The top 5 fake health foods to avoid ever buying even if they are certified organic and prominently displayed at a health food store with the label emblazoned with marketing buzzwords.
Consider yourself warned! Not all products at the health food store are healthy!
In fact, much of it can be classified as organic junk food.
You can always tell health food store newbies as their shopping carts are typically loaded up with these types of foods.
This pattern of behavior likely indicates that they have only recently made the transition from grocery store junk food and are simply replacing one type of highly processed boxed food with another.
Having shopped at health food stores for over 30 years and seen many a food fad come and go, here is my top five list of supposedly “healthy” foods that are anything but nourishing to you and your family.
Protein Powder (all of them are bad!)
Most people do not realize that protein is a very fragile macronutrient.
When you forcibly separate protein from its whole food source in a factory, it becomes denatured.
This is the case even when done at low temperatures. For example, the simple act of drying and powdering whey protein is denaturing!
Denatured foods are toxic and allergenic to the body. This is because digestive enzymes do not work as effectively on them. This results in an incomplete digestive process for protein powder.
Undigested food rots in the gut and is the perfect food for pathogenic yeasts and bacteria to thrive upon. Over a period of time, this leads the body down the path to autoimmune disorders (most of the immune system is in the gut!).
To reiterate this important point…whey protein is especially fragile and cannot be powdered or dried even at low temperatures.
For more information, this article includes additional details on the dangers of protein powders and other high protein foods.
Incidentally, I don’t recommend bone broth protein powder either. They do not offer the same healing benefits as homemade bone broth.
If you need a protein boost, go for Real Food! Skip the processed protein powder and eat a grass-fed steak, some pastured poultry, or an egg instead!
If you must have a powder to add to your smoothie, choose a third-party certified glyphosate-free collagen powder (such as this brand).
Plant-Based “Milk”
Soy milk and other types of alternative “plant-based” milk are not ancestral foods. Nor were they ever considered of value in traditional societies, contrary to modern claims.
Not only are there zero health benefits from soy milk, but commercial alternative milk brands are almost without exception completely toxic due to the processing and packaging.
These products are a quintessential modern fake food invention…a cheap, mass-produced product with an undigestible form of calcium and synthetic Vitamin D2.
Unnatural fortification of processed foods is linked with hyperactivity, coronary heart disease, and allergic reactions. (1)
Packaging is another very serious problem with alternative milk. Drinking them risks ingesting microplastics from the thin plastic lining hiding inside the tetrapaks.
The leaching occurs from the boiling hot liquid sealed in to sterilize the cartons for ultra-long shelf stability.
The horrible taste is covered up with sugar, “natural flavors” with solvent residues, and/or innocuous-sounding alternative sweeteners allowed under USDA Organic. (2)
Perhaps the most concerning aspect is the devasting impact of these beverages on the thyroid gland. Soy is one of the most goitrogenic (thyroid-suppressing) foods on the planet. Ingestion of endocrine disruptors from the microplastics and solvent residues is also a risk to this delicate gland. (3)
Interestingly, Dr. Harry Miller, the man credited with popularizing gag-worthy soy milk in China in the late 1930s which then spread to the rest of the world, specialized in goiter surgery in his medical practice!
Canned (and Tetrapak) Broth and Soup
Canned soups and broths even if organic are never a healthy food choice. Most brands are nothing but water, sodium, and MSG.
Organic bouillon cubes are no improvement and the tetra packs of organic broth should be avoided as well due to the same packaging issues described above for plant-based milk.
Anything that is in the store that is soup-related will usually have MSG in it.
Organic MSG is still MSG. The same damaging effects occur on the neurons in your hypothalamus.
Remember that the hypothalamus is the Master Controller of the endocrine system.
Thus, if you don’t want your metabolism messed up, then avoid canned soup of all kinds as this is a very big source of this toxic ingredient.
To get a sense of how big this problem is, just read the label of your favorite organic soup and then read the list of the dozens of MSG pseudo-names manufacturers use to fool consumers. (4)
There are a few brands of organic soup that appear to be free of MSG with no offending names on the ingredient list. However, I am skeptical that this is truly the case given that regulations allow unlabeled MSG in certain situations (same situation as unlabeled transfats).
Even for soup and broth brands that seem to not contain MSG, the packaging continues to be an issue. BPA or BPS cans are not safe nor are microplastic-laden tetrapaks.
If you want a decent bowl of soup, embrace the fact that you probably need to make it yourself unless you have a local business that makes it from scratch. Consider one of these healthy soup and broth recipes to get you started.
