- [Narrator] They're everywhere, they're tasty,
and they're apparently harmless.
Common dietary wisdom recommends them
as good and healthy foods,
but think twice before putting them in your mouth,
because a growing body of research proves otherwise.
These are 10 quote-on-quote Healthy Foods
That Aren't As Good For You As You'd Think.
Number 10 is apples.
They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away,
or maybe not.
Apples are rich in healthy nutrients and vitamins,
but they can also be full of pesticides.
Together, with peaches, strawberries, grapes,
and spinach, apples are the most contaminated fruits around.
So much so that recent study found that 99% of apples
contained at least some form of pesticide residue.
The worst part is that these contaminants
can wreak havoc in your body,
from skin irritation and allergies to hormone disruption
and even cancer.
But don't worry, you don't have to give up apples
just be sure to buy the organic kind.
Number nine is bananas.
Bananas have a good reputation
because of their healthy levels of potassium,
an important mineral,
but they're rich in fructose,
a natural sugar which is on many nutritionist's blacklists.
Bananas can also cause headaches and sleepiness
when eaten in excessive amounts,
which has everything to do with the amino acids
dilating blood vessels.
If you can't give up bananas,
try at least eat no more than two a day,
and preferably at the end of healthy meal
rather than as a snack.
Number eight is canned tomatoes.
Sometimes, it's not the food itself that's bad,
but how we store it.
Tomatoes, apart from being delicious,
are full of lycopene, a carotenoid,
that may lower the risk of cancers
and improve cardiovascular health,
but the case against canned tomatoes looks pretty bad.
Most cans are lined with BBA,
an organic synthetic compound that once it gets into
your body it starts acting like a bad hormone.
It suppresses sperm production, promotes heart disease,
and may even trigger diabetes.
Two or three cans of BPA can mean more than
50 micrograms of BPA,
which is too much according to scientists.
So, just so you know,
tomatoes in glass bottles and tetra paks are BPA free.
Number seven is white rice.
It may taste great next to fried fish or in sushi,
but white rice has very low nutritional value.
To make matters worse, it raises blood sugar levels
and encourages your body to store excess fat
and it doesn't have any serious fibers either,
so white rice doesn't help your digestion much.
Fortunately, we have brown rice instead,
which is rich not only in fibers
but also in minerals and vitamins.
However, the best kinds of rice are apparently
whole grain brown rice and the more eclectic black variety.
Number six is eggs.
From banned antibiotics to arsenic and pesticides,
all these are making their way into eggs.
Chickens on non-organic farms are fed just about anything
to make them grow rapidly and make many eggs,
and the regulations aren't always very tight about it.
Eggs are full of good proteins, fats,
and vitamin B12, but if they're not organic
you run the risk of taking a bad dose of something else
that's not very healthy.
So, eggs can really come with a carton full of problems.
Number five is milk.
The cows themselves are not to blame,
rather it's their food and the way they're raised.
Genetically modified cow feed, enhanced hormones,
and antibiotics are the real problem.
All these end up in the milk as toxins,
which can silently undermine our health and well-being,
and then there's lactose of course.
According to the NIH, 65% of people have a reduced ability
to digest it.
Studies show alarming correlations between a high milk
intake and a host of conditions,
ranging from acne, constipation, ear infections,
type one diabetes, and various types of cancer.
Number four is bread.
Whether it's white or whole grain,
Italian or French, bread is bad for you.
It's not just that a lot of wheat crops
are being genetically modified
or treated with engineered pesticides,
but the gluten that wheat bread is full of
is being recognized by doctors and scientists
as a real health hazard.
Gluten is bad for the good bacteria in your stomach
which regulate many processes in your body,
and there are signs that it can promote mental illness,
everything from headaches and mild depression
to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
If you like the taste of bread so much
that you can't give it up,
try quinoa, millet, or buckwheat bread.
These are harder to find,
but the search is worth the effort.
Number three is fruit juice.
Fruit juice gets a lot of good press,
and with those colors it's not hard to understand why.
To say nothing of the taste,
but juice isn't that much better than soda.
Whether it's orange juice or apple juice,
or just some mouth-watering smoothie,
the problem is the same.
Stripped of their fibers,
fruits can cause major spikes in your blood sugar levels,
that in turn sets off inflammation triggers
throughout the body,
increasing the risk not only of diabetes,
but also other inflammatory conditions
including autoimmune disorders.
Number two is red meat.
Too much red meat on your menu reduces your lifespan.
It's a fact, people who eat one serving of red meat a day
have a 30% chance of dying in the next 10 years.
The meat available in most stores is pumped with hormones
detrimental to health,
not to mention the high sodium levels,
bad fats, and a build out of iron which may promote
neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's.
So, next time you're shopping for meat,
think twice about red meat or just turn vegan.
Number one is breakfast cereal,
which is delicious but not quite healthy.
Breakfast cereal is loaded with sugar,
synthetic vitamins and minerals,
and even food dyes.
Even muesli is questionable,
packed with dried fruits and grains it provides
two substances which make many nutritionists uncomfortable,
sugar and gluten.
Muesli can be hard to digest which can explain feelings
of drowsiness or sleepiness after a bowl of cereal.
Breakfast cereal isn't the empowering food
it's made out to be sadly.
For more top lists just like this be sure to leave
a like and subscribe if you haven't already,
and don't forget to check out our other lists,
and thanks for watching,
and thanks for learning.
(upbeat music)