a glass of Milk, From a diabetic stand point that raises the blood sugar and the caffeine does NOT! I test my blood sugar 10 times a day and have NEVER seen caffeine raise it.
Soda in general isn’t healthy for anyone. It’s nothing but chemicals. How are chemicals good for you? Are they natural? Do they have a natural source from which they can be traced back to? Of course not, sodas are hard on our kidneys and there is no nutritious content in it. You’re better off with Raw Milk,you know the stuff our grandparents and great grandparents grew up on, and Kangen water. Google that one, the device is pricey but I highly recommend it!
When people say “natural” I half don’t understand… everything some how came from the earth so it is all natural! 😀 HAHA nah im just being a dick im tired and bored. peace.
You lost me when you said don’t eat soy, and gave no source. I thought you mean soy sauce, but no you meant soy beans. I don’t understand how you don’t consider tofu healthy, especially when the Japanese eat it so much and live so long.
Tofu is moderately healthy for women I suppose. Tastes nasty though. I remember this one time when I was a kid, my Mom’s friend in Washington DC gave me tofu ice cream. It was rough.
Then you are toally eating the wrong products. I hated tofu until I started experimenting with it, and when you learn to speak its language, it actually does rule. Saying that it “tastes nasty though” just makes it obvious that you’re expressing opinions and not facts. Seriously: try slicing it paper-thin and sautéeing it with rosemary in coconut oil, or on very low heat with flax seed oil and tell me that it’s nasty. Tastes like a friggin’ potato chip.
…And these desserts would make your nipples hard:
https://www.tofutti.com/c-v.shtml
Canola oil is bad for you. Let’s get that straight and as a “health” nut please do your research on it if you insist on preaching. Canola oil is industry oil. Why is it being marketed and fed to us and called “healthy”. Because they make money that way.
Finally, one of the main issues with soy is that unless marked organic there is an over 90% likely hood that your bought soy product is GMO? Do you know what that means? You better look it up. Genetically Modified Organs. THESE types of things are the real issue. Your writings are about balance in a diet, but sound as if you insist that this and that is definitively bad. A the end of the day almost EVERYTHING is bad when done over the top. Balance!
I agree with you about balance. However, I did some research and can’t really find anything on GMO soy. I assume that just means that the soybean was genetically modified to produce more genistein. Not even sure what the negative consequences are for that sort of modification. Anyway, I maintain that soy increases estrogen in men and should be completely avoided. Further, I maintain that soy can be good for women in moderation.
Sorry I disagree with you about soy being good for women. It isn’t good for anyone.
PCOS(Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), while it’s a misnomer because it affects me systemically, is a result of consuming processed foods over the years with soy in it. I also have an under active thyroid thanks to Soy too.
I will agree that it does increase the estrogen in men hence making them sterile, which is why I try my hardest to eliminate it from my son’s diet as well. I would love to have Grandkids later in life after all 🙂
I eat from Mcdonalds about 3 days a week.
I never skipped day without drinking a soda for the last 3 years.
And… SURPRISE, I’m still alive.
Congratulations!
Yes, but are you healthy?
how much do you weight now?
I eat/drink soy products everyday because i am a vegan–soy milk, soy cheese and tofu. I even use silken tofu every time i bake. I don’t find anything wrong with me…
Why did you bag on Vegans and Vegetarians in the Soy section? Do you have a problem with people who place a higher premium on the life of an animal than their own appetites? I am a vegan and I do avoid soy products as much as possible (everything in moderation) and I appreciate your information. However, your sarcasm about vegans and vegetarians was unnecessary.
Sorry. It might not appear so, but I have grown to respect vegetarians since starting Project Swole. Vegans are quite a bit more strict, and while I can respect that choice, I can’t see myself doing it.
aaaaaawwww… you want a tissue?
A higher premium? So people who eat meat consider animal life of lower premium? You are highly mistaken. We that eat meat consider ourselves dependent on such valuable animals to provide us with protien that we wish to eat in the form of meat. We thank you, animals, for making premium meat.
If you are strictly science, then eating meat is natural isnt it? It’s okay for many animals (where we supposedly come from according to science) to eat other animals, but not us?
If you believe in some form of spiritual religion, most are okay with eating animals since it was a provision made for humans. For example the scriptures of the Hebrews allowed for them to do so with respect for the animals. Also, humans weren’t always meat eaters, so it probably won’t remain that way. But the one that made the animals condoned it.
So, don’t be hatin’ by lifting yourself up higher than those that eat meat. “Premium.” Pfft.
You mentioned canned red kidney beans as an alternative to boston baked beans, which have sugar in them.
Unfortunately, every can of red kidney beans which I have seen also lists sugar as an added content. This is not the case with other canned beans such as pinto beans. I generally pour off the liquid from the canned kidney beans, hoping that most of the sugar is there, rather than inside the actual beans. I would love to get cans of kidney beans without sugar, but I have never found any.
I guess you’ll just have to cook them from scratch.
Wrong, olive oil is bad for you, omega 3 and 6 ratio is 1:15, flax seed oil is the best with a ratio of 5:1
Flax seed oil is the very best.
True, Flax seed oil is very good for you, however you cannot use it for cooking as the heat destroys much of the goodness and can even cause it to obtain toxic properties. the best way to get flax oil is to buy the whole seeds and grind them up fresh as you use them.
I’m not totally sure on whether olive oil is actually healthy or not, but it is a healthier alternative than your typical vegetable oils, the Mediterranean diet is said to be one of the healthiest in the world, they cook primarily with olive oil.
14-20. Granola, White Pasta, Pasta Salad, English Muffins, Bagels, Croutons, and Pretzels
“Why is it good? Granola has some fiber, pasta salad has some vegetables, croutons make our salad crunchy, english muffins are one step up from bagels, and pretzels are a quick low-fat snack.
Why is it bad? One word: carbohydrates. All of these foods are made with corn syrup and/or processed white flour. These foods will spike your blood sugar faster than Bruce Lee could have kicked you in the face. You also won’t get much nutrition in the way of protein, fiber, vitamins, or minerals from any of these foods.
Instead choose: 100% whole grain or whole wheat pasta and English muffins for increased fiber and protein.”
——-
The writer of this article contradicts him/herself something awful. First, he/she mentions English muffins are ‘one step up from bagels’, then mentions stay away from them because of carbohydrates, corn syrup and white flour and that ‘You also won’t get much nutrition in the way of protein, fiber, vitamins, or minerals from any of these foods.’…BUT immediately recommends whole wheat English muffins for increased fiber and protein.
Well, I checked out Thomas’ regular English muffin ingredients vs their Hearty Grains whole wheat brand. Both brands use a form of sugar–whether it be corn syrup(regular), molasses, dextrose, sucralose and honey (whole wheat). The whole wheat muffin still has the same amount of carbohydrates, 1 more grams of protein, 2 more grams of fiber, the same preservatives AND both use soy ingredients that he/she is totally against. Talk about sending mixed messages.
Even some organic whole wheat multi-grain English muffins use some type of sugar–just an organic version–and they aren’t much more nutritious. One brand uses agave nectar– which is nearly pure fructose–and worse than corn syrup. Be selective.
Here’s a link to a great organic multi-grain brand that doesn’t use any sugars:
https://www.foodforlife.com/procart_catalog/index.cfm?ProductID=39&do=detail
Personally, I don’t think the yahoo that wrote this article knows whether he/she is coming or going–and I would take his/her advice with a ‘grain of salt’.
Sweet, thanks for the link. Regarding the muffins, what can I say? I recommend whole grains muffins over white muffins, although truth-to-tell: english muffins should not be part of a fat loss diet.
People should just make their own bread, it’s not that difficult and you don’t even have to have a bread machine. And a very big plus – you actually know what’s in it!
Actually in my honest opinion, grains shouldn’t be a major part of our diets anyhow. If you eat plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits you’ll get your good carbs and all the fiber you need. My family only eats spelt flour, usually just a couple times a week. I make our own bread, pizza dough, even crackers. There is never that heavy feeling you get when eating processed junk. Just my two cents. :~)
We have a bread machine but mostly use it for the kneading process. We haven’t purchased bread from the store in over a year. Already can tell a difference and we don’t have to second guess the ingredients.
Tomorrow my Mom and I are going to make homemade pizzas to freeze. Going to be a busy day but we can cut out frozen pizzas from the store this way.
i dont think whole wheat is better at all, i read on line and i believe this that all whole wheat foods turn into sugar once they reach your body
Total misinformation on soy after reading this misinformation I gather the rest of the page is loaded with such. Consult a professional instead.
If you say so. Men should not eat soy, I don’t care what you say. Sorry.
No, the amount of estrogen needed to do anything harmful to males, is so insanely far above a ingestible amount of soy protein, pounds and pounds a day for years ….
But with all the hormones and estrogens (phytoestrogens) floating around in today’s American culture, men need to do all they can to avoid ingesting estrogenic compounds whenever possible.
If you think that the natural estrogen in soy is going to hurt you, your focusing on the wrong thing here. Cow are injected with extra estrogen to make them bigger along with pigs, chickens, and lam. Also dairy farmers inject cows with estrogen so they think that there nursing to make milk year around. Even if you get fat free the estrogen is still in there. With hens they do this so they produce more eggs. So in concussion its better to eat soy with the natural estrogen then meat products with high saturated fat, trans fat, and unnatural estrogen.
true that. im quitting on soy products lol
Read these you illiterate charlatans.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19524224
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20378106
Also, author, edit your article.
