Once you have learned how to cultivate a healthy relationship with food like we discussed here, the natural progression is a desire to learn more about what foods to eat to nourish your body.

Many people are eating a lot of health foods that aren’t very healthy. It can be confusing to discern a nutritious food from a fake with labeling and advertising throwing around buzzwords like “organic”, “all-natural”, and “sugar-free.”

Here are 10 foods that are considered healthy, but really shouldn’t be eaten on a regular basis. Many are not health foods at all, but contain ingredients that cause inflammation in your body or may even negatively impact your hormones.

My intent with sharing this list isn’t to make you afraid or restrict foods, but rather to get you thinking about how you can nourish your body well and see the fruits of it through amazing health, energy, and a long life!

1) Fruit Juice

Fruit juice can be just as dangerous as soda when you are consuming it in large quantities. For example, one 8 ounce cup of orange juice contains four to five whole oranges - that you are literally consuming in a matter of minutes. Versus if you were to eat four to five oranges and see how eating fruit in it’s whole form (hello fiber) is best.

Fruit juice is concerning due to it’s large quantities of fructose. A study in the journal Nutrition found that juice contains 45.5 grams of fructose per liter - that’s pretty close to soda’s 50 grams of fructose per liter!

Glucose is designed to give us energy to fuel our bodies, but fructose is processed mainly in the liver, where it is converted to fat.

Go for whole fruits when possible and leave the fruit juice for an occasional drink.

2) Factory-Farmed Meat

You are what you eat - and if the livestock you are eating has been fed drugs, hormones, and a diet containing pesticides and fertilizers, that means you are consuming those things too.

One study analyzing 80 chicken muscle samples found that 77.5% of the samples were contaminated with antibiotic residues.

Opt to buy organic meat where there are regulations in place, like the animals must be given fed 100% organic feed, not given any antibiotics or steroids, and raised in conditions that are more natural to the animals behavior.

Look for sales on organic meat and poultry and freeze to keep more long term. Bulk stores like Costco now even carry organic meats and poultry that you can buy and freeze at a more affordable price.

3) Farm-Raised Fish

Farm raised fish, especially tilapia have serious concerns in their nutritional profile and the way it’s farmed and produced.

One report found that tilapia farmed in China were fed feces from livestock which increases the risk for foodborne illnesses like Salmonella.

Tilapia is also low in omega-3 fatty acids and high in omega-6 fatty acids. While omega-6 fatty acids are important, they are found in unfavorable ratios in a typical western diet.

This imbalanced omega ratio may lead to inflammation in the body which increases the risk of developing other chronic diseases.

Beware of Atlantic salmon too. One study found that omega-3 levels in farm-raised salmon are dropping due to being fed a less nutritious feed containing less ground anchovies. Another study found high levels of dioxin, a toxin in farm-raised salmon that’s linked to cancer and organ damage.

Try to buy wild-caught fish when possible. Look for things like wild-caught sockeye salmon, Pacific sardines, and Atlantic mackerel.

4) Microwave Popcorn

The concern with microwave popcorn is the bag it comes in. The microwavable bags are coated with nonstick perfluorochemicals perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) which are linked to cancer.

Another issue with microwave popcorn is the fake butter flavoring, diacetyl, is shown to cause lunge disease when inhaled in large amounts.

It may take longer than 60 seconds, but instead pop your own popcorn. You can buy a bag of organic corn kernel’s for $1.99 and get a least a dozen servings out of it.

Simply heat a large stainless steal pot over medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. Put a few kernel’s inside the pot and when they pop, pour 1/3 cup of corn kernel’s into the pot and cover. Shake the pan as the kernel’s pop to avoid any burning. Remove from the pot when the popping stops. Top with nutritional yeast, garlic, or your favorite seasonings.

5) Margarine

Many people still think margarine is a better, lower fat alternative, but studies say otherwise.

While margarines no longer contain trans fats which are linked to an increased risk of heart attack, they do contain highly processed fats that are linked to inflammation which can cause heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other conditions.

Instead, choose butter, ghee, or plant-based alternatives made with avocado or olive oil.

6) Vegetable Oils

Similar to margarine, vegetables oils like canola oil are inflammatory. Additionally, many of the vegetable oils are partially hydrogenated and genetically modified. Hydrogenated oils are linked to many health risks like birth defects, heart disease, digestive disorders, and obesity to name a few.

Stick to heart healthy oils like extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil. You can read more here about the different types of fats and which ones are best.

7) Artificial Sweeteners

Containing the word “artificial” in the name should set off alarm bells. Unfortunately, many weight loss “experts” and doctors recommend artificial sweeteners due to their low glycemic index and better blood sugar management.

However, research shows using artificial sweeteners is actually linked to developing diabetes and disturbing the gut microbiome and gut flora.

If you are concerned about your sugar intake, use natural sweeteners like raw honey, maple syrup, and coconut sugar - all of which are low on the glycemic index and do not cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels.

8) Agave Nectar

This one may surprise you since agave is touted as a health product. Like fruit juice, agave nectar contains the highest fructose amounts compared to all commercial sweeteners. Fructose is taxing on the liver and is mainly stored as fat.

Better options are to use raw honey or maple syrup.

9) Canned Green Beans

Canned green beans contain bisphenol A (BPA) which is linked to hormonal imbalances in the body, infertility, PCOS, and certain cancers.

Reports also show that canned green beans are consistently contaminated with dangerous pesticides.

Opt for fresh or frozen organic green beans. Or better yet, grow your own - green beans are very simple to grow at home.

10) Non-Organic Milk

There is a big difference in the health profile or organic versus non-organic milk. Research shows that conventional milk has a higher omega-6 (inflammatory) to omega-3 fatty acid ratio of 5.8 versus organic milks ratio of 2.8. The better ratio found is organic milk is due to the natural feeds given on organic farms.

While it may be a big splurge to buy organic milk, it’s worth it due to it’s more nutritious health profile to ensure your family is getting the maximum benefits from drinking the milk.

This post was not intended to scare you, but to get you thinking about what you put inside your body. For example, we all like to spend money on what we put on the outside of our body - nice clothes, a new bag, fun shoes - but what about investing the same value on what we put on the inside of our body? Try to see the value in buying higher quality foods and the value it will bring to your health long-term.