3 "Healthy" Foods a Nutritionist Wants You to Stop Eating ASAP

When you're trying to drop a few pounds or just trying eat healthier, your nutritionist can go from your best friend to your worst nightmare. Nobody wants to hear that pizza isn't healthy, but that's not what this article is about. You already know the obvious culprits! Let's focus on revealing three of the biggest foods you might think are healthy but which most nutritionists would have to politely disagree on.

Say it isn't so! How can something like lean fish be bad for you? While there's always been the issue of potentially consuming foods that have parasites and bacteria, that's not the reason sushi is on this list. In fact, according to Keisha Luke, a Toronto-based culinary nutritionist, "Sushi (salmon and other big fish) contain high levels of mercury, not to mention the white sugar that is added into the white rice to make it sweet and sticky."

This isn't to say you shouldn't eat fish, but if you're planning on regular sushi feasts, you should rethink that strategy. Eat fish (preferably grilled or broiled) a couple times a week, but pass on that sticky white rice and the spicy mayo!

How could something so low calorie and nearly devoid of flavor be bad for your diet? Sometimes when food lacks any flavor whatsoever, it also lacks any redeeming quality to your health. Luke told us that "rice cakes definitely lack in nutritional value."

But there is a solution. "When you use a protein-packed spread like peanut butter or almond butter, rice cakes become part of a great nutritious snack," she said.

OK, don't shoot the messenger. It's true. There's something wrong with your coffee crutch. No. We aren't talking about the fat in the cream, the calories in the sugar and other sweeteners, or even the potentially harmful effects of artificial sweeteners (but these are all reasons your morning fix isn't your diet's friend). In fact, coffee is on this list for a reason you probably never considered: "Coffee, although it gives that adrenaline boost first thing is the morning, is acidic, which leaches vital nutrients from our bodies, weakening the immune system," said Luke.

But don't worry, we're not just going to leave this here without a way to even things up and make coffee a viable option for you. As Luke told us, "A great solution for this is to add a superfood like reishi powder, MCT oil, or raw cocoa powder to your daily diet because superfoods help to boost the immune system by providing antioxidants and other vital minerals such as magnesium into the body." This evens things out and let's you get perked up in the morning and healthier over the course of the day.