1. Milk

Many people disagree with me on this one but I personally see no benefit of drinking milk. The whole “you need milk for calcium” thing is a big lie to keep the dairy industry alive. It’s just like how people naturally reach for toothpaste or shampoo – because you’ve been told to do so since you were born. So I got this information from a book advocating the vegan diet (which I am not, but I agree to some points) and they pointed out the fact that humans may not benefit from cow’s milk and the cow which we obtained the milk from may not be healthy. Seriously if we were to drink another human’s milk and we know that human is diseased, would we still drink up readily? Moreover, the milk obtained from cows is done in a commercial way where the cows are milked beyond natural standards. The udders may be sore and full of pus as a result. It’s just quite gross.

However, I do not entirely avoid dairy products. I am just aware that I don’t NEED milk. I only take dairy products like ice cream or cheeses because I like it. I rather take ice cream because that’s how milk can taste the best and makes the sacrifice worth it.

Alternative: try nut milk or soy milk, unsweetened. You can easily prepare this at home from scratch.

2. Bread

Now this seems like a harmless staple food choice, but really? Firstly, it’s definitely non Paleo and is processed, like all baked goods are. It’s not a naturally occurring thing in many ways – the whole chemical reaction is not and so are the raw ingredients of wheat flour etc. It may be fortified with vitamins and minerals but this doesn’t change the fact that it is still bread. I find that bread makes me bloat up easily and like rice and other simple carbohydrates, it contributes to food coma.

Alternative: just curb the craving and eliminate it.

3. Low Fat Yogurt

Firstly, yogurt is just cultured milk. So in whatever way milk is bad, so is yogurt. Secondly, having it low fat doesn’t make it healthy. Sure, it may be a leaner choice compared to full fat yogurt, but still it doesn’t change the fact that this is still milk. For most flavoured yogurt, they make up for the bad taste with sugar – so low fat or non-fat yogurt may have sugar or other additives to enhance flavour.

Alternative: as a base for fruit/ granola bowls, try thick blended fruits like acai.

4. Granola/ muesli bars

These healthy looking bars are sneakily full of sugar. It makes you feel healthy because it doesn’t taste as good as potato chips but it can be just as bad. If you had to get granola or muesli even, try making them yourself instead to eliminate sugar and processed ingredients.

Alternative: for a handy snack, opt for bananas or cut fruits instead.

5. Cereal

Many people turn to cereal as meal replacement to go on a diet but this is actually all carbohydrates. And it is definitely processed.

Alternative: make your own muesli or granola instead.

6. Diet Coke

No sugar but full of artificial ingredients like aspartame. There is no way this is acceptable.

Alternative: opt for fresh juice or coconut water for a natural thirst quenching drink instead of soft drinks.

7. Biscuits

Soda biscuit or digestive biscuits are common and easily accessible stomach fillers but these are processed and full of carbohydrates. Even though it may be fortified with vitamins and minerals, it is not natural after all.

Alternative: fruits can serve as stomach fillers too.

8. Soup

People associate soupy stuff as light and healthy but it is not necessarily so. Soup could be high in sodium and oil. Having soup late at night may lead to water retention too. Think again when ordering that fishball noodle soup (by the way, the fishballs and noodles are already bad enough) or that thick soup from a healthy looking chain like Soup Spoon. It’s not as healthy as it looks. Of course you can enjoy your soups but this is only for the taste, not for any health benefits.