No thank you.
I’m from the government… I’m here to help you!
Stop being bitter because your lovely “Soy” sucks!!!!!
Its about time to…. soy is horrible!!!!
A lot of the so called “professionals” you pay…are paid off by big industry…namely the Soy Industry. Soy will kill you! The soybean actually has an enzyme within it (THAT IS NOT DESTROYED EVEN IN PROCESSING) that when ingested tries to destroy the host…meaning you. After a period of time this enzyme makes men sterile and can give women uterus and breast cancer. Can’t destroy the hosts better than that. Men no longer can father children…which basically stops the human race, and women can lose their uterus, or their lives. Stay away from this sh**…IT IS ABSOLUTE GARBAGE! The only way soy should EVER be eaten is if it is fermented, and only in small amounts.
i think that anything that tastes as bad as soy does has to be poisonous… also this article is written very cut and dry… things like carbohydrates are mentioned as bad but that isnt the case, you need them. moderation
Soy has been linked with Hypothyroidism and PCOS in women. It’s taken me several years to figure this out because I have both! Soy is not safe for male or female unless it’s fermented and only then in moderation. Get back to as close to nature as you can with your food. It’s the only way to live now!
Ever wonder how the lovely dairy industry gets its cows to lactate 10x their natural amount in order to produce the maximum amount of milk possible before the animal dies? Estrogen. It is utterly bogus to come down on the risks of soy, and then turn around and tout yogurt as being “one of the healthiest foods in the grocery store”.
In other news: “milk is rich in phosphorous which can combine with calcium — and can prevent you from absorbing the calcium in milk. The milk protein also accelerates calcium excretion from the blood through the kidneys.”
[ https://www.formerfatguy.com/articles/dont-drink-milk.asp ]
Soy is a rare treat. Milk is a poison.
I can see you enjoy soy. Good!
https://www.pcrm.org/health/prevmed/soy_health.html
Article from the Physician’s Committee or Responsible Medicine.
https://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jul/01/anti-soya-brigade-ignore-scaremongering/print
Just some extra food for thought.
As a beef cattle farmer, who knows quite a bit about dairy farming, i find everything you wrote quite offensive, along with what sarah wrote above. it seems neither of you really have any concept of agriculture in general, nor do you have any idea of what you are talking about when it comes to estrogen, which i have never used nor seen used. the article you posted was interesting to read, albeit very over dramatic and biased. he is in fact the only ‘doctor’ who i have ever heard recommend soy over dairy. you really should learn more about these things before stating ‘facts’ you read in the national inquirer, or that guys web page. SOY is NOT good for you. it is also disgusting, no matter what flavor it is. COW milk is, and goats milk is even healthier for you.
I think this is good advice. My models read stuff like this. 😉
People should just give up eating all together. According to various people all over the world, absolutely nothing you can ingest is good for you, except for water.
Seems that way. Just as well to start growing our own vegetables, raise chickens/cows, fish, pick berries and bake bread.
Yeah I know.. its ridiculous really.
“Experts” go back and forth with most foods all the time. Fruit and veggies are good for you… but not the ones that have too much natural sugar and watch out for pesticides. Eggs are good for you… no they’re not… yes they are… what is this year’s stance on eggs? We need to eat almost everything in moderation. Some foods that clearly should be avoided are stuff like french fries, nachos, bloomin’ onions, donuts, candy, cake, and cookies. Everything else is fair game if you ask me.
come’on guys
you can eat a wide range of good food/average food and be healthy IF YOU ALSO EXERCISE AND KEEP FIT.
Plus other good habits like having enough sleep and not smoking etc.
Being scared and worry about this and that, you will develop hypertension lol.
take it easy.
look at some of our father/grandfather generation
even though some may have hard life and not rich, but the food they eat is simple (simple is best sometimes) and their lifestlye are not couch potatos. and they’re very healthy.
My point is you are what you eat and you always have a choice and can make good effort to be healthy.
well maybe tomorrow news will tells u wheat causes cancel lol, but that’s not the point is it ?
The people who are always ranting about how eating this and that will kill you are always the most out of shape, disgusting people. White rice is bad, but Asians have been eating that for how many centuries? Same with soy. How long have Italians been eating pasta? The problem with Americans is not what we eat–it’s just that we eat TOO MUCH FOOD.
Hey Steve..
I just finished watching Food Inc. and was interested in researching how soy produced in the US is not as healthy as other parts of the world, because modifications that they make in order to mass produce them. I know you talked about the phytoestrogens, but have you done any research regarding the issues I mentioned about soy?
I haven’t researched it, but I do believe it. Food processing in the Western Civilization destroys nutrients and encourages type 2 diabetes.
The person who wrote this article is dead wrong about so many things.
orly?
Dammit! I love Smartfood.
Me too.
I love you, Steve. 🙂
Thanks for sharing the love. Send pics. 😉
absolutely worthless. i’m 57, eat 4-10 slices of pizza a day, 3 beers a day, bacon, hamburgers, nachos, bratwursts, etc. i’m in perfect health and run a marathon every year. don’t believe scare mongers, they are pathetic and even worse for your health!!!
Why are people always all up on vegans and vegetarians? There are plenty of us that know better than to eat a ton of soy. Granted, some do, but you can’t lump us all as idiots because we don’t eat animal products. That’s just silly. Also, small meals of good carbs (brown rice, whole wheat, etc) spaced out by about 15 minutes can be extremely beneficial post-workout to replenish your glycogen stores.
tumor in a can LOL
Steve, whatever credence you might have had as author of this piece has been whittled down to nothing by your sarcastic and defensive replies to any criticism. And that “unsolicited testimonial” from Gail earlier was the cherry on top.
How about responding to that point earlier about your pushing powders with artificial sweetener, like the stuff you condemned in diet pop?
Hmm?
Thanks for your comments JohnV. The best part about owning this blog, is that I can respond to comments however I want. I don’t care if they are negative or positive comments, because all comments encourage thought. When people rip me, I rip back if I am in a ripping kind of mood. Sue me. Also, not sure what the problem is with the previous comments by Gail. If people post negative comments I look like an a-hole, but then for some reason when people post positive comments I still get called an a-hole. A blogger just can’t win.
I understand why there are so many haters.. but that’s reality. we are really surrounded by poisons disguised as healthy foods. We should be thankful someone shared this because we won’t waste more time researching what are these fake healthy foods. There are a lot more of them, so watch out. It’s not good to appreciate posts like this when you already got the illness, too late. I want to thank the author for sharing this.
This is a load of American rubbish!
The Land of the Free, baby! w00t!
Dude, why don’t you just stop breathing, our environment is full of pollution. And this is such BS. Of course their are a lot of foods that are label “healthy” and by no means are they actually healthy for you, but this is just absurd. You really need to get your facts together and stop going by your own freaking statistics.
Now off to drink my cancer infested soy milk, later I think I’ll enjoy a nice protein loaded (not according to you) tofu omelet 😀
Soy milk and a tofu omelette? Blech! Props to you for eating healthy (soy isn’t too bad for women really) but how do you make a tofu omelette palatable. Write the recipe and I’ll post it on Project Swole as a guest post.
Organic and low fat yogurt cups (with fruits at the bottom), such as Stonyfeild, may not necessarily contain much corn syrup… you’ve just got to be a smart shopper. Also, peanut butter (organic and low fat)and peanuts (unsalted) are great alternatives to meat. They are packed with niacin, which keeps the digestive system on track and prevents belly bloat. If you have only two tablespoons of peanut butter a day… you’re all set. Oh, and you should mention about avocados. In addition to containing lots of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, half a cup of avocados (daily) is a terrific source of filling fiber (11 to 17 grams per avocado). This makes them a great food for staving off hunger. Also, did you mention about tea? Iced or green tea… They are filled with antioxidants and you can enjoy as much as 4 cups a day. According to Swiss researchers, people who drink tea looses 266 more calories than a non-tea drinker.
Oh! and one more thing… drink 2-3 glasses of milk (to those who are trying to lose belly fat). The calcium in organic, skim or lowfat milk has the enzymes to break down fat and can even prevent them from forming!
Thanks for the healthy feedback. In my opinion, skim milk is a great diet food. It is low in fat and pretty low in carbs, has some protein, and is full of calcium. Yeah, I think milk is great!
very alarmist article. the stuff presented as fact ranges from debatable to drivel. And the author’s opinion is pretty much just that.
There are much better sources for nutritional guidance out there people. Don’t overcomplicate things by reading this guy’s article.
Really, diet soda is Tumor in a Can? I see this claim everywhere. Yet no one seems to have any actual EVIDENCE. References to some other blog post opinion yes but evidence no. I find more news stories and studies where someone dies from drinking too much water than from contracting a disease from drinking diet soda. If it was actually happening you would think there would be more than hyperbole.
I wouldn’t have jumped all over this but it was your first claim which then made me question the rest of your article. Though I do see basis for the rest of your claims. Since you do seem to be quite the smart-a@@, I’ll just accept your hearty appreciation in advance and say you’re welcome.
Love this comment! Whenever someone calls me a smart-ass I know I’ve done my job!
