Doesn’t it seem like every time you turn around, there’s yet another food trending on the diet scene? It’s almost as if there’s a political campaign held every year for the “in” diet food. Soy launches a smear campaign against cholesterol-laden beef, solidifying its place as the “healthiest” source of protein. Eggs have to reinvent themselves to overcome their bad press – so now it’s okay to eat egg whites, but not the whole egg?
It goes on…
We’re not getting enough fruit in our diets, so we need to drink more fruit juice. But we’re getting too much fat, so let’s choose fat-free salad dressing. These notions all represent a very isolated approach that doesn’t address the whole food.
So, let’s take a closer look at these “health” foods:
Soy – This food actually can be healthy, or it can be processed until it’s virtually unrecognizable as a food. Avoid hydrogenated soy, which is a big fat trans-fat. If you want healthy soy, buy organic, fermented products (like tempeh and miso). Or snack on organic edamame.
Egg whites – Yes, the yellow part of the egg is where most of the cholesterol comes from, but it’s also where most of the nutrients are found. Enjoy life, eat the whole egg! Don’t believe me? Ask your Dr…
Low-fat salad dressing – Fat isn’t the enemy. Fat actually helps to make you feel nourished, partly because it contains a lot of calories. Fat also allows your body to breakdown the nutrients from your food. Look at the sugar content in your salad dressing instead.
Here are more overrated health foods.
Margarine – Most margarine contains trans-fat, but even if it doesn’t, it’s unnatural.
Protein bars – These days, protein bars have morphed into something that more closely resembles a candy bar with added protein.
Fruit Juice – Packaged juice almost always has high fructose corn syrup or some other type of sugar. Even if you make juice at home, you’re stripping out all the great fiber. Eat the fruit, drink juice in limited quantities.
