This document provides a list of 15 foods that are considered unhealthy to eat. It begins by stating that searching for dietary information can provide conflicting advice, so this list aims to clearly outline the unhealthiest foods. The foods listed include sugar, fried potatoes, vegetable oils, processed meat, refined grains, artificial sweeteners, unfermented soy, canned vegetables, conventional dairy, conventional meat, alcoholic drinks, sugary drinks, farmed fish, microwave popcorn, and table salt. For each food, there are 1-2 paragraphs explaining why it is unhealthy and providing sources and links for more information.

1. 15 Foods You
Must Stop Eating
ABetterVersionofYou.co

2. Searching for insights about eating right and living healthy, you
will run into complex and often conflicting information about
what to eat and what not to eat.
To make it easy for you to get educated quickly on which foods
are worst for your health and why, we’ve rigorously researched
and compiled here The 15 Unhealthiest Foods - with links to
deeper insights from leading nutritional experts on each.
This document is intended to be a helpful and easy-to-use guide
to help you avoid damaging your health - or the health of
people you love - with common foods.
You will probably be surprised about a few of these!

3. 1) Sugar - pg. 4
2) Fried Potatoes - pg. 5
3) Vegetable Oils - pg. 6
4) Processed Meat - pg. 7
5) Refined Grains - pg. 8
6) Artificial Sweeteners - pg. 9
7) Unfermented Soy - pg. 10
8) Canned Veggies - pg. 11
9) Conventional Dairy - pg. 12
10) Conventional Meat - pg. 13
11) Alcoholic Drinks - pg. 14
12) Sugary Drinks - pg. 15
13) Farmed Fish - pg. 16
14) Microwave Popcorn - pg. 17
15) Table Salt - pg. 18
Find us on Facebook - pg. 20
Find us onYouTube - pg. 21

4. For more on why you should avoid Sugar:
https://www.usatoday.com/relationship-between-sugar-and-cancer-now-clearer-scientists-say/
https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/how-sugar-affects-your-body
http://drhyman.com/damaging-food-lie-ever-told/
https://draxe.com/what-sugar-does-to-your-brain/
https://draxe.com/is-sugar-bad-for-you/
https://draxe.com/sugar-industry-scandal/
For decades, the sugar industry kept the
truth from the public. Sugar - not fat - is
the primary cause of Heart Disease.
Sugar profoundly negatively affects your
Lifespan, Healthspan, Brain, Mood, Teeth,
Joints, Skin, Liver, Heart, Pancreas, Kidneys,
and of course Body Weight. Not to mention
your Sexual Health!
Sugar
Sadly, odds are that you are consuming too much sugar. And you are not alone.
The American Heart Association recommends consuming
no more than 6 teaspoons a day for women & 9 teaspoons for men.
Yet on average, Americans consume 22 teaspoons of added sugars per day -
an alarming statistic when you consider its implications.
Think of sugar as an occasional treat, to be used sparingly in all its forms
(including “healthier” alternatives such as honey, sugar cane, agave, etc.)

5. For more on why you should avoid Fried Foods:
https://www.webmd.com/how-bad-for-you-are-fried-foods
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/eating-fried-foods-tied-to-increased-risk-of-diabetes-and-heart-disease/
Anything Fried -
especially Potatoes
It isn’t news that fried foods are often high in fat, calories, sugar, and salt. Or
that study after study has linked fried foods to serious health problems like
Type 2 Diabetes & Heart Disease.
What you may not yet know is that a recent study (linked below) found
people who eat fried potatoes more than twice a week are more likely to die
earlier than those who ate fried potatoes less often.
Also, eating fried foods away from home — where oil tends to get re-used — poses
the greatest risk.With each re-use, oil degrades and more of it gets absorbed into
your food, contributing to weight gain, higher cholesterol, and higher blood pressure.