Hey with all the differing opinions on whats good for you and whats bad its so confusing….fruit juice…provides the vitamins etc but packed with sugar, peanuts – nutritious but high in calories, red meat – too much protein, need I go on. Better a handful of nuts than crisps chocolate? Yes, no? I dont care…i eat in moderation everything… im thin im healthy i have plenty of energy and oh yes i ate some bread though wholemeal today (oh my god how bad am i????)….egg (oh god high in cholesterol!) on toast yum! I have a solution… if you listened to everyones opinion, then no matter what one person suggests is healthy there will be someone somewhere with a reason why its unhealthy….lets not bother eating at all then we can die young thin fat and sugar free and happy instead of diabetic obese and unhappy….there its solved…..enjoy your boring lives…oh by the way health fanatics die younger…i see it all the time….so have fun!
usually of heart attacks….
Great post thanks for the insight and opinions.
The only thing is the Splenda, you are right about there being no conclusive evidence about long term negative effects so I err on the
side of caution. If it needs to be sweetened I prefer to use raw sugar, it’s natural and our bodies know what to do with it.
I guess I don’t want to wake up in 10 years finding out that Splenda causes some form of cancer or some new ailment.
Thanks again for the post!
J
I personally think that this list a load of crap. Yes sure these are clearly bad foods but they are not horrible. Diet Soda has not been extensively studied so claiming that you can get tumors from it is simply a lie. If you are going to rink a soda any doctor would tell you a diet soda is a better idea than the normal. Even if cancer was true with it I would rather have that at 80 than have diabetes at 30. Overall there is some truth to this list but not complete truth
WTF? Are you saying cancer is not true? Come on Zach.
I was lucky to get my liver tests before too late, not having even felt any pain (liver has no pain nerves). I knew that even though I was released from the hospital with good results, I had to watch out to survive. I became even more convinced about that, when I noticed that my liver had expanded after drinking just a little of soda. Normally our instinct tells us what is suitable for consumption, but the unnatural foods distort our sense of what’s really good for us. Addictions to bad foods and the unnatural taste enhancements, corrupts our sense of taste and smell.
I learned of my liver destruction when I was 27, without feeling any pain! Even though I left the hospital with all the normal test results, after drinking a third of a glass of soda, my liver expanded to the extent that I couldn’t bend to lase my shoes. Although it went away by the dayend I realized that to survive I must observe all the doctor’s guidelines. Not everybody is lucky to learn about a problem before it is too late. Normally our instinct tells us what is suitable for consumption, but the unnatural foods had distorted our our sense of taste. Adiction to bad foods that at the beginning they even taste badly, and all the unnatural taste enheancements, destorts our senses of healhy taste and smell. I am 70 and might get to be 100.
This is actually a hilarious blog considering there are a lot of people who want to complain about something that makes sense. If Steve had taken more time he could have expanded on the evils of aspartame, check out aspartame and graves disease, ever heard of the cure being the cause, aspartame messes up your thyroid, people with thyroid problems reach for diet soda as a solution to the weight issue, therefore, the aspartame increases the thyroid issue, leading to the person reaching for more aspartame. Soy contains phyto-estrogens, for guys who want big guns and more testosterone it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this one out, it is good information for those who want to look a little deeper take each point he makes (minus the tofu like substance – which anyone can tell isn’t healthy food anyway) the issues to our health should spur you on to look deeper, Steve has created a great place to get you to want to learn more, that is successful in my mind.
Thanks! I am a Gail Fling fan today. 🙂
when i worked at a health store i was 5”8 112 lbs i worked there for a year and gained about 15 to 20 lbs i drank a lot of sugary smoothies and ate high fat protein bars on top of regular meals, i quit about 5 months ago and im back to my normal size it makes a difference when your aware of what your eating, and dont be fooled just because a smoothie has fruit..its meant for meal replacement not just a beverage and cut the added sugar
I did like the product push of Optimum Nutrition. After I read your article and read that you used it, I had to get some. It was delivered promptly and I was pleased. Since reading this I have felt better about myself and have started losing weight. Granted you didn’t do it but helped inspire me. I think your a real “Dr. Phill” and I thank you.
Take Care,
Janice
That’s great news Janice. I hope you accomplish all your goals.
haha as a diabetic i will confese that carbs are not wholly a good thing for you. however, you need a balanced diet of protiens, fats, carbs, and calories to function properly. eleminating, or cutting back tremendosly on ANY one of these aspects will result in harming your body. the key to healthy living is understanding what your body needs and then meeting them. (this might be just me) but i would like to see a bibliography of some sort, i would like to know where your getting your information.
Ninja: Check the bottom of the article for some resources. Other than that this post came from knowledge and experience. I’m not going to publish a bibliography, sorry.
I REALLY enjoyed your article. I am not in the medical, health or diet field, so I do not have an “educated response” as many of your “commenters” seem to have, but I will give what I have.
I am in my mid 30’s and I have always been tiny…never having to worry about weight, but now I have a little extra love in my handles that I am not lovin. So I Googled “Healthiest foods to eat” and found your article.
I have 2 daughters, a 14 year old and an 11 year old. They are both the only kids they know who have never been allowed to have carbonated drinks. (My reasons for raising them this way: I had stomach probs as a child & harsh foods/carbonated drinks were restricted, so I had to grow up w/out them…Then when I got older I realized what a waste they were. They are actually a financial issue for many people b/c of the addiction to them combined w/their cost…not to mention that I do not think they have 1 health “benefit”…but since I don’t have a source to prove that it may not be truthful according to majority. I noticed what they contained and that the small cans had more sugar and such than the bottles. All that combined says why I never gave it to my girls. Because it is so foreign to them, they both have vomited from trying to drink a whole one. I assume that is because their bodies cannot handle the mass amounts of sugar, caffeine and carbonation. When given a choice, even w/out me there, they choose water and an occasional sweet tea…but that is like a dessert treat and too much of it ends up bad also. I don’t have to set the limit, their bodies’ do it for me and it simply makes them sick.)
All of that being said, I thought your article spoke to people about the basics which seem to get overlooked. To me, it is common sense not to put carbonation in your body…especially on a daily basis and DEFINITELY don’t give it to your kids. It LITERALLY explodes when shaken and people drink it! Whether it is diet or not…I think of it as syrupy acid and I have nothing positive to say about it.
The artificial sweeteners…I have no references other than straight from the “University of My Own Opinion” and say they scare the hell out of me. I can taste something wrong with them and I have no proof other than I just feel something is bad.
I cannot see where your intentions were anything except good with this article to help people be healthier. Obviously, I do not surf sites enough and other people do it too much based on some of these comments going on for almost 2 years. Thanks for taking the time to post it and don’t waste too much time reading the negative feedback…the people who made the comments (good and bad) will most likely never return to read what you said in response because this is not an ongoing article. There is nothing mentioned that could “take a life” or be a health risk.
Soda has no redeeming qualities at all. For people coming to this site, I assume you are here because you want to “get in shape” as soo many say. I can’t think of many fit people I know that include soda of any kind as part of their healthy eating plan. I think Steve is just telling the facts…something that needs to be said, and is often times what you don’t want to hear.
you need carbs in your diet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes branden, yes you do need carbs in your diet. But not sugar. Except in the post-workout drink.
btw, even fresh foods such as vegetables and fruits are no longer safe to eat. It has plenty of pesticides and others chemicals, it is scientifically proven.
Wow, foods these days are nothing but a tasty poison… It’s always better to be aware of what we are eating. This is a good article, thanks for posting this.
It’s astonishing to see how much of the information in this article is inaccurate. On the other hand some of it is quite right, not enough for it to be a good article though. And the sarcasm… wow… take a happy pill.
Thank you for your feedback Joana. I love how every once in a while someone posts a comment about the information being inaccurate.
True, I now agree with you. As the earlier reply was not clear about pounds or Kgs, I was shocked. Actually, we have had excellent results with 1300cal. diets. But you are right. the reduction should be gradual.
Your article is really thought provoking and I like that!
Malathi
Warren pull your head out your arse, Soy has been related to not only what is mentioned in the article but much worse.
Steve, your article, comments and replies have covered every possible controversy. I do agree on ‘a common sense, moderate approach’. However, I’m shocked at the reducing diet advice you gave to Susan, July 2008. If the desired body weight is 60kg.(you said), x 12 = 720Kcals. and if one does not reduce in the first week, one should further reduce 200cals !!
Clear path to heaven or hell, Steve!! Is Susan still around? Malathi
Malathi: The desired bodyweight must be in lbs. So 60 kg x 2.2 lbs/kg = 132 lbs x 12 = 1584 kcals. That seems about right for a fat loss diet with exercise or slightly high for a fat loss diet without exercise. 1400 might be a better number for Susan if she is dieting without exercise, but she could make that adjustment after the first week or two at 1584. I stand by my advice.
so, I think milk is vile thing, the commercial kind is loaded with calories and cholesterol, blood and tears…. not to mention growth hormones, and antibiotics, and a half a gallon of the organic kind is as expensive as the commercial gallon. I drink Almond milk its deee-lishus and super low cal 40 per 8oz glass, I buy the sugar free kind (almond breeze brand is 1.50$ a carton) and put a dash of raw agave nectar which is twice as sweet as sugar and has a low glycemic index. for a treat sometimes i buy the sugarfree chocolate kind and put a little agave in that. Vegan chocolate milk yum!
You list #1 Diet soda because it is loaded up with artificial sweeteners, yet on $7 you suggest to avoid soy and then plug whey protein products that are typically loaded with artificial sweeteners.
The best protein powder to use is plain unflavored protein powder that you can flavor yourself with real food like honey.
