While everyone knows that a balanced diet is the key to good health, most don’t have the time or money to buy all-organic groceries and grow their own vegetables. Still, there are ways to improve your eating habits without major dietary changes. Start by banishing these particularly pernicious foods from your kitchen.

For Clean Plates-founder Jared Koch's full list of foods to avoid, check out Redbook Magazine.

Canned Tomatoes
While the tomato is a terrific source of the essential nutrient lycopene, its canned relative should be avoided. Just like all canned food, the product contains the harmful chemical bisphenol (BPA), whose negative effect is exacerbated by the tomatoes’ acidity. "It's not the tomatoes that are bad," says Clean Plate founder Jared Koch. "It's the way they're stored." Nomadic Lass
Deli Meats
Turkey is the preferred protein of many health experts. But just like salami, ham, and roast beef, the deli version is heavy with sodium and made from animals raised on a diet of hormones and antibiotics. Products also contain nitrates as well as chemical agents regulating color and taste. Fresh meat is the way to go. Dinner Series / Flickr
Margarine
"In my mind, [margarine] is one of the worst foods in the food supply," says Koch. "There's a common myth that healthy eating is equated with being vegetarian, and that's not necessarily true." Besides vegetable oil, margarine is filled with trans-fat, which boosts your risk of developing inflammations, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and high cholesterol. DJ-Dwayne / Flickr
Vegetable Oils
Vegetable oils contain such high levels of omega-6 fatty acids that they cause imbalances in fat intake. "You want your ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 fatty acids to be about one-to-one," says Koch. "It's closer to 15-to-one in the American population." Cottonseedoil
Popcorn
Popcorn can be a healthy snack, but only if it’s prepared on the stove. Microwaveable bags contain the toxicant and carcinogen perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which has been linked to infertility as well as testicular cancer. jayneandd
potatoes
"[Non-organic potatoes] are heavily sprayed and they're root vegetables, so they take up a lot of the pesticides and fungicides," says Koch. "They've been shown to have a high concentration of everything." Avoid pernicious toxins by buying organic potatoes. iamrenny
salt
People who use regular table salt miss out on a number of important minerals found in crystal and sea salt. "Table salt is a refined product, so there aren't any nutrients in it," says Koch. "Our bodies need a lot of those trace minerals." Opt for high-quality salt next time you shop for groceries. Leonid Mamchenkov / Flickr