6. Processed seed oils like canola, corn, cottonseed, safflower, soybean, and
sunflower oil contain very high levels of Omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids,
which are highly inflammatory and not good for your body by any measure.
These vegetable oils have been linked to Birth Defects, Cancer, High Cholesterol, Diabetes, Digestive
Disorders, Heart Disease, Immune System Impairment, Learning Disabilities, Liver Problems, Obesity,
Reduced Growth, Sexual Dysfunction, Skin Reactions, andVision Reduction - to name a few.
Use extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil instead. And aim to get more foods with Omega 3 fats
like fatty fish, walnuts, flax and chia seeds - even eggs and meat from grass-fed animals.
For more on why you should avoidVegetable Oil:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/6-reasons-why-vegetable-oils-are-toxic
https://www.eatthis.com/omega-3-foods/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-omega-3-rich-foods
Vegetable Oils

7. Processed Meats like deli cold cuts, hot dogs, sausages, bologna, roast beef, ham and other cured
meats tend to be high in sodium, preservatives (like cancer-causing nitrites), and saturated fat.
Eating processed meats increases your risk of getting colon cancer and high blood pressure,
which lead to heart disease and stroke.
What should you eat instead? Eliminate the sodium and preservatives and go straight for the
protein, vitamins, and minerals by getting or cooking your own skinless pasture-raised chicken,
pork tenderloin, or roast beef. Substitute seafood for hot dogs and sausage. Meanwhile, grilled
veggies like portobello mushrooms, eggplant or roasted red pepper are excellent alternatives.
Processed
Meat
For more on why you should avoid Processed Meat:
https://www.pbs.org/science/faq-exactly-processed-meat-avoid-questions
https://www.mdanderson.org/eat-less-processed-meat
https://www.webmd.com/worst-foods-in-your-fridge
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/foods-weight-gain

8. Refined Grains
For more on why you should avoid Refined Grains:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/why-refined-carbs-are-bad
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/whole-grain-foods-not-always-healthful/
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/whole-grains/
With the fiber, vitamins, and minerals removed, what’s left of the grain has a high glycemic
index, which means the sugars get absorbed into your bloodstream fast and lead to a spike and
subsequent crash in your blood sugar levels.
100% whole wheat bread is the only bread worth eating. If “refined wheat” is listed in the
ingredients, it’s just empty carbs and sugars.
Also, do your best to eat more whole grains — like whole oats, brown rice, and quinoa —
where the grain is left intact.These are preferable to whole wheat flour products, which have
roughly the same glycemic index as white flour products.
In foods with refined grains — like white
bread, pasta, rice, crackers, and pretzels
— the nutrient-rich bran and germ of the
wheat have been stripped away.

9. While Artificial Sweeteners are terrible for your body - and we’ll address that in a bit - they
don’t help you lose weight, either. In fact, a recent study showed that saccharin and
aspartame cause more weight gain than sugar!
Contrary to popular belief, studies have found that artificial sweeteners actually stimulate
your appetite, increase your carbohydrate cravings, and stimulate fat storage and weight gain.
Meanwhile, sugar substitutes have been clinically linked to major health issues like Bladder Cancer,
Brain Tumors, Breast Cancer, Headaches, Hypertension, Lymphomas/Leukemia, Seizures, and Obesity.
They’ve also been linked to minor chronic health issues like Allergies and Headaches.
Try green stevia, monk fruit, or raw honey (in moderation) when you want to sweeten something.
For more on why you should avoid Artificial Sweeteners:
https://www.cnn.com/where-do-we-stand-artificial-sweeteners
https://www.mayoclinic.org/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/artificial-sweeteners
https://www.webmd.com/truth-artificial-sweeteners
Artificial
Sweeteners

10. Contrary to what you’ve likely heard for years, not all soy products are good for you.
• A recent study found “extreme” levels of glyphosate in U.S. non-organic soy due to the heavy use of the weedkiller
Roundup. Glyphosate is linked to many health problems, including human cell death.
• Long-term use of soy protein has been linked to Asthma, Breast Cancer, Cystic Fibrosis, Endometrial Cancer, Hay
Fever, Hypothyroidism (under-active thyroid), Kidney Disease, and Urinary Bladder Cancer.
Non-organic unfermented soy is a “health food” you should never eat.
• You’ll want to stay away from the unfermented soy in edamame, soy milk, and soy protein - the most common
protein source in processed vegan and vegetarian foods.
• Better option: pea protein. And if you like soy sauce, use coconut aminos instead.
Fermented soy, on the other hand, is good for you.
• Natto, tempeh, and miso are great fermented soy options.
• If you are seeking vegetarian alternatives, try veggie burgers with quinoa, chickpeas, or black beans as a base, and eat
protein bars that are based on nuts and seeds. For meat substitutes, you can use beans, nuts, seeds, and nut butters.
For more on why you should avoid Unfermented Soy:
https://gundrymd.com/soy-good-bad/
https://mercola.com/fermented-vs-unfermented-soy
https://draxe.com/is-soy-bad-for-you/
Unfermented
Soy Products