Just another two-bit personal trainer pretending to be a REAL BOARD CERTIFIED dietician/nutritionist with a paid-for pretend certification. Just finished up nutrition 101 this semester and we discussed PTs who do this. While your information wasn’t entirely incorrect or correct, don’t pass yourself off as something you’re not.
I never claimed to be a board certified dietitian or nutritionist. In fact, in several places on Project Swole I mention that I am no longer certified by anyone, and that anything you read on my site is based on research, experience, and my own opinions. If that’s bad, please do not visit Project Swole anymore. Otherwise, enjoy the content that, while it may not always be 100% right, will always give you a reason to consider.
All depends on what you define as healthy…
I am a health enthusiast and am tired of reading articles about health written by those who are looking to help people pack on muscle. Dried fruit being unhealthy for you? SUre, anything’s unhealthy if you eat a bucket load of it. Are you forgetting antioxidants and vitamins that cannot be replaced by taking a pill every morning.
All I can say is that I hope you are a vegetarian writing this article, because those ‘unhealthy’ peanuts are a much healthier protein alternative to beef/chicken/pork.
Again, it all depends on what view point from which you look at it. The author and I clearly are on different planes.
Diet soda come on what fool ever thought it was any better than the non diet stuff?
um why do people drink it if they dont feel its better for them?
Terrible article, im guessing this was wrote by an american. You live in such a messed up place you dont have a clue what is good for you anymore. Many of your “points” dont have a point or any proof to back it up. If your going to scaremonger keep it to your friends, if you have any!
Thanks for making me laugh Joe. 🙂
I have done alot of research lately trying to get healthier and to help my kids choose better foods. I have gotten both my youngsters addited to pepsi ( bad mom I know) i swithched to diet for about a year but upon research studies I found scared me away completley. Organic is best by far but spendy, no sugar is boring and for me impossible major sweet tooth. Moderation is key and sugar is better for you than all the artificial crap. The author of this list knows what he’s talkin about in my opinion. I agree 100% from my own reaserch hours and experience. About the olive oil in the peanut butter I opt to use Organic grapeseed oil it has a natural nutty flavor it’s self and works wonderful. esay to find also Fred meyers carries it in their organic foods. Thanks for this site after the studing i’ve done this wrapped about a months worth of research into one small package. Thanks for posting it 🙂
[…] https://www.projectswole.com/healthy-lifestyle/20-unhealthy-foods-that-you-think-are-healthy-but-are-… […]
Steve
So you re-wrote the article and I re-read the article…you still link soy with estrogen in males. What gives? Read just about any health and fitnes magazine on the market and you’ll see them stating that this was a mistake. Granted it may not be good for you but it doesn’t increase estrogen in males. Also there is evidence it may lower the risk of prostate cancer. I am not saying you are wrong about whether or not soy is “good” for you…you have many other reasons stated for why it may not be but I do disagree with the estrogen in males. When was the last time you researched it? I am trying to keep current so I am just curious if maybe your data is a bit old.
I generally agree with the recommendations, since to follow them would probably be healthier than not, but I’m posting to commend Steve for responding to so many posts. Reading through the comments was pretty entertaining, and seeing Steve respond (without being a jerk) to so many was impressive.
Thanks for the feedback Paul. I think people will be happier now that I’ve updated this post with new info.
I will now think twice before opting for diet soda rather then regular.
Chris: Just choose water. 😉
So soy is bad for you? Aw man, I just finished off a huge costco sized thing of soy nuts. I am a guy so I definitely don’t want increased estrogen levels.
I just stumbled upon this page and couldn’t resist chuckling at Julie’s(Nov.9/09)comments. Apparently, it would seem that “there is no room for opinion” in Julie’s world. Well Julie, in the world I live in, there is plenty of room for opinion. Here’s mine:
People who rely solely “on scientific method and studies that are peer reviewed” and seek to discredit others with bold assertions and cliched thinking, deserve far less attention than those whom they are trying to dismiss.
In fact, as a result of your comments, Julie, I re-read Steve’s comments with even greater interest and must say, that while he may be mixing fact and opinion, many of his “claims” are indeed common knowledge, just as he stated. Yes, common knowledge: a concept that you would appear not to be familiar with due to your inability to look beyond your “studies”.
Two questions for you, Julie- who funds many of the studies you so keenly refer to? Ever heard of the term “corporate interests”?
By the way, the day I decided to stop listening to opinions such as yours, Julie, is the day my health began to improve. Life experience counts for something and on this page, Steve has shared some of great value to those trying to improve their health.
Take that Julie! 😀
Everyone, I ask you to please disregard this article, unless the author can produce references to peer-reviewed studies for the claims he makes.
He claims in comments that this article is “a mix of fact and opinion” but there is no room for opinion in nutritional sciences. There’s the scientific method and studies that are peer reviewed and stand up to scrutiny, and that’s it.
I am not “a hater” and I am quite healthy, but I hate to think of people reading this as a legitimate source of scientific information.
Julie: I’m sorry that you feel this way. I did a bit of research for this article, but quite a bit of it is common knowledge. OK, so crab meat isn’t made of tofu. But it IS a “tofu-like substance”, as the post states. Most of my opinions are derived from personal knowledge and experience, the rest of the content is fact. You can research it using Google if you want; I don’t remember exactly which resources I used to write this, sorry. If that destroys my credibility, oh well… take it or leave it I guess. =)
It’s funny that everyone gets offended when they find out their favorite foods aren’t as healthy as they once thought they were. Wake up people! You CAN do without diet soda/peanut butter/etc. There are numerous studies and books that link soda (diet and regular) to cancer, as well as dairy products and meat.
Damn right!
Ben: almonds are pretty high in calories, but are also pretty good for you.
This is a small number of facts slipped into a load of garbage.
Think of the critical thinking fallacies: to say that because “fat-free” is healthy that all foods that are fat-free are healthy is an “affirms the consequent” fallacy. Just because SOME fat-free foods are healthier than their fatty equivalents doesn’t mean they all are.
Other information is spurious – it’s been proven that artificial sweeteners, when consumed in proper quantities, are not harmful. A diet soda is not a “tumor in a can”.
Soy has not been linked to any of the conditions mentioned. It is very difficult to ascertain the exact causes of disease when the conditions can vary so deeply. That is the same as saying that because you don’t take your shoes off when you get home drunk that if you wake up with your shoes on you must have been drunk. It’s a “causal fallacy”.
Stop spreading bull and start spreading real information. The truth is, just eat veggies and fruit, keep a low saturated fat diet that focuses on fish and poultry, drink plenty of water, and get some exercise! You don’t need garbage like this!
Thanks for the comments Warren. I am very sorry that you are completely retarded. If I said all fat free foods are healthy, then said food A is healthy therefore it is fat free, THAT would be affirming the consequent.
Firstly, I never made that argument. Secondly, I called out food manufacturers for saying ‘fat-free is healthy, our food is fat-free, therefore it is healthy’, which is still not affirming the consequent it is modus ponens.
The second example you give is actually affirming the consequent, not a causal fallacy.
Actually, I don’t have time to debate logic with you. You need to take a couple college courses in applied logic and probability. Stop trying to bring others down with your negativity and do something positive with your life for a change, eh?
I’ve enjoyed reading the article above and the comments. Wouldn’t touch any of the ‘bads’ listsed above, but I would like to know what exactly is wrong with eating carbohydrate? I get up early, have a quick coffee, eat a handful of raisins, spend 15-20 minutes benchpressing (inc rests), then 25 minutes on the exercise bike. I need to eat straight away after that and I can’t see what’s wrong with wholemeal toast with high-fruit (5% sugars) spread. I work in a physical job for 4-6 hours a day then do more exercise in the evening, more on the benchpress and the punchbag. I’m hungry again and I usually eat cereal, bread and wholenut peanut butter, or oatcakes with homemade hummus. I need the complex carb because it breaks down slowly and replaces the energy I’ve lost from exercise. I also have a proper meal in the evening with the kid, but I’m normally hungry only an hour afterwards.
Somebody above mentioned only eating a small cup of fruit a day. I normally get through about 5 or 6 pieces of fruit a day (apples, oranges, and bananas mostly). How can that be bad in any way?
And on the almonds… I always keep a bag with me in case I get hungry and I can chomp 100g a day easily. Can I eat too many?
I’ve been on this exercise binge for about 4 months now since I gave up smoking (yeah I know… okay) and I do feel great. Always eaten healthily, but cut out sugar totally a year ago after I decided I was probably pre-diabetic (I prefer ‘insulin-. resistive’… ‘pre-diabetic’ has a ring of inevitibility). Don’t drink alcohol. I feel fitter, I’ve put on weight (chest and arms), but have totally failed to lose any stomach fat, but then I don’t know if I need to… 6ft2″ and 175lb. Maybe I should cut out those almonds for a while… those things are 50% fat!
Where is your protein, protein regulates insulin when eaten with carbs. You are on a carb binge whether you gave up sugar or not, you need fat, carbs and protein. If you make sure every snack or meal has protein with it, you will also build muscle which you seem to be trying to by the amount of exercise, you have done nothing to supply your body with the tools to build lean muscle mass, you are just eating carbs.
LOL at last sentence because it’s so true
All that fruit is TOO MUCH….. read up on fructose and learn why a limited amount of fruit each day is just fine……. your body just does not feal with the fructose in the same way it deals with glucose.
also with the sushi deal… give me a break, order it with brown rice and skip the fake crab and you have something that the japanese have been eating for generations, then go to japan and see what the ratio is of healthy to unhealthy people compared to the united states. The sushi is not our problem.
