What Are Some “Toxic” Foods That Aren’t Toxic at All?
How often have you heard of a person cutting out a food or group
of foods because they read something on Facebook or saw an ad on the
internet? I actually saw a headline that
read “The Reason You Should Never Eat Bananas”. So untrue.
Luckily, the Doctor
who posted this article dispelled this myth and admitted to eating 2 bananas a
day. I eat a banana every day – as bananas are so good for one’s health. Yet, so many people are confused about such
claims. Some articles on Facebook or the
internet tell you to ban a healthy food like bananas, or even ban an entire food
group. Some dietitians in Vancouver
wrote a great article, “7
‘Toxic” Foods That Aren’t Actually Toxic” that helps explain some of these
myths about foods that some people have labelled “toxic” to your health. What is the nutritional truth about these
foods?
a.
Facts – yes, there are some people who have a
real reason to avoid gluten in foods.
These people have celiac disease or may have a true allergy to
wheat.
b.
Fiction:
going gluten free if you don’t have celiac disease or you haven’t been
diagnosed by a physician with a wheat allergy or other health condition, is not
healthy. Wheat products like whole grain
bread, whole grain cereal (shredded wheat, Wheat Chex) are super healthy and
add many vitamins and minerals to our day as well as fiber. The Vancouver dietitians note: “gluten-free
products (such as gluten-free bread) often have extra sugar, fat, and salt
added to them to make them more palatable.”
c.
What if you “feel better” after giving up
gluten? You may indeed have an allergy
or be sensitive to wheat, but to be sure go to an allergist and be tested. Or, you may have celiac disease or another
health condition. But rule out these
conditions before you start to self-diagnose and go on a gluten-free diet.
a.
Fiction:
some people have cut out dairy in their diets as they think dairy foods
lead to inflammation. Or, some think
they are lactose-intolerant and just give up milk and all dairy foods. (Lactose is the natural sugar in milk that
some people do indeed have trouble digesting.)
Rather than causing inflammation, dairy foods such as yogurt have been
shown to be anti-inflammatory.
b.
Fact:
Dairy products like real milk, cheese, yogurt provide important vitamins
and minerals to our day. MyPlate has the
dairy food group as an important part of every meal. If you don’t include a dairy serving at every
meal or in your day, then your diet could be low in important nutrients like
calcium and vitamin D. Milk and dairy
also provide an excellent source of protein.
c. What if drinking milk does cause digestive
problems? Digestive problems are probably
due to the lactose in milk. However, there
are many ways to cut back on lactose,
but not totally cut out dairy foods. If
you do, you may be cutting important nutrients like calcium and vitamin D out
of your diet. (Read more about recommendations
for those with lactose intolerance at: lactose
intolerance.)
- Hard Cheeses – many hard cheeses are low in lactose and less likely to cause digestive problems (see lactose content of some cheeses.) Try some Mozzarella, Cheddar, Parmesan, Swiss, Brie or Blue cheese.
- Yogurt – Many people bothered by milk can eat yogurt. Why? The bacterial cultures in yogurt help digest the lactose. And since yogurt is a semi-solid it is digested a little slower than liquid milk.
- Chocolate milk – my daughter who has been bothered by regular white milk has found she can drink a full glass of chocolate milk and it doesn’t seem to bother her stomach. For some reason yet unknown, it does seem that chocolate milk is better tolerated than plain, white milk.
- Milk and Milk alternatives: There is a lactose-free milk that some people drink in place of regular real milk. Or, try small amounts of milk at a time such as small amounts of milk on cereal or in coffee.
a.
Fiction: limit
eggs because eggs cause heart disease.
This is old news and the latest research
no longer supports this.
b.
Fact:
Rather than cutting out eggs, to reduce heart disease risk we should
focus on cutting back on saturated fat and trans fats in our diet. Eggs are loaded with good nutrition including
a high-quality protein, iron, Vitamin D and Vitamin A and eggs are low in
calories. So, enjoy your scrambled eggs,
frittatas, and
hard-boiled eggs once again.
So, before you cut a food or food group out of your diet, know
the facts. And get your information from
reliable sources and not from some ad or Facebook post from someone not trained
in health or nutrition. Next week we
will look at more myths about foods we commonly eat in our diets.
Sources: Doctor,
7
‘Toxic” Foods That Aren’t Actually Toxic, 3
dairy servings, yogurt, intolerance,
Cheeses,
some
cheeses, chocolate
milk, frittatas Images:
frittatas,
Chocolate
milk, Kraft
Parmesan Cheese
Cookie
+ Kate’s frittata recipe. (Kate
offers great instructions and suggestions for making the “perfect frittata”.) My younger daughter loves to make frittatas in muffin cups. My sister a;so makes frittatas
in muffin cups and freezes some for a quick breakfast.
12 eggs (use a whisk and blend egg yolks and
whites until just blended)
3 tablespoons full-fat dairy (whole milk, half-and-half or yogurt)
3 cups cooked and seasoned vegetables or other
add-ins
1 cup (4ounces) grated or crumbled cheese
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