6 Controversial Foods: What to Avoid and What to Eat
From coffee to eggs and shrimp, get the latest facts on foods whose health reputations have flip-flopped throughout the years.
By Winnie Yu
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The Capstone/flickrRed Meat
A recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that red meat consumption raises your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Although red meat does contain saturated fat, it also provides protein, iron and vitamin B12.
Expert Recommendation: Limit red meat to portions that are about the size of a deck of cards, once or twice a week, says Taub-Dix. Choose leaner, less marbleized cuts like top sirloin or go with grass-fed beef, which has healthy omega-3s and less saturated fat.
Nutsinbulk/flickrShould I Eat This?
One minute, your favorite food is good for you. The next, it’s practically toxic.
"What’s good today isn’t good tomorrow," says Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, a nutritionist in New York City and author of Read It Before You Eat It. "But if you have small portions and variety, you almost can’t lose."
Get the latest health scoop on these six controversial foods — and whether they still belong on your plate.
sciondriver/flickrEggs
A recent study from Case Western University claimed eating eggs is as bad for you as smoking cigarettes, saying people who ate more eggs had more plaque in their arteries. Eggs also have a notorious reputation for causing high cholesterol that leads to heart attacks and stroke.
In reality, Taub-Dix says, eggs are a quality source of protein that’s low in saturated fat, the real villain behind high cholesterol. Eggs are also rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, nutrients essential to eye health, she adds.
Expert Recommendation: Eat one egg three times a week.
Julius SchorzmanCoffee
A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that coffee drinkers were less likely to die of heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke and diabetes. Other studies have linked coffee to a lower risk for diabetes and endometrial cancer. It also may lessen the impact of tremors from Parkinson’s disease.
But it can also increase your blood pressure, cause insomnia and aggravate reflux and stomach pain.
Expert Recommendation: Know how you respond to caffeine and drink your java accordingly, says Sarah Krieger, MPH, RD, a spokesman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “More is not better with coffee,”she says.
ShutterstockRed Wine
Raise a glass to red wine, which has garnered respect as a heart-healthy beverage. “It is believed that reservatrol, a compound in the skins of red grapes, acts as an antioxidant and may have cardio-protective effects by increasing levels of HDL-cholesterol,” says Jennifer Dimitriou, RD, a bariatric surgery dietitian at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, N.Y.
That said, too much alcohol of any kind however, has been linked to certain cancers.
Expert Recommendation: Women should have no more than one 5-ounce glass a day (about 1/5 of a bottle), while men should have no more than two. Medical experts associated with the Mayo Clinic advise people at high risk for developing cancer to limit their consumption to fewer than one drink per day or to abstain altogether.
Nutsinbulk/flickrNuts
Nuts have a bad rep as being high in fat, but they contain healthy monounsaturated fats that are good for your heart. They also may not be as fattening as we thought.
A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that the calories in an ounce of almonds may be only 130 calories, not 170 calories, if you measure the amount your body metabolizes.
Expert Recommendation: Eat one ounce a day, or 20 to 25 almonds. “Swap them for other foods in the diet that contain fats that are less healthy,” Taub-Dix says. For instance, instead of heaping rich salad dressings on your salad, try sprinkling it with almonds instead.
Legoktm/Wikimedia CommonsShrimp
Because they contain relatively high amounts of cholesterol, shrimp were thought to be bad for your heart. But the full nutritional profile reveals that shrimp are low in saturated fat, which is the real culprit behind elevated LDL, or "bad" cholesterol. "Shrimp do contain a bit of cholesterol, but it’s the saturated fat in food that raises our LDL, not the cholesterol found in foods,” Krieger says.
Expert Recommendation: Enjoy up to three ounces a day, or about 6 or 7 medium-sized shrimp. Just make sure they’re steamed, baked or broiled. Avoid the fried variety, and you’ve got a low-calorie food that’s rich in lean protein.
The Capstone/flickrRed Meat
A recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that red meat consumption raises your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Although red meat does contain saturated fat, it also provides protein, iron and vitamin B12.
Expert Recommendation: Limit red meat to portions that are about the size of a deck of cards, once or twice a week, says Taub-Dix. Choose leaner, less marbleized cuts like top sirloin or go with grass-fed beef, which has healthy omega-3s and less saturated fat.
