3 Typically ‘Healthy’ Foods That Are Not Good For You

As a general rule I am wary of any packaged food, as packaged usually equates to packed with preservatives (or other nasties!), as they need something to stop the food going ‘off’. If you are buying anything that comes in a packet, please read the label. You need to know what you are consuming on a regular basis because, unfortunately, so many foods contain highly inflammatory, or even toxic, ingredients.

As an example, I have looked at the label of some conventionally ‘healthy’ supermarket foods on your behalf and outlined the ingredients to watch out for and why.

As you can see, this hummus is only 42% chickpeas (hummus should be mostly chickpeas!) and has some pretty inflammatory ingredients. Rapeseed Oil is labelled as a healthier alternative oil to sunflower oil. It is high in omega-6, which people see as a health benefit but too much omega-6, without enough omega-3, causes high levels of inflammation.

Unfortunately, rapeseed oil often comes from genetically modified sources. Conventional farming has modified the genes of the rape plant to make it pest-resistant, so they can produce larger yields and, in turn, make larger profits. GMO foods seem like a great solution to pest and farming issues, until you hear about the links between GMO and allergies, antibiotic resistance and cancer. 

In addition, rapeseed oil is often highly processed. The oil is usually cleaned with a chemical solvent called hexane before being filtered. This ‘cleaning’ process increases toxicity whilst reducing the nutritional benefits such as vitamin E and healthy fats. If you’re buying rapeseed oil, then I recommend buying organic and cold-pressed – this goes for any kind of oil! But remember, you should NEVER cook with this oil as it becomes highly oxidised when exposed to a high temperature and can release toxic compounds are a result.

Just because an oil has a high smoke point (the temperature of when the oil starts to smoke) does NOT mean that it is still stable in high heat.

However, I recommend NOT buying food with high quantities of rapeseed oil in the ingredients list because you don’t know the quality but can assume it’s not of high enough quality to benefit your health. 

Falafel is a popular healthy dish, if made at home or produced with organic and fresh ingredients! Unfortunately, the majority of supermarket falafel tell the same story as the ingredients listed above, and I chose one of the “healthiest” ones as an example! 

Supermarket falafel is packed full of inflammatory and processed flour, in this product alone there is chickpea flour, rice flour and cornflour! Don’t get me wrong, chickpea flour is ok on occasion but rice and cornflour are not! 

Rice flour is low protein, pretty much no nutritional value and high in carbohydrates, which can cause your blood glucose levels to spike AND lead to unwanted weight gain & inflammation.

Cornflour also has a high glycaemic index, resulting in blood sugar spikes and comes with even more health risks. Not only can is massively increase blood sugar levels, but it’s also so low in fibre that it delays the absorption of sugar, taking your body longer to detoxify and rebalance. It is also loaded with empty calories. Therefore, cornflour offers you no nutritional benefit, whilst contributing to weight gain. 

There are so many inflammatory ingredients in supermarket bought plant-based milk, that it’s almost not worth making the switch from dairy. Dairy is a common food intolerance, plus extremely inflammatory and often rich in hormones and antibiotics – so this isn’t a genuine recommendation! 

I still recommend drinking plant based milk alternatives and staying away from dairy (read the dangers of dairy here) however there are so many dangerous ingredients in these ‘healthy’ substitutes that you need to look out for! For example, vegetable oils shouldn’t be anywhere near your nut, oat or seed milk drinks. As previously mentioned, they are often from highly processed and/or GMO sources and have been treated with toxic solvents, removing all nutritional benefits and adding a large amount of toxicity – avoid milks with vegetable oils, full stop. 

If you just noticed vegetable oils in your nut milk, don’t panic. I used nut milks with vegetable oils for a long-time and made the switch not too long ago when I realised!

The solution? Make your own plant-based milk. It is way easier and way cheaper than you might think! Synergised Nutrition has an amazing Hemp Milk recipe which is packed with Omega-3. If you’re an Almond Milk fan through and through, there is a tasty Sugar-Free Homemade Almond Milk recipe which is made with no oil, additives, gums or sugar. I recently posted a Creamy Macadamia Nut Milk recipe that I’ve been obsessed with as macadamias are packed with monounsaturated fat making them one of the healthiest nuts out there!