Bad Food Redemption

Taylor Swift musically brags about being able to make the “bad boys good for a weekend,” and in that spirit let us take a look at some “bad boy” foods and see if we can't nutritionally redeem them...

Let's start with what is, for many of us, the guilty “Elixir of Life” – coffee. Java has gotten a bad rap, mainly because it promotes the release of the stress hormones cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrin. These are the chemicals that elevate our heart rate, blood pressure and tension levels.  But the jitters really only kick in after three cups, so keep your caffeine consumption moderate. Then you will be able to enjoy coffee's health benefits, which may include some protection against type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease and liver cancer. Pro Tip: Learn to enjoy it black to avoid the extra calories of the creamers and sweeteners, then treat yourself to some Kona coffee from beans grown in the volcanic soil of Hawaii.

If you believe that pizza should be listed as one of the five major food groups, you are not alone. In fact, Americans eat 100 acres of pizza every day, and 93 percent of us have eaten pizza in the last month! The problem, of course, is the cheese, which is loaded with fat, sodium, and cholesterol. Typical cheeses are 70 percent fat. But cheese is also a great source of protein and calcium, and the spices that go on top, like black and/or red pepper, oregano, and basil offer many health benefits. To carve out a niche for pizza in your diet, stay away from the thick or stuffed crusts, and eat just the thin variety. Then be sure to order it with those vegetables such as red peppers (good source of vitamins A, C, and B6), onions (help to lower blood sugar, rich in fiber) and black olives (help to fight heart disease) which should be part of that salad you are not eating every day.

Dieters often avoid pasta because it is loaded with carbohydrates. So make the switch to whole grain and be sure to keep the portions small. Studies indicate that people who eat several servings of whole-grain foods per day are more likely to slim down and maintain healthy weights, and eating whole grains rather than refined grains can also help burn belly fat.

Eggs just get a bad rap, period, and for no good reason. They are packed with protein, and because that takes time to digest, eating an egg for breakfast can keep you feeling fuller (and eating less) the rest of the day. Worried about you cholesterol? Don't be. Blood cholesterol levels are barely influenced by the dietary cholesterol in food, but rather by saturated fats and trans fats in the food.

And always bear in mind that just about any food can be part of a healthy diet, so long as you stick to small portions!