Fish Oil Supplements
Fish oil is a very delicate oil highly subject to rancidity due to the high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega 3 fats can never be heated. Even exposure to light and air hastens their rapid breakdown to a rancid state.
With this in mind, how could plain fish oil supplements be anything but unhealthy given that they are all processed at extremely high temperatures?
They are then packaged in capsules or bottles that sit for goodness knows how long on store shelves until the unwitting customer buys them.
The best type of marine oil is virgin cod liver oil from sustainable and clean waters. The delicate omega-3 fats are completely unheated and raw. In addition, natural vitamins A and D are present for a legitimate health boost.
Krill oil is marginally acceptable if low-temperature processed.
For those allergic to fish and seafood, these alternatives to cod liver oil are worth considering.
Gluten-Free Foods
Gluten-free went mainstream in 2010 when Chelsea Clinton requested a gluten-free cake at her wedding reception.
Since then, the gluten-free boondoggle has continued to expand with some health food stores dedicating entire aisles to products certified free of this loathed plant protein.
Don’t be fooled by the hype.
In most cases, gluten-free processed foods are a crutch for those who are very allergic to processed foods but aren’t yet ready to switch to Real Food.
The mark-up on a product that is gluten-free is also quite ludicrous, especially given how high in carbs and lacking in nutrition they are!
If you are allergic to gluten, it is much better to work on your gut health by focusing on a legit traditional diet (from sourcing to preparation) rather than the band-aid approach of buying gluten-free processed foods.
Once you rebalance and rebuild your gut (aka, “heal and seal”) so that beneficial bacteria dominate rather than the pathogens, you will likely be delighted to find that food sensitivities that you had before are greatly minimized or even completely resolved!
Conclusion
I hope this list helps you become a savvier health food store customer.
Beware of falling for the siren song of highly processed organic junk food marketing with faddish buzzwords.
Stick with organic or (even better) local produce grown in rich soil and minimal ingredient foods such as sprouted nut butter and traditional sourdough bread.
If you are allergic to wheat, prepare nutrient-dense gluten-free dishes at home (here is my recipe for gluten-free flour blend with no gums).
This simple change will put you far ahead of the pack and well on your way to loading your pantry and refrigerator with foods that will really enhance your health and not just give you a false sense of security.
(1) Not Milk and Uncheese: The Udder Alternatives
(2) Neotame: USDA Organic’s Dirty Little Secret
(3) How Common Chemicals Are Harming Your Thyroid
(4) MSG Aliases
Its because they weren’t diagnosed as doctors didn’t think it was so wide spread. they were treated for other things… I don’t expect you to understand if you aren’t a Celiac. i just find it bad practice when people trust you to say something like this. will you say the same to rhetorically kid with peanut allergies so severe that he might die?
I’m interested why people are so resistant to the idea that one can recover from these autoimmune diseases? People recover from stage 4 cancer (which is autoimmune). Why not celiac for heaven’s sake? Why put yourself in a box and say it’s impossible. Its very sad.
I’m with you Sarah. As Charlotte Gerson says “you cannot cure one disease without curing all disease”. I have an idea that the contributors on this page who claim they are Celiac and cured are actually just “controlling” their illness. If they only ever ate real food (nothing out of a package and nothing that requires reading ingredients) their immune systems would be strong and able to process gluten if they wanted to consume it. Just saying.
Even healthy, feral animals living on their own whole food, natural diets have shown reactions to gluten. The idea that we can eat anything if only we’re healthy to begin with is silly. There are all kinds of toxins found in plants and many that we simply cannot eat in quantity, no matter how healthy we are to begin with. Just sayin’.
You are sadly mistaken about gluten. Celiacs cannot recover. Any amount of gluten destroys the gut for a Celiac and to think otherwise is ignorant.
Of course they can recover Laurie! The gut has marvelous ability to recover! Please read the book Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD
Recovering from gut damage is one thing, adding back in what damaged the gurmt to begin with is another. I am a Celiac and get very sick when i eat gluten
even though my gut is now healed. I also have a student who nearly died at the age of 8 months because she was Celiac and non one knew. i doubt she will be subjecting herself to gluten after 13 years based on this. Its not an allergy, you can’t outgrow it. It is an autoimmune disorder. genetic. I imagine you’ll be addressed to find anyone who has suffered fertility problems, intestinal problems among host of other symptoms who would go back and eat something that caused it. Maybe for this with allergies… Where i doesn’t raise you risk of cancer 40%…
Please read the book Laurie! If genetics is really the cause of celiac then why are there so many celiacs today and weren’t even 10 years ago? It’s because everyone has a messed up gut today and it’s getting worse each year. Processed foods and drugs are to blame for the skyrocketing cases of autoimmune disease, yet autoimmune can be healed.
genetics is 1/2 the cause, environmental triggers (INCLUDING EATING GLUTEN) are the other 1/2. more are getting diagnosed today because we have A LOT of catching up to to!!! untill now- only 97% of Celiacs were being diagnosed (thanks to our Corporate run medical system)… that is changing now because we are wising up and taking charge of our health. please stop misinforming everyone. you are partly right- processed gf foods and grains and starches (some) can impeed a Celiac’s gut healing- but with all due respect, you seem to know nothing about Autoimmune Disease & Genetics.
