6 Controversial Foods

6 Controversial Foods: What to Avoid and What to Eat

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Shrimp

Because they contain relatively high amounts of cholesterol, shrimp were thought to be bad for your heart. But the full nutritional profile reveals that shrimp are low in saturated fat, which is the real culprit behind elevated LDL, or "bad" cholesterol. "Shrimp do contain a bit of cholesterol, but it’s the saturated fat in food that raises our LDL, not the cholesterol found in foods,” Krieger says.

Expert Recommendation: Enjoy up to three ounces a day, or about 6 or 7 medium-sized shrimp. Just make sure they’re steamed, baked or broiled. Avoid the fried variety, and you’ve got a low-calorie food that’s rich in lean protein.

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Should I Eat This?

One minute, your favorite food is good for you. The next, it’s practically toxic.
"What’s good today isn’t good tomorrow," says Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, a nutritionist in New York City and author of Read It Before You Eat It. "But if you have small portions and variety, you almost can’t lose."

Get the latest health scoop on these six controversial foods — and whether they still belong on your plate.

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Eggs

A recent study from Case Western University claimed eating eggs is as bad for you as smoking cigarettes, saying people who ate more eggs had more plaque in their arteries. Eggs also have a notorious reputation for causing high cholesterol that leads to heart attacks and stroke.
In reality, Taub-Dix says, eggs are a quality source of protein that’s low in saturated fat, the real villain behind high cholesterol. Eggs are also rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, nutrients essential to eye health, she adds.

Expert Recommendation: Eat one egg three times a week.

 

Julius Schorzman

Coffee

A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that coffee drinkers were less likely to die of heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke and diabetes. Other studies have linked coffee to a lower risk for diabetes and endometrial cancer. It also may lessen the impact of tremors from Parkinson’s disease.
But it can also increase your blood pressure, cause insomnia and aggravate reflux and stomach pain.

Expert Recommendation: Know how you respond to caffeine and drink your java accordingly, says Sarah Krieger, MPH, RD, a spokesman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “More is not better with coffee,”she says.

 

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Red Meat

A recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that red meat consumption raises your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and cancer. Although red meat does contain saturated fat, it also provides protein, iron and vitamin B12.

Expert Recommendation: Limit red meat to portions that are about the size of a deck of cards, once or twice a week, says Taub-Dix. Choose leaner, less marbleized cuts like top sirloin or go with grass-fed beef, which has healthy omega-3s and less saturated fat.