Bad to Best Real Foods List

For some people, it takes a lot of effort to make corrections to habits that they’ve had for 
long periods of time. Or you might be someone who needs to see something at a glance 
in order to make a positive change. In this article, you will learn about the best foods 
that are considered ‘real foods’, similar to clean eating and following a whole foods 
lifestyle.  

Some Examples 

To get a good grasp of the tiers of food quality, you’ll find different examples of similar 
meals below. This shows in a simple way how source, content and freshness can make 
a major impact on the quality of your food. Convenience foods make up a large portion 
of what people consider when they are short on time but sacrifice their nutritional 
content. There are also cultural factors that appear across the board, but the impact is 
relatively clear. 

Breakfast

Bad -  Coffee with artificial sweetener, name brand jelly with high-fructose corn syrup , 
Box cereal with high fructose corn syrup, 

Good - Coffee with white sugar, jelly that’s been sweetened with fruit juice, Instant oats, 
orange juice from the store. 

Better - Coffee with a small amount of natural sweetener like honey, freshly crushed 
berries, plain oatmeal sweetened with honey or fruit chunks, homemade granola, 



Lunch
 
Bad - Bag of processed snacks, Inexpensive white bread, prepackaged meat cuts with 
filler, salt, and water added, name brand mayonnaise, can of soda.

Good - Baked seasoned nuts, pre seasoned popcorn, Specialty whole grain bread 
bought at the store, store sliced cold cuts of meat, organic specialty mayonnaise, store 
bought juice drink, or flavored name brand iced tea. 

Better - Raw nuts, Popcorn you seasoned, homemade trail mix, whole wheat bread 
made by you or bakery, freshly cooked and sliced meats, lightly seasoned mashed 
avocado for spread, freshly squeezed juice, tea, or water. 



Dinner 
Bad - Conventional meat from the store, box macaroni and cheese, dehydrated 
vegetable packet, can of soda or fruit punch that doesn't contain much juice and is 
abundant with high fructose corn syrup. 

Good - Organic meat from the store, organic box macaroni and cheese, frozen 
vegetables for a side, store bought sparkling cider, specialty sodas. 

Better - Locally raised meat, homemade shells and real cheese, fresh seared 
vegetables, homemade sodas, juice, teas, flavored with juice mixtures, or water. 

This simple list should give you a good idea about foods that are good, bad, or the best 
when eating a real foods diet.




