5 “Healthy” Foods That Are Secretly Wrecking Your Health
The health food aisle is full of traps. Here’s your cheat sheet to avoid the worst offenders and choose clean, energizing alternatives instead.
Here’s one of the funniest—and saddest—things I’ve noticed: so many of the foods sold as healthy are actually loaded with toxic, artificial ingredients.
It’s one of the biggest lies we’ve been sold.
The truth? A lot of these so-called health foods are wrecking your gut, spiking your blood sugar, and draining your energy.
Everyone deserves the right to know what’s actually nourishing versus what’s just clever marketing. Once you spot the fakes, you’ll never get played again—and you’ll have the toolkit to pick out the healthiest, tastiest foods on the planet.
Let’s break it down.
1. Plant-Based Milks with Gums
I used to drown myself in alternative milks. Almond, coconut, soy—you name it.
It started when I was 13, after my mom dragged me to a holistic doctor who told me I had a dairy sensitivity. From then on, the fridge went from gallons of cow’s milk to rows of nut milks.
Here’s what I didn’t realize: most plant-based milks are just as processed, and in some cases just as harmful, as the dairy I was trying to escape.
Hidden Problems in Most Nut Milks
Carrageenan = gut inflammation. A common food additive which can cause intestinal inflammation and even ulcers. If your almond milk lists “carrageenan,” put it back.
Oat milk = hidden sugar bomb. A cup of Oatly can have a glycemic index of ~75, about the same as white bread. Translation: blood sugar spike, crash, repeat.
Almonds = pesticide sponge. Non-organic almonds are one of the top glyphosate-sprayed crops in the U.S. That pesticide kills gut bacteria and has been classified as a “probable carcinogen.” They are being too nice…..
Phytic acid = mineral thief. Raw nuts bind to magnesium, zinc, and calcium, meaning you absorb less. If it’s not labeled “sprouted” or “soaked,” you’re getting the minerals stolen from your body, not added.
The Fix
Best brands: Malk, and Three Trees are the best “alt-milk” companies I have found at grocery stores. They use nothing but nuts, water, and salt—no gums, no fillers.
DIY hack: Soak one cup of organic nuts overnight, blend with four cups of filtered water, strain. Add cinnamon or vanilla for flavor. Five minutes, no BS ingredients. Here is an amazing step by step recipe.
Dairy done right: If you tolerate dairy - raw grass-fed milk, kefir, and goat or sheep cheese are worlds apart from the hormone-heavy, ultra-pasteurized gallons in plastic jugs. They actually support gut health with enzymes, probiotics, and bioavailable fats. Here is where I buy my milk. Here is an Organic Dairy Scorecard to find the best dairy products near you!!!
Takeaway: Don’t be fooled by the almond milk carton with a leaf on it. Whether it’s dairy or plant-based, it’s the processing and additives that make or break your health.
2. “Healthy” Granola with Seed Oils
When I was a kid, my mom would pick me up from school with tennis shoes in one hand and a bag of granola in the other.
Cashews, walnuts, coconut flakes, chocolate chips—basically a crunchy dessert disguised as “health food.”
I thought I was fueling up for tennis.
Instead, I’d show up to the court with a bloated stomach and sluggish energy.
Why?
Because most granola is a straight-up lie.
What’s in Most Granola?
Seed oils = cellular rust. Most granolas are baked in canola, soybean, or sunflower oil. These are high in unstable omega-6 fatty acids, which oxidize under heat and promote inflammation. Think: slow rusting from the inside out.
Hidden sugar = candy bar in disguise. A single serving of store-bought granola can have 10–15 grams of sugar—the same as a handful of M&Ms. Add dried fruit + chocolate chips, and you’re eating dessert for breakfast.
Pesticides = immune wreckers. Nuts and oats are heavily sprayed with glyphosate, a herbicide linked to gut microbiome disruption. If your granola isn’t organic or glyphosate-free certified, you’re getting a side of toxins with every bite.
Raw nuts = nutrient blockers. Nuts and seeds contain phytic acid, which binds to minerals like magnesium and zinc. Unless they’re sprouted or soaked, your body absorbs less of the very nutrients you think you’re eating for.
The Fix
Go organic + glyphosate-free.
Find pesticide free products including granola on the Detox Project website.
