The New York City intellectual nourishment view is a bona fide Wonka ’s Chocolate Factory of option . This is the birthplace of the Cronut , the Ramen Burger , the fried bone broth wrapped in kale and raclette cheese ( just kid , that ’s not real . Yet . ) . We have Smorgasburg , street meat , midnight dim sum , and we hold the right to the body politic ’s best ashen sauce ( WHY IS IT SO MUCH BETTER HERE ? ! ) . But when it comes to NYC nutrient , not all are created adequate , especially in the optic of medical professionals . We spoke to several NYC - sphere medico who basically shattered our realness by pointing out which iconic New York City food ( and some drinks ) should remain off our menus , for the sake of our wellness . It ’s a pitiful mean solar day for us all .

Halal cart food

Oh Rafiqi and your ego - proclaimed “ Delicious Food . ” You are not improper , my friend . Your omnipresent truck bring agency habitant endless pleasure between the hours of noon and 2 postmortem , Monday - Friday . However , Rafiqi , it hurt me to tell you that you arepersona non gratawith our doctors .

“ Personally , I can not digest halal go-cart , ” tell Dr. David Saunders , a alumna of Columbia Medical School and resident at Yale - New Haven Hospital . “ More specifically , my gilbert pamphlet ca n’t handle it . I ’m out of military commission for a day or two after consuming whatever they ’re serving , regardless of what they ’re making or where it ’s coming from . ”

“ Street meat should be avoided , ” impart Dr. Budd Heyman , MD at Bellevue Hospital Center . “ The meat is of questionable origin , as are the sanitary habits and belongings . Do these guys wash their hands ? How long has the meat been there ? Do they convey it back the next day ? ”

nyc foods doctors won’t eat

Oren Aks/Thrillist

“ I avoid most solid food carts because of hygienic drill , ” say Dr. Shanna Levine , an internist at Mount Sinai . “ It ’s difficult without a functional water provision to keep things clean . ”

Deli food

You have n’t endure in New York if you have n’t ordered a sandwich the size of your question at Katz ’s . But apparently youwon’tlive if you make eating those a habit .

“ If you want to be topnotch - strict about what you ’re eating , forefend the delis in the metropolis . Cold snub , especially the New York ones like pastrami and corned beef cattle , are laden with preservative . Those things should be eaten in easing because of the table salt freight and nitrate , ” says Dr. Levine .

Coffee

Yes , those locally - sourced beans are delicious AND fair trade wind , but they ’re also not so with child for you !

“ You have to observe your liquid calories , ” adds Dr. Levine . “ People do n’t realize that when they order their frost Camellia sinensis lemonade or fancy lattes that these are equivalent weight of meal in terms of calorie . ”

Cocktails

That go for cocktails as well . “ The fancy the potable , the more caloric it tends to be . Wines have the low-toned thermic root , whereas beer tend to be a little big , ” says Dr. Levine . Another reason to give up ( some of ) those $ 14 - dollar crapulence !

Dirty water dogs

The original New York City street center , dirty water system hot dog are about as iconic in New York as Times Square whore . And , much like a Times Square harlot , a muddied water hot dog might seem like a serious idea in the moment , but will make you regret all your liveliness decisions the break of the day after .

“ I stay aside from those for the same reason I avoid all meats , ” says Dr. Heyman . “ especially processed meat , or heart and soul that comes from multiple sources . They are packed with nitrate and preservative , colligate to cancer and fondness disease . Why even bother ? ”

Ziti pizza

A staple at any New York City pizzeria ( or combo pizzeria - bagel shop ) , ziti pizza answers the eternal , “ pizza pie or alimentary paste ? ” doubt . Why choose when you may have both ? ! Because it ’s really , really uncollectible for you .

“ Nutrition - wise to , I have to try firmly to avoid the ziti pizza that seems to be a speciality in NYC , ” articulate Dr. Saunders . “ Other cities have it , but it only tastes good to me in New York . I avoid it for the laughable amount of carbs , even though I discover it delectable and am drawn to it like Odysseus to the temptress . ”

Dollar pizza

Dollar pizza is certainly the ground you were able to afford to subsist in New York when you first moved here ( and mostly now too ) . But do you really desire to take over EVERYTHING from your former twelvemonth in the city ? Let ’s leave multi - week dollar pizza dinners properly up there with Joshua Tree ’s ‘ 80 Nights and falling asleep on the subway after 3 am .

“ Never . I do n’t know what ’s in that . Why is it only a dollar ? I eat pizza sparingly in general . It ’s unproblematic carbs , pure blubber , and I take off half the cheese to commence with , ” suppose Dr. Heyman .

Diet anything

It ’s not like we ’re just meeting Diet Coke or Splenda for the first clock time . Artificial sweeteners and diet deglutition make us think we ’re make smart choice because we ’re just too tired to hitCrunchafter piece of work . But as much as we take our iced burnt umber with Splenda , or our Jack & Coke with the Diet variation , we ’re actually doing our bodies a ill service .

“ I do n’t like diet drinks because they terminate up affecting the way your body uses insulin , ” say Dr. Levine . What happens when you expend unreal hook is that it promotes insulin electrical resistance , which is what go to obesity and diabetes . Insulin is what your dead body apply to process sugar , and because it ’s a phony form of sugar it can bear upon your metabolism and lead to moment down the road . ”

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halal food

Sarah Anderson/Thrillist

nyc deli sandwich

Leonard Zhukovsky/Shutterstock

coffee

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

cocktails

Cole Saladino/Thrillist

dirty water dogs

Frank11/Shutterstock

dollar pizza nyc

Cole Saladino/Thrillist