5 Foods Nutritionists Won’t Touch

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As women, we have a relentless pursuit of foods that will make us feel younger, healthier, slimmer and more energized.
We’re chicks – this is what we do.
Conversely, getting smart about foods to avoid is a high priority, as well. Here’s a list of five foods a nutritionist won’t go near. We suggest you steer clear, too.

1. Canned Tomatoes

How about a little bisphenol-A with your tomato sauce? Fredrick von Saal, PhD, is an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies the health risks associated with BPA. He has declared canned tomatoes to be off limits for anyone looking to cut nasty crap out of their diets. Well, Frederick, that would be us. Turns out that pretty much all metal cans are lined with this material, but it’s the acid in tomatoes that causes the lining to leach. Lovely.
Better Bet: If you must buy packaged, get your tomatoes and sauces in glass jars 

2. Microwave Popcorn

That box of Jiffy Pop that’s been sitting in your cabinet for nine years? Toss that shit. Olga Naidenko, PhD, a senior scientist for Environmental Working Group, says that chemicals in the lining of microwave popcorn bags, which include perfluorooctanoic (PFOA), are linked to infertility and possibly even certain cancers. When you zap the corn, the chemicals are released and end up in what used to be your favorite snack.
Better Bet: Until they officially remove these chemicals (proposed date is 2015), dust off your air popper or old-school it with a skillet.

3. Non-Organic Potatoes

Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board, confirms that potatoes get their nutrients directly through the skin – they’re roots, after all. This makes them prime targets for soaking up any and all toxic chemicals that come down their food and water pipeline.
Moyer, who is also Farm Director at Rodale Institute (publishers of Prevention magazine) goes on to say, “I’ve talked with potato growers who say point-blank they would never eat the potatoes they sell. They have separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without all the chemicals.”
Better Bet: Yeah … always buy organic potatoes.

4. Farmed Salmon

If you haven’t kicked this dirty habit yet, what better time? The truth is that farmed salmon are treated much like factory chickens, crammed into small spaces and fed everything they don’t normally eat – from chicken poop to soy to hydrolyzed feathers. Besides mercury, they contain high levels of PCBs, brominated flame retardants, carcinogens and pesticides like dioxin and DDT. Yum. The worst part is that this is the exact salmon that ends up in most restaurants and supermarkets.
“You can only safely eat one of these salmon dinners every five months without increasing your risk of cancer,” says David Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University of Albany.
Better Bet: Stop eating salmon

5. Conventional Apples

Expert Mark Kastel, co-director of the Cornucopia Institute, a farm-policy research group that supports organic foods, says that of all the fall fruits, apples are the most pesticide-laden by far. The reason: they are individually grafted (descended from a single tree) to maintain a consistent, distinct flavor and thereby lack a natural ability to resist pests.
Better Bet: Pay a little extra – eat organic apples. It’s clearly worth it.