One Degree Organic Foods – Offers sprouted, organic granolas that are third-party certified glyphosate-free by BioChecked
Purely Elizabeth – Their Original Ancient Grain Granola carries Glyphosate Residue Free certification by the Detox Project
Buy Paleo-style. The cleanest granolas skip the chocolate chips and cane sugar and stick to coconut, nuts, seeds, and a little natural sweetener like honey.
Sprouted = unlocked nutrients. Brands like Lark Ellen Farm and Go Raw sprout or soak their nuts/seeds so your body actually absorbs the minerals.
DIY hack: Making granola is insanely easy and way cheaper. Toss oats (or coconut flakes for grain-free), sprouted nuts, cinnamon, and a little maple syrup in the oven. Add cacao nibs or dried fruit if you want it fun. Recipe here.
Takeaway
And here’s the mindset shift: Granola should be a topping, not a meal. Use it like sprinkles—on yogurt, smoothie bowls, or kefir—not as your breakfast base. Or as pre workout….
Granola isn’t evil—it’s the quality and quantity that matter. Clean it up, keep it sprouted and organic, and think of it as a crunchy treat, not fuel.
3. Flavored Yogurts
When I was a kid, opening my Baka’s fridge (that’s grandma in Croatian) was like walking into a candy shop.
Rows of Yoplaits—strawberry, blueberry, raspberry—lined up like soldiers. Those were honestly some of the best times of my life… and also probably the root of why I became lactose intolerant as a kid.
Yogurt sounds healthy—it’s got probiotics, protein, calcium. But most of the time, the little cups in the store are closer to dessert than gut food.
What’s Hiding in Most Yogurts?
Sugar bomb. A single Yoplait has 15–20 grams of sugar—that’s basically slamming a Coke in disguise. Constant sugar spikes = insulin resistance + weight gain.
Artificial flavors & colors. Red #40 and “natural flavors” aren’t natural. They’re lab-made chemicals that disrupt gut bacteria and can mess with mood, focus, and even hormone balance.
Low-fat = metabolic trap. Many flavored yogurts are “low-fat.” But when you strip the fat, you strip the satiety. You eat more, get hungrier faster, and your hormones (which rely on fat) take the hit.
Plant-based yogurts aren’t safe either. Coconut or almond yogurts often sneak in gums, fillers, and cane sugar. Same problem, different label.
The Fix
Go plain. Always start with plain, full-fat yogurt. Greek or regular, cow or goat. No sugar, no colors, just milk + cultures.
Add nature’s sugar. Top it with fresh berries, a drizzle of raw honey or maple syrup, and a sprinkle of clean granola. Sweet enough, gut-friendly, and way more nutrient-dense.
Upgrade your dairy. If you can, go for organic, grass-fed, or raw dairy yogurt (brands like Maple Hill, White Mountain, Bellwether Farms). Better fats, better probiotics, better for your hormones.
If plant-based, read every label. Look for simple ones with just coconut and probiotics (like Cocojune or GT’s CocoYo). No gums, no cane sugar, no nonsense.
Takeaway
Yogurt can either heal your gut or wreck it. Dress it up yourself, and it becomes one of the best foods on the planet. Buy it flavored, and it’s dessert in disguise.
4. Fake Meat
To all my family reading this—yes, you right in front of me—do not buy fake meat.
I don’t care if you’re the most vegan, raw-sprouted, kombucha-drinking hippie on the planet: put the Beyond Burger back. There are much better ways to save the environment and eat plant based.
Here’s the reality: most fake meats are ultra-processed science projects that do more harm than good.
The Science
Industrial soy = ecological disaster. Over 90% of soy in the U.S. is GMO and sprayed with glyphosate. Instead of saving the planet, monocropped soy destroys soil health, wipes out biodiversity, and pollutes waterways.
Seed oils = inflammation factory. Fake meats are usually bound with canola or sunflower oil, which oxidize when cooked and promote chronic inflammation at the cellular level.
Ingredient list = chemistry set. A Beyond Burger has 20+ ingredients. Real beef has one: beef. Long ingredient lists usually mean additives, stabilizers, and preservatives that stress the liver and gut.
Protein ≠ protein. Plant isolates lack key amino acids (like methionine or taurine). Without animal foods or smart supplementation, you end up deficient, which hits muscle, mood, and metabolism.
The Fix
If you eat meat, choose quality. Go for grass-fed, regeneratively raised beef (brands like Force of Nature, White Oak Pastures, or Belcampo). One ingredient, nutrient-dense, and environmentally restorative.
