Grocery Store Foods to Avoid

As we try to build healthier diets, it’s important to know which foods are good choices and which are not. This can be confusing at times because some foods are inherently healthy if they are in their natural state, but when processing or packaging are added to the picture, it can change their benefit profile. Also, it has to be taken into account how the foods are grown or raised. Here are some common pitfalls to avoid while shopping with foods that are eaten regularly:

Farmed Salmon

These fish are crammed in pens and fed all manner of junk from soy and hydrolyzed chicken feathers and pellets. A scientific study on fish contamination showed high levels of DDT and PCB’s (carcinogens). So serious were the findings that the director for the Institute for Health warns that any more than one salmon meal every 5 months increases your cancer risk. Not to mention that fact that the levels of Omega 3 and Vitamin D are devoid in these poor factory-versions that their wild, up-stream-swimming ancestors contain. Best choice: Choose small & wild varieties wherever available. Look for Wild Alaskan Salmon.

Conventional Beef

In order to get fat cows (and fat people) they are fed grain, corn and soy. This is what farmers do to increase profits. The end product is meat that is nutritionally inferior. Cows were meant to eat grass. Studies show that grass-fed beef (compared to corn-fed) is higher in important vitamins, minerals and the heart-healthy, anti-inflammatory fats. Then there’s also the issue of all the antibiotics used on those inappropriately-fed, sick cows. Best choice: Look for “grass-fed” or “pasture-fed” organic beef. Look for local farmers that adhere to natural raising practices.

Conventional Milk

Dairy cows today are fed growth hormones to maximize milk production. Not only does this make for a potentially breast/prostate/colon cancer milk shake, but it also leads to increased incidence of udder infection for the poor cow, leading to pus in the milk. Best choice: Give alternatives like almond, coconut or rice milk a try, but if you do drink cows’ milk, make sure it states clearly on the label that it is produced without artificial hormones, and ideally choose organic whole milk from pasture-fed cows.

Canned Tomatoes

An endocrinologist and expert on the topic of the synthetic estrogen bisphenol-A (BPA), which has been linked to heart disease and infertility, won’t go near canned tomatoes. Tin cans are lined with a resin containing BPA which is especially a problem with canning tomatoes, as the acid in tomato breaks this down in dangerous amounts. Best choice: if you still want the convenience of store bought, ready-to-cook tomatoes, opt for sauces and tomatoes in glass bottles.

Microwave Popcorn

Another poisonous packaging issue: Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) lines the bags of those popcorn bags, and the heat in the microwave leaches this straight onto your movie munchies. Research has linked this compound to infertility. Best choice: Organic (only!) corn kernels + organic butter + sea salt + a big pot (with a lid!) Simple.

Conventional Potatoes

More than any other vegetable, non-organic potatoes are heavily sprayed with herbicides, pesticides and fungicides throughout every stage of their growth, harvesting and storage. So much so that potato growers never eat the potatoes they sell and grow their own separate plots without all the chemicals. Best choice: Opt for healthier sweet potatoes or red/new potatoes, but choose organic potatoes only if this is your choice.

Conventional Apples

There’s no coincidence that farm workers have higher rates of many cancers. Of all common fruits, apples are the most heavily and frequently doused with pesticides. Pesticide residue on conventional fruits is also linked to Parkinson’s. To limit exposure, be wary of apples and other pesticide-heavy produce. Best choice: Go organic. Or at the very least, wash and peel.


In Health,

Dr. Brad Niewierowski