Not all foods are equally good for you, and some can even harm your welfare if you excessively consume them.
Here are 9 foods that you might want to reconsider adding to your grocery basket in 2025.
I have included viable alternatives and credible educational publications that have conducted peer approved studies.
This will help you understand each claim so that you can make a sensible decision. Besides, always check your food labels!
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High Sugar Fruit Juices and Smoothies
Most juices sold in stores contain high quantities of added sugar. The same goes for most smoothies.
Unfortunately, the problem also appears to be with juice and smoothies prepared and sold at smoothie bars.
Most add sugar to the juice or smoothie because it may taste bland to most customers.
Besides, if it doesn't say 100% fruit juice, it probably contains other things, such as additives.
What should you buy instead?
Eat fruits instead, or juice your fruits at home. You might want to invest in a home juicer.
Source: Is Fruit Juice Bad?
Deli Luncheon Meats
Deli luncheon meats are cured meats that are treated with curing salts. These curing salts mostly consist of sodium nitrit, which basically means, your cured meats are full of sodium.
Excessive sodium is linked to all kinds of health issues, one being coronary heart diseases. If you care for your blood pressure, reduce your deli meat intake, and cut down on your bacon breakfast portion.
We tend to take in far too much sodium thanks to other foods that are loaded with sodium. This includes, salami, prosciutto, bologna, pepperoni, and ham to just name a few.
What should you buy instead?
I love cold cuts and that definitely is a blow in the face because there is no viable solution to that, except cutting down on my luncheon consumption.
Source to Read: Is deli meat bad for you?
Drinks and Foods with Artificial Sweeteners
Sugar-free Red Bull, Diet Coke and co can be found on all shelves these days. They are popular among those looking to reduce their caloric intake.
These carbonated soft drinks have artificial sweeteners instead of sugar, so they have fewer calories than regular Coke or Pepsi.
While this might sound like a great idea, especially in moderation, they can lead to feeling less full and cause higher blood sugar and insulin spikes.
Then there are these inconclusive observational studies and controversies surrounding sweeteners, including Aspartame.
What should you get instead?
Try to wean yourself off sugars and sweeteners with fruit or flavor infused waters. They taste terrific, keep you hydrated and do not contain excessive sugars and sweeteners. If you like it sweeter, add some crushed stevia leaves.
Source to Read: Increased sugar intake and total calorie consumption in children, The Low down on diet drinks - How much is okay?, Low-Calorie Sweeteners.
Sodium Stuffed Instant Noodles
Sodium is a nutrient that we tend to consume too much of, and it can cause various health issues, including high blood pressure.
This essential nutrient, is mostly found in salt, with 1 Teaspoon of salt containing over 2300 mg of sodium, but sodium is also present in MSG (Monosodium Glutamate), which intensifies all flavors in a meal.
Instant noodles are, of course, not the only ones that are loaded with sodium, but the reason I mention this here is that most people who eat instant noodles do this on a very regular basis.
It's just not sustainable for your well-being to consume sodium-rich instant noodles every day.
Sodium is often a hidden nutrient, and you won't believe how much you already consume on a day-to-day basis unknowingly. Cutting some intake can only do you good.
What should you get instead?
Look out for low-sodium products on labels, or prepare a batch of clear soup from scratch at home and add Asian noodles to your soup, just as I did in this Chinese inspired noodle soup.
Source to Read: FDA's Science and Food Supply
Sweet Granola, Muesli, and Protein Bars
Have you ever noticed how strangely sweet granola, muesli, and protein bars taste?
These products are marketed as health foods, but if it is loaded with sugar, it just isn't that great for you.
I was on the lookout for a sugar-free muesli brand, and I just couldn't find one. The aisle is full of muesli and granola box mixes, and I have tried a few in the past, non-passed my expected sweetness test.
Then I tried muesli and granola packs in other countries and noticed that these were absolutely sugar-free and not sweet at all!
Shouldn't it be a standard expectation that foods sold under the health-promoting umbrella, such as granola, muesli, and protein bars, should not contain sugar and if they do, a minimal quantity only?
What should you buy instead?
You can put together a sugar-free granola or muesli mix by combining ingredients and prepare your protein bars at home so that you get to pick what's in it. Or get low sugar muesli, granola and protein bars.
Source to Read: Low-Sugar Granola
Sugar-Loaded Peanut Butter
The reason I add peanut butter to the list here, is because it is frequently advertised as a “healthy” food. I think that's misleading.
Most store-bought peanut butters are enriched with sugar. Taste a spoonful of jar peanut butter and it's definitely sweet. Naturally, peanuts are not that sweet!
Take a look at a regular peanut butter jar label, and you will see that the most popular peanut butter labels have a fair amount of added sugars. If you see Molasses on the label, that's sugar.
Add to the equation low fat peanut butter, which usually contains a concoction of exotic ingredient terms and added sugars, including the dreaded corn syrup. It's not the best alternative.
What should you buy instead?
Fortunately, you can make sure to get the best peanut butter. Prepare peanut butter at home or look out for all-natural, no added sugar peanut butter instead.
Source to Read: Diabetes and Peanut Butter Risks
Growth Promoters in Meat
Did you know that hormonal growth promoters are commonly used in the farming industry across the globe?
Growth hormones are anabolic, and they are injected into cattle. The result is that these substances enter nearby ground waters, due to large quantities of excretion. This rise in hormone levels in groundwater impacts nearby waterways and wild fish.
The controversy didn't end here. The Italian Premature hormone scandals of the late 70s just made it all the more questionable.
As a result, the EU has banned the use of growth hormones in meats, and other countries such as Turkey, Iran, and Brazil restrict it.
Hormonal Growth promoters are approved in the US and Canada, and the difference in opinions ignited the beef hormone dispute between North America and the EU.
I try to avoid them because I have no idea what they do to our body. I think it's safe to say that meats that have not been injected can't harm us.
What should you buy instead?
Look out for no-added hormones or organic on your meat labels. While you are at it, get antibiotic-free, grass fed beef if you want quality meat cuts.
Source to Read: Hormonal Residue in Chicken and Cattle
Flavored Yogurt
Flavored yogurts contain added sugars, additives, flavors, and coloring.
Most are far from being slimming and good for you, and they shouldn't be labeled as such when they are technically sickly sweet desserts.
Look at the label, for added sugars, such as cane sugar, brown sugar or a type of sugar, such as Fructose. If the label says stevia, it's actually a plant that tastes sweet, and that's not too bad.
What should you buy instead?
Purchase plain yogurt and if you really need to add sugar, mix in a teaspoon of homemade fruit jam. At least you know what's in your homemade jam. By the way, try making french yogurt at home.
Source to Read: Acceptance of Sugar Reduction in Flavored Yogurt
Squeeze Bottle Honey
Squeeze bottle honey is mostly sugar syrup, mixed with a small amount of real honey with added colors and flavors to make it appear to be honey.
They are also known as Fake Honey, and these misleading honey products have been destroying the global honey market and honest beekeeper businesses for years now.
My uncles in France are professional beekeepers, and we have all seen the damage that this fake honey wave has caused.
Adulterated honey is omnipresent, in fact, your favorite supermarket chain is currently selling mostly this fraudulently wrongly labeled honey.
What should you buy instead?
Unfortunately, governments around the world have not cracked down on this, and therefore I recommend buying honey from beekeepers only. At this point, avoid all squeeze bottle honey!
Sources to Read: FDA Import Sample Collection and Toxic Impact of Honey Adulteration.
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