7 Foods I’ll NEVER Eat! (Based on Science)

As we ring in the new year, you will likely be looking to clean up your diet and remove some foods that are making you fat. But what about the foods that may be keeping you unhealthy and you didn’t even know it? Today, we break down 7 foods I’ll never eat again starting in 2024 and we’re making our decisions based on science and the latest research that points us towards better food options.

We kick off this list with a fruit that gets a lot of attention but never necessarily for these reasons. We’re talking about bananas. Now some like to blame the banana, saying that it is a ‘high calorie’ fruit that packs on weight when eaten. I’m sorry but I am not buying it. Though higher in calories than say strawberries, blueberries or any other type of berry, it is not impactful enough to make people fat by eating one or even two a day.

What is shocking however is the recent findings of the effects of bananas on the bioavailability of anthocyanins and polyphenols in smoothies when they are included. They contain an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase that acts to degrade up to 80 percent of the polyphenols present in blueberries and greens in your shake.

That isn’t to say that eating the banana on its own at a different point during the day is bad, but it should get you to start rethinking their inclusion in your antioxidant rich smoothie that you are eating to boost your health.

Next we look to Doctor Lustig MD for his warning on whole grain bread. While we may think we are buying whole grain bread in the store, there is a high likelihood that what we purchase is no longer whole grain bread. The food industry allows the labeling of these breads based on what the product started as, not what it arrives to you as in the package.

Too often, during the manufacturing of these breads they pulverize the grains which ends up releasing the inner contents much too soon during the digestive process. This can cause a rapid spike in blood sugar and insulin which sets off a cascade of metabolic issues that can lead to you getting fatter faster. Instead, you have to look for real whole grain bread found in specialty health food stores that is much more dense and, some would say, less tasty.

We keep moving on with my personal experience with food PTSD that came from eating white bean soup just prior to experiencing one of the worst GI sicknesses of my life. Though it was just unfortunate timing it still left a mark in me that causes physical nausea and stomach upset every time I see the soup - even now when perfectly healthy.

That said, it does bring up a very important point regarding soups. If you eat any soups from a can right now you are definitely going to want to remove them from your diet in 2024. The amount of sodium and nitrates contained in these soups is just unnecessary and not conducive to long term health. Don’t fall for the label lies either. The amount of sodium stated, though already high, is usually for just half the can. We likely are eating the whole can so you can double that amount if you want to find out how much salt you truly are getting.

Next we have to focus on avoiding food dyes at all costs. There is a great amount of research attributing things like blue #1, yellow #5 and #6, and red #40 to hyperactivity and behavioral disorders in kids. Throw in the fact that a mounting amount of research has suggested that these dyes are directly linked to increases in carcinogenic disesase and they are surely things to avoid - since they do nothing more than make your foods look prettier on your plate.

Speaking of these food dyes. You’re going to want to watch how they make their way into farm raised salmon. Not many people know this but the natural color of this fish is gray, not pink. Watch to see how they do this.

Also, be sure to check out why Dr. Lustig thinks that eating yogurt may not be giving you the gut benefits that you thought it was supposed to.

Research Referenced:

Polyphenol breakdown in smoothies from bananas

Blue #1 Associated with ADHD

Jeff Cavaliere MSPT, CSCS served as both the head physical therapist and assistant strength coach for the New York Mets. Jeff earned his Masters of Physical Therapy and Bachelor’s of Physioneurobiology from the College of Health Sciences University of Connecticut Storrs. He is a certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

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[charbladex]

1. Bananas (in berry smoothies, by themselves or in other smoothies are fine)
2. Big brand whole grain bread (it's not truly whole grain in the way your body needs it to be)
3. Canned soup (extremely high in preservative sodium)
4. Dyed additives in foods (doesn't believe there's anything beneficial to eating them, *possibly* bad)
5. Farm-raised fish (Same thing as dye)
6. Yoghurt (Don't need probiotic, need prebiotic (fiber) (also says he will still eat yoghurt because he eats enough fiber))
#7 must've been a subset of one of these, because this is all the major ones he talks about

[tex]

Unfortunately, nutritional advice changes quite a bit overtime.

I just try to stay away from processed food and simple sugars and that seems to work.

[Logan]

I've been eating 2 to 4 pounds of strawberries per week for a couple of years now, and I've been pest free the whole time... so I've got that goin' for me.

[oxouk]

Every diet and every exercise will contradict one another if you watch enough videos and or read literature on. I prefer common sense diet and exercise. Excercise regularly, don’t over eat, stay away from sodas and fast food, drink lots of water, surround yourself with positive like minded people and you’ll have a good starting point for a healthy lifestyle.

[rhystaylor]

Hi Jeff,
I feel it’s important to speak out here. Im a huge fan and have been following your advice for years, as I'm sure so have millions of other people. I read the actual study about bananas in smoothies, and it has been misquoted a lot.
The study did not mix bananas and berry’s together in a smoothie. There were two separate smoothies prepared. While participants did see a reduction in Polyphenols after consuming the banana smoothie, there is no direct evidence to say adding the banana with berries has a detrimental effect. “it is possible to extend this observation to suggest that drinks, and potentially other food preparations made with blended, pureed, or pulverized fruits and vegetables containing high PPO activity, could also limit the bioavailability of flavan-3-ols and, potentially, other polyphenolic bioactives.”
Preparing a smoothie with berries and banana would be easy to include in the study, but likely did not fit the authors narrative, as can be seen from the language used above.

