By The Real Clean Living
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You already know processed food isn’t good for you. But do you know exactly why — and more importantly, do you know how easy it is to replace the worst offenders with something real?
This isn’t about deprivation. It’s about swapping out the fake stuff for food that actually nourishes your body — food that tastes better, costs less in the long run, and doesn’t come with a side of ingredients you can’t pronounce.
Here are the 10 processed foods I recommend ditching first, and exactly what to make or buy instead.
1. Store-Bought Salad Dressing
Why ditch it: Flip over any bottle of conventional salad dressing and you’ll find soybean oil or canola oil as the first or second ingredient. These are highly processed seed oils that are inflammatory, and they’re hiding in almost every store-bought dressing on the market. Add in high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors, and preservatives and you’ve turned a healthy salad into a chemical cocktail.
What to make instead:
Simple Everyday Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed)
- 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon raw honey or pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper to taste
Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed)
- 1 tablespoon good quality balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon raw honey or pure maple syrup
- Salt and pepper to taste
Shake in a jar. Done. Takes 2 minutes and costs pennies per serving.
Clean store-bought option: Primal Kitchen makes dressings with avocado oil and no seed oils — available on Thrive Market.
2. Conventional Ketchup
Why ditch it: High fructose corn syrup is the third ingredient in most conventional ketchup. You’re essentially putting corn syrup on your food and calling it a condiment. Tomatoes are naturally sweet — they don’t need this.
What to make instead:
Clean Homemade Ketchup
- 1 can (6oz) organic tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2-4 tablespoons water to thin
Mix together and store in a jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
⚠️ Always choose jarred tomato paste over canned. Tomatoes are highly acidic, which causes BPA and other chemicals from can linings to leach directly into the food. Jarred tomato paste eliminates that risk entirely. Look for it at Thrive Market, health food stores, or order online.
Clean store-bought option: Primal Kitchen or Sir Kensington’s ketchup — both sweetened with honey and no HFCS.
3. Flavored Yogurt
Why ditch it: A single serving of popular flavored yogurt brands contains as much sugar as a candy bar — sometimes more. Artificial flavors, food dyes, and thickeners like carrageenan round out the ingredient list. You think you’re eating health food. You’re not.
What to make instead:
Buy plain whole milk yogurt — ideally organic or grass-fed. Then add:
- Raw honey or pure maple syrup for sweetness
- Fresh or frozen berries
- A sprinkle of cinnamon
- A splash of Vanilla Extract
- Homemade granola if you want crunch
You control every ingredient. Takes 30 seconds.
Best brands for plain whole milk yogurt: Stonyfield Organic, Maple Hill Creamery, or Seven Stars Farm.
4. Boxed Mac and Cheese
Why ditch it: The powdered “cheese” in boxed mac and cheese contains sodium phosphate, artificial colors (including Yellow 5 and Yellow 6), and a long list of preservatives. It’s designed in a lab to be addictive — not to nourish you.
What to make instead:
Real Mac and Cheese — 15 Minutes
- 2 cups elbow pasta (use chickpea or lentil pasta for more protein)
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar (real cheese, full fat)
- ½ cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons grass-fed butter
- Salt, pepper, and a pinch of garlic powder
Cook pasta, drain, return to pot on low heat. Add butter, milk, and cheese. Stir until melted and creamy. Season to taste. That’s it.
💡 Still love that powdered cheese flavor? Healthier Comforts makes an organic cheddar cheese powder that gives you the same nostalgic taste without the artificial colors and preservatives. For a serious protein boost, blend it with cottage cheese before adding to your pasta — creamy, high protein, and genuinely delicious.
Clean store-bought option: Annie’s Organic Mac and Cheese — real cheddar, no artificial anything. A solid transition option when you need something fast.
5. Store-Bought Mayo
Why ditch it: Canola or soybean oil is the number one ingredient in almost every conventional mayonnaise. Same inflammatory seed oils we already talked about — just emulsified this time.
What to make instead:
2-Minute Avocado Oil Mayo
- 1 egg (room temperature)
- 1 cup avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
Put egg, lemon juice, mustard, and salt in a jar. Add avocado oil. Use an immersion blender — put it at the bottom, blend for 10 seconds moving slowly upward. Done.
