Food To Cut From Your Diet in 2025, According to Nutritionists

It may not even be Thanksgiving yet, but the holiday season is nearly upon us, and with that, the specter of 2025 is on the horizon, with its new year's resolutions and motivational goals.

If you want to get ahead of the curve, four nutritionists have shared with Newsweek their top picks for foods to ditch in an end-of-year kitchen makeover.

1. Protein Bars and Shakes

First up, all four experts agreed that ultra-processed protein bars and shakes should be left in 2024.

Jamie Maitland, a certified holistic nutritionist and author of The 21 Day Reset Cookbook, told Newsweek: "Let's leave ultra-processed protein bars and shakes behind, especially those with artificial sweeteners and inflammatory ingredients."

She recommended swapping these out with higher-quality options, such as hempseed powder or organic, grass-fed whey.

Nutritionist Catherine Gervacio, diet consultant for supplement brand WOWMD, agreed, saying: "Ditch. They're loaded with artificial ingredients or high in sugar. Whole food sources of protein are generally better."

Nutritional therapist Alli Godbold, of Feed Your Health, went even further, saying: "All ultra-processed foods should be avoided: anything with a long list of additives such as E-numbers, stabilizers, preservatives, thickeners.

"None of these things are contained in fresh foods and make processed foods far less nutritious and potentially harmful to the gut microbes."

And dietitian-nutritionist Mindy Haar, assistant dean at New York Institute of Technology's School of Health Professions, said any protein powders, bars or supplements were unnecessary for most people and went "beyond what the body needs."

"Protein does have calories and must be processed by the kidneys, so adding more than you need because 'you're working out' or 'it's healthy' makes no sense," she said.

2. Foods That Contain 'Natural Flavors'

Next up, any food products with the words "natural flavors" in their ingredient's lists were good to go, the nutritionists said.

"Despite the name, natural flavors are often just as processed as artificial ones," said Maitland. "They're created by 'flavorists': scientists hired to craft and manipulate flavors in a lab.

"While they may sound better, natural flavors can still mess with your gut, trigger cravings and offer no real nutritional benefit."

Gervacio agreed, clarifying that "natural flavors" were not "inherently bad" but that the phrase was "vague" and they could be highly processed.

Gervacio and Haar both suggested flavored yoghurts for the ditch list, with Gervacio warning of added sugars and flavorings.

Haar said: "A serving of flavored yogurt may have the equivalent of five to six added teaspoons of sugar."

They both recommended trying plain yogurt with fresh fruit instead.

A blueberry yoghurt with a spoon and a foil lid. Flavored yogurt was one of the nutritionists' picks for food to ditch from your diet by 2025, due to added sugar and flavorings. ToscaWhi/Getty Images

3. Energy Drinks

Another food to ditch ahead of next year is energy drinks, according to the nutritionists.

Gervacio said these were "generally best to avoid, due to high caffeine, sugar and artificial ingredients, which can impact heart health and sleep."

Maitland agreed, saying that energy drinks might promise a quick energy boost, but they came with a crash soon after and contained "a lot of chemicals and not much real nutrition."

Godbold went one step further, saying she would add all flavored sodas to the ditch list too as they were "too artificial and high in sugar."

Gervacio also said that all sodas were best avoided, "regular soda for its high sugar content and diet soda for artificial sweeteners that can affect metabolism."

Foods To Ditch: A Few Extra Suggestions

The nutritionists did not always agree with each other on their lists of foods to ditch this winter, so here were a few extra suggestions—to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Maitland said that seed oils—such as canola, soybean and corn—should be ditched, as they are "heavily refined and high in omega-6 fatty acids, which can promote inflammation and throw off the balance between omega-3 and omega-6 fats in your body."

However, Gervacio said: "These oils are okay if consumption is limited."

Maitland also suggested ditching fake meat alternatives, as they can be "heavily refined and packed with additives" and "made using inflammatory ingredients and preservatives that are not great for your body."

Godbold agreed, and said she would add plant-based cheese, plant-based butter and some plant-based milks to the list, and that "it's better to eat the real thing or find other alternatives."

Gervacio wasn't so sure. She said: "Some plant-based options are nutritious, but a whole-food diet with natural protein sources is ideal."

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