FYI, the ingredients for the smoothies in the article are:

“The banana smoothie was prepared with 177 g of ripe, frozen bananas and 240 g of almond milk. The mixed berry smoothie was prepared with 50 g each of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, 120 g of almond milk, 70 g of water, 105 g of crushed ice, and 95 g of yogurt. “

[vanessagoddess]

It’s important to note that food standards are different in every country. Australia, where I’m from, has very high food standards. We aren’t allowed to have the sodium, fat or sugar levels that the US does. We also don’t strip fibre out of our food to the same degree and we don’t use corn syrup.
I’m not suggesting that the statements made here are incorrect, just to be aware of the differences

[turboter]

I used to think the same way about whole grain: how can it be "whole" if it's been ground up into a fine powder? But the term "whole grain" doesn't come from the grain being whole at all. It comes from the fact that the germ and the bran have not been removed. The fact that it has been crushed into powder does not remove the health benefits. It still contains all the same nutrients and insoluble fiber to help with digestion as a literal whole grain.

[dalexa]

Just a heads up in salmon. The natural colour of salmon is provided by the astaxanthin present on their diet (shrinks and so). Farm salmon doesn't eat that but they usually get their colour by the addition of astaxanthin into their food and not by food dyes.

[buezer]

When it comes down to the science of food, imo I think it's important to differentiate data from a study and the practicality of its application.

Avoiding whole grain bread because the grain are pulverized doesn't change the fiber content (aside from removing some of the husk), in the same way blending up blueberries into a smoothing doesn't. Your body still has to digest it through chemical means, there just in smaller pieces. The amount of fiber you're missing out on eating the husk is likely small anyway, so again, it's less of a big deal than it's made out to be.

Food dyes are really only an issue to people that might be allergic to them. Most of the population wouldn't even know they were added, because the dyes that are used now are the ones that are tested for consumption. It's really not as scary as it sounds.

If you're skipping out on yogurt because the probiotics might not actually work... you're missing out on all the other benefits it brings, like being a good protein and packed full of micronutrients.

Understanding what you put into your body is great, but if you knew the potential effect of everything that you ate, you'd be eating nothing. Just relax and find what suits your needs. With the exception of how much sodium can be in canned good, it's perfectly fine to eat farmed salmon or yogurt or bread etc. without worrying about destroying your health in a permeant way.

[HahWish]

1. Bananas (when combined with berries)
2. Big brand whole grain bread
3. Canned soup
4. Dyed additives in foods
5. Farm-raised fish

I must have missed 6 and 7

[nomnomyourmom]

1:00 Banana but with Berries
2:45 "Whole Grain" Bread
4:50 (Canned) Soup
6:30 Dyes
8:00 "Colored" Salmon
9:00 Yogurt but exclude Veggies

[GymGarageMan]

Never followed a complicated diet just ate sensibly! Never been to a gym in 20 years..just been training in crumbling garage doing brutal bodyweight exercises..Still ripped af at 53 years old!!!

[iwolverine]

So happy to see you getting involved in educating people about the harmful substances that are in the foods.
We need more influencers to do this for the sake of all of us. Again, thank you!

[UFDionysus]

I usually love your content but have a couple corrections for you. Farm-raised salmon is fed astaxanthin for color and health, which is the same thing that wild salmon get from shrimp they eat. Farmed salmon aren't fed shrimp, so the farmers supply the astaxanthin from cultured sources instead. It's an important nutrient for salmon and is good for us too. It's not a synthetic food dye. Second, about the pro-biotics, the ones in your yogurt are alive. They make the milk into yogurt. It's kept refrigerated the whole time it goes from the factory to the store. I'm a little skeptical about probiotic pills, which I think is what the doctor was talking about. Pills aren't kept refrigerated and may have spent time in a hot truck and gotten cooked.

[Felipe_serhumano]

Jeff, everything in excess is bad, I don't understand why no one talks about ultra-processed foods that are harmful, because they talk badly about fruits, the problem is not the fruits, the problem is the excesses, the problem is that people don't take care of themselves, The problem is that now exercising is fatphobia anyway...

[simonwilkinson]

Farmed salmon are not ‘dyed’, their colour comes from a caratenoid pigment astaxanthin added to their feed. Its exactly the same stuff that wild fish get from their natural diet. It’s an antioxidant and has health benefits.

Wild salmon and trout caught from areas where they can’t feed on crustaceans also have white flesh.

[smellycat]

The cultures in yogurt are definitely alive, I use store bought yogurt to make my own yogurt sometimes. If the cultures were dead then that wouldn’t work. In case your wondering, you take whole milk, dump it in a crock pot (use use an instapot), add some yogurt of your choice, I’ve used nearly every brand, and cook on low for 10ish hours. Once it’s cooled you got yogurt. Watch videos how to make it into Greek yogurt.

[Z-bone]

Alphabet soup is fine, but only the consonants. You should remove the vowels for better health (include or remove Y at your discretion).

[sipsimies]

The fish thing is probably wrong, they add a certain type of algae to the fish pool that colors the meag red, its not some additive its something wild fish also eat