Diet Soda
The main problem with diet soda is the fact it’s filled with artificial sweeteners. These so-called sweeteners trick your body into thinking it’s consuming actual food when it’s simply empty calories.
We say—find a better drink or you know…water is always an option.
Canned Soup
Although canned soup can be a quick and easy meal, it’s also super packed with sodium, which wreaks havoc on your blood pressure.
Most athletes won’t touch it with a ten-foot pole, so you shouldn’t either! No thank you.
Rice Cakes
We don’t know anyone who would eat rice cakes voluntarily, but if you do stop it right now.
While they may seem healthy, they are so high on the glycemic index it is basically as close as you can get to PURE glucose. Gross! They may be low-calorie, but they are blood sugar’s worst nightmare.
Sugary Cereal
If you don’t want to destroy your teeth and increase your chance of diabetes, we suggest laying off the sugary cereals.
Most have little to no nutritional value and the high calories and sugar content simply aren’t worth it! If you want a healthy cereal, try shredded wheat with some fresh fruit.
White Bread
Not all bread is bad, but white bread lacks fiber and essential nutrients that are needed to fuel your body.
So, kick that Wonder Bread to the curb…got it?
Alcohol
One of the worst things you can do if you’re trying to build muscle and improve your physique is down alcohol. While a drink once and awhile won’t hurt, the problem is that alcohol slows down muscle recovery, so breaks from the gym aren’t as effective.
If you have decided to drink, make sure you drink HangoverTea an hour after your last drink. HangoverTea is a tea made from natural and organic ingredients that literally cures a hangover! Everyone needs to have this for those terrible mornings after drinking. Get them here.
Microwave Popcorn
Microwave popcorn is loaded with fat and sodium. It may seem like a healthy food, but it’s probably one of the worst, especially if you go to the movie theater and douse it with artificial butter flavoring.
If you want delicious, healthy popcorn, just get plain old popping corn and do it the old fashion way—in a pan.
It’s Okay to Indulge
Indulging without guilt is possible. We promise. The NEOH bar was developed over the course of three years in Vienna, Austria under the guidance of Manuel, an athlete just like you.
Tired of eating protein bars that tasted like cardboard, he managed to combine the right ingredients into a formula that wins on both taste and nutrition. Are you ready to try one? Click here.
Pasta
Some whole wheat pasta is great in moderation, but honestly, there are so many pasta alternatives out there you might as well choose one of those.
From zoodles (zucchini noodles) to sweet potato spirals, skip the pasta and go for mother nature’s candy!
Trail Mix
There’s nothing healthy about trail mix, period.
We aren’t even going to entertain the fact there are nuts and granola, which can be healthy on their own, but when combined with sugary raisins and chocolate pieces, it’s pretty much a moot point. Don’t eat the trail mix!
Orange Juice
We promise you one thing a professional athlete will never touch is store-bought, processed orange juice.
It may contain a nice dose of vitamin C, but the preservatives and crazy amounts of sugar make it less than nutritious. We say, squeeze your own or skip it—period!
Salad Dressing
Want to know the easiest way to trash a salad? Drown it in the dressing! While there are great non-fat/ low-calorie dressings on the market, vinegar and oil is usually a better option.
You’re eating a salad for the delicious and nutritious vegetables NOT the dressing.
Deli Meat
A thick sandwich from the deli can be a real treat every so often, but the deli meat is just NOT worth it.
It’s loaded with salt, nitrates and disgusting preservatives. Subway may promote health, but it is far from nutritious.
Pretzels
The problem with pretzels is how easy it is to finish off a bag in one sitting.
Devoid of any healthy fats and loaded with sodium, we suggest leaving pretzels off your daily menu.
Frappuccino
A caramel Frappuccino in the morning may be tempting, but it’s not worth the calories or extremely high sugar content.
If you want to get on a one-way bus to the diabetes town, by all means, slurp one down. We’ll stick to black coffee.
Chow Mein
Eating Chow Mein may be something like a religious experience, but it’s full of carbs, calories, and sugars. All of which, make you gain weight and feel sleepy after consuming.
It’s cooked in oil and, depending on where you get your take-out from, can be full of MSG. MSG is controversial, some think it’s bad, some disagree. Regardless, Chow Mein is full of empty carbs.
Bacon
Look, everything may be better with bacon, but it doesn’t mean it’s good for you.
Bacon is loaded with saturated fat that can raise your cholesterol and increase your risk for heart disease. Honestly, most athletes stay far away from it.
Sports Drinks
The commercials may lead you to believe that athletes are drinking Powerade after every workout, but believe us when we say it’s all a marketing ploy.
The sugar content in these so-called sports drinks is off the charts, with some brands containing up to 35 grams of sugar. No thanks!
Granola
Many people automatically assume granola is healthy because it’s always associated with health kicks and health-food stores.
