Foods that don't deserve bad reputations, according to dietitians
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Eggs, potatoes, coffee: These kitchen staples, among others, have gained bad reputations, nutrition experts say, but don't necessarily deserve it. In fact, registered dietitians, doctors and nutrition professors are increasingly advising people to eat them.
Nutrition advice is ever changing, which can leave consumers uncertain about which foods are actually healthy. NBC News asked nine health experts about the foods they think have been wrongly villainized. Here are some of the items they listedand the benefits people may miss out on if they forgo them entirely.
Eggs are packed with protein
Eggs have been demonized for being high in dietary cholesterol, which health experts once believed could contribute to heart disease, said Dr. Maya Vadiveloo, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of Rhode Island.
But updated science has debunked that notion, showing that dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol affect heart health differently.
Eating foods high in saturated fat, such as red meat, fried foods and fatty dairy can increase the type of blood cholesterol that raises one's risk of heart problems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But consuming things with cholesterol, like eggs and shellfish, has little correlation to high cholesterol in the blood or a risk of heart disease.
Despite this shift, many people still view eggs poorly. Vadiveloo said that could also be because of other breakfast foods they're often paired with.
"When people think of eggs, they also think of bacon and home fries," she said — items that are high in salt and saturated fat. But on their own, eggs are nutritious, she added.
The American Heart Association says people can enjoy one or two eggs every day as a high-quality source of protein; each egg contains about 6 grams.
Eggs are also a source of vitamin D and choline, a nutrient that plays a role in metabolism, memory and muscle control.
Eggs even have a stamp of approval from the WeightWatchers program, which uses a point system to assign values to each type of food and drink based on its nutritional profile. Fruits, vegetables and lean meats are worth zero points, meaning followers of the diet don't need to measure their portions. Eggs have been on the "ZeroPoint" list since 2017.
Just don't fry your potatoes
It's no secret that how you cook and season food influences how healthy it is. Caroline Susie, a registered nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, said potatoes have been demonized because of the unhealthy ways they're prepared.
"Potatoes are just fantastic. What happens is, unfortunately, we tend to screw them up by not eating the skin or frying or mixing them with everything under the sun, like sour cream and butter and bacon," Susie said. Such toppings add saturated fat, which should be limited to 13 grams or less per day, according to the American Heart Association.
A 2021 study found that consuming higher quantities of french fries was associated with anincreased risk for chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure. But boiled, baked and mashed potatoes weren't linked to a higher risk of hypertension in that study and were only slightly associated with an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes.
Potato skins are high in fiber, which aids digestion. Potatoes also contain vitamin C and potassium, Susie added.
She advised roasting, baking, mashing or boiling potatoes and seasoning with olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs.
Frozen doesn't always mean less healthy
Seven nutrition experts bemoaned the common perception that frozen fruits and vegetables are less healthy than their fresh counterparts.
"Frozen vegetables and frozen foods are picked at their pinnacle of nutrient density and then flash-frozen. So in many cases, they retain higher nutrient content than their fresh counterparts," Vadiveloo said, "particularly when you live in a place that has more seasonal variation and availability."
Susie said that in addition to retaining their nutrients, frozen vegetables are sometimes cheaper than fresh ones and can help people prevent food waste.
"Sometimes when I buy fresh produce, it essentially just goes to, I joke, the veggie bin graveyard. It just goes there to die," she said. "But canned and frozen lasts longer."
A few cups of coffee are not cause for concern
Coffee's poor reputation comes from its caffeine, which is addictive and can cause jitters or anxiety for some people when overconsumed.
However, the Food and Drug Administration says people can drink up to four or five cups per day. Research shows coffee can contribute to a decreased risk of cancer, heart failure, Type 2 diabetes and even death.
Vadiveloo said she drinks three to five cups of coffee with milk every day. Studies suggest it can improve cognitive function, she said, so she believes coffee's benefits outweigh the potential drawbacks of caffeine consumption.