11. Canned veggies are often stripped of their fiber and nutrients and then loaded up with sodium.
If canned veggies are your go-to, you’ll experience decreased nutritional quality or, worse, unknowingly consume
them with sugar, additives, sodium, or flavorings that detract from good nutrition and make them harmful.
BPA, a chemical used in the linings of cans, has been shown to seep into canned food. BPA is known to cause birth
defects, and it's also been linked to breast cancer, obesity and many other serious health problems.The high acidity
of tomatoes in particular causes BPA to leach into your food.
Better option: Instead of canned vegetables, opt for frozen if you can’t buy fresh organic produce. Frozen is just as
healthy as fresh because they’re flash-frozen at the site of harvest. “They have no added sodium and are less
wasteful, since you can cook only what you need and keep the rest in the freezer,” explains Rachel Brandeis, RDN.
For more on why you should avoid CannedVeggies:
https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/can-the-canned-food
https://www.mercola.com/infographics/unhealthy-foods.htm
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bpa-chemical-canned-food-study
https://www.livestrong.com/are-canned-vegetables-healthy
Canned Veggies
- especially Tomatoes

12. If you just can’t give up milk, do choose organic.
• Research shows organic milk has a much healthier fat profile.
• For instance, In a 2013 Washington State University study of 400 samples, conventional milk had an
average omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio of 5.8, more than double that of organic milk’s ratio of 2.3.
And don’t hesitate to get full-fat organic milk.
• A 2016 study found that women consumed more full-fat dairy were 8% less likely to be overweight or obese
compared to the low-fat dairy group.
Some will argue that raw milk is a better alternative.
• When raw milk is pasteurized, it loses much of its nutritional content. Since the lactase enzyme gets
destroyed in the heating process, people cannot properly digest the milk sugar - lactose.
Conventional
Dairy
Grass-fed Conventional
For more on why you should avoid Conventional Dairy:
https://www.nbcnews.com/organic-milk-better-you-regular-milk
www.mdpi.com/pdf
https://mercola.com/conventional-vs-organic-milk
https://www.healthyway.com/what-you-actually-gain-by-cutting-dairy-out-of-your-diet
Cow’s milk is the perfect food - for calves. It
wasn’t intended for human consumption!

13. “Grain-Fed” “Grass-Fed”
for instance, do best - use their unique digestive systems to convert grass to protein - instead most cattle
spend much of their lives in feedlots, where they are fed grain (corn and soy).
Beef from grass-fed animals have less unhealthy fats and cholesterol and more omega-3 fatty acids, which
means it’s better for your heart’s health. Grass-fed beef also has vitamins A and E, antioxidants, and more
omega-3 fatty acids than conventional beef. Studies have found that meat from animals raised entirely on
grass also had about twice the levels of CLA (or conjugated linoleic acid) isomers, which may fight cancer
and lower the risk of diabetes.
Even better, grass-fed beef and chicken not only tastes better, but when managed properly, it’s less taxing
on the environment.
Conventional
Meat
For more on why you should avoid Conventional Meat:
https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/switching-to-grass-fed-beef
https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/pdf/
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/steve-ells/conventional-vs-grassfed
https://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/power-steer/
We are what we eat, as the saying goes,
and we are what we eat eats too.
Most livestock today spends much of their
lives in conditions far from their natural
ecosystems. Rather than doing what cattle,

14. A single night of heavy drinking leads to fat
accumulation in your liver, and liver and brain cells die
when exposed excessively to alcohol. The NIAAA
recommends no more than 4 drinks a day or 14 per
week for men, and no more then 3 drinks a day for
women or 7 per week.
That said, studies have shown a glass of wine now and
then can bring health benefits.
To be clear, though, if abused, alcohol will do serious
damage to your body - so enjoy it sparingly!
Alcoholic
Drinks
First of all, alcohol contains loads of empty calories:
- One 8 oz. glass of wine has about 170 calories.
- A bottle of beer (12 ozs.) has around 150 calories,
and craft beers can exceed 200 calories.
- Each 1.5 oz. shot of liquor (gin, rum, vodka, whiskey,
etc.) has about 105 calories, not including any soda or
mixers you might drink along with it.
To make matters worse, your body can't use alcohol’s
calories as energy, so your liver is forced to break it
down into fatty acids - which then accumulate in your
liver and put you at risk for liver disease.
For more on why you should avoid drinking Alcohol:
https://www.webmd.com/worst-foods-in-your-fridge
https://www.healthline.com/health/fatty-liver
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/alcohols-effects-body
https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/faqs.htm
https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/