No, the sushi is not our problem, but the fake sushi sold in supermarkets that is labeled as real sushi, is garbage.
MILF\
cheeseburger
Yeah, the activia yogurt thing kills me! I don’t eat dairy, I’ve heard some bad things and when I stopped eating dairy, especially cheese, my skin cleared up. But I do take probiotics everyday, they are like little life savers and they keep me from ever being irregular. They take care of that “uuugh..” feeling you get after eating too much or eating something that might be more difficult to digest….like dairy lol. Skip the yogurt and get yourself some culturelle! Its the same thing without the zits!
Therese: Wait, so you’re saying Activia Yogurt doesn’t work for you? I can’t drink milk or eat much dairy, but one cup of Activia a day works really well for me. Sorry if you’ve had any problems with it.
Hi! I was surfing and found your blog post… nice! I love your blog. 🙂 Cheers! Sandra. R.
Thanks for stopping by Sandrar.
I have to wonder what sushi some of you are talking about?
“kinda strange how every piece of sushi tastes exactly the same… not like any of the “ingredients” (except the high fructose corn syrup and stuff)”
Well, first.. where did you ever find sushi with high fructose corn syrup in it? I have never seen or heard of such a thing, not to say it doesn’t exist, but I would never call such a thing real sushi. Or would I call a California roll, or anything containing imitation crab real sushi.
I also have to greatly disagree on every piece tasting the same. The type of fish used each have a slightly different flavor, and each ingredient adds an element to the over all taste.
Try red tuna, avocado and cucumber, wrapped in seaweed and sushi rice. Add a little soy sauce if you want some salty flavor added, a little wasabi for some spiciness. The cucumber adds a little crunch, the avocado brings some creaminess. Both go perfect with the melt in your mouth taste of the fish, which tastes nothing like the “fishy” flavor of cooked fish.
Sushi ingredients are (or should be):
* Fresh Raw Fish– red tuna, white tuna, salmon, yellowtail, snapper, Hawiian Moon, ect.—for some people who don’t like the idea of raw fish they make it with shrimp or crab.. yes, sometimes imitation, but TRY THE REAL KIND! and I promise you’ll never look back.
* seaweed
* sushi rice
* avocado
* cucumber
* carrots
* cream cheese
* fish eggs (tobiko)
* sesame seeds
* tempura flakes
* wasabi
* soy sauce
* many other ingredients and variations, you can include whatever you are in the mood for.
Given the fact that sushi is made with raw fish, it should be something that is made fresh to order. The fish should not taste or smell “fishy”, or be injected with chemicals or any type of “syrup” to preserve it. It should be FRESH so that chemicals are not needed. If not then I would not eat it, or say that it deserved the title of sushi at all.
Other than that-
Sorry but any artificial chemicals should be avoided, if possible, use fresh organic foods. You shouldn’t need a study to tell you that consuming artificial chemicals are bad but if you do
https://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Quality-Safety/Researchers-study-chemicals-in-food-and-effect-on-fetus
An easy solution is to grow your own garden in your back yard. Great tasting, non-chemical infused foods.
What’s with all the hating on carbohydrates????
What can I say George? Carbs suck. =)
Yogurt is my favorite. I always think it is healthy because there are many products on the market saying that. I never realized that i am in the wrong track. Well, yogurt commercial should clear their statement.
Thanks for the spam, Portable Tap Dance Floors.
Now that Almonds are required to be pasteurized, I would question how healthy they are.
https://www.cornucopia.org/almond/Almond_News_Release.pdf
Interesting.
I was wondering if some of the things that i normally eat on a regular basis are healthy or not.. I’m 19 years old and do not get good home-cooked meals anymore.. I’m now living on my own so I try and make things that are fast and easy. Here is a list of some of things that I take in:
1. special K strawberry cereal
2. salad mix (packaged) with non- fat thousand island dressing
3. unsweet luzianne tea with 2 pkgs. of sweet n lo
4. 100% orange juice (tropicana)
5. grapefruit juice ( do not want to give up)
6. lean cuisine meals (all)
7. granola and nutri-grain bars …
what should I be substituting these with?
… And also are rice cakes and real fruit smoothies good for you?
Tracy, I answered your question here: How to Make 9 Healthy Foods Even Healthier
Anyone who needs convincing that soda and/or diet soda is bad for your health, needs to do some serious thinking. It’s pathetic that someone who can read and write and is educated enough to express their emotions and feelings on an internet site needs ‘proof’ that soda is unhealthy.
Good luck.
Hey Steve, sorry I replied so late Ive just been so busy with being newly engaged and planning things for our wedding. I actually have this recipe thats one of my families fav things to eat any time. I basically boil some pasta (I love whole wheat penne)about 3 cups, chop up about 1 green/red pepper into small sqaures (its nice to have some colour), mince 3-4 cloves of garlic, chop 1 red onion into squares. Add some extra virgin olive oil into a pan and heat it up. Once hot turn the heat down and add the onions and brown them until they are a nice golden colour.Next, add garlic until a slightly light brown shade. Add the green peppers next until they are soft and cook over medium heat. Lastly add some tomato sauce (canned)and lower heat. Add the cooked pasta into the sauce and stir until well covered. Serve with some salad or garlic bread, totally up to your taste. if cheese is preferred grate some parmesan over and let it melt on the individual plates as you are serving. If desired you can make your own tomato sauce or homemade pasta 😀 I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does!
20 Healthiest Foods That Are Actually Unhealthy Foods…
Thank you for submitting this cool story – Trackback from 26m…
I’ve been browsing for different recommended foods to construct as healthy a diet as I can, and I have to say I’m about ready to say fuck it and just eat Taco Bell and live my “short” life happy. Everyone who thinks they have the answers talks the loudest, so when you actually want useful information, you just have a bunch of dipshits saying “yes yes this is great for you!” or “no it’s awful!”
Quick: Top 15 Staples of the healthiest diet for a white male who wants to live as long as he can while reducing the risk of diseases as well as cancer/heart disease/etc? How many of you fuckers are going to disagree on this shit?
No study linking any artificial sweetener with cancer has been replicated. IE they aren’t carcinogenic.
You should probably mention that in the article, Steve.
Hi Steve, my names Lauralee and I am 20 years old. I just wanted to thank you for this great piece of information you have posted here. I am a health nut and I found this really helpful. In fact, I sent this site to all of my girlfriends and they absolutely loved it and thanked me, but I really just need to thank you. You have inspired me to live a healhty lifestyle and start a healthy cooking club.
Lauralee: I am excited to hear that I could have an impact on your and your girlfriends. Please let me know if you come up with some sweet recipes that you’d like me to post online. Do you have a blog or website?
Great article!! Thanks so much – I also enjoy a little bit of sarcasm every now and then, but this time you are fully allowed to use it. People don’t exercise and they don’t educate themselves on what’s healthy and what’s not. Ergo, they don’t read labels, they trust the manufacturers’ claims on why a product is ‘healthy’ and they don’t understand why they’re still overweight. HELLO – use your brains much??
Amen maritsa, amen…
Hey Steve,
I liked the article (but then again I quite like sarcasm heh heh). Alot of the stuff I already know..Well ok not the actual indepth nutritional content (fact or otherwise : ) of the products but still I know enough to avoid stuff with too much sugar especially that high fructose stuff. Most people though not only don’t exercise correctly (how many women do u see for hrs on the darn treadmill) or they “diet” and eat horrible diet foods which they unfortunately think are healthy. So we have skinny-fat people orrrr just your regualar fat-fat people.
So hopefully it will help some folks choose more carefully. (of course they might benefit a tad from some resistance training as well but good luck with getting them to do that)Keep up the good fight!
That’s the problem with the internet, it’s turned a lot of people into know-it-alls who know very little. And you know what they say… a spoonful of sugar will help the medicine go down. That’s what this is, bits of truth mixed with bits of not-so-much. The problem is weeding out the truth from opinion.
And you really should wipe out the comment from “Reader of multiple Experiments and Studies”. He does you no favors with his idiotic and ultimately insulting rant. At least you sound like you’re not talking entirely out of your ass, but that guy is just a moron: “I’ve read blah blah blah”. Yes, that’s really the scientific method isn’t it?! I’ve read about quantum mechanics, but that hardly makes me qualified to lecture about it on any level.
Steve – you did a great job of attempting the impossible: writing a crash-course article on nutrition and healthy eating. The primary clarification I would suggest would simply be listing “granola” as bad for you. The “chewy” granola bars that most Americans eat are bad for you, but regular old granola can be very good for you. Other than that, I think this is a great article.
And to everyone else hating this article so much – just because certain foods “have not yet been statistically shown to cause cancer in humans in peer-reviewed journals” does not mean that it is good for you. Eating natural, un-processed, healthy (lower-calorie, generally higher-protein) foods is one of the best ways to live a healthy life. I believe that is probably what Steve is trying to get across.
Lastly – I noticed that no one claimed that any of the foods Steve claimed were good for you were in fact bad for you.
Okay, So Danielle your not reading the article, he does tell you why diet soda is bad for you. He just assumes you know why regular soda is bad for you, but apparently your a dee dee dee. And I honsetly think we have found way to link cancer to everything. EVERYTHING CAUSES CANCER. It is ridiculous. I enjoyed this article and found it very informative.