"That's a myth that I regularly debunk. Because a lot of people will say, 'Oh, I'm trying to reduce coffee or caffeine.' And the research just doesn't support that coffee, particularly if you're not adding a ton of added sugar or creamer and things like that, has any health risks within a reasonable consumption amount," Vadiveloo said.
Alicia Henson, the education specialist for the Master of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics program at the University of California, Berkeley, said the health value of coffee — much like potatoes — depends on what's added.
"If you're going to Starbucks and you're drinking frappuccinos or you're drinking coffee that has a ton of added sugar and cream to it, then that's not necessarily a healthy addition," Henson said.
The type of carbohydrate makes all the difference
Experts said carbohydrates as a whole are often assumed to be unhealthy, in part because of the popularity of low-carb and ketogenic diets. But it's incorrect to think that all carbs are the same.
"It has to do with the quality of the carbohydrates — so refined versus whole grains," said Dr. Linda Shiue, an internist and the director of culinary and lifestyle medication at Kaiser Permanente.
Refined grains, such as those used to make processed food like white bread, crackers and pastries, lack the fiber and nutrients that make whole grains healthy, Shiue said. That includes iron and B vitamins. But quinoa, farro and brown rice, for instance, offer protein, magnesium, iron and fiber, which keeps you feeling full.
Dr. Melina Jampolis, a physician nutrition specialist with a private practice in Los Angeles,said she often recommends one particular whole grain to patients as a snack, much to their surprise: popcorn.
Many people associate popcorn with the movie theater version, which is full of salt, butter and sometimes sugar — and often sold alongside a large soda. But when you prepare popcorn at home with just olive oil and spices, Jampolis said, the snack is fibrous and can be part of a balanced diet. Research also shows popcorn contains phenolic acids, a type of antioxidant.
Jampolis added that people shouldn't fixate on avoiding any one food; instead, it's best to cultivate a healthy eating pattern that prioritizes whole foods over ultraprocessed items with added sugar.
"That's what the real experts do," she said. "We don't look at single foods necessarily in isolation."
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Great, because I like my espresso with unsweetened almond milk.
until I get 2 cups of coffee in me, I have the mental capacity of a ... well, you know ...
I've had espresso once in the last 40 years and got the shakes, so I won't do that ever again.
Those shakes do an awesome job of loosening everything up though. Especially in the bowel vicinity.....
Morning..see if you ate Vegemite that would never happen..😁
until I get 2 cups of coffee in me, I have the mental capacity of a ... well, you know ...
I've had espresso once in the last 40 years and got the shakes, so I won't do that ever again
I've known people who have very different reactions to coffee. One guy could drink two cups or so before bedtime and sleep like a baby-- but I've also known people who can have one cup in the afternoon and it keeps them awake at night!
Tried it once in New Zealand and found it was a acquired taste that I just did not care for. This was despite my Kiwi friends telling me how much I would like it.😏
... er, ... no thank you.
... bran muffin and a large cup. then get out of my way...
sorry, I have a personal rule about not eating anything that looks like it's already been eaten once ...
Same here...............
I'm hooked on iced mochas now, mostly the mocha though.
The first time I saw someone eat oysters on the half shell, I almost barfed.
I'm allergic to clams so I can't eat them anymore, one of the few seafood items I liked.
I don't care for the taste of oysters. I like crabs but they're a pain in the ass to pick.
I don't care for most seafood, salmon included, which is too bad because seafood is so healthy.
I'm eating a lot more fish now, since red meat is loaded with chemicals...
I have my two slices of toast and vegemite every morning !!!
crickey, not another one ...
lucky for the rest of us that sandbar has a moat around it...
I have had Expresso only a few times in my life. As I am mildly hypertensive, those few times drove my blood pressure to much higher levels than normal and had me bouncing off walls. My daughter likes a coffee called Death wish Coffee. It is reputed to be the strongest coffee in the market. She laughs because I won't touch the stuff!
