5 foods you think are healthy (but are actually ruining your gut)

The path to wellness is often paved with your good intentions, but also clever (and insidious) marketing. But what if some of the foods you’ve been reaching for in pursuit of wellness are silently sabotaging your gut? Let’s dive into five common culprits hiding in plain sight, unravel why they might be harming your gut, and explore nourishing alternatives.

1. Plant based milk

Almond, oat, and soy milk have cemented their place as go to dairy alternatives, often praised for their plant based credentials.

But take a closer look at the ingredient label. These alternatives are often laden with emulsifiers like carrageenan and gums, such as xanthan and guar. While these additives improve texture, studies show they disrupt the gut lining and encourage dysbiosis, a microbial imbalance that can lead to inflammation, bloating, and even leaky gut. Oat milk, in particular, can be problematic due to its high glycemic index and residual glyphosate (a herbicide linked to gut disruption) from conventional oat farming.

What to choose instead

Raw milk, a time-honoured superfood celebrated for its exceptional benefits for gut health. Raw milk retains its full spectrum of probiotics, enzymes, and natural fats, making it a powerhouse of nutrition. The living enzymes in raw milk, such as lactase, aid in digesting lactose, offering relief to those who may struggle with conventional dairy. Meanwhile, its probiotics, beneficial bacteria like lactobacillus and bifidobacteria, help populate the gut microbiome, fostering balance, reducing inflammation, and supporting digestion.

Raw milk also provides bioavailable vitamins and minerals, including calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus, which are essential for maintaining a robust gut lining and preventing issues like leaky gut. Its natural fats act as a soothing balm for inflamed tissues, while its immunoglobulins strengthen gut-associated immune function, offering protection against harmful pathogens. 

For those unable to tolerate dairy altogether, a homemade version of your favourite nut milk offers a viable alternative, while coconut milk (free from stabilisers or additives) is another gentle and creamy option.

For a deeper breakdown of milk quality (raw vs pasteurised, A1 vs A2), read our full milk sourcing guide.

2. Protein bars and shakes

Touted as quick, easy sources of protein, many protein bars and powders come with a side of gut disruption. Artificial sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame are common offenders, altering the gut microbiome and potentially contributing to glucose intolerance. Sugar alcohols such as erythritol and maltitol, though low-calorie, can ferment in the gut, causing bloating and discomfort. Processed protein isolates (e.g., whey isolate or soy protein) often lack the cofactors found in whole foods, making them harder to digest.

What to choose instead

Stick to whole food based protein sources. Hard boiled eggs, grass-fed jerky, cottage cheese, parmesan or a smoothie made with minimally processed, nutrient-dense options like Organised (our blend of beef protein, colostrum, and organ meats) can provide the energy you need without the gut disruption.

3. Raw vegetables and salads

The wellness world praises raw veggies for their fibre content and low calorie profile, but they can wreak havoc on sensitive guts. Their tough cellulose walls are difficult to break down, leading to fermentation in the gut and symptoms like bloating, gas, and pain. This is particularly true for cruciferous vegetables like kale, broccoli, and cauliflower when consumed raw.

What to choose instead

Gently cooked vegetables are easier on the digestive system and still provide an abundance of nutrients. Steam, roast, or sauté your veggies, and pair them with healthy fats like olive oil or ghee to enhance nutrient absorption and gut support.

But why stop there? Elevate your gut supportive diet with fermented vegetables. Traditional ferments like sauerkraut, kimchi, or pickled beets are rich in probiotics that fortify the gut microbiome, helping to balance microbial diversity and reduce inflammation. These tangy treasures also provide a dose of enzymes that aid in breaking down food, easing the digestive process, and allowing your gut to absorb nutrients more effectively.

4. "0 calorie" cooking sprays

The industrial processing of the oils in these sprays makes them harder for your body to break down, potentially clogging up your digestive system.

Cooking spray is often packed with refined oils like canola or soybean, propellants such as propane or butane, and emulsifiers like lecithin, all of which can irritate your gut. These oxidised omega 6 rich oils fuel inflammation, while the additives and synthetic compounds disrupt your gut microbiome, leaving room for harmful bacteria to thrive.

Curious what to use instead? We ranked our top 6 cooking fats (and explained exactly why).

