The truth about Bad Foods

[Guest guest]

The truth about 'BAD' foods: avoiding pasta and potatoes? Don't.

Here's why you should take these and other foods off the nutritional

blacklist -

Nutrition

Shape,

April,

2004 by

 

Jenna Schnuer

You've heard it all too often: One week a food is good for you, the next

it's sure to wreck your diet. " There's this pendulum that swings

back and forth in nutrition, " says Lisa Sasson, R.D., a clinical

assistant professor in New York University's department of nutrition,

food studies and public health in New York City. " People want to

latch onto anything they think may affect them, and food is one of the

few things we have control over, " adds Sharron Dalton, Ph.D., R.D.,

director of New York University's graduate program in nutrition. So when

the 6 o'clock news reports that potatoes are no better nutritionally than

pudding, many of us are quick to cut out " bad " foods in an

effort to do the right thing.

The trouble is, we're losing out. Here are five foods--all on today's

nutritional blacklist--that, when eaten in moderation, deserve a second

chance.

Potatoes

why the bad rap? This is a classic case of guilt by association. The

most popular method for cooking potatoes (frying) as well as over-the-top

toppings when baked (butter, cheese and sour cream) do a body bad. Also,

some popular diet programs claim that the vegetable's high glycemic index

sends blood sugar sky-rocketing, only to leave you hungry later.

reasons to reconsider Spuds aren't duds when it comes to nutrition. If

you eat potatoes with their skins on, they're a great source of

antioxidants, including vitamin C, along with potassium and 3 grams of

fill-you-up fiber per mediumsized potato, says Liz Applegate, Ph.D., a

senior lecturer in the department of nutrition at the University of

California, Davis, and author of Bounce Your Body Beautiful (Three Rivers

Press, 2003).

Just don't stick to one type of tater; mix it up between plain, sweet

(not true potatoes) and newer-to-consumer varieties like purple potatoes,

which may have even more antioxidants.

Whichever kind you opt for, serving size is key; a potato the size of

your fist has only about 100 calories. For a power-packed, lowfat potato,

top one with salsa and steamed vegetables. And for a health-friendly

alternative to sour cream, try a dollop or two of plain lowfat yogurt; it

has a similarly tangy taste, and you can save more than 100 calories and

15 grams of fat per 1/2-cup serving.

Pasta

why the bad rap? Did somebody say lowcarb diet? Pasta--like

potatoes--has fallen victim to the false premise that carbohydrate

consumption equals weight gain. " This whole [carb] thing has gone

mad--carbohydrates are our primary energy source, " says Jo Ann

Hattner, R.D., a clinical nutritionist at Stanford University in Palo

Alto, Calif., and an American Dietetic Association spokesperson.

Reasons to reconsider: Even before the country went no-carb crazy, we

were doing ourselves in by eating way too much pasta at one sitting:

Restaurant pasta portions are usually three to four times too large. Keep

a dinner serving to no more than 1 1/2 cups and bulk it up with lots of

vegetables, Sasson advises.

Nutrientwise, enriched white pasta is a good source of folic acid, and

opting for a whole-wheat variety is an easy way to work more fiber into

your diet (which virtually all of us need to do).

Sasson's other pasta tip: Cook it until it's al dente. " If [cooked

pasta] is firmer, it may not get absorbed by the body as quickly as

[when] it's mushy, " she says. And that helps you stay full

longer.

Coffee

why the bad rap? There's no getting around the fact that coffee's

best-loved ingredient, caffeine, is a drug. And coffee pals like sweet

syrups and full-fat milks are diet disasters: A 16-ounce whole-milk

caramel mocha has 470 calories and 21 grams of fat, 12 of those

saturated. That's not a pick-me-up, it's dessert.

Reasons to reconsider: Your workout might actually benefit from a

cuppa joe: Studies show that caffeine, which stimulates the central

nervous system, improves reaction time because it enhances alertness and

hand-eye coordination, Applegate explains. Even better, it improves

endurance during exercise by promoting fat burning, so your carb fuel

stores don't run out as quickly. To get the boost, Applegate recommends

consuming 150-200 milligrams of caffeine about 45 minutes before a

workout (an 8-ounce cup of coffee has 100-150 milligrams).

Headache sufferers, on the other hand, have a love-hate relationship with

coffee. Cut back on caffeine and you can end up with withdrawal

headaches--but the drug also can boost the effectiveness of headache

remedies by as much as 40 percent. More possible good news: A Harvard

School of Public Health study found that drinking more than six cups of

coffee daily lowers type 2 diabetes risk by nearly 30 percent in women.

But high doses of caffeine are associated with anxiety and tenseness and

may accelerate bone loss in women, cautions Dalton.

Eggs

why the bad rap? Cholesterol is what originally did the egg in. But

hanging out with its bad-to-the-bone friends, bacon and butter-soaked

toast, hasn't helped. When's the last time that meal left you feeling

like going for a run?

Reasons to reconsider " Eggs are an economical source of

protein, " Dalton says. A large egg has just 75 calories, along with

6 grams of protein. Of its 5 fat grams, little is the saturated kind, and

eggs also contain a wide variety of nutrients, including vitamins A,

[b.sub.6], [b.sub.12], E and, in the yolks, vitamin K, folate, iron and

choline, a nutrient your body needs to prevent fat deposits in the liver

and move fats into cells. An added bonus: Some farms feed their chickens

heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which end up in the eggs.

As for the cholesterol in eggs, " the liver pumps out cholesterol

regardless of the amount consumed, so the amount that comes in through

food doesn't matter as much, " Dalton says. " The type of fat

[you eat] is most important. " Because eggs are low in arteryclogging

saturated fat, they won't send your LDL (or " bad " cholesterol)

level skyrocketing. That said, Dalton suggests following the recommended

daily limit for cholesterol of 300 milligrams (one egg has 213

milligrams).

Nuts

why the bad rap? Chalk this one up to the fat-phobic '80s and '90s.

Nuts are calorie-dense and full of fat.

reasons to reconsider " Nuts are back, " Dalton says, " and

most of the fat [found in them] is a really good [heart-healthy]

kind--mono-or polyunsaturated. " Work them into a lowfat diet and

some, like almonds, can even help lower cholesterol levels, Hattner

explains. One study found that a daily ounce of almonds--about 24

nuts--lowered LDL cholesterol about 4 percent; two handfuls lowered it 9

percent.

One of the things that made us crack down on nuts--their high fat

content--is also one of this food's great strengths: The fat in nuts is

ultrasatisfying because it pumps up flavor and helps you feel fuller

longer, quelling the urge to overeat. Studies show that people down fewer

calories at a meal after eating nuts. But not all are created equal. Two

to try: almonds, which have 160 calories per ounce and supply magnesium,

copper and vitamin E; and omega-3-rich walnuts, which have 190 calories

per ounce, as well as copper and manganese. You can find a complete list

of the calories and nutrients in nuts at nuthealth.org/nutrition/nutrient

1 oz.html.

Because nuts are so calorie-dense, they should be dietary replacements,

not additions. So if you're sprinkling almonds on a salad, hold the

cheese. To boost the flavor of raw nuts, toast them at home in a hot, dry

pan for a few minutes, moving them quickly to avoid burning.

Bibliography for " The truth about 'BAD' foods: avoiding

pasta and potatoes? Don't. Here's why you should take these and other

foods off the nutritional blacklist -

Nutrition " Jenna Schnuer

"

The truth about 'BAD' foods: avoiding pasta and potatoes? Don't. Here's

why you should take these and other foods off the nutritional blacklist -

Nutrition " . Shape. April 2004. FindArticles.com. 24 Feb. 2008.

 

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