Strange how different individuals are. I have no problem with caffeine. I would have to drink a crazy amount of coffee to get ill effects and even then I would be "coffee'd out" (sick of coffee for the day) before the caffeine got to me.
Same here. I drink 3 cups every morning and there are times when I have Coca-Cola during the day and at night I sleep like a baby.
Kopi luwak is traditional Indonesian coffee, very expensive because of the unusual production. Very ripe coffee beans are feed to civet cats. The bean processing continued after the bans are excreted whole by the mammal. I shit you not!
Morning...yes heard about that coffee...and it costs mega $$$...
I will just stick to my daily cappuccino either from the cafe or packet..
Spent the first 20 years of my adult life drinking Navy coffee that was thick and hyper strong, especially at sea. Did not get diagnosed as hypertensive until after I retired. I take medications for it and still drink coffee. I drink one or two cups of the leaded coffee in the morning and decaf later in the day. My blood pressure stays normal.
In my early Army days, in the field, if the was time in the morning, we had sock coffee. You take on standard GI wool sock, fill it with ground coffee, heat a big pot a water to near boiling, tie the sock with a cord long enough to lay out of the pot and periodically stir.
Nothing like a hot cup of joe to start the day.
Sounds a lot like the way Argan oil is produced in Marocco (but they use tree climbing goats).
Yes, very much the same, except the oil is for your outside (skin, hair) while the coffee is for your inside.
Correct!
I've heard of things like this - once they come out the other end - how is that processed???????
supposedly the beans passing thru the elephant digestive system leaches out a chemical, formaldehyde I think...
pick, rinse, roast...
I don't know how anyone could dress up a resume` with a job of picking coffee beans out of elephant shit though...
"Collaborated with a diverse team to produce new culinary products in high demand."
quality control technician.
shitting and receiving...
crap. that pun was pure gold, and nothing ...
Good news, though I already knew most of it already. I love eggs, and eat 2 or 3 of them a day, and I make potato salad with potatoes, eggs and some tomato but have to admit I also use mayonnaise with it. As for coffee, a mug (equivalent of 2 cups) at breakfast every day. So I'm good with this seed's news.
I also have eggs and potatoes most every day, but I'm not a coffee drinker, but the good news is I make up for it with making popcorn every few days.
I love popcorn, but it has to have butter and salt.
Mayo is just more eggs and some oil, maybe some vinegar. If worried it is the easiest thing in the world to make yourself.
You have no idea how good you just made me feel. I use mayo for egg salad sandwiches. tunafish sandwiches, mashed potatoes as well as my potato and egg salad, and I was always concerned about the health aspects of using it. And what you just did is establish the saying "The truth will make you free." LOL
I remember seeing this mini blender kind of thing where you could make your own mayo. You put the egg and the other ingredients in it, and blend, and presto!
I like all that you mentioned above, but I use Miracle Whip salad dressing instead of mayonnaise.
Back in Canada I used Miracle Whip myself, but they don't sell it here, and I'm happy with the sugar-free mayo I can get.
I never met a potato I didn't like. I do generally leave the skin on when I cook potatoes, and the skin is my favorite part. I don't eat as many as I did growing up.
And I take my coffee black, no sugar.
a splash of sugar free french vanilla for me...
I grew up on potatos. We ate them with everything
a recovering catholic that ate potatoes everyday...
wtf? you know that I like to make fun of micks too, right?
Same. They were a staple.
Morning..baked spuds can't beat them..
When we were kids and had bonfire nights (Guy Fawkes Nov 5th) now banned we would just throw the spuds into the fire..
When completely charcoaled pull them out, cut them open put some butter on and eat out the flesh..
These days they wrap them in aluminium foil and put on a BBQ..no where near the fun..
For me, a salad and a loaded baked potato are a meal.
I assume your bonfire nights are banned due to wildfires?
why does it always smell like fried rabbit this time of year?
