Remember the days you hit the supermarket for some milk and the biggest choice you had to make was full cream or skim? Neither can we. Grocery aisles are now bursting with an increasing array of plant- based alternatives.

It began with oat, coconut, rice and soy, but now almond, hazelnut, macadamia, hemp and even pea milk are rapidly gaining popularity. So much so that, since this time last decade, our nation’s dairy milk consumption has dropped by 13 per cent. 

But while these buzzed-about replacements are often branded as healthier, is that really the case? Not always, according to a fascinating new study from the University of Minnesota, led by epidemiologist Abigail Johnson.

When Johnson and her clever colleagues analysed the nutritional labels of 237 milk alternatives, they found that just 19 per cent of them matched up to ordinary milk when it came to protein content, and a third were found to be lower in calcium and vitamin D. But that’s not all. Earlier research has shown that plant-based milks are also lower in minerals like magnesium, zinc and selenium. 

“Some plant-based milks contain added sugars, which cow’s milk does not,” explains Johnson. “We saw that various plant-based milks had added sugars in levels that were more similar to flavoured products like chocolate milk.” In that case, maybe we’ll hold the almond latte. And plant milks aren’t the only ones. 

So, what other supposedly healthy foods should you be swerving? And what should you replace them with? Both very good questions. Allow us to come to your nutritional rescue with this cheat sheet of the biggest offenders.

SKIP THE: Flavoured yoghurt

OPT FOR: Plain, natural or Greek yoghurt

Low-fat yoghurts may seem like a healthy sweet treat, especially when branded with highly tempting labels suggesting that they contain protein and probiotics, but in reality, nutrition experts are highly sceptical.

“Many people will eat flavoured yoghurts every day, and also feed them to their kids, thinking they’re healthy, without realising they’re an ultra-processed food,” says Tim Spector, an epidemiologist from King’s College London.

Spector describes common brands as sometimes containing three different sources of added free sugars – fruit juice concentrate, cane sugar and modified food starch – as well as the emulsifier carrageenan (a thickener). Yes, really.

“This emulsifier has been implicated in increased gut inflammation,” he adds. “The free sugars are problematic because of the increased risk of dental cavities but also of type 2 diabetes and obesity.”

SKIP THE: Vegan meat

OPT FOR: Individual pulses, like lentils and chickpeas

Plant-based meat – often made using a blend of pea or soy proteins to create vegan-friendly burgers or sausages – has been one of the hottest trends of 2023. However, dietetic specialists have criticised them for their lack of genuine nutritional value.

Their verdict? “Fake meat is really not very good for you,” says Richard Hoffman, nutrition expert at the University of Hertfordshire.

 “Meat provides a lot of iron and zinc. These are often added to meat alternatives, but it’s likely that none of the iron or zinc is actually absorbed by the body, because it’s bound up by something called phytic acid.”

The reason that matters? Iron and zinc are required for maintaining the immune system, helping to make the body resistant to infection, as well as wound healing.

“These foods don’t have a complete range of amino acids like normal meat would have,” says Hoffman. “Then there’s the emulsifiers, which have been shown to harm the microbiome and cause gut inflammation.”

SKIP THE: Granola

OPT FOR: Brands with only one source of unrefined sugar and closer to 10g of fibre

Ah, granola. A much-loved member of the cereal aisle. Angelic on the outside, but not so fast. While this AM bowl-filler is sometimes branded as healthy due to its high fibre content and lack of refined sugars, alas registered nutritionist, Clarissa Lenherr, is particularly critical.

Her take? Granola is often misleading, as a closer examination of the ingredients can reveal multiple forms of sugar alternatives, such as syrups. While these are better than the refined variety, it can still have the same effect – a spike in blood sugar.

“A supposedly healthy granola can contain date syrup, maple syrup, coconut blossom syrup or coconut sugar,” she adds. “That sugar content is going to affect your blood sugar levels and lead to cravings later in the day.” The other issue? Lenherr feels that the actual fibre content within many granolas is often insufficient. 

“A typical 30 or 40 gram serving can have three or four grams of fibre, and we should be eating 30 grams of fibre per day. So it’s delivering just 10 per cent of your fibre intake, which isn’t enough,” she says. “

There are a number of brands that make mueslis and other cereals with quite a lot of fibre and not too much sugar, making these products a little better than the standard sugary granolas. So read the label and choose wisely.”

SKIP THE: Green juice

OPT FOR: Unpasteurised or cold-pressed juice

They’re the supposed holy grail of the health world and the post-workout drink of choice for wellness-seekers everywhere. But Lenherr is critical of many green juices sold in supermarkets – mainly because their vegetable content is much lower than many consumers realise. In short, you’re basically drinking green water and, in most cases, a ton of sugar.

“Everyone thinks, ‘Oh, green juice is great, it’s gonna pack in loads of nutrients and vitamins,’” she says. “Some products add spirulina, which is a green powder, so they can be called green juices, but it’s a tiny amount of powder and the rest is mainly apple juice.”

The other thing to know? Consuming a juice that is predominantly fruit-based will be high in fructose, spiking your blood sugar and leading to an instant energy crash afterwards, which stimulates hunger.

Instead, look for juices that are predominantly vegetable-based (think spinach, celery, avocado and cucumber) with a little bit of low-sugar fruit like kiwi or berries for sweetness.

SKIP THE: Instant soup

OPT FOR: A big batch of the homemade variety

If you’ve ever been tempted to throw a convenience soup – think the instant, packet, tinned or powdered variety – into your desk drawer for a quick, healthy workday lunch, then we have some nutrition-related news for you: they’re not that great.

“I find people are quite surprised by this,” says Spector. “Packet soups have lots of added salt with little fibre to benefit gut microbes.”

As well as the salt, many packet soup products contain a host of hidden health wreckers, including emulsifiers and other artificial chemicals that are known to be less than ideal for digestion, triggering inflammation.

“Soups are another example of a food that can be made cheaply at home with fresh, frozen or canned vegetables and can be stored in the freezer for a long period of time,” says Spector. The result? A fast, easy homemade meal that is much healthier and higher in fibre.

SKIP THE: Sports drink

OPT FOR: You guessed it, good old-fashioned H2O

They’re beloved by runners and midlifers in lycra, but while many popular brands of sports drinks are known for their electrolyte content, they pack a surprisingly high amount of sugar.

For example, a 500ml bottle of Gatorade Cool Blue contains 20 grams of sugar, while Powerade Orange has 41 grams per 710ml bottle.

“High-sugar drinks are obviously a concern for dental health,” says David Rowlands, professor of nutrition at Massey University, New Zealand. 

While many sports drinks are isotonic, which means they contain similar concentrations of fluid, sugars and salts to the blood, Rowland says they’re less effective than water when it comes to hydration.

The reason? They’re high in simple sugars, which are rapidly digested, resulting in a high concentration of sugars in the gut. Regularly downing these colourful liquids can also increase the long-term risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

“The gut can only absorb so much sugar at a time,” he adds. “So the body holds water back, which limits the amount of fluid getting into the bloodstream.”