Clean store-bought option: Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo — this is genuinely excellent and available at most stores and on Thrive Market.
6. Conventional Peanut Butter
Why ditch it: Most popular peanut butter brands add hydrogenated vegetable oils (trans fats), sugar, and salt. The ingredient list should be: peanuts. That’s it.
What to swap to:
Look for peanut butter or almond butter where the only ingredient is the nut itself. The oil will separate — that’s normal and actually a sign it’s real food. Just stir it back in.
Best options: Kirkland Organic Peanut Butter (Costco), Once Again, or any store brand that says “just peanuts.”
7. Packaged Granola Bars
Why ditch it: Most granola bars are candy bars in disguise. Sugar is typically the first or second ingredient, followed by corn syrup, soybean oil, and artificial flavors. They spike your blood sugar and leave you hungry an hour later.
What to make instead:
No-Bake Clean Granola Bars
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ½ cup raw honey or pure maple syrup
- ½ cup natural almond or peanut butter
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips (70% or higher)
- ¼ cup pumpkin or sunflower seeds
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Mix everything together. Press firmly into a lined 8×8 pan. Freeze for 1 hour. Cut into bars. Store in fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Clean store-bought option: If you’re in a pinch, RXBAR, Larabar, and Kind bars are significantly better than conventional granola bars — shorter ingredient lists, no hydrogenated oils, and no artificial anything. That said, homemade will always win. You control every ingredient, there’s no packaging, and it costs a fraction of the price. Use store-bought as a bridge while you build the habit — not as a permanent replacement.
8. Bottled BBQ Sauce
Why ditch it: High fructose corn syrup is almost always the first or second ingredient. Some popular brands have more HFCS than tomatoes in their BBQ sauce. You’re essentially brushing sugar syrup on your food.
What to make instead:
10-Minute Clean BBQ Sauce
- 1 cup organic tomato paste
- ¼ cup raw apple cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons raw honey or pure maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos (replaces Worcestershire)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Pinch of cayenne
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan, simmer on low for 10 minutes. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
⚠️ Always choose jarred tomato paste over canned. Tomatoes are highly acidic, which causes BPA and other chemicals from can linings to leach directly into the food. Jarred tomato paste eliminates that risk entirely. Look for it at Thrive Market, health food stores, or order online.
9. Conventional Broth and Stock
Why ditch it: Most store-bought broth contains natural flavors (a catch-all term that can include MSG and other additives), yeast extract, and enough sodium to blow your daily limit in one bowl of soup.
What to make instead:
Save your vegetable scraps and chicken or beef bones in a bag in the freezer. When you have enough, cover with water in a large pot, add apple cider vinegar (helps pull minerals from bones), and simmer on low for 8-24 hours. Strain and store.
Clean store-bought option: Kettle & Fire bone broth — genuinely clean ingredients and rich in collagen. Available on Thrive Market at a significant discount.
10. Flavored Coffee Creamers
Why ditch it: Conventional coffee creamers are a masterclass in deceptive food engineering. Most contain hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, carrageenan, and artificial flavors — all to make something that doesn’t even contain real cream somehow taste creamy.
What to swap to:
- Whole milk or heavy cream — actual dairy, minimal ingredients
- Coconut cream — rich and naturally sweet, great in coffee
- Homemade oat milk — blend 1 cup oats with 4 cups water, strain through cheesecloth
- Raw honey and cinnamon — skip the creamer entirely and sweeten naturally
💡 Clean store-bought option: MALK makes some of the cleanest oat and nut milks on the market — minimal ingredients, no junk. They do make a creamer now, and while it’s far better than conventional options, it does contain soluble tapioca fiber. Not a dealbreaker for everyone, but worth knowing. When in doubt, their straight oat milk or almond milk in your coffee is the cleanest choice.
The Bottom Line
You don’t have to overhaul everything at once. Pick two or three from this list that you use the most and start there. As things run out replace them with cleaner versions or homemade alternatives.
Every swap you make is one less dose of seed oils, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial ingredients going into your body every single day. That adds up fast.
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This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider before starting any supplement, especially for children or if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications. The Real Clean Living is not responsible for any actions taken based on the information provided.
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