Dietitians reveal the 100 unhealthiest foods in your supermarket - including margarine, pickles and STOCK CUBES

A rigorous nutritional analysis of America's most popular food items has revealed the 100 most unhealthiest foods.

A team of US dietitians have forensically studied nutrition labels on hundreds of products bought at grocery stores and take out joints. 

While some of the culprits may not surprise you - such as fatty ice cream, potato chips and cookies - there are many items that you may have assumed was in fact health.

That's because it's not just the calories, fat and sugar that determine if something is healthy, the registered dietitians behind the analysis say.

For instance, low fat spreads contain potentially harmful oils, while even some types of oatmeal are packed with sugars. 

Here are the ten most surprising foods on the list, ranked by top registered dietitian and author Lauren Manaker for Eat This, Not That. 

Bouillon cubes spike your salt

The chemical additives within stock cubes make them a potential hazard

Dietitians note that the main reasons that stock cubes aren't good for you have to do with the additives within them. 

Stock cubes contain palm oil, caramel color and yellow 6.

Palm oil could trigger you to develop high levels of bad cholesterol, according to some studies. This can later lead to heart disease, says Dr Celeste Robb-Nicholson, an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. 

Caramel coloring sometimes degrades into a chemical called methylimidazole, which is a carcinogen, according to nonprofit Nutrition Facts. Yellow 6 has been shown to cause adrenal and testicular cancer in rats. 

 Microwave popcorn high in bad fat

Microwave popcorn is high in a type of fat linked to heart disease

Microwave popcorn is often thought of as a healthy snack, since it contains very few calories and some fiber.

But popular brands have come under fire for adding some 'potentially harmful' ingredients- including palm oil, and high amounts of sodium, Lauren Manaker, a registered dietitian and author told Eat This, Not That. 

If you're craving popcorn, Ms. Manaker recommends going for a pre-popped brand that uses vegetable oils and less salt- like Lesser Evil's Himalayan Pink Salt Organic Popcorn.

Bottled water could mess with hormones

Bottled water may leech chemicals that could harm you 

 Everyone needs water to survive, but it might be best for you to avoid doing so from a plastic bottle, Manaker said. 

This is because plastic bottles contain a chemical called Bisphenol-A, which can leak into the water when the bottle gets hot.  'Overall, it’s a good idea to use BPA-free plastics,' Columbia University health care providers wrote on a blog. 

That's because chronic exposure to BPA's can cause a host of issues- from reduced fertility to behavioral problems in kids. It's also been linked to increased blood pressure, type 2 diabetes risk and cardiovascular disease, according to Dr Brent Bauer, an internist at Mayo Clinic. 

If you're worried about your BPA risk, you can avoid plastic water bottles all together by using a reusable bottle or buying from an aluminum brand, like Liquid Death, Manaker said.  

Diet soda linked to cancer-causing chemicals 

Aspartame has been linked to a host of health problems

 Diet soda might seem like an option if you're looking for something sweet with zero calories, but it has an ingredient that has been linked to increase cancer risk- aspartame.

The chemical, also found in flame retardants, has also been shown to raise blood sugar and tax the liver, which can cause more fat to build up in the body. 

Some other brands of low calorie sodas have strayed away from these chemicals, and opted for natural flavors,  Jessica Cording, a registered dietitian and health coach previously told the Daily Mail. 

'Beverages with low or no added sugar that are free of alcohol can be better choices,' including Spindrift seltzer, Poppi soda or Ollipop. 

'Healthy' smoothies are full of sugar

Premade smoothies are high in sugar

Bottled smoothies might seem like a good option, since they're made from fruit, but in reality, many of them are so packed full of sugar that they're not doing you any favors. 

'Many people are not aware just how sugary these supposedly "healthy" smoothies really are' Dr Saul Konviser, from the Dental Wellness Trust, previously told the Daily Mail. 

For example, one 15 oz of Naked mighty mango smoothie contains 57 grams of added sugar. For comparison, a 12 oz coca cola contains 39 grams of sugar, and a Krispy Kreme Original Glazed donut contains about 12.6 g of sugar. 

The American Heart Association recommends that men have no more than 36 grams of sugar a day,  and women have no more than 25 grams of sugar a day. 

Excess sugar intake can lead to increased blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain diabetes, liver disease, heart attack and stroke, Dr Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition at Harvard, said. 

Margarine is high in bad fats

These items may also contain palm oil, which dietitians aren't a fan of generally

Fat is a necessary part of your daily diet, and can make a dish a lot more tasty, but many brands of margarine contain palm oil. 

For example, Land O Lakes margarine foremost ingredient is a blended vegetable oil, comprised of palm oil and palm kernel oil. Palm oil as an ingredient has been linked to cardiovascular disease.

Also, consuming more than your daily recommended serving of fat can put you at a higher risk for a number of heart diseases and cancers, according to the WHO. Their recommendation is that daily fats comprise no more than 10 percent of a person's daily calorie intake. 

If you want to use a vegetable based fat, Manaker recommends swapping this creamy option for something less processed, like olive oil. 

Pickles contain concerning preservatives 

The preservatives in pickles may be a problem for you

Many brands of non refrigerated pickles contain emulsifiers and stabilizers which dietitians have flagged as potential cancer risks.

That includes polysorbate 80 and sodium benzoate. 

Polysorbate 80 has been shown to cause cancer in mice.  Sodium benzoate has been shown to increase chronic inflammation in the body, which could lead to increased risk of cancer, according to researchers from Hungary's Institute of Public Health.

Also, pickles tend to include high amounts of salt, which experts recommend only eating in small quantities.  

Canned soup is high in salt

Canned soups often contain a lot of salt 

The main problem Manaker has with canned soups is their sodium content. 

Research from Deakin University posted in the Journal of Nutrition has shown that many soup brands add an excess amount of salt to their products, which can then prompt consumers to over eat.

One serving of Campbells Homestyle Chicken Noodle soup has 890 mg of sodium in it, which is nearly half of the 2,300 milligrams limit the AHA suggests. But their serving size is only half of the can, Manaker notes, and 'many of us are probably eating more than just half a cup of soup at a time.'

 If you want to avoid this unpleasant salt uptick, then Manaker recommends making your soup at home or looking for low sodium brands. 

Instant oatmeal contains added sugars 

Instant oatmeal isn't as healthy as regular oatmeal

 Though oatmeal in it's normal form is thought of as a sort of high fiber, filling superfood, when it's been processed into it's instant form it gets bombarded with sugars and salt, Manaker said. 

For example, Quaker instant oats contain 14 grams of sugar, which could spike your blood sugar in the morning, Manaker said.

Instead of using instant, if you're able to forego the convenience, Manaker recommends cooking your oatmeal yourself on the stove top and adding fruit if you're missing sweetness.  

 Fruit Yogurt could be packed with artificial flavors

Fruit yogurt often contains more sugar than it's non flavored counterparts

The main problem with fruit yogurt is that most of it's flavor doesn't actually come from fruit, Manaker said. Instead, it comes from added sugar and juice concentrates. 

'With this added sugar and very little protein, yogurts like these will just leave you feeling hungry,' Manaker said.

For example, one serving of Yoplait strawberry yogurt contains 13 grams of added sugar, which is over half of the amount recommended for women to consume each day. 

Even so, sweet yogurts have been beloved by dieters for quite a while, and even has been supported by the FDA. 

Marion Nestle, a food policy expert, previously told the Daily Mail, that the idea that high sugar yogurt brands are healthy is 'ridiculous' and not evidence based. 

If you still want to enjoy a dairy treat, Manaker recommended picking a high-protein yogurt without fruit added.