7 food staples that have been corrupted

Foods that have been around forever should be as good today as the day they were created. Unfortunately, that isn't the case. The food industry has taken the originals and turned them into inferior versions that don't just lack nutrients, they're actively unhealthy. The damage usually comes down to three things: how the food is raised/grown, what is added or taken away from the food, and the big one, how it's processed.

The truth is, when our staples are high quality, we're far better off. But most cupboards today are stocked with ultra-processed versions of foods that should be doing us good but aren't. So let's look at how seven everyday staples got corrupted, and what to look for to get back to the real thing.

1. Milk

Milk is one of the most corrupted staples of all. It used to be raw and from pasture-fed cows. Now we have ultra-pasteurised, homogenised, standardised, grain-fed milk, which, compared to organic grass fed raw A2 milk, is essentially a completely different food.

And it gets worse. Milk has been so removed from its origin that many people now drink milk alternatives often far inferior, padded out with seed oils and gums. These milk alternative companies often do realise these “milks” are inferior so choose to add synthetic vitamins to the drink in a hope to increase vitamin amounts, but as we know nothing compares to getting vitamins from whole foods themselves.

Real milk is a superfood. Its corrupted descendant is not. Raw milk contains beneficial bacteria and nutrients that are reduced or destroyed by pasteurisation, while homogenisation can cause gut issues and even drive intolerance to milk in the first place.

What to buy instead: Raw, pasture-fed milk straight from a farm, ideally A2, is best. If you can't source raw, a high-quality pasteurised-only option (no homogenisation) is your next best bet, and these are available in most supermarkets.

2. Bread

The original bread, sourdough, was made from ancient grains, none of which were fortified with cheap synthetic vitamins. But that fortification is only the beginning of the problem. Modern supermarket bread is filled with seed oils, preservatives, emulsifiers, flour treatments, and cheaper alternative flours like soy. Put simply, modern bread isn't really bread anymore. In the chase for shelf stability, bread became a junk food instead of something that is actually nutritious.

Real sourdough is just three ingredients: flour, water, and salt. The sourdough starter used to make sourdough is fermented and this fermentation process helps break down gluten and phytic acid, as well as providing beneficial bacteria to the gut. When made with organic ancient grains, it's an entirely different food from what you'll find in a plastic bag on the supermarket shelf.

What to buy instead: Look for organic spelt or einkorn sourdough from a real bakery. Or have a go at making your own, a sourdough starter, once established, will help you make bread and other bakes for years.

3. Meat

Most store-bought meat comes from grain-fed animals, is injected with water to add weight, is severely lacking in nutrients, and is often oxidised by the time it reaches you. The health of the meat we eat depends entirely on the health of the animal and on how that meat is handled afterwards.

We even have meat alternatives now, and lab-grown meat on the way. Neither will make us healthier, quite the opposite.

Meat from sick animals can't make us healthy. The vegan response is to cut meat out altogether, but meat itself isn't the problem, meat is incredibly nourishing and essential for optimal health. The answer isn't to remove it; it's to give animals the best life possible so that quality is passed on to us. Plenty of space, the majority of their lives spent outdoors, and a diet as close to what they'd naturally eat as possible. Meat became corrupted through the chase for lower costs, and our health paid the price.

What to buy instead: Grass-fed or pasture-raised meat from a local farm. Reduce the food miles, shake your farmer's hand. Buying direct from farms, co-operatives, or a trusted butcher beats the supermarket every time.

4. Chocolate

Cacao is undoubtedly a superfood, yet most chocolate sold today is junk food. Why the disparity? A chocolate bar should have simple ingredients and good dark chocolate often does but 90% of what's on the shelf is loaded with artificial flavours, low-quality milk powder, preservatives, emulsifiers, and soy. Some is even being made from lab-grown cacao.

Cacao that has been tested for heavy metals is also crucial here, since many areas where cacao is grown, unfortunately contains heavy metal rich soil. Thankfully many high quality brands of cacao and dark chocolate now publish their heavy metal testing.

What to buy instead: Single-ingredient cacao powder for drinking, and dark chocolate (70% or higher) with minimal ingredients for indulgence. Real cacao, sourced well, is one of the loveliest things you can have in the cupboard.

5. Butter

The moment saturated fats got demonised, butter was corrupted. "Spreadable" took off, a mix of real butter and seed oils and butter alternatives like margarine and vegan spreads filled the shelves. We swapped an incredible natural food for seed oils and colourings.

We now know how harmful seed oils are, and that saturated fats aren't the villain we were told they were. So the first step is simply choosing real butter and reading the label, because plenty of "butter" still has things in it that shouldn't be there.

What to buy instead: Raw, grass-fed, A2 butter is the gold standard. Failing that, a good organic grass-fed butter is widely available and a world apart from spreadable. Who wants to live without real butter?

6. Sweeteners

Everyone wants something around the house to sweeten a drink, a dessert, or a quick snack. The trouble is, sugar got demonised and we replaced it with something far worse, artificial sweeteners, which have since been linked to serious health conditions.

Even if you don't want to go straight back to sugar, there are plenty of natural sweeteners worth turning to: raw honey, maple syrup, molasses, date syrup. And honestly, raw unrefined organic cane sugar will always beat artificial sweeteners or the lab-made alternatives like aspartame, sucralose, or even the more "natural" sounding stevia, xylitol, and erythritol.

What to buy instead: Raw honey, real maple syrup, or molasses for most jobs. Unrefined organic cane sugar where you need actual sugar.

7. Cooking fats

As with butter, the moment saturated fats were demonised, seed oils exploded onto the scene, promising better heart health and lower cholesterol. They delivered neither. They're unstable at high temperatures and made through an aggressively industrial process involving chemical solvents and bleaching.

Returning to natural fats is best. Tallow, butter, ghee, lard, and coconut oil are all far better for cooking and for our health overall.

What to buy instead: Grass-fed tallow, ghee, and butter are now sold by plenty of farms direct, and good organic cold pressed coconut oil is in every supermarket. Stock the pantry with these and ditch the seed oils entirely.

Summary

You'll have noticed a pattern here, every fix is a return to what was once normal. We instinctively knew that natural meant healthy. It was only when we started being told each of these foods was bad and were sold an alternative in its place, that our health as a population began to decline.

Going back to natural home staples will always serve us best. Minimal ingredients, clean practices, real food. Nature knows best, stick to it.