#1: Nutritious Living Hi-Lo
Consumer polls show that 93 percent of Americans believe products containing GMOs should be labeled, but under current laws, they aren’t, leaving food shoppers in the dark. In fact, many natural products, like this cereal, are laced with genetically engineered ingredients. GMO technology has been linked to skyrocketing food allergy rates, digestive troubles, infertility, and even accelerated aging! In Cornucopia’s tests, the soy content of Nutritious Living Hi-Lo was 85 percent GMO—meaning the soy was manipulated on the molecular level to withstand heavy sprayings of the weed killer Roundup, which often winds up inside the food you eat.

Organic Alternative: Ambrosial Granola Venetian Vineyard

DID YOU KNOW: All fish labeled “Atlantic salmon” are raised on farms! And, as you know if you follow me on Twitter, they’re fed pellets that contain pink dye—that’s how they get their color. Gross!

#2: Mother’s Bumpers
Nearly 30 percent of the corn in Mother’s Bumpers was found to be genetically modified. A 2011 Canadian report published in the journalReproductive Toxicology revealed that the pesticides used on genetically modified crops and, in some cases, the genes used to create GM crops are able to survive in our digestive tracts, move into our bloodstreams, and—in pregnant women—show up in developing infants. 

Pepsico owns the Mother’s brand. One of its processing plants emits 19,000 pounds of sulfuryl fluoride, a greenhouse gas and fumigant, annually. The toxic gas is used post-harvest to kill pests in non-organic wheat, almonds, oats, corn, rice, barley, raisins, and peanuts. Fumigated food products can then be distributed to consumers 24 hours after gassing, according to the Cornucopia Institute.

Organic Alternative: Cascadian Farms Honey Nut Os 

CHANGE YOUR PLATE, LOSE WEIGHT: People using paper plates tend to eat more later because they consider those meals as just “snacks.” 

#3: Back to Nature
Back to Nature’s “natural” granola products contain conventional ingredients that are produced on conventional farms with the use of pesticides and other synthetic inputs that would be prohibited on organic farms. “Conventional grain ingredients destined for processed foods like granola can be fumigated in the warehouse,” explains Vallaeys. “The USDA has tested ingredients like wheat flour for toxic fumigant residues, and has found some samples to be contaminated with levels higher than the maximum acceptable level for children. Organics, which prohibits these fumigants, offers a level of protection that ‘natural’ products don’t.”

Organic Alternative: Laughing Giraffe granola

MORNING SUCCESS: No time to eat at home? No problem! The best restaurant breakfasts in America will fill you up without expanding your waistline. Check out The 19 Best Breakfasts in America.

#4: Grape Nuts and Post’s “Natural Advantage Line”
Grape Nuts may carry that crunchy, earthy image—and food industry giant Post did form the “Post Natural Advantage Line,” which includes Grape Nuts, Shredded Wheat, and Raisin Bran—but the ingredients used in these cereals are grown with chemical pesticides. USDA data shows that wheat is often contaminated with residues of malathion, chlorpyrifos methyl, and chlorpyrifos, toxic bug-killing chemicals that could harm neurological development. “They are ‘natural’ only in the sense that they do not appear to contain artificial preservatives,” explains Vallaeys. “But the ingredients are conventional ingredients, from crops grown on conventional farms which can use toxic pesticides, synthetic fertilizers, genetically engineered crops, and a whole host of other inputs that are strictly prohibited on farms growing crops for organic cereal.” For that reason, Post landed rock bottom on the Cornucopia Institute’s Cereal Scorecard. 

Organic Alternative: Cascadian Farm Organic Raisin Bran

FAST FOOD MADE SIMPLE: Not all fast food is bad for you. In fact, there are healthy options on nearly every menu. Learn how to choose the best fast food for you by learning the 7 Rules of Healthy Fast Food.

#5: Kellogg’s Low-Fat Granola
Don’t let this granola’s earthy-looking packaging or claims of whole grains fool you, warns Cornucopia. This granola contains harmful high-fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors, and other hard-to-pronounce ingredients that sound like they belong in a lab, not your mouth. “There is nothing natural about this product. Given that Kellogg’s policy is to source GMOs, consumers should also assume that the corn, cottonseed, and soy ingredients in this granola are genetically engineered,” says Vallaeys. Luckily, high-quality, organic granola is readily available.

Organic Alternative: Lydia’s Organics Grainless Apple Cereal

BLOATING BEVERAGES: Click through the Worst Drinks in Americato see what drinks are safe to sip—and which you should skip.

Additional reporting by Leah Zerbe