15. For more on why you should avoid Sugary Drinks:
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/sugary-drinks-fact-sheet/
https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/data-statistics/sugar-sweetened-beverages-intake.html
https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/worst-foods-in-your-fridge
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3210834/
Sugary
Drinks
On any given day, half the children and adults in the
U.S. consume sugary drinks. Sugary drinks deeply
damage our health - increasing our risk of obesity,
diabetes, heart disease, and gout.
Sugar-sweetened drinks are not limited to regular
soda; they also include fruit juice, sports drinks,
energy drinks, sweetened waters, and coffee and tea
beverages with added sugars.
A typical 20-ounce soda contains 15 to 18 teaspoons of
sugar and as many as 240 calories. People who drink
this “liquid candy” do not feel as full as if they had eaten
the same calories from solid food, and therefore
they do not compensate by eating less.
Plain water - or seltzer, if you crave the carbonation of
soda - is best for hydrating the body and should make
up most of what you drink each day. And there are
drinks without calories, like green and black teas, that
not only hydrate but deliver antioxidants as well.

16. Farmed Fish
Farmed Wild
You must only eat Wild-Caught Alaskan Salmon, not the “Atlantic” varieties frequently
farmed in China.
• Wild caught salmon has 32% fewer calories and twice the healthy omega-3 fats of farmed salmon.
• Farm-raised fish, on the other hand, has three times the amount of saturated fat and twice as much
pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acid.
• Eat wild and you also get more calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, and protein, and less sodium.
• Wild salmon is also exposed to fewer toxins because it collects food from a variety of ocean sources
(0.17 parts per billion compared to 1.88 parts per billion with farmed salmon).
Canned salmon labeled "Alaskan Salmon" is a cost-effective way to buy salmon, as it is
far cheaper than whole salmon steaks.
For more on why you should avoid Farmed Fish:
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/tilapia-consumption/
http://undergroundhealthreporter.com/fact-or-myth-is-farmed-salmon-toxic/
https://foodfacts.mercola.com/wild-alaskan-salmon.html
https://nytimes.com/movies/eating-animals-review
Studies have shown that eating clean
fish like salmon, sardines, or anchovies
weekly can increase your lifespan by
more than two years and reduce your
risk of dying from cardiovascular
disease by 35%.

17. Perfluoroalkyls - which include perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), and perfluorooctane sulfonate
(PFOS) - are chemicals used on microwave popcorn bag lining. When they are heated in the
microwave, PFOAs leach onto the popcorn.
PFOAs are commonly referred to as "gender-bending" chemicals, because they can disrupt your
endocrine system and affect your sex hormones.The EPA has ruled PFCs as "likely carcinogens,"
and has stated that PFOA "poses developmental and reproductive risks to humans."
Studies have linked PFCs to Cancer, Immune system problems, Increased LDL cholesterol levels,
Infertility, and Thyroid disease.
For more on why you should avoid Microwave Popcorn:
https://www.livestrong.com/the-cancer-risk-of-microwave-popcorn/
https://mercola.com/9-unhealthy-foods
https://www.care2.com/greenliving/dangers-of-microwave-popcorn
https://foodbabe.com/microwave-popcorn/
Microwave
Popcorn

18. For more on why you should avoid Table Salt:
https://mayoclinichealthsystem.org/is-sea-salt-healthier-than-table-salt
https://www.ecowatch.com/9-different-kinds-of-salt-which-is-the-healthiest
https://wellnessmama.com/is-salt-healthy/
Table
Salt
Refined table salt starts as a “real” food, but manufacturers use harvesting
methods that strip away its naturally-occurring minerals and then use
additives to dry it and heat it to temperatures as high as 1,200 degrees.
Because the naturally occurring iodine was destroyed, during processing it gets
replaced with potassium iodide in potentially toxic amounts. The salt gets
stabilized with dextrose, which changes its color to purple. Then the salt gets
bleached white.
Better option: the health benefits of Celtic sea salt and Himalayan salt are many,
and both are affordable and readily available.

19. We outlined
19 FoodsYou Should Be Eating
in the previous slide show..

20. Get it HERE

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