Your argument sounds like how people explain the dramatic increases in autism. It isn’t logical and cannot be explained with genetics because you cannot have a genetic epidemic.
How come you are the only person I have found so far to say that whey powder is bad? If it truly is bad then why are there so many companies producing it?
Why are so many companies producing it? Because it makes a profit, that’s why. Companies will make anything that people buy and they can make money on. It has absolutely nothing to do with whether the product is healthy or not.
I am not the only person who is negative about protein powders. Protein powders are very very highly processed foods … there is no possible way they can be healthy if you think logically about it and anyone who claims otherwise very likely has a profit motive involved in the process. Can you make protein powder in your own kitchen? If not, then don’t eat it!. That pretty much tells you the story, does it not?
Very interesting. I am a health nut and thought for the longest that whey powder was okay. Your post has really changed the way I feel about whey powder. Is there any protein supplements around that are healthy. What about Pea Protein?
Hi Scott, I so wish I could tell you yes. Unfortunately, ALL these protein isolates have the exact same problem — very very denaturing processing. It doesn’t matter the food source where the protein is derived. To get protein, eat Real Food. Have a chicken breast or a steak. Eggs are great too. This is what traditional bodybuilders used for protein .. lots of eggs.
If you really want a powder type of substance to mix with smoothies, natural gelatin and nutritional yeast are good subs for protein powder.
You could also use raw egg yolks (from an actual farm), and raw milk kefir in smoothies. (Using raw whites on a regular basis leads to biotin deficiency.) These make delicious smoothies.
Forget the processed, food-like substances and just eat REAL, unadulterated food ie pasteured, free-range meats, organic vegetables and fruits, nuts and seeds. The benefit is that there are no side effects and you don’t have to waste time reading labels.
I totally agree about those misleading protein powders, I’d much rather eat my free-range eggs, nuts, legumes, and meats than to consume protein powders. I do have a question about the MSG’s though, I once heard that Nutritional Yeast, and Bragg’s Liquid Amino’s could turn into MSG’s, I was just wondering if you knew anything about this, as I love Kal’s Nutritional Yeast, and Bragg’s Amino’s, and I try my hardest to steer clear of MSG’s . Thank you in advance for your response, and thank you for all you do.
What is your opinion on Ribose? And what supplements do you suggest?
MSG goes by so many names it’s disturbing:
autolyzed yeast
citric acid
glutamate
glutamic acid
hydrolyzed protein
monopotassium glutamate
monosodium glutamate
Just to name a few. Clearly, even organic products are guilty.
Another reason to avoid canned foods is they contain BPA
Well, regarding fish oil pills, I can’t agree. I know of some homesteading, Real Food eating friends who had some health problems, and their health has notably improved by taking salmon oil pills. So they must work somehow and be good.
I agree with this post, but I am wondering about:
#5 Gluten Free Foods
A co worker has celiac disease and needs to avoid gluten. I told him I was going to make gluten (and grain) free muffins for a recent bake sale there. He kept trying to get me to use a package mix and I refused. He kept saying that the package mixes taste great and I shouldn’t go to the trouble for him. I still refused. I do agree processed mixes are bad, but in his case, he is going to be better off with the processed gluten free things than eating gluten-containing food.
He lives alone, and I’ve been encouraging him to cook things, but as far as baked goods, he has no desire to branch out. So better that than gluten, alas.
I agree with most of the post, but express many of the same reservations shared earlier in this thread. I have the pleasure of living the in the pacific northwest so here’s a soup company that has no MSG in any of their products:
http://www.pacificfoods.com/our-foods/creamy-soups/organic-roasted-red-pepper-and-tomato
No added sugar either, in the particular one I linked, but I don’t know if other ones might have sugar added. In Seattle, we can buy these at Costco in bulk quantities.