Wasn't Guy Fawkes Night and bonfires banned in the 70's in parts of Australia due to the sharp increase of fireworks accidents among children?
Reminds me of my old scout camps !!!
That's the best for potatoes - that's where all the nutrients are.
we used to have a restaurant here that had potato skins on the menu. they also had a $40 pbj sandwich...
... the concept never got off the ground. it's a mexican restaurant now.
I'm glad coffee is ok, or I'd probably be long gone.
I only wish fresh bread was on the list.
I prefer homemade buttermilk biscuits and gravy. And they are always on my list.
For me it's fresh French bread (good for one day)
Fresh Scali bread (I only hold for 3 days)
Wheat bread for bacon & egg breakfast only.
Morning..wheat bread?? Errr what does that look like? Or is it what we call wholemeal bread?
Might have to try that if I can get it with my egg and bacon sanga..🦘
it's beige. yeah, whole wheat.
boring americans like the beige color...
especially in subdivisions...
three of my favorites
Everything in moderation
Morning Robert..my thoughts exactly..but when it comes to Vegemite there are no limits..🦘🦘
The only limit I have with vegemite was the one time I tried it and that was my limit!
Yup-- everything!
Cyanide,. Arsenic, Glycophosate ..
Use more Roundup ("in moderation")...
And there's false notion that Cigarette smoking is bad for you-- a reputation that "surely isn't deserved".
(As long as it done "in moderation"). After all-- who are we to think we can question the advice of doctors?
In fact, there are definitely benefits to cigarette smoking-- as many doctors could've told you:
... if they weren't already in a box underground.
I regularly cook breakfast on Saturdays & Sundays - eggs, bacon (sometimes sausage) and hashbrowns.
Morning evil...I do the same I cook up an egg and bacon sanga (sandwich)..put tomato sauce on the white bread throw on the bacon and egg and scoff off..
Must be doing something alright as my oncologist said just keep doing whatever it is you are doing.. that's good enough for me..🦘
Great to hear, keep up the good fight.
Morning Drinker..they say if you basically eat what your grandparents ate, you can't go to far wrong. Then everything was natural, chemical free and home grown..
I eat basically that, plain basic food that is unadulterated as much as possible.. they are wondering why there is a massive increase in cancers for people under the age of 40..I feel the crap food they eat has a lot to do with it...
Hope you are going well too..
I’m doing well, thanks for asking, Shona. I had my 70th birthday two weeks ago, I thought my daughter was getting to extravagant with the her planned celebration, especially when I going to work the next day. I told her that at my age, there doesn’t need to be much celebration. She immediately said stop, just stop, a couple of years ago Mom and I didn’t even think that you would see this birthday, Finally your well enough to celebrate and damn it that’s what we are going to do.
I’m proud to have such a smart daughter.
Good on her for doing it..hope you had a great day and happy birthday for then..
No we don't know what is around the corner so celebrate and make the most of each day..
Any day walking above ground is a bonus rather than being below it..
I am going to a funeral today for a work friend..she fought leukaemia for 30 years. I think she would still be here if she hadn't lost her son 6 years ago in a car accident...it totally shattered the family and has been down hill ever since then...
I will miss her..🌺
so very sad, my condolences.
I regularly cook breakfast on Saturdays & Sundays - eggs, bacon (sometimes sausage) and hashbrowns.
Same here. Weekends are for cooked breakfast, weekdays are smoothies. For the last ten years I’ve been making a smoothie every weekday morning from scratch that has 19 ingredients and no added sugars. Put it in an insulated cup and drink it all day. It’s weird the habits we develop.
add biscuits and gravy and I could eat that weekend breakfast every day...
I've lost 80 lbs. before, I could probably do it again...
I love breakfast any time of day - a friend and I used to get together - and make up scrambled eggs and scrapple and biscuits - for dinner. It's so yummy when the biscuits are still warm to slap a little raspberry jam on them. Yum.
That also has a "bad reputation that surely isn't deserved"-- in fact all red meat is healthy as its a good source of protein!!!
(Just make sure you use enough salt . . .
Some good news
Interesting this was on NT today.
This video talks about the toxic food industry that has switched our diets from real food to man-made chemicals posing as food.
I call this out-- its "FAKE NEWS"!!!
These manmade chemicals all have a bad reputation that's surely not deserved!
They are all harmless-- as long as they are " used in moderation" !!!
I am so over these people telling us what to eat (a lot of). Because "periodically" they keep saying (or some one else does) something different about the same things. It causes an issue: Lack of credibility.
Morning CB...just do your own thing and enjoy what you like and be happy with that..
Coffee time for me..🐨
I love coffee! I am a one cup a day kind of guy. But, I have taken to consistently adding Nestle chocolate (no sugar added) to 'power up.' Don't know how it is working (or harming me) just yet, nevertheless.
I like a cappuccino every morning.. having one now..left over from working days at Alcoa..a work habit that I have continued on and enjoy..
Tried to look that up: "Moccona Sweet Cappucino" got to a "Moccona" coffee website, but saw nothing that came in a bar or pouch. I wanted to read the back panel.
I just went and fished the box out of the rubbish bin for you..I wouldn't do this for everyone..you are very privileged..😊
LOL! Thank you, Shona! And to think that little ole me has 'pull' in Australia! I'm a 'big deal'!
At 7 grams (that I can make out) of sugar and 9 'carbs' it is definitely sweet and will like raise a diabetic's blood sugar. But hey! It's a morning 'brew' or can be and one has all day to work it out by bed-time!
Sweet Cappuccino. . .the name says it all! Yummies!
I may have to try and find it (or some other version of cappuccino) as I usually just drink "Black silk" (no pun intended), Columbian, or Arabica coffees.
Can get quite a few varieties including skim, strong, caramel (pass)..etc..
I just had a squizz and it's not available in the States..I thought Moccona was a world wide brand but apparently not..
I am not an expert-- been I've been fascinated by nutrition-- have studied it for years.
This discussion is mainly about foods with a bad reputation that (supposedly) aren't harmful.
But there's a related topic-- foods with a bad reputation that are actually "superfoods"-- foods that are health-producing!
Interestingly, on superfood is Cacao-- a natural plant that has a chocolate flavour. Its one of the best things to eat for your health! (Chocolate bars have added sugar-- so I eat Cacao nibs instead-- still get the chocolate flavour plus the health benefits).
Another is coffee! Because of the Caffeine, in the past many people considered it harmful. Individual reactions to caffeine vary tremendously-- but for people who know the amount they can drink that doesn't bother them, its actually a "Superfood"!
the south american side of my family adds a spoon of instant hot chocolate mix to their coffee. their coffee that will already strip paint off metal...
... stain your teeth the color of barbecue beans in a week.
You don’t trust the scientific elites to know what is best for you?
I don't do questions from MAGAs generally. (We've had this sharing before. Answering some MAGAs questions (and choosing not to answer some other MAGAs' questions caused a full-on disruption of this site! And, that being so is too tasking for the site! It has lead to chaos and I don't want to be a part of 'organized' chaos on NT.
Make a statement and I will see if I have anything to share once you do so!
Your assumption that I’m a MAGA is your bias running away with you.
Actually it is reading your comments where you copy MAGAs' bull that hints of a racial stereotype that Blacks can't "speak" or write comprehensively enough ("Ebonics"). Yes, I went there because you do it quite often (even been doing it today on another and other thread/s.)
Whereas, I read your comment/s with some errors or minimal omissions and I interpret it/them for myself to glean your point and never go on, on, and on about it. That is, I am not petty about it.
Many of us are in here 'overlong' and accordingly we will get tired and words will drop out of sentences, letters will be missed, edits will 'misfire,' and even some sections of comments can be 'distorted' - hell, even 'tortured' - but, and I repeat, MAGAs go for the insults and condescension and you will 'pile on' or go solo in doing so too.