I like it. Makes people think. And the fact that so many people comment, gives a wide variety of opinion. Also, whoever thinks soda isn’t bad for you, is just oblivious. Get your heads out of the clouds and read the label on a can of coke. Im not even saying “Dont drink it”, just stop saying it isn’t bad. Steve is right, most foods have a bad side. This articles point was to to show the bad side to normal foods. I like it.
Thanks for the support Kayla. The problem with normal foods is that when you don’t practice moderation, you end up with too much of a good thing.
So you mean to tell us that peanuts are bad, but we should eat all natural peanut butter? Lets use some common sense here. The benefits of Peanuts far outweigh the negative.
They’re a great source of protein.
they’re extraordinarily high in polyphenols, and monounsaturated fat. Not to mention they contain magnesium, folate, vitamin E, copper, arginine, and fiber – all of which are known to lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
[QUOTE]
nik:
Actually all of this is true. Don’t be a hater just because you like to eat junk food all day.
[/QUOTE]
Res Ipsa Loquitur
I won’t be listening to this idiot any time soon.
my daughter needs to lose weight and this is very informative it all makes so much sense.
be careful…… bad food as main cause obesity central and diabetes type 2
I use to drink about 20 beers a night every night and more on the weekend. Now I switched to whiskey and diet pepsi. I thought this would help cutt back some caleries, so now I go through about one, half gallon of whiskey every 2 days, and more on the weekends and about 5 diet pepsi’s every day. I eat a cheeseburger for lunch and usually some kind of meat for dinner, steak, or ground beef. So my queston is, wich one is better for you, 20 beers or the diet pepsi’s with some whiskey?
informative but bitch-sounding at the same time
Where do you even get some of this information? Soy is extremely high in isoflavones, which help PREVENT breast cancer. This anti-soy mumbo jumbo is sponsored by the meat industry because having such a popular and healthy complete protein out there hurts their business. That’s reality. Wanna know some more reality? The Japanese, who consume the most soy products in the world, also enjoy some of the longest lifespans in the world. I’ve actually pointed that out to many of these “experts,” who try to convince people otherwise (rather than point out the obvious hormones in dairy and birth control that young teens and middle-aged women turn to), and you know what happens? They censor my comments as soon as they see it. Suspicious much?
Steve, while I agree with most of your information, I think you need to do more research on sucralose (Splenda). The FDA passed it because of much pressure by the lobbyists from Johnson & Johnson (parent co. of McNeil). The testing on humans was inadequate,and it is actually not at all like sugar. It is chlorine, and more similar to a pesticide than anything else. I am still trying to recover from sucralose poisoning, and if you google words like “splenda poisoning” or “joint pain sucralose”, you will find hundreds of accounts from people like me who poisoned themselves while trying to skate through a weight loss program ( yeah, I was dumb to think that was possible). You will be horrified if you do a tad more research on this product. I only use Stevia now, which is a natural product with no known side effects. Hope you take this seriously, I’m still walking with a cane, and trying to get myself detoxed and healthy again. Only whole foods for me now, I have learned a very frightening lesson.
Along with the absurd hormone levels that non-organic milk provides, the plastic containers they come in are another factor to remember. Plastic #7, (the plastic used to make plastic milk jugs) is created with estrogen. Therefore it emits estrogen into the already hormone contaminated milk. It’s really hitting two birds with one stone…
Oberweis is a good alternative by providing organic milk in glass jugs upon delivery or store bought.
Steve,
Great article. Sure, there are criticisims that could be made re. the accuracy of some points, etc.
However, and most importantly, IT IS MAKING PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THE “FOODS” THEY ARE EATING! I think that is a victory in itself.
Keep up the good work.
Steve
Josh:
Peanuts are good, but they don’t have a place in super strict diets. Other nuts are better for you. As far as diet soda, who knows? Artificial sweeteners don’t tend to be good for lab animals, so we’ll have to see what time tells about that.
lind:
Two minute oats are great. Most hardcore nutritionists would tell you to choose slow cookin’ oats over quick oats, but honestly if you are eating plain oats (no added sugar) then how much does it really matter? I think you’re doing a good job. Also, most cereal isn’t that good for you. Stick with oats.
So, as Alex and Steve (20th May) said, cereal isn’t that good. What about oats? I usually eat the two minute microwave oats (no flavour, just plain oats) or plain cornflakes for breakfast. Is that bad if I’m trying to lose weight? :S
ok this list is ok but seriously, peanuts are high in fat and calories, but then why does every doctor recommend them? The benefits outway the non benefits. Also when testing diet soda on rats, they give them almost a gallon which is like equivalent to giving a water tower full to a human. I am sure no one drinks that much, and it is never proven that diet soda gives cancer.
[…] (Here’s cheerful reading: 20 Unhealthy Foods That You Think Are Healthy But Are Actually Killing You: https://www.projectswole.com/healthy-lifestyle/20-unhealthy-foods-that-you-think-are-healthy-but-are-… […]
i think it’s also important to avoid media hype when confronted with statements such as:
“Phytic acid, trypsin inhibitors, toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines are all highly present in soy products.”
first of all, i don’t understand how someone without a PhD can make true sense of that.
second of all, nitrosamines are not just in soy, they are also in meats.
Steve,
That was one fantastic article. There are so many foods that most people take for granted, when the majority of Americans (or residents of most other nations) really have no idea about basic nutrition. In fact, most are operating on inaccurate information, which you have taken steps to dispel in your post. I gave it well deserved stumble over at StumbleUpon.
It’s amazing, for example, the number of people that eat white rice while on a diet, instead of switching to brown rice. When I’m advising people about their food choices I talk to them about their current diet and I’m confounded by the foods they’re eating that they think are actually good for them.
This Website really helped me and my mum out and now we are ready for what will lay in store for us now i am really greatful to this website and would like to say you are simply the best and you are amazing thankyou again
Sophie x
i think all of this is true and that this website is fab. me and my daughter sophie now under stand how to deal with her problems thanks for helping us out
Jenny x
Billigflug:
I don’t know that you need to be worried about it. Just eat the less healthy foods in moderation as compared to the healthiest food.
Very Interesting and Excelent Article. It mentions a lot of things I didnt know, however I think is better if I search more information about it ´cause I´m very worried.
Hopefully this information can help to many people to take care of what they eat.
Congrats…
Hibiscus:
My posts consist of facts and opinions. None of my facts are wrong, but I do encourage people to disagree with my opinions and to express their own. So no, I’m not ashamed of myself. Please come back again. =)
“I am glad I could inspire such controversy with this post.”
Here you are, giving advice as a certified nutritionist, and your intention is not to offer scientifically legitimate advice, but to “inspire controversy”? You should be ashamed of yourself.
jen:
Thank you so much for reading and writing. Please come back again. =)
I’m not sure where you got your infomation but there are several scientific inaccuracies in this article. I hope people are not taking this article too seriously. There are some good points like that of white versus brown rice, but, for example, imitation crab meat is not made of tofu, it’s made from white fish, and it not especially unhealthy. Frankly this list is just strange and confusing.
Laura:
I sometimes drink a can of diet Coke too. I mean ‘bad’ is relative. A can of diet Coke is better than a plate of nachos but worse than a carrot. Moderation is key, and one can a day seems like moderation to me.
Uh oh. This is the list I’ve been avoiding. Haha. I drink a good amount of diet coke. Not cause I’m trying to lose weight or anything (I’m only 17, roughly 5’2 and about 110 lbs, exercise daily). I’m just addicted. Yeah, caffeine does increase your blood pressure after a while(my mom drank about 5 cups of coffee a day and now the doctors are making her stop!).
I cut down and only drink about 1 bottle (20 oz) of diet coke a day…how bad is that?
I agree with most of them, my favorite health food is Yogurt, and I always buy Plain Yogurt rather than Yogurt which have many taste like strawberry or grape, usually producer add to much sugar/corn syrup there.
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I am glad I could inspire such controversy with this post.
The 2 take away messages from all posts like this are:
1) moderation is key, and
2) don’t believe the marketing or media hype when it comes to diet food
I respect the author’s personal opinion, but scientifically, this list is a remarkably silly distortion of some medical studies. While there is probably a study somewhere that can back up anyone’s opinion, the points in this article are not generally accepted as fact. It’s important to look at PEER REVIEWED research, meaning that the results can be independently duplicated.
For example, I once read an article that “proved” that fluorescent light gives people mercury poisoning, not from breaking the light, but by the “mercury photons” that are emitted through the glass. Throughout my career, I’ve never otherwise heard of “mercury photons”, just regular photons -the only flavor they come in. (By the way, the wavelengths of the photons emitted by a normal fluorescent light are much safer than that of the sun.)
The point is that you should just use common sense when making decisions about nutrition. If you live off soda alone or eat soy to the extreme, yeah, you’re going to have problems, but what do you expect? And for the “scared of chemicals” crowd, I’ve got some unfortunate news for you; everything you eat is made up entirely from chemicals.
Although I believe that the author had the best intentions when writing this, for nutrition, I like the website: http://www.whfoods.com. It has nutritional information for lots of fruits, vegetables and grains with tons of cited research to back it up.
What’s wrong with carbohydrates?
okay well first off-most of this list is good. But not all of it is accurate. These foods listed are only bad when people eat too much of it. If you are to have a fruit cocktail when ur out with ur friends thats okay-just make sure your not doing it every friday night…and the problem with diet soda or the reduced fat things…since they are low calorie people tend to eat more of it and thats not good either. as long as u are getting your fruits, veggies, WHOLE grain, enough dairy and fish, eggs and poultry with the occasional fruit cocktails, and desserts u should be fine. and in regards to the diet soda-well diet, regular its all BAD!
they should make burgers more healthy
timo:
No offense man, but you may want to consider proofreading your comments before you submit them. I would fix your comment, but I’m not entirely sure what you are even trying to say in that bottom sentence. Thanks for coming though.
