5 foods you shouldn't fear - Charlotte Observer

Are you shying away from foods that are actually good for you? As a nutrition consultant, I’ve found no shortage of surprises and superstitions in the world of nutrition. Here are reasons to enjoy some of your favorites.

Gluten and wheat

They are “the most demonized ingredients beyond high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oil,” said Melissa Abbott, culinary director at the Hartman Group, a company specializing in consumer research.

Yet decades of studies have found that gluten-containing foods, such as whole wheat, rye and barley, are vital for good health and are associated with a reduced risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and excess weight.

“Wheat is a good source of fiber, vitamins and minerals,” said Joanne Slavin, nutrition professor at the University of Minnesota. The confusion about gluten, a protein, has caused some people to avoid eating wheat and other grains, she said.

Only about 1 percent of the population, or less, cannot tolerate gluten and must avoid it to ease abdominal pain and other symptoms, including the inability to fully absorb vitamins.

One reason wheat-free or gluten-free diets are popular is that people who don’t eat wheat may often be bypassing excess calories in sweets and snack foods. Then they start feeling better and losing weight and mistakenly attribute their success to avoiding gluten or wheat rather than reducing their intake of sugar and fat.

Eggs

In recent decades, their high cholesterol content has been thought to play a role in increasing LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and heart disease risk.

But cholesterol in food is a minor factor contributing to high blood cholesterol for most people, and studies have not confirmed a correlation between eggs and increased heart disease risk. The major determinant of LDL (bad) cholesterol is saturated fat, and while eggs are high in cholesterol â€" 184 milligrams in the yolk â€" they’re relatively low in saturated fat â€" about 1.6 grams in the yolk.

Interestingly, some of the biggest egg eaters in the world, the Japanese, have low cholesterol and heart disease rates, in part because they eat a diet low in saturated fat. In contrast, Americans eat eggs alongside sausage, bacon and buttered toast.

“The amount that one egg a day raises cholesterol in the blood is extremely small,” says Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard’s School of Public Health.

Potatoes

Potatoes have been blamed for increasing blood glucose levels, insulin resistance, excess weight and Type 2 diabetes. A recent Harvard study that followed large populations and their disease rates linked potato eating with being overweight, blaming it on the blood glucose rise.

But many foods, including whole-wheat bread and whole-grain cereals, cause similar spikes in blood glucose and are correlated with superior health and lower body weights. How could the higher body weight in the Harvard study be explained?

The study lumped all potato products together, including potato chips and french fries, very fattening versions of potatoes usually eaten in large portions alongside hamburgers, hot dogs and sodas.

“It’s an easy food to attack, but the meal pattern may be the culprit,” said David Baer, a research leader at the Department of Agriculture. “Other epidemiological studies have not verified a connection between potatoes and weight gain or any diseases….”

Potatoes are a great source of potassium, Vitamin C and fiber. Many cultures â€" Scandinavians, Russians, Irish and Peruvians â€" relied on potatoes as a nutritious staple for centuries. And they were not fat.

Fruits

People often ask me if fruit is too high in sugar, especially for diabetics. This fear of fruit, I believe, is left over from the Atkins craze, which discouraged eating some fruits on the grounds that they are high in carbohydrates.

Avoiding fruit could actually damage your health. Study after study over many decades shows that eating fruit can reduce the risk of some cancers, heart disease, blood pressure and diabetes.

Several health organizations, including the U.S. Dietary Guidelines, the National Cancer Institute, and the American Heart Association, recommend Americans eat at least 5 cups of fruits and vegetables a day because of their superior health benefits.

Soy

Though popular for centuries in many Asian cuisines, soy is sometimes seen as dangerous after studies found elevated rates of breast cancer among rats when they were fed a concentrated soy derivative.

But studies looking at whole soy foods in humans have not found a connection. In fact, the reverse may be true.

Soy “when consumed in childhood or adolescence may make breast tissue less vulnerable to cancer development later in life and probably has no effect on breast cancer risk when consumption begins in adulthood,” said Karen Collins, registered dietitian and nutrition adviser with the American Institute for Cancer Research.

Katherine Tallmadge is a registered dietician and author of “Diet Simple: 195 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits & Inspirations” (LifeLine Press, 2011).