Therefore, I have made a determination that I ought to simply not ask questions of MAGAs and their "supplementers" and they not ask questions of me so we can move forward without such foolishness and maybe accomplish something useful with the time and space NT allots us.
Make a statement and I will see if I have anything to share once you do so!
Now, I am going back to the subject matter.
Do you have any examples like today’s threads that you mentioned or is it your imagination?
Are you blind to the many insults from the left?
Why did you leave? When were you last there?
stalking and taunting...
WELL, if you just aren't a full=blown Bidenista, that MUST mean you are MAGA.
It is truly some remarkable "thinking" that allows people to be so narrow-minded and feel they must pigeon-hole people into boxes they feel comfortable labeling others as.
you aren't fooling anyone.
How comical, how can on feel stalked on a news, political forum discussion site? Folks here make a general comment or a reply to someone else's previous comment - an online discussion. Hard to understand how you can feel that I approach in a stealthy manner.
Please provide examples of what you found to be taunting.
Since I wrote nothing with any intent to 'fool' anyone, that is great news!
Thanks for the confirmation!
Besides, some folks are simply too busy fooling themselves for me to worry about it.
Don't do it...its a trap!
according to my doctor, everything I like to eat is bad for me. lucky for me he retired last year, except now I have to break in a new one in june.
Morning Devangy..so long as you keep your sense of humour you'll be right...
We all have to cark it from something.. so may as well enjoy what you like..
damn straight. where's the quality of life in having to do or eat stuff you can't stand?
we weren't supposed to live this long, so everything past age 30 is gravy...
you really help me with that...
Morning Devangy... anytime..
Not my photo..I am not that stupid to get that close to an emu...
there's a face only a mother could love...
I actually think it's kinda cute. In an ugly sort of way.
... kind of reminds you of your prom date?
Nah, my prom dates were both good-looking guys. Two dates at two proms, to clarify. Not two dates and one prom. That wouldn't have been cool.
... uh huh, sure.
my friends and I were in the parking lot with a keg and an inventory of liquor and drugs and cleaned up. later on, some of the school's athletes had misplaced their dates. the next year the prom committee instituted a no re-entry policy once participants exited the prom.
We were a pretty tame bunch. I did hear something about spiked punch a few years before our class, but our punch was watched over by a faculty member from the time it came out of the kitchen until the bowl was empty, so nobody had the chance.
The most exciting thing to happen at our prom was the math teacher's wife (they were chaperoning) going into labor.
geez, I bet that altered the collective mood for some other traditional post prom activities.
some of my friends and I enjoyed a hands-off policy during my senior year, since the drama clique I hung with had journalism students that had successfully sued the school district on 1st amendment grounds when we published an alternative newspaper, and some of our advertisers were frowned upon.
sometimes you just got to have a chili cheese dog and onion rings...
... or a family sized portion of mac and cheese covered with bacon bits.
You can keep the chili cheese dog, but I'll fight you for some mac and cheese with bacon bits, and maybe some broccoli, so we can pretend we're eating healthy.
you just drink a V8 and there's no guilt...
Well that's good news!
(Now, finally-- you can eat whatever you want!
)
a very liberal dosage of tabasco on the eggs, potatoes, and bacon completely negates the unhealthy aspect of that breakfast.
a regularity kick start too...
damn, son number 2 is a great chef. last night was the first time I've ever had lamb that I didn't want to feed to the dog.
... under the dinner table when nobody was looking.
"you don't want to try the mint jelly?"
no thank you... (your dog won't eat it)
Morning...what you don't like roast lamb!!!
Ahhhh sacrilege...geez don't ever say that here or you will be croc bait in no time...
Can stick the mint sauce though just plain old gravy is the go...
every female in my family cooks meat almost to the point of cremation. all the lamb I've ever had before was overcooked.
Part of this thread was removed for off topic and personal comments.