Hi Im a personal traininer, very good tips as i use all information, and handy hint to know about ‘SOY’ i will do more research as very important..
Also Mnay fat loss formulas contain very harmful chemicals as reaserched by the American sports and medicine that they have no effect only they do not reduce thye fat though seperated from toplayer, underneith fat still sits on our bodies, all in fact exersise and good healthy eating.
“Tumor in a Can”
How? Seriously. People have been drinking diet drinks for generations and we don’t have a tumor ridden populace.
Actually, we do.
Common sense would tell you that ingesting large amounts of artificial chemicals is going to lead to cancer one day.
Liria:
I am not a doctor, but I used to be certified in personal training and sports nutrition, I did train people for years, and I study every thing I can on both subject. Currently I am a software engineer, SEO, and web developer, which allows me to bring my ideas to you online. Thanks for coming and I hope you will return.
its good anyway,it helps a lot of people to watch their diet
this website actaully makes sense its smart, yet its not all true, but good job whomever made it, i bet it was a smart asssss doctor, or something
xoxoox
[…] 20 Unhealthy Foods That You Think are Healthy but are Actually Killing You Slowly: Get the lowdown on labels that claim to be “fat free” and “sugar free” here. […]
Amy.I gree with you on that subject 99%.
Diet soda is much worse then regular soda. The artificial sweeteners in diet soda are toxic. Regular sugar all tho bad is a lesser evil then the other dozen artificial sweeteners that are put in the diet sodas. Also the diet sodas have no taste on their own, so to compensate for the lack of flavor they put in artificial flavors. I think that the all natural sodas that are sold in health food stores are actually OK. I’m not saying they are healthy and good for you, I never touch the stuff, but they are in my opinion OK, if made with natural unrefined sugar or sweetened with honey.
Hey, this is great! I get to choose my DEATH!!!
okay well first off-most of this list is good. But not all of it is accurate. These foods listed are only bad when people eat too much of it. If you are to have a fruit cocktail when ur out with ur friends thats okay-just make sure your not doing it every friday night…and the problem with diet soda or the reduced fat things…since they are low calorie people tend to eat more of it and thats not good either. as long as u are getting your fruits, veggies, WHOLE grain, enough dairy and fish, eggs and poultry with the occasional fruit cocktails, and desserts u should be fine. and in regards to the diet soda-well diet, regular its all BAD!
nik:
Actually all of this is true. Don’t be a hater just because you like to eat junk food all day. Clearly I’ve taken some of this advice to an extreme, but the fact remains that each point I’ve made is based on the truth, and if someone was looking to avoid a certain kind of food, I’ve provided plenty of alternative choices.
a lot of this information is not ture, some of it is good info. Japanese people are the longest living people in the world, thier diet is mostly fish and soy products.
[…] 20 Unhealthy Foods That You Think Are Healthy But Are Actually Killing You Slowly […]
Awesome article! It’s about time somebody has a clue about why all of these foods are just marketing hype. Beware of that sucralose though… evil stuff! Here’s 2 articles on this topic that are great:
https://www.truthaboutabs.com/top-10-superfoods-great-health.html
https://www.truthaboutabs.com/hard-body-nutrition.html
Enjoy!
Susan:
You can lose 20 lbs without exercise, but it’s not going to be easy. You need to eat a low carb, low calorie diet. Multiply your desired bodyweight by 12 and eat that many calories in a day. If you lose weight over the course of a week, great! If not, subtract 200 calories and try again. Repeat as necessary. Take 75% of your desired bodyweight and you’ll know how many grams of protein you should eat each day. Keep your carbs under 100 grams, preferably under 70 grams, until you reach your desired weight. Eat healthy fats to make up the rest of the calories.
Also, eat 5-6 times a day, splitting your calories evenly across each meal. Try to avoid combining starchy or sugary carbs with fat in any meal.
Try to make sure you take that walk everyday too. If possible try to convert that walk into a jog, then convert that jog into a run, then convert that run into interval sprints. Unless you have any traumatic leg, back, or neck injury that prevents you from doing so.
In response to all the negative feedback, I’m just reporting a combination of known facts and my own opinions. Sure, crab meat is not made of tofu, it’s made from white fish, but some of it is so bad that it just tastes like tofu… yuck.
Does it help to eat 6 times a day ad opposed to the regular 3 times or twice(for me)
Hi, I’d really like to lose 20 lbs, what are the best foods for me, and can i lose it without exercise because my job doesn’t give me any time to work out though i take at least a long walk everyday. Please reply
One of the posters above said i try to avoid complex carbs.
a BIG no! in fact quite the opposite, You SHOULD ONLY et complex carbs.
simple carbs deliver a high blood sugar level spike after consumption and should be consumed before exercise or activity. so i suggest eating a cup (A SMALL CUP) of fruit a day and that too only after strenuous activity.
complex carbs digest slowly and release energy throughout the day as they digest.
When you look for things to buy read the ingredients and if it says:
white, enriched,bleached, wheat,corn,-ose,
avoid like the plague.
Look instead for:
whole wheat, whole grain, unbleached.
Ingredients are listed in order of decreasing amounts so the first ingredient is the most abundant in the food. so keep that in mind.
eat plain yogurt, its got the least sugars ad the most “active cultures” which is required by law to be in ALL yogurt. Its just a marketing gimmick. Plain yogurt works just fine. its great because it keeps of fat and is full of complex carbs (though some simple too) and a small amount of protein.
and remember 6 meals a day keeps the fat away.
Hi thanks for the great list i have linked it to my squidoo
https://www.squidoo.com/hypocol as my readers will find it very interesting
Hey thanks for this great article! It was enlightening and informing. I’ve researched all of this that you’ve written about before and most of it is pretty accurate. It’s too bad you have some people bashing this post. Hopefully your readers can extract something good from this post for what its worth. I agree that you should have more of your sources listed. Even still, its important to get this info out. As far as artificial sweeteners go, I swear to never touch the stough as long as I live. I can personally testify that they did much damage to my health and took about 3 years for symptoms to go away completely after cutting it out. Specifically, I used Sweet & Lowe and Equal. Anyway, thanks again!
-Jacob
“Making Diet History by Making Diets History”
https://thisisnotadiet.org
The above piece is incorrect in the contents of most imitation crab meat. Most imitation crab meat is actually made from processed fish and not tofu. I’m not saying that imitation crab meat is good for you, but the writer has clearly not done enough research into this “article”.
Much of the other content is also exaggerated, flawed, and provides no support. I’d do some research before you start believing this.
Just to clear up one very important issue – carbs are not the enemy. Processed “foods”, i.e. flours and sugars are the enemy. Just as fats are not the enemy, but trans and too much saturated fats are. Glad to see you make the distinction between omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids. Unfortunately, due to our high grain consumption, most Americans overload on the 6’s. A lot of great info in this.
wow. some ppl on herre are idiots. beside the spray butter and peanut thing, the rest is fact whether or not sarcasm is used. just because you look and feel healthy doesn’t mean you are. sushi (like publix and many restaurants) is terrible for you. duh. soda is EXTREMELY detrimental. you should rly never drink it. and yes, everyone does eat these foods. that’s why everyone is so freaking fat in America. Diet is also bad for you. All artificial sweeteners are (except Stevia). Dairy has led to health problems because it is pasteurized. Raw milk is better for you and if makes you sick it is because your body is wea because of all the crap dairy you have been eating. And btw, JIFF peanut butter of JIFFY or whatever does not count as peanuts. it is also bad for you. and, yes, you shouldn’t eat them in excess, but you shouldnt eat too much of anything. it is necessary to have a widespread diet. also, olive oil and coconut oil are very very good for you. natural honey (it’s not liquid), coconut oil, etc. are good for eating, hair, and skin. and i believe that the amount of tumors is no a low one.
“those of you reading this article may benefit from reading my website link’s comments. while some of what was said is true, most of these statements are not only FLAGRANTLY FALSE but the fact that there is no cited research (and i mean from legitimate medical or nutrition research website rather than, say, soysucks.com) makes me further question the validity of the statements i am unsure of. i encourage people to actually do some searches on their own, avoiding obviously biased sites (meaning “pro” OR “anti” any of these subjects) and learn the truth, not what some extremist anti-corporationist who probably has no training in nutrition, diet, or health has written on the internet. remember, people, the internet has no restrictions on what can be put out, no fact-checkers, so while this benefits us in the realm of free-speech, you have to be doubly wary of what you read, especially sites that advocate lifestyle changes like this!”
hahahahaha. are you serious? i have read so many books with legitimate experiments to back this stuff up it is not even funny. ORGANIC is the way to go. fat-free and diet is certainly not. and i think the sarcastic approach is necessary because the official approach has not worked. did you know that big companies pay established authors to trick americas into a mindset of what is healthy? yeah. it’s sad. plus, it is kind of a funny phenomenon that in places where ppl grow their own food, hardly anyone is fat. but here in america, well, who isn’t? when my chubby dad is in the skinny range for men his size, you now something is wrong. and, quite frankly, it’s HILARIOUS. just like all of the critical comments on this site. i mean, this guy is not completely right about everything, but then again, who is? the best part is all of the idiots who replied.