I’m going to really go after your protein comments, particularly on the protein post– pretty much all whey protein humans consume is denatured (unless you drink raw milk). Considering that the allergenicity of whey is nothing compared to other (even raw milk) components such as betacasomophin-7 (A2 variant), it’s really only an issue for extremely sensitive infants with not yet fully developed gut flora (or folks with bad gut flora).
Back to MSG – as you seem to know MSG (the sodium salt of glutamic acid) is not the same thing as naturally occurring forms of glutamic acid, which occur in yeast products and fermented foods. Glutamates are processed extremely efficiently by the body (broken down to be burned in the citric acid cycle) and have difficulty penetrating the blood brain barrier.
A lot of the lists of “hidden” MSG encompass all forms glutamic acid and thus are misleading. Tomatoes themselves are a pretty good source of glutamic acid and they have less than 1/10 of what is present in Rocquefort or Parmesan cheese. You are correct that folks should err on the side of safety and not buy store bought soups (at least without doing the research), organic or not, without first doing the research as there is no way to tell what is actually in the can.
Here’s the ingredients list. MSG is most definitely in there (Organic Spices):
Organic reduced fat milk
Filtered water
Organic tomato paste
Organic red bell peppers
Organic evaporated cane juice
Organic roasted red bell peppers
Organic roasted garlic
Sea salt
Organic butter
Sodium citrate
Organic rice flour
Organic garlic powder
Organic onion powder
Organic spices
There are degrees of denatured and I agree that whey really needs to be consumed raw as with raw milk, raw yogurt, raw kefir etc. If you powder whey even at a low temperature, it is really denatured and no longer even a food.
MSG is particularly bad for children to consume as the blood brain barrier does not develop until about 12 years old. Even in adults, this blood brain barrier protection argument is rather flimsy as why would folks get such massive headaches if the blood brain barrier really protected them?
I just said there’s a difference between MSG (the sodium salt of glutamate) and other forms of glutamate. By your standards am I to presume that Parmesan and Rocquefort cheeses should not be purchased?
Glutamine is a naturally occuring amino acid that gets used by metabolic processes in your body, which gets converted back and forth between glutamate as it used in things like the citric acid cycle. Almost all modern studies have failed to find a connection between MSG and the supposed “Chinese Restaurant Symptoms” (they actually tricked people with the placebo pretty effectively if you read the accounts.) Now the salt form used as a food additive has been shown to trigger obesity in rats and worsen fatty liver disease, but those are completely separate claims (from the headaches/numbness/etc) that are only tied to sodium salt form.
Also, even by your standards Pacific Foods does NOT use MSG:
A: No. Pacific Natural Foods does not use MSG in any of our products or ingredients.
Many people who have allergies/sensitivities to MSG are concerned about hidden sources of free glutamates. We insist on full disclosure from our natural flavoring suppliers through our Certified to the Source® program, and if a supplier fails to comply we will not do business with them. Pacific Natural Foods utilizes an ingredient called Autolyzed Yeast Extract in select soups and broths. Autolyzed yeast extract contains a small amount of free glutamates. We encourage our customers who are sensitive to free glutamates to use our broths and soups that are free of this ingredient.
Denature protein is still a food and whey hydrosylates are enzymatically partially digest and used in most designer protein. No pregnant women shouldn’t be drinking protein shakes, but athletes shouldn’t be relying 100% on belief for “peak” results. Muscle protein phosphorylation and growth rates have been shown to be directly affected by leucine concentration in the blood. Furthermore, the amino acids are clearly getting into the blood stream and being used by muscles. This has all been measured and is not under contention. The allergenicity of whey, even denatured whey is nothing compared to other components of milk (even raw and fermented milk products) produces from cows with the A1-allele variant that produce BCM7 (betacasomorphin 7) protein. There’s an excellent book called “Devil in the Milk” on the topic. I wrote about this earlier this year ). Whey in fact, even when taken in powdered / denatured form, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and protective effects.
Again, I’m not saying that pregnant mothers should be drinking whey protein (they get zero benefit, unless they’re diet is drastically lacking in protein). They’d be better off eating half a dozen eggs from Free Ranger pastured chickens, or 200 g portion of grass-fed beef liver than drinking a whey protein shake. For someone doing 30 reps of squats at an average weight of 400 lbs, followed by benching, kettlebell swings, box jumps, etc not taking whey protein is a good way to extend your recovery time and increase risk of injury.
Denatured Protein is not a food. It is a food-like substance.
Hi Scott, there is some research out there about how eggs from free running hens have much higher nutrition overall. With regard to protein itself, there wouldn’t be much difference though .. about 6g per egg. The improved nutrition is in the yolk primarily for organic or free range/pastured eggs.