Foods you think are healthy BUT AREN'T! #7: FRUIT COCKTAIL
WHY WE THINK IT’S HEALTHY: It’s fruit, so it’s good for you. WHY IT’S NOT: The syrup ruins everything. Fruit canned in syrup holds its shape, colour and flavour, but it also adds extra calories and boosts its glycemic index. The most common syrup used in commercial fruit cocktails is corn syrup, made from the starch…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. Part 38: RAW CATFISH NUGGETS
WHY WE AVOID IT: Catfish are ugly bottom-feeders that suck on pond muck. Many people consider them a “junk” fish. Many avid fishermen will admit that the best thing to do when you realize you’ve got a catfish on the line is to just cut the line. Besides, nuggets are the leftover flesh chunks after the beautiful filets have…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. Part 37: CHOCOLATE
WHY WE AVOID IT: The elixir of the Mayans has had its fair share of controversies since science started looking at it. Accused of causing acne outbreaks, migraines, heartburn, insomnia, obesity and high cholesterol, chocolate is the love affair we are ashamed to indulge in. WHY WE SHOULD EAT IT: The modern chocolate bar…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. Part 36: CASHEWS
WHY WE AVOID IT: All nuts contain fat, but cashews are particularly high in saturated fats, and that still scares a lot of people who think they’ll get high cholesterol and die of cardiovascular disease. WHY WE SHOULD EAT IT: While it’s true that cashews are high in calories and saturated fats, they actually contain less…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. Part 35: CARROTS
WHY WE AVOID IT: When the glycemic index (GI) made waves among scientists and health enthusiasts, carrots got a bad rap. The GI gives a measure of how quickly blood sugar and insulin levels rise after eating a certain type of food compared to glucose or white bread. High GI foods are associated with increased risk of…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. Part 34: AVOCADO
WHY WE AVOID IT: An unfortunate victim of fat-phobia propