5 Foods To Never Eat

By Chris Newport, Co-Founder, Nutritionist and Head Coach

Did I lure you in with that header?

I hope so…since it’s so freaking ridiculous.

I don’t know why, but I’ve been seeing this a lot lately…things that RDNs (Registered Dietitian Nutritionists) won’t eat.

Hang on a second…when did RDNs become the food police? In fact, I’ve had friends, riding buddies and random clients I bump into at the grocery store try to hide food or drinks from me. Seriously? What you buy with your money and put in your body is your business, not mine. Should RDNs set a good example? Sure, but not at the cost of pushing people away whom we could otherwise help to make informed decisions about what goes in their bodies. It’s not about villainizing foods (or people or companies), but finding the right balance for you.

So what exactly are the foods to never eat?

Truth be told, I’ll eat just about anything (except blue cheese and licorice, but that’s just because my taste buds revolt). Are there foods that you won’t find me actively seeking? Absolutely. As a sports nutritionist, I’ve found there are specific purposes for a lot of foods, including “junk food.” So here they are (drum roll, please)…the 5 foods to never eat:

Frozen dinners

Dinner is sacred in our household. It’s been that way growing up too. It’s a time when we can all connect, eat real food and be a family. There are plenty of dishes that can be whipped up in the amount of time it takes to “pierce the plastic” and nuke your lab-experiment-pretend-food. They are often full of all kinds of preservatives and ingredients that don’t belong in there. Plus, they’re costly, overly salty, not so tasty and lacking micronutrients.

Fast Food

We live in a fast paced world where convenience is king. And sadly, we’re losing touch with our food. I have clients who go through the drive through because it’s easy and they don’t cook. But have you thought about the food you’re buying? Or considered what it’s doing to our food supply? Or investigated the number of ingredients in what you’re eating? You might be shocked to find out what’s actually in the food you’re buying, how many people have to “touch” your food before it gets to your driver’s seat and how much it will adversely affect your health. Not to mention the fact that it hijacks your taste buds. So while I’m just as busy as the next person, fast food has no place in my diet. There are plenty of ways to have real food fast and stay out of the drive thru.

Cereal

I’ve eaten my fair share of cereal in my lifetime, from Grape Nuts and Raisin Bran to Lucky Charms and Count Chocula. I also doused it with skim milk and had it with a glass of oj. Talk about a blood sugar nightmare. If you’re focused on weight management, blood sugar management, brain power and energy/mood management, cereal doesn’t fit the bill. It’s overly processed and generally excessively high in sugar and carbohydrates. There are tons of other breakfast options that will give you a more balanced breakfast (like our 10 protein packed breakfasts post) that’s nutrient dense.

Diet soda

First of all, soda hasn’t been in our diets until fairly recently. It scares me when my clients complain that they can’t give up diet soda (or real soda, for that matter). For some people, it’s the bubbles. For others, it’s that water is “boring.” The artificial sweeteners that are in your soda have no place in your body, might be carcinogenic and are often not well researched. Not only that, but they don’t support a healthy microbiome, which we’re finding is the basis of our health and mood.

Impostors

If there are products that pretend to be something they are not, I’ll pass. Think spray butter, margarine, canned frosting, whipped topping, breakfast syrup, low calorie beer, bacon bits, splenda, and veggie burgers, just to name a few. Real butter, homemade whipped cream, maple syrup, real bacon and real burgers have a place in my diet…in moderation.

Are there “foods” that you’ll never eat? Let’s hear it!