But the truth is, many brands pack it with sugar so that it’s more appealing to your taste buds. If you’re still into the idea of granola, make your own, or at least pay attention to how much sugar is loaded into EACH serving.
Flavored Yogurt
Another unsuspecting sugar bomb is flavored yogurt. Yogurt can be a healthy source of vitamins and essential probiotics, but only when it’s plain.
When you buy flavored yogurt at the store it usually is packed full of sugar, even if the advertising says otherwise. ALWAYS check the labels, and if you love a little sweetness in your yogurt then sweeten it up yourself with some honey or fruit.
Caffeine
Many Athletes wouldn’t be caught dead drinking caffeine, especially during or before preforming. Caffeine can devastatingly dehydrate your muscles, making them weak and not preform at their peak.
If you need a pick-me-up, try eating an apple. Vitamins in the apple skin slowly digest and release into your body throughout the day, giving you more energy.
Chips
Traditional potato chips are full of saturated fats, oils, and generally speaking, lack any nutrition.
Not only that, but they are really high in sodium as well, so it’s best to avoid them all together. If you love a good crunchy snack, try baking your own at home.
Candy Bars
Candy bars seem like an obvious thing to avoid when trying to eat healthily, but a lot of brands try and advertise themselves as healthier than they actually are. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t enjoy sweets every now and then.
Just pay attention to the brands that you’re choosing to buy, like NEOH. They offer a chocolate bar that’s actually nutritious–and YES, it’s real chocolate. Not to mention, I heard they’re developing new flavors coming soon.
Butter
Using butter in cooking can add useless calories to meals that don’t need it.
When you would normally use butter, substitute it out for olive oil.
Red Meat
Red meat is the worst meat you can eat health wise, as it’s high in fat and cholesterol.
Athletes tend to stick to chicken and fish, or plant based diets to maximize their body’s potential.
Frozen Yogurt
Frozen yogurt may seem like a healthier option than other frozen treats like ice cream, but it’s usually not.
It’s still packed with sugar, and a lot of the times it’s paired with other surgery sweets. It’s best to stick with NEOH.
Reduced Fat Peanut Butter
This may seem like a good idea because it’s less fat than traditional peanut butter, but it’s actually worse for you.
To improve the taste lost from stripping away the fat they usually fill it with artificial sweeteners or even more added sugar.
Palm Oil
Palm oil has been linked to cancer and recently people are starting to notice just how many of their favorite ‘foods’ contain palm oil.
Anything from microwave popcorn, instant noodles, ice- cream, cookies, and even packages bread. It’s always best to read the labels carefully before purchasing anything. And please, just don’t go grocery shopping when you’re hungry.
Frozen Meals
Frozen meals may be temping because they’re so quick and easy, but the truth is, they’re packed with preservatives and additives that aren’t good for your body.
Stick to meal prep to avoid being temped into frozen dinners.
Pop Tarts
Pop Tarts should be an obvious no-no when it comes to healthy eating, it’s important to reiterate it because they’re just that bad.
The first four ingredients are all sugar derivatives.
Fancy Fruit Juices
Registered dietitian and nutritionist Andy De Santis, RD, says the trend of boutique juiceries is alarming because of what they take from you “The alarming trend of expensive juices is concerning. These products are generally packed in calories and they won’t keep you feeling full or provide anywhere near the full nutritional benefit of eating whole fruits and veggies”.
It’s best to just stick to eating your fruits and veggies the traditional way.
Sausages & Hot Dogs
The real issue with hot dogs and sausages is that they’re high in fat and low in protein. Not only that, but there is new evidence linking processed meats to cancer in the digestive tract– need I go on?
If this isn’t enough to convince you not to eat them, they’re also full of sodium.
Doughnuts
Although food blogs and Instagram posts alike will want to disagree with this, doughnuts are one of the worst things you can eat.
Purely made from processed sugar and highly refined flour, then fried in copious amounts of oil, they’re artery clogging and diabetes causing.
Cheese
There are essentially no benefits to eating cheese, other than the calcium, which you can get from leafy greens.
In this case, the cons outweigh the benefits.
Coffee Creamers
It’s better to go old school (make your own) when it comes to coffee creamers because pre-made ones are FULL of calories from sweeteners.
Any artificial flavorings are also terrible for you and should be avoided.
Fast Food Burgers
Meat can be questionable if you don’t know where it comes from and what kind of life it had before it ended up as your dinner. Fast food restaurants are notorious for offering meat at obnoxiously low prices, you do the math.
Filled with preservatives and cooked in high fat grease, these are simply not an option.
Refined Salt
Highly refined white salt is actually not so good for you, as it can cause water retention, digestive issues, and dehydration.
It’s best to season your food with Sea or Himalayan Pink salt.