“I find this list a little rediculus. I mean, they just took every food that almost everyone eats and pointed out the bad facts. I think that the “Why Is It Good?” section whould be a bit longer. I truly believe that one can eat almost anything, just in moderation. And of course, excersising always helps =) when trying to remain healthy.”
umm… please define healthy. umm… lemme tell you your definition is skewed. “remain”? yeah… first you need to be “healthy” Yeah, America does eat almost anything…. even people! muahahahahahah (that’s what is in everyone’s tummies)
“Take a look at the Asian diet.”
I don’t believe Asians use syrups to get ppl addicted to their food. kinda strange how every piece of sushi tastes exactly the same… not like any of the “ingredients” (except the high fructose corn syrup and stuff)
plz excuse spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, etc.
Some of these I agree with. However, a large percentage are either riddled with errors, or are purely opinion pieces.
Moderation is the key in any diet. I eat/drink a good chunk of these, and am extremely healthy. I get sick perhaps once a year, I’m relatively fit, and everything is pretty much better than average in my body.
This article has little to no scientific merit.
those of you reading this article may benefit from reading my website link’s comments. while some of what was said is true, most of these statements are not only FLAGRANTLY FALSE but the fact that there is no cited research (and i mean from legitimate medical or nutrition research website rather than, say, soysucks.com) makes me further question the validity of the statements i am unsure of. i encourage people to actually do some searches on their own, avoiding obviously biased sites (meaning “pro” OR “anti” any of these subjects) and learn the truth, not what some extremist anti-corporationist who probably has no training in nutrition, diet, or health has written on the internet. remember, people, the internet has no restrictions on what can be put out, no fact-checkers, so while this benefits us in the realm of free-speech, you have to be doubly wary of what you read, especially sites that advocate lifestyle changes like this!
spreading misinformation is dangerous and you should be ashamed, steve.
Imitation crab meat is made out of actual white fish, not soy. Where the heck did the author come up with that one?
Also, seaweed/nori contains many nutrients. You’d have to eat far more than a few pieces to come near the daily recommendation of carbohydrates for a 2000 cal diet. Unless you’re diabetic or something, rice’s role in meals isn’t a problem. Take a look at the Asian diet.
Alot of this info is misleading, but at the same time also a decent ‘guide’ to avoiding crappy foods. I agree with alot of it, but ‘canned beans have the same amount of sugar as a can of soda’ i don’t think so, and it’s not usually sucrose.
I’d say about 90% of artificial crab meat produced is mostly processed fish (surumi). I have never seen artificial crab made from soy in asian markets, but I have seen them in American ones. And I just looked at the nutritional info on the back of some art. crab I had in my fridge and it has 3g of sugar per serving.
Pretty shoddy and biased writing here. But I guess being paranoid of everything makes people feel wise.
if it has
fructose…
hydrogendated…
monosodium…
then don’t eat it.
Hey I’ve got a great nutrition tip! Exercise and drink water! Problem Solved. And if your worried about cancer from soda, then start smoking so you can worry about something more real.
I think that there are alot of mistakes in this article. All I have to say is not to take “one person’s” word on something and do the research for yourself before you believe it!
I find this list a little rediculus. I mean, they just took every food that almost everyone eats and pointed out the bad facts. I think that the “Why Is It Good?” section whould be a bit longer. I truly believe that one can eat almost anything, just in moderation. And of course, excersising always helps =) when trying to remain healthy.
Why would you recommend Activia yogurt? The trademarked bacteria it contains is just a marketing gimmick. Just get some plain yogurt (there’s usually some good stuff in glass jars) and add your own fruit / granola to it.
Also, spray butter? How is that healthy? It’s a mix of butter-flavored chemicals in aerosol form. Real butter is much healthier, and tastes better too.
BTW, mayo and crisco don’t contain lard. Crisco is hydrogenated oil; lard is pork fat. Between the two, I prefer lard.
In all honesty, not a bad article. There are, however, several things you need to take in to account. First and foremost, when using *any* claims (such as “Straight up, soy is linked to lower testosterone and increased estrogen in males, and is also linked to increased breast cancer in women.”), you need REFERENCES. Secondly, and this is just my opinion, if your writing is unable to convey your emotions and you subsequently need to use things such as “::sarcasm::”, you’re doing it wrong.
Back to my first point, without any proper references to back your claims, your article has no credit and is overall worthless. As far as anyone should care, this article is just the lovechild of some guy with too much time and Google.
Rewrite and back your claims, and it may be worth a damn.
mix olive oil in peanut butter? i’ve never tried that but it sounds pretty disgusting. olive oil has a pretty distinct flavour if it’s not being used to cook.
i do use it instead of spray butter to get powder to stick to my popcorn though, it works really well and goes with dill especially nice.
It’s reprehensibly irresponsible to label diet sweeteners as “carcinogenic”. Phenylketonurics will react to aspartame, but they represent a tiny fraction of the population (and they know who they are) and their reaction is a far cry from cancer. The body processes aspartame into methanol, and large amounts of aspartame — far more than would be consumed by even a heavy diet soda drinker — may produce dangerous levels of the byproduct. But moderate doses of methanol are harmless: tomatoes, for example, also contain it. Yes, the verdict of future health studies into aspartame and Splenda are uncertain, but anyone who remembers the roller coaster of health advice regarding eggs will tell you that uncertainty is hardly limited to artificial ingredients.
wow
Cornflakes are not honestly that bad for you. I mean if you want to be strict about dieting, you will avoid 99% of cereal altogether. If you must choose a ‘flake’ cereal, your best bet is Total or any variations of Total. Next would probably be Special K and Cornflakes, but I wouldn’t eat them every day.
Who am I to say though, I ate chocolate peanut butter puff cereal for breakfast this morning. Darned kids!
hey, i’m intrested in cornflakes are they good or bad? ^^
Moderation is even more important than avoiding these foods altogether. For instance I enjoy peanut butter too, but once I switched to all natural peanut butter I could never go back to the lard versions.
Not bad. I try to stay away from anything processed at all. Which is hard to do this day and age. MY wife and I frequent the local farmers market weekly to stock up on out essentials. Basically avoid anything that contains complex carbs and HFCS. I have only one issue with your list and that’s peanuts. They do contain essential fats and oils your body needs, but as with with anything, you never want to consume too much. Or perhaps it’s my strange obsession with JIFF peanut butter. I don’t know what it is…but thats the one processed food item we keep in our house 🙂
I think the really important thing is to eat a balanced diet. Excluding things is not necessarily the way to go. High consumption levels and eating more of one thing can and does led to problems. If you like something that is ‘bad’ for you have a bit of it now and again and watch what is on the labels of food. Especially for hidden salt and sugar and additives. Its about being sensible. You are continually bombarded with toxins, carcinogens and radiation just be sensible and eat a balanced diet and exercise. Get yourself a dog – then you have to walk!
Chris:
Actually I’m pretty sure it’s common knowledge that soda is bad for you. Everyone knows that preservatives + artificial flavors + artificial colors + 35 grams of sugar = a bad food or drink choice.
Also, if you hadn’t noticed, our society IS a tumor ridden populace. Cancer has increased steadily until the mid to late 90’s thanks to all the chemicals we are forced to put into our bodies. Garbage such as hormones, pesticides, phytoestrogens, preservatives, and other nasty stuff. All I am saying is that drinking soda does not help, and could in fact contribute to a shorter lifespan.
This is a pretty stupid list. There is no point, only opinion. For instance:
“Why is it bad? OK, so soda is horrible for you”
That isn’t a reason. You have to justify why soda is horrible for you.
Then you say:
“Tumor in a Can”
How? Seriously. People have been drinking diet drinks for generations and we don’t have a tumor ridden populace.
Danielle:
You are right about studies linking dairy milk to cancer and hormonal issues. This is mainly due to the hormones and chemicals used to grow and feed the cow.
I still side with dairy milk though, as it is much less offensive with regard to elevating estrogen levels in men, so that is my main concern.
Just to clarify, the diet soda sweetner, sacchrin, is NOT a carcinogen. The myth comes from a small study some 20 years ago in which the sweetner was insignificantly (in the statistical manner) shown to cause bladder tumors in male rats. This research could not subsequently be reproduced. And NO other animals have shown any such bad effects either.
Now, of course one could assume that its just the sweetner industry or something that’s holding back the research, but that’s just silly considering there are plenty of just as cheap sweetners around to use than to risk public outrage. Just to be sure, there have been no public outbreaks of bladder cancer in diet soda consuming socities.
Just felt like ranting. :p
While some of the information presented is true, it’s quite funny that the “Why is it bad?” section on Soy products lists a lot of things caused by dairy products.
Dairy has been linked to breast cancer, hormonal issues, and colic in infants. BGH in dairy (milk especially) attributes to developmental problems in children (like the ones mentioned), and many people are actually lactose intolerant. There are numerous other side effects, of course.
Funny stuff.
Thank you for this information. I am 61 and my husband is 59. We are dedicated to eating a healthy diet I thought we were doing well. Your comments about peanut butter and yogurt were alarming to me. My husband eats fruit on the bottom yogurt every morning and has done so for the last 30 years. He also snacks on peanut butter, right out of the jar, almost every evening. The only reason I don’t eat these things with him is because I don’t care for either. I will be sure he changes these habits! Other than those two items, we rarely fall off the wagon and don’t eat any of the other things on your list. Thanks again.