According to scientists and food industry experts there are certain very common foods that we should all be avoiding to ensure that we all have a happy, healthier New Year. Here are just some of them:

Canned Tomatoes – Great for making a quick Italian dish for dinner, but according to Fredrick vom Saal PhD, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri, not so good for our health. He says that the linings of cans contain a substance called bisphenol-A, something he has studied extensively. Bisphenol-A is a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to diabetes, obesity, reproductive difficulties and heart disease. The acidity of the tomatoes themselves can cause the substance to leech from the can into the food itself .

Microwave Popcorn – The bags that the microwaveable corn is packaged in contain a number of nasty chemicals including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which according to Olga Naidenko, PhD, (a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group) has been linked to human reproductive difficulties and in animals has been shown to cause pancreatic and testicular cancer. The act of microwaving the bags causes the chemicals to vaporize and enter the cooked popcorn.

Corn Fed Beef – In nature cows eat grass, not corn. However, many farmers have eschewed the green stuff and regularly feed their animals a cheaper corn meal mix. Not only is this more economical but the bovines fatten faster and can be sent to market earlier than their grass fed counterparts. According to Joel Saltin, who is an expert in sustainable farming, recent studies have shown that when compared to corn fed beef, meat from grass fed cows is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, and potassium, making it the far better choice.

“Regular” Apples – According to Mark Kastel, co-director of the Cornucopia Institute, if there were a contest to find the most “pesticide-doused” fruit in the US the average apple would win hands down. In addition to all the long-known side effects, research is now linking pesticide use with an increase in the number of Parkinson’s Disease cases being diagnosed.