There are many misconceptions about which foods are healthy and which ones are not. Our beliefs are primarily shaped by what we read and what we hear, and advertising plays a huge role in this. If you grew up watching advertisements pushing ‘low fat’ foods and ‘whole grains’, then the chances are that these will be the foods your value system deems to be healthy. Advertisements are geared towards persuading consumers to purchase their products, not looking out for your health and well-being. Here is a list of foods that I highly recommend you avoid even if conventional wisdom says otherwise.

1. Reduced Fat Peanut Butter- This is not the route to follow if you are looking for a way to reduce calories. Reduced fat peanut butter has almost as many calories as the full fat version, and it is loaded with added sugars, excess sodium and partially hydrogenated oils. When you consume products like this you are replacing heart-healthy fats with fancy sugars that offer no nutritional value. Stick with the all-natural full fat version.

2. Sushi- Eating a lot of white rice and negligible amounts of protein is not my idea of a healthy meal. White rice is a very high glycemic carbohydrate. Foods that are high-glycemic promote a more rapid increase in blood sugar and an increase in insulin, followed by a rapid drop which can trigger appetite, leading to the need to eat more. If you are looking for a healthier alternative, go with sashimi and some edamame to dip it in, sans rice. If that doesn’t appeal to you, try ordering your sushi ‘nurato’, where the fish is rolled in cucumber instead.

3. Granola- There is a reason why granola tastes so good. It is loaded with sugars, unhealthy oils and it is extremely high in calories. If you really enjoy have cereal in the morning, then swap your granola with rolled or steel cuts oats. They don’t take long to make and if you need something sweet, throw some berries on top or sprinkle on a bit of stevia.

4. Diet Soda- This is one of the biggest offenders. Diet soda is calorie free, but research shows that it is not fat friendly. One study found that the more diet sodas a person drinks, the greater their risk of becoming overweight. Other research shows that artificial sweeteners can disrupt the body’s natural ability to regulate calorie intake based on the sweetness of foods. Our bodies are not designed to digest and assimilate artificial sweeteners such as sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame potassium. If you want a drink you can enjoy without the added sugars and chemicals, buy some lemons and limes and put them in your ice water or club soda. Or try some unsweetened ice tea.

5. Egg Whites- Nature did not provide us with eggs so we could throw away the yolks. Egg yolks will not raise your cholesterol. More than half the protein in an egg is found in the yolk. While egg whites do have protein, they are lacking all the essential nutrients like choline, which helps with brain development, and fat soluble vitamins A,D,E and K and minerals such as zinc, phosphorus and selenium that are found in the yolk. So get rid of your egg whites and egg substitutes and start eating whole egg omelettes without the worry.