5. In fact, "0 calorie" anything

In chasing the illusion of "0 calories," we sacrifice everything that makes real food nourishing and restorative. 

Treats like zero-calorie hot chocolate may sound like a dream come true, but it’s more of a culinary mirage. To strip out the calories, something has to give, and in most cases, what’s compromised is quality and nourishment. These products are often packed with artificial sweeteners, chemical thickeners, and synthetic flavours to mimic the richness of real food. But what’s left is a poor imitation of food, devoid of the inherent vitality and satisfaction that come from nutrient dense ingredients. True nourishment comes with energy, and the pursuit of "zero-calorie" goes against the fundamental nature of food, which exists to fuel, sustain, and heal.

Similarly, no-fat dairy tells the same story. Stripping fat from milk doesn’t just remove calories, it removes the very component that carries fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K2) and enhances nutrient absorption. In its place, manufacturers often add synthetic stabilisers, powdered milk solids, or sugars to restore the texture and flavour lost in the process.

What to choose instead

Once you begin to honour food for the nourishment it provides, it becomes quite simple. Choose real, nutrient dense,  ingredients in their unprocessed form. Trust in foods that fuel and sustain, not imitate, and let real sustenance guide your path to a soothed and healthy gut.

Signs these "healthy" foods may be damaging your gut

Gut disruption rarely happens overnight. It builds quietly, meal by meal, until symptoms become your new normal. If the foods above are irritating your gut lining or altering your microbiome, you may notice:

• Persistent bloating after protein bars or shakes, often caused by sugar alcohol fermentation or poorly digested protein isolates.
• Brain fog after oat milk or low-fat dairy, blood sugar spikes and microbiome shifts can influence the gut–brain axis, affecting clarity and mood.
• Loose stools or urgency after “sugar-free” products, sugar alcohols draw water into the colon and rapidly ferment, accelerating transit time.
• Skin flare-ups, acne, or eczema, the gut and skin are deeply connected; increased intestinal permeability can trigger systemic inflammation.
• Unusual fatigue after low-fat meals, removing natural fats strips away fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K2) that support cellular energy and immune balance.

If any of these symptoms feel familiar, it may not be that your body is fragile, it may simply be reacting to foods that are engineered to look healthy, but behave very differently inside you.

Some more questions you may be wondering

What if my oat milk only contains oats and water?

If your oat milk truly contains just oats and water, no gums, emulsifiers, seed oils, or added sugars, it’s absolutely a better option than heavily processed plant milks filled with stabilisers and synthetic additives.

Simple ingredient lists matter.That said, even minimally processed oat milk is still nutritionally different from raw dairy. Oats are primarily a carbohydrate source, so oat milk is naturally higher in starch and lower in protein, natural fats, fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, K2), bioavailable calcium, and beneficial bacteria.

What’s worse for gut health, sugar or artificial sweeteners?

Large amounts of refined sugar can absolutely disrupt gut bacteria and promote inflammation. But artificial sweeteners introduce novel compounds the human microbiome has had very little evolutionary exposure to. In some individuals, they appear to shift bacterial populations more dramatically than small amounts of real sugar consumed with whole foods.

Is stevia bad for gut health?

Yes, especially in the way it’s commonly used today. Most stevia in modern products isn’t whole leaf, it’s a highly refined extract, often blended with other sweeteners or fillers. Despite being marketed as “natural,” stevia is still a non-nutritive sweetener that your gut bacteria have had little evolutionary exposure to. Research suggests it can alter microbiome composition and influence glucose regulation, even without raising blood sugar directly.

Why does whey protein make me bloat?

Whey is a byproduct of the dairy industry, the liquid portion left behind after milk is curdled to make cheese. It’s then filtered, dried, and concentrated into a fast-digesting protein powder. While that makes it convenient, it also means it’s far removed from its original whole-food form. Because whey is absorbed quickly, it can overwhelm digestion, especially if stomach acid or enzyme production is low. Some powders still contain small amounts of lactose, which can cause gas in sensitive individuals. Many commercial whey products also include sweeteners or additives that ferment in the gut and worsen bloating. It’s also worth noting that whey contains virtually no collagen or connective tissue proteins like glycine and proline, the amino acids that help support the gut lining.