Everywhere you look some nutritionist is telling what you should or shouldn’t be eating. You see all of these fad diets that recommend certain foods over other foods and the elimination of some foods. Determining whether to be gluten-free or follow the Paleo diet can completely overwhelm some. Plus, it doesn’t help when some foods that are forbidden on some diets are relished in others. The only way to figure out what the best foods for you are is to forget about the diets and get more informed about which foods are actually good for you. Here are few foods that many people think are unhealthy for them that really aren’t.
White Potatoes
We all know that French fries and loaded baked potatoes aren’t the healthiest foods, and because of this potatoes get a bad rep but if you don’t fry them or stuff them full of bacon, cheese and sour cream potatoes can be a great source of fiber and vitamins. Make them healthy by roasting instead of frying them or adding salsa, olive oil or garlic instead of bacon, cheese, and sour cream.
Peanut Butter
While it does contain 200 calories per service (two tablespoons) peanut butter is an amazing source of healthy fats. These fats help your body absorb vitamins better making it worth every calorie. All you have to do is pick the right kind of peanut butter. Don’t be tempted to purchase the spreads with reduced-fat even though it may seem like a better option. This is because in order to make it have less fat than other spreads good fats are squeezed out. The best peanut butter spreads are those made from nothing but nuts like peanuts, almonds, or cashews.
Hot Chocolate
Of course if you pack your hot chocolate full of milk and sytups it can be very unhealthy but if you make your own hot chocolate by using unsweetened cocoa powder and soy milk with just a little bit of additives like vanilla extract, sugar, honey or stevia you will have just as much flavor as traditional, unhealthy hot chocolates.
Pizza
Again, it’s all about what you have on your pizza. While eating a little pizza every now and then isn’t going to kill you keep the calories low by opting for thin crust. Load up on veggies while cutting back on cheese and you’ll have the perfect meal.
Cheese
One of the most avoided foods for those on a diet cheese has a bad rep as being the one food that can make all other foods unhealthy. Studies have shown that cheese can help lower your blood pressure, help manage your weight and blood sugar and even extend your life.
Just because some diets claim that a certain food is unhealthy doesn’t always mean that they aren’t. If you take the time to learn about different types of food you will be able to better determine what foods are healthy for you and which foods you should try to avoid.
