Eating healthy can be really hard.
It gets even harder when you find so much conflicting information about what’s good for you and what you should avoid.
You might think you know all there is to know about nutrition, but these people are here to tell you that these so-called “unhealthy” foods are healthier than you think.
Here’s what folks on AskReddit had to say.
1. MSG.
“MSG. It’s fine in moderation similar to salt.
I enjoy watching people clutch their pearls when I say I add MSG to some things, like I put a drop of poison on my food. It’s in tons of stuff besides Chinese food, including foods where it occurs naturally without being added.
Crazy how some dumb racism and a vaguely chemical name turned so many people against a great ingredient.”
2. An old staple.
“Potatoes.
Most folks love to fry their potatoes or otherwise eat them with large amounts of things like butter, cheese, bacon, & sour cream.
While still not the most nutritious veggie in terms of vitamins & minerals, a simple plain baked potato is under 200 calories and is fantastic for helping big eaters feel fuller with smaller meals.”
3. Eat up!
“Popcorn by itself- it’s just low calorie carbs and air.
You can use seasonings other than salt to add flavor. Chilli powder and lime juice are pretty awesome.”
4. Frozen veggies.
“Dietetics and nutrition student/intern here.
And my pick is frozen vegetables. There are many people who say fresh produce is the way to go, but many times they are picked before they are ripe to be shipped to the grocery store.
Frozen vegetables, on the other hand, are picked at peak ripeness so they tend to have higher concentrations of antioxidants and other micronutrients (other than those that are destroyed by heat when thawed) that would be found in less amounts in fresh produce. So if you can’t get your produce locally, frozen vegetables are a great option and they last a long time!
Always check labels for added ingredients but most of the time it’s just the vegetable!”
5. Thoughts?
“Everyone gives white rice a bad rap, saying it’ll make you fat.
And then you look at Japan, the country with the lowest obesity rate among industrialized countries, where they eat, on average, 82 kg (180 pounds) of white rice per person per year and think MAYBE it’s not the white rice that’s making people fat…”
6. EGGS.
“Eggs.
They are high in nutrients and protein. Many people are convinced they are bad for you because they contain quite a bit of cholesterol, but they raise HDL, the good type of cholesterol.
The bad cholesterol, LDL, is found in butter (and other foods.) Not all types of cholesterol are bad and some people don’t know that.”
7. Run for the border!
“Taco Bell!
It is actually one of the healthiest fast food chains around. they have recently reduced all sodium in food by 15% (aiming for 25% in the future)
i’ve always grown up hearing people talk about how Taco Bell gives them the shits but honestly after 10+ years of eating their food i’ve never experienced it.”
8. Low fat wars.
“Full Fat Milk
Got crucified in the “low fat wars” (which were based on ignorance anyway)
Also butter vs margarine. Butter is WAY better”
9. Fatty.
“Fat.
Most fats are good for you and the sugar industry put out a massive campaign of misinformation against fat to make it the dietary bad guy instead of sugar.”
10. Burger time!
“A homemade hamburger with fibre-rich bread, vegetables, good quality meat, and actual cheese is a pretty good meal.
It’s just because of these huge low-quality piles of pure unhealthiness sold by low paid workers at dirty McDonalds it’s considered junk food.”
11. Big fan of this!
“Shawarma.
People this, that shawarma is unhealthy, but real it’s one of healthiest fast food (fastfood). In shawarma are many vegetables and some meat (if you want meat). It is more healthy than hot dogs or hamburgers or French fries.”
12. Give it a shot.
“Beans on toast.
I ate this 5-6 times a week for a decade in my 20s and was constantly criticised that it was unhealthy. Bread and pulses is a fully rounded meal with everything you need to survive. I also ate cereal and fruit regularly and was in the best shape of my life, but people went mad that I had baked beans on multigrain toast and the occasional ramen noodle. Ridiculous.
I still enjoy beans once a week. I toast 4 slices of seeded bread and butter them and cut them diagonally. Take a tin of beans and add 2 cloves of garlic and a few chillis (to taste) chopped in with kitchen scissors and heat until almost boiling. Serve in a bowl in the centre of the toast triangles and eat like tortilla dip watching your favourite TV. Food of the Gods.”
13. My goodness! My Guinness!
“Guinness, less calories per pint than orange juice , can help lower ldl cholesterol and contains phytoestrogens which are good for bone density, contains some dietary fibre which is something most beers don’t have.”
14. Love this stuff!
“Basmati rice.
For a white rice it has a glycemic index of 50-58 (for whole grain rice). For comparison, brown rice has glycemic index of 68.”
15. The good stuff!
“Coffee.
It’s generally what (and how much) you put in it that makes it unhealthy.”
16. In moderation.
“Chocolate
Studies show that eating one square of dark chocolate a day can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of stroke and heart by as much as 40 percent. Chocolate reduces LDL (or known as “bad” cholesterol) and promotes flexibility in arteries and veins.
This is because dark chocolates contains heart protective antioxidants called flavonoids which like other antioxidants, do their work in the body by corralling cell-damaging free radicals and metallic ions.
Normal chocolate and milk chocolate is also quite healthy but due to the amount of sugar inside of them they are also not quite healthy. So, in conclusion, you can eat chocolate, but not a lot because it is unhealthy if consumed in large amounts.”
Interesting!
Now we want to hear from you!
In the comments, tell us what foods that are considered unhealthy are actually a lot healthier than people think.
Thanks!
