6 foods you think are healthy – but nutritionists wouldn’t eat every day
- Melanie Leyshon
Published: September 4, 2026 at 10:48 AM
loading...
Get 5 months for £5 when you subscribe today
They may have a healthy reputation, but nutritionists reveal why these six foods aren’t always the everyday choice they appear to be
Some foods are so good at looking healthy that we rarely stop to question whether they actually are. This ‘health halo’ can come from clever marketing, a fashionable ingredient or one standout nutritional benefit. But even nutritious choices aren’t necessarily foods nutritionists recommend eating every day – whether that’s because of how they’re processed, what else they contain or simply because there’s a healthier way to enjoy them.
Ad
We asked nutrition experts which supposedly healthy foods they’d limit, and the simple swaps that can help you get more nutritional benefit..
6 foods you think are healthy – but nutritionists wouldn’t eat every day
Healthy ready meals
Bridget Benelam, communications manager at the British Nutrition Foundation
"While they may tick all the green nutrition boxes, eating ready meals every day can mean you’re missing out on fibre for your gut health and not getting enough of your five-a-day," says Benelam. "The portions can also be smaller, have a more limited range of ingredients and may not deliver all your nutrition needs if they make up a big part of your diet," she says.
Often, these meals may be low-calorie but not nutrient-dense, says Benelam. "They tend not to include wholegrains or pulses and have a limited range of fresh ingredients and may only contain one of your five-a-day," she says.
When you’re too tired to cook, having a healthy ready meal once or twice a week is fine if you add extras, she says. "Add frozen peas to curries, spinach to pasta dishes and top pizzas with sweetcorn, mushrooms, peppers, spinach, onions or artichokes," she says. Adding roasted vegetables to tomato pasta sauces and stirring canned beans or lentils into canned soups also bumps up the fibre and nutrients.
Coconut oil
Rhiannon Lambert – nutritionist, Sunday Times bestselling author, founder of Rhitrition Clinic, and co-host of the chart-topping podcast The Wellness Scoop. Her new book, The Fibre Formula, is out now.
One food with a real ‘health halo’ that Lambert wouldn’t use every day is coconut oil. "It’s often marketed as a healthier alternative to other fats, and it can absolutely have a place in a balanced diet, but it’s worth remembering that coconut oil is particularly high in saturated fat," she says. "We do need fat in our diets, but for everyday cooking I tend to prioritise oils that are richer in unsaturated fats, such as extra virgin olive oil or rapeseed oil."
Evidence consistently supports replacing some saturated fats with unsaturated fats as part of a heart-healthy diet, so it’s really about what we choose most often rather than completely cutting anything out, says Lambert. Nutrition is rarely about labelling one individual food as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, but looking at the overall pattern of what we eat and finding a balance that feels realistic and enjoyable.
"I still love using coconut oil occasionally, as its flavour can really add to a dish, alongside warming spices, or sometimes in baking. I would just choose other oils ahead of coconut oil as my default cooking oil every single day," she says.
Protein shakes and bars
Rob Hobson, Registered Nutritionist and author of The Low Appetite Cookbook
Most people can get enough protein from a balanced diet without needing protein shakes or bars, says Hobson. "UK adults are getting around 70g of protein a day on average – about 124% of the recommended intake. So, as a population, we’re certainly not protein deficient!"
"I’m not necessarily against protein shakes and there may be a time and place for them, especially if your needs are quite high, which I see with sports clients," says Hobson. "Clear whey can also be useful for people on GLP-1 to top up on protein, but I see these things as a convenient tool rather than something everyone needs to eat daily," he says.
"The issue for me is when people start relying on these products and begin replacing whole foods in the diet, or thinking that somehow they’re a superior source of protein just because they have “high protein” written on the packet."
There’s also this belief that protein bars are uniquely convenient, but plenty of everyday foods can be just as easy. "Two boiled eggs give you around 12-14g of protein, which isn’t far off many protein bars, plus you get many other nutrients in these foods," he explains. Foods like boiled eggs, Greek yogurt, edamame beans, nuts and milk drinks are widely available on the high street in handy single-serve portions, just like protein bars.
"Some protein bars can have long ingredient lists and may contain sweeteners, emulsifiers, thickeners, flavourings and added fats. There is emerging research looking at certain additives like emulsifiers and their potential impact on health, including the gut microbiome, but there’s still a lot we don’t know in terms of which ones, what combination and how much, for example. The odd bar as part of a balanced diet is probably not going to do you much harm,’ he says.
