As Americans seek to lose weight and be healthy they often seek nutritious foods that are known to be healthy.
While these foods are certainly good for you, they are only good in moderation.
Here is a list of foods that we understand as healthy, as well as a description of why they are healthy and how overconsumption can be bad for you. Olive Oil is quickly replacing butter and other cooking oils due to its heart healthy properties. It is high in monounsaturated fatty acids that have been known to lower cholesterol and your risk for heart disease. Although this is seen as good fat, too much olive oil can sharply increase the amount of calories in the food that you cook.
Juices are popular for the obvious reasons of the vitamins and minerals that you get from consuming them. They are a quick and easy supplement for soda and other unhealthy beverages. According to nutrition and wellness coach Lara S. Sutton, “juicing removes the pulp from the produce, [but] it’s also removing the fiber that keeps you full.” When we are not full we will continue to consume whatever it is we are drinking or eating.
When you do this with juice you are drink a lot of extra calories and high amounts of sugar.
It is much healthier to eat a whole fruit rather than its juice counterpart.
Nuts such as almonds and cashews are seen as a go to healthy snack food. While these nuts are full of protein and fiber, they are also made up of nearly 80% fat. Most of us do not consume the recommended serving size on most snacks such as nuts, and this can lead to high amounts of fat in your diet. Nuts are also usually coated in salt which leads to higher sodium intake, and can diminish the reality in your goal of eating a healthy snack.
Sushi is a type of food that I particularly love. Not only is it high in omega-3s from the seafood, it also tastes amazing. I can easily eat 30 pieces of sushi in one sitting, but when I do this I am also exposed to the toxic heavy metal mercury. Too much mercury can have a negative impact on the nervous system. If you simply cannot eliminate excess amounts of sushi from your diet, like myself, then you must know it is safer to consume sushi with shrimp, eel, and crab, because they have lower levels of mercury in them.
Green Tea is a famous beverage known for its health benefits such as weight loss and the antioxidants that help prevent many diseases. Although it is used to relieve headaches, nausea and diarrhea, overconsumption of Green Tea can actually make these symptoms worse. According to WebMD, green tea can also reduce your body’s ability to absorb iron from your food. Iron helps your red blood cells deliver oxygen from the lungs to other cells all over your body.
Whether you eat healthy or not it is important to eat your favorite foods and drink your favorite beverages in moderation. Because even the healthiest foods in the world, such as the ones listed above, can actually have the opposite affect on your weight and health.
Zachary Heppner
Viewpoints Correspondent
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