Bad Foods That Are Actually Good For You!

Ready to add to add your favorites back to your diet?

In this buzzing fitness climate of 2017, there’s a lot of information going around. Like this article for instance.

Swirling through your feed on any social network, given you’ve made it known to that social network what your interests are so they can filter that content for you AND given one of those interests are health related, are do’s and don’ts of dieting, weight loss “super foods”, ab workouts for “6 pack abs” and plenty other clickbait headlines meant to consume your time and attention.

I promise this isn’t one of those posts.

What it is, though, is a little clarity on a few foods that I have come to understand a bit differently as of late. Some I’ve known to be healthful but simply underestimated and others I’ve flat-out demonized for their blatant unhealthiness.

I am no nutritionist, sure, but I happen to have read the opinions of some actual nutritionists (and other experts) who have written about these foods online. So, along with my own analysis, I’ll provide some “expert opinion” for each food.

Let’s begin, shall we?

Bad Food Turned Good Food #1: White Potatoes

Imagine, for just a moment, a steaming baked potato. The skin now a crispy, dark brown. Down the middle of the potato there runs a slit that provides an opening to the golden, fluffy center. A thin layer of butter coats the inside of the potato. Stacked on top of one another are mounds of sour cream, melty cheese, bacon bits, and scallions to garnish.

Sound good? It should. It’s a giant pile of saturated fats and loads of calories, but not because of the potato itself. It’s what we did with the potato that killed it’s nutritional value.

But white potatoes by themselves are not all that bad. In fact, they have a lot going for them. For instance, they’re a source of potassium, fiber, vitamin C, calcium, iron, and magnesium. They’re also a source of a fat-burning carb known as “resistant starch”. Nutritionist Cynthia Sass explains,

“Like fiber, resistant starch fills you up but it doesn’t get digested and absorbed, and studies show it triggers your body to burn more fat.”

These benefits are often overlooked because white potatoes are associated with many refined carbs like french fries and potato chips, but don’t let that stop you from getting your fill of this rich source of carbohydrate. Just be sure to leave the skin on (most of the nutrients lie just below the skin) and be sure to bake or roast rather than boil them as the nutrients will leach into the boiling water. Watch your portions though, one large potato can contain up to 64g of carbs, 1/4 of some peoples daily allowance. Also, skip the aforementioned toppings in favor of something more healthful. I enjoy salsa on my baked potato.

Bad Food Turned Good Food #2: White Rice

For the same reasons as white potatoes, we associated white rice as a “bad carb”. Brown rice is usually seen as the healthier option because it is a whole grain rather than a refined grain like white rice. This creates the argument that many use in touting brown rice’s dominance over white rice as they cite white rice’s place on the Glycemic Index (ranked as HIGH), brown rice’s higher fiber content, and it’s higher protein content.

But as Michael Matthews over at MuscleForLife points out, these differences are minor when viewed in context.

Well, as brown rice is a whole grain, it does have more fiber than white rice…but not by much (1.8 grams per cup). Moreover, rice of any kind doesn’t make for nearly as good of a source of fiber as fruit and vegetables, which you should be eating plenty of anyway. For example, one cup of boiled broccoli contains just 55 calories and gives you about 5 grams of fiber and one measly apple contain about 90 calories and over 4 grams of fiber.

He goes on to point out the minor differences in vitamin and mineral content between white and brown rice and how anti-nutrients in brown rice is actually negating some of its benefits. He also destroys the misguided notion that brown rice is better for your blood sugar by pointing out that both white and brown rice fall into similar categories on the glycemic index.

The overall takeaway here is that the nutrient difference between brown and white rice is negligible, the difference in glycemic index is minor, and neither should be considered a viable option in terms of foods rich in fiber — that’s where fruits and veggies reign supreme.

So go ahead, have your white rice — or brown rice — it doesn’t really matter. Eat what you like!

Bad Food Turned Good Food #3: Peanut Butter

One look at the nutrition label on a jar of peanut butter and we instantly think “DANGER! FATTY FOOD ALERT!”.

Sure, peanut butter is high and fat and just 2tbsp will net you about 200 calories. However, you really only need 1tbsp of the stuff to cover a slice of bread for a PB&J sandwich and most of the fats are HEALTHY fats that are important. It’s also low-carb, low-sodium, low-sugar, and high-protein which all lends itself to a leaner physique and helps satisfy a sweet tooth.

Peanut butter, can also be part of a healthy diet as a source of protein, fibre, vitamin B6 and magnesium. Evidence from recent research demonstrate peanut butter can increase weight loss if it is used to replace less healthy protein sources such as processed meats. — Chloe Farand

Bad Food Turned Good Food #4: Eggs

Eggs, more specifically egg yolks, have been unfairly deemed ‘bad’. Often villianized for their fat and cholesterol content, eggs are actually one mean, lean protein packed machine.

One egg packs 6g of protein for the cost of just 80 calories. It can do this because it is almost completely devoid of any carbs. A majority of the fat in eggs comes from those health, unsaturated fats and, in addition, eggs contain their fair share of omega-3 fatty acids that most of us don’t get enough of.

If you’re still hung up on their high cholesterol content, 1 large eggs packs 213mg of cholesterol, don’t be. A food’s cholesterol content isn’t the only factor in your blood cholesterol levels, says WebMD.

When scientists learned that high blood cholesterol was associated with heart disease, foods high in cholesterol logically became suspect. But after 25 years of study, it has become evident that cholesterol in food is not the culprit — saturated fat has a much bigger effect on blood cholesterol. Full-fat dairy products and fatty meats are examples of foods that are loaded with saturated fat and which trigger the body to produce cholesterol.

The bottom line here is that eggs should be a staple in your diet, not banned from it. There are even more benefits to derive from eggs, which you can read on WebMD — here.

Bad Food Turned Good Food #5: Chocolate Milk

Milk is generally thought as being a healthful food. One serving of milk, under the FDA’s new serving sizes, milk contains 12g of protein. That’s double the amount of one egg!

But when we think chocolate milk, we think chocolate syrup. And while, yes, chocolate syrup shouldn’t be a staple of your diet, it can add some extra carbohydrates and calories that we need to replenish and refuel after an intense workout. It also supplies a boatload of electrolytes that not even Gatorade is packing.

…while the sodium levels are in the same realm as chocolate milk’s, Gatorade severely lacks another key electrolyte — potassium, by a whopping 395mg. Gatorade also fails to supply the same amount of carbs per serving as chocolate milk does.

Combine that with the aforementioned 12g of protein and you have the ideal post-workout drink. Whether you’re doing cardio, heavy lfiting, or a mix of both, with it’s large supply of protein, carbs, calories, and electrolytes, chocolate milk has you covered.

Read more about how chocolate milk stacks up against white milk, Gatorade, and the difference between hommade and store bought in a previous article of mine, here:

Muscle Building Miracle: Here’s What You Need to Know About Chocolate Milk

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About The Author: I’m Zach Newman. I’m an ACE Certified Personal Trainer. Conversation is insanely important to me. Its why I love creating things because creation sparks discussion and discussion is the best way to learn from each other. Whether its about fitness and health, what books to read, or what’s going on in the world today, my goal is to build the best community around conversations that better the lives of everyone involved.

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