If you’re vegetarian or vegan:
Sprout, soak, or ferment high-protein plants like lentils, mung beans, and quinoa to improve amino acid absorption.
Supplement with essentials such as Kion Creatine (high-quality, third-party tested) and Kaizen Electrolytes (a blend with sea moss, magnesium, and taurine to support digestion and cellular health).
Use Kion Essential Aminos — a vegan formula containing all 9 essential amino acids — as a clean, pre-workout drink.
If your diet allows, add raw dairy, pasture-raised eggs, or wild-caught fish for an additional nutrient boost.
Takeaway
Fake meat isn’t the future—it’s a failed experiment. We can still eat plant based right, even eat meat right, and save the planet. We got this everyone❤️
5. Sports Drinks
Every time I watch pro tennis, I see the same scene: players changing sides, chugging plastic bottles of neon-blue Gatorade.
These are some of the best athletes in the world—and they’re guzzling liquid Skittles. I shed a tear every time.
The truth? Sports drinks aren’t fueling performance. They’re wrecking it.
The Science (Pocket Facts for the Sidelines)
Sugar bomb. A 20 oz Gatorade has 34 grams of sugar—more than a Coke. That spike-and-crash cycle drains energy, not builds it.
Artificial colors = brain and gut toxins. Red #40, Yellow #5—linked to hyperactivity, mood issues, and microbiome damage.
Fake electrolytes. What you’re really getting is sodium chloride + potassium chloride. No magnesium, no trace minerals—the stuff your cells actually crave when you sweat.
Plastic bottles = microplastic dose. You’re sipping estrogenics along with your “hydration.”
The Fix (My On-Court Formula)
If you sweat a lot—sauna, tennis, gym, dance—you need real minerals, not chemical sugar water. Here’s my playbook:
Water: Start with clean spring water (Mountain Valley, Ophora) or organic coconut water.
Electrolytes: Add Kaizen electrolytes (full-spectrum: sea moss, magnesium, potassium, sodium, taurine—no additives).
Amino acids: Use essential amino acids, not just BCAAs, so you cover all nine. Better recovery, better muscle growth.
Caffeine dialed in: For workouts, research shows ~1mg per pound of bodyweight. I weigh 165, so ~165mg = a strong coffee or a Ketone-IQ drink. Enough for performance, not jitters.
Smart sugar: Bring raw honey or maple syrup. A teaspoon mid-workout helps spike IGF-1 for muscle growth and faster recovery. Even Dr. Mercola—once keto’s biggest champion—switched his stance and now embraces strategic sugar.
Creatine = bonus fuel. Toss in 5g creatine for muscle, brain, and mitochondrial energy.
Takeaway
Sports drinks aren’t hydration—they’re sugar water in disguise. Build your own stack, and you’ll outlast the guy with the neon bottle every time.
Conclusion
We just exposed five “healthy” foods that secretly drain your energy:
Plant milks loaded with gums and digestive enzymes inhibitors.
Granola packed with seed oils and sugar.
Yogurts dressed up like candy.
Fake meats that read like chemistry sets,
Sports drinks that belong in the soda aisle.
The lesson? It’s not about labeling foods as good or bad—it’s about quality.
Once you learn to spot the fillers, pesticides, and fake ingredients, you can swap them for clean, nourishing versions that actually fuel your body.
When you get this right, everything changes:
Your gut runs smooth instead of bloated.
Your energy is steady instead of crashing.
You perform better at work, in the gym, on the court, even in your relationships.
That’s the point of all this—to live toxin-free, with more energy to chase your purpose and do epic things in the world.
So next time you’re in the grocery store, remember the cheat sheet:
Carrageenan = gut wreck.
Ultra Processed (Canola, Sunflower, Soybean, Safflower) Seed oils = cell rust.
Artificially Flavored yogurt = Coke in disguise.
Fake meat = 20 ingredients vs. 1.
Gatorade = sugar water with food coloring.
Love you guys. Drop a comment with the “healthy” food that fooled you the longest—or the swap you’re most excited to make. Always here for you.
Love you guys,
Jack
I’m grateful to my partners who make the biohacks I actually use daily—here’s what I love most:
just wondering what your degree is in?
Did I read correctly that you are promoting raw, un-pasteurised milk?