The build up of these ingredients in your system can also become particularly noticeable if you're eating them a lot. "Protein bars often contain polyols (sugar alcohols used as sweeteners), which can cause bloating, gas or digestive discomfort in some people when you eat them in excess," he says.
Fruit juices
Amanda Ursell, registered dietitian
"There’s no harm in a smoothie or fruit or vegetable juice from time to time, although the British Dietetic Association reminds us that crushing fruit into juice releases the sugars it contains," says Ursell. For this reason, juice is considered a free sugar, so a 150ml glass can only count as one of your 5-a-day, however many you consume.
"Also, to reduce the impact on our teeth, we should drink at mealtimes and wait 30 minutes before brushing our teeth after drinking juice or smoothies, as the juice softens enamel and causes teeth to erode. I tend to be a ‘whole’ fruit fan," she says.
Fruits and vegetables are nature’s powerhouses when it comes to delivering vitamins, minerals and a range of naturally occurring plant chemicals, often known as ‘super nutrients’, which research shows deliver an extraordinary range of potential benefits to our health. "Tucking into just one orange, for example, packs in all the vitamin C we need for the day; is high in fibre and provides more than 115 carotenoid compounds, many of which have antioxidant roles in our bodies, and two in particular help to protect our eyes from sun damage," Ursell says.
Personally, I’d rather get the satisfaction of experiencing, for example, the crunch of an apple, which delivers 60 calories over the five minutes it takes to eat, than glugging down the juice (and similar calories) from several apples in just 30 seconds," she says.
Eating an apple is also a more ‘filling’ experience from an appetite perspective and is also more environmentally friendly, since one apple generates around 60g of CO2e, which is around half that of the two apples needed to make 150ml of fruit juice.
Refined carbs
Gopi Chandratheva, RNutr, Registered Nutritionist
White refined carbohydrates – bread, pasta and rice – aren’t inherently bad, but nutritionists generally wouldn’t recommend them as your main carbohydrate source at every meal, says Gopi Chandratheva.
"The refining process removes much of the grain’s bran and germ, which reduces fibre and some micronutrients," she says. "Compared with wholegrain alternatives, refined carbohydrates tend to be digested more quickly and can produce a faster rise in blood glucose," she explains.
Make wholegrain bread, oats, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, barley, quinoa and potatoes with their skins your go-tos, says Chandratheva. "If you’re having refined carbs, serve with protein, fibre and/or healthy fats for a more more nutritionally balanced meal." For example, white toast with eggs and avocado, or white pasta with bolognese and vegetables.
Salmon
Ian Marber, nutritional therapist and health writer
Oily fish plays an important part in our diets because they contain omega-3 fats, of which there are three types: Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). "Both EPA and DHA can help lower levels of blood triglycerides and thus reduce the risk of coronary heart disease," explains Ian Marber.
"Fish such as salmon, but also mackerel, pilchards, kippers, sardines and herrings, contain both EPA and DHA omega-3 fats. But it is possible that some fish, including salmon, contain small amounts of contaminants such as mercury, PCBs and other heavy metals," he says. This can apply to both farmed and wild salmon, and is somewhat dependent on the quality of the feed for farmed salmon and also where in the world the wild salmon are sourced.
So whilst salmon shouldn't be eaten every day, there is no reason to avoid it entirely. "In the UK, the NHS and the British Dietetic Association (BDA) advises eating at least two portions of fish each week, one of which should be oily." Salmon is also an excellent source of protein, along with vitamins A, B12 and D, as well as selenium, and so the benefits far outweigh any risk of contaminants. For the best health benefits, Marber suggests opting for organic farmed salmon fillets (best type of feed, very low contaminants), which gives 30g protein, all the day’s intake of vitamin D and 75% of daily selenium.
Ad
More nutrition guides
Has our protein obsession gone too far?
10 weird signs you're eating too much protein
6 small ways to add more fibre to your diet
10 foods to improve your mood
10 ways to boost energy when tired
Expert explains: what is the dopamine diet
I'm a nutritionist and this is what I eat for a healthy gut
Authors
Melanie Leyshon
Comments, questions and tips
Choose the type of message you'd like to post
Choose the type of message you'd like to post
CommentQuestionTip
Ad
Ad
Loading...
Ad
Loading...
Want to see this content?
This page contains olivemagazine content provided by Google reCAPTCHA. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as Google reCAPTCHA may use cookies and other technologies. To view this content, choose 'Accept and continue' to allow Google reCAPTCHA and its required purposes.
Accept and continue