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
If it says “no MSG” on the label, can they still use it under the other pseudo names that you listed?
So glad some savvy food manufacturers are wising up and getting the MSG out of some of the soups and broths. Be vigilant about checking those labels though as those are exceptions .. the general rule is to have it in there.
You are absolutely incorrect about #3 involving MSG in soups. While MSG naturally occurs in foods, some of the highest amounts in parmesan cheese and sun ripened tomatoes, not ALL canned soups contain added MSG and you shouldn’t promote that they do! Organic spice cannot contain synthetic/lab created MSG; artificial flavoring, on the other hand, may contain chemical additives like MSG. Please get the facts straight and do your research before spreading erroneous info publicly in the future! On the same note, why don’t you promote that all canned foods in the US with the exception of most Eden Foods brand, use BPA on their can lining. Now that is a definitive reason why not to use canned foods…now to blow your mind with some MSG free canned soups (the 1st 3 I looked at in my pantry), here you go: Trader Joes Organic Vegetarian Chili, Pacific Natural Foods Organic Cream of Mushroom, & Pacific Natural Foods Organic Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato. I’ll save you the time looking up the ingredient lists since I have them right here. 1) Red Beans, water, onions, tofu, bell peppers, sweet rice flour, jalapeno peppers, safflower/sunflower oil, spices, garlic, sea salt. ALL items are listed organic. 2) water, mushrooms, cream, rice starch, rice flour, sea salt, whey powder, onion powder, garlic powder. All listed as organic. 3) milk, water, tomato paste, red bell peppers, cane juice, garlic, sea salt, butter, sodium citrate, rice flour, garlic powder, onion powder, spices. ALL items listed as organic. Now I’m pretty sure you will argue the tofu has msg because of the soy and if it is processed to isolate certain proteins, this would be true however the amount of MSG present would be the equivalent of 1/10,000th of a teaspoon of a natural sun ripened tomato. Pretty sure you have more toxic exposures than that in your everyday happenings. The only other argument you may have is with the spices ingredient…but once again, to accurately be labeled and called a certified organic spice, it would need to pass the tests of being organically grown and natural. Now it is VERY possible that they could select a sun ripened tomato or parmesan cheese and add that to the spices ingredient because they are both extremely high in natural MSG, but this is a naturally occurring substance and you already eat a lot of it everyday anyways – you just don’t realize you do!
WAWAHHAAA I DID’NT KNOW PLEASE READ VERY IMPORTANT
I just checked Amy’s cream of mushroom ….no MSG unless I just missed it! I needed it in a bind or I would have made homemade!
@Liz ogden agle I just checked the same thing! Pacific natural vegetable broth is clear of msg
Your assumption that people who eat (and I will quote) “Gluten free processed foods are made for folks who aren’t ready or are unwilling to switch to Real Food but are very allergic to regular processed foods” is a slap in the face to so many. We switched our grandson to a Gluten free/Casein Free diet and saw wonderful results. We didn’t do it because he had a gut problem, we did it because he has a neurodevelopment disorder (Autism). The changes in his behaviour were amazing. And while we try to keep his diet as healthy as possible, he is a little boy and he likes his cookies. I resent your assumption that we are lazy. And just because your husband had good luck, doesn’t me that those who still have a problem with gluten are failures.
I thank you for this article but must caution that just beccause folks switch their diet does not mean they will be gluten tolerant. I have three childrenwhohave been eatting healthfully and completely avoid processed food, they still have a gluteen allergy. Please be weary when trying to group everyone under one umbrella.
I tried gaps and my breast milk dried up, I’ll take gf flour, keep my oats and keep feeding my children human milk tyvm.
While it’s easy to condemn gluten-free foods, my guess is that the author is not gluten intolerant. People like us are very limited in our food choices, and I personally welcome gluten-free options. I do not feel any worse eating them, but if I eat wheat, I feel like hell. And as far as their option to “just work on fixing their gut”, I would suggest learning about gluten intolerance. It is not reversible. I have been working on my gut diligently for the past 16 years, and surprise, am still gluten intolerant. While most of your info is good, not all gluten-free food is evil. There are also many different mitigating circumstances that can make a person gluten intolerant, other than the gut, like various diseases, so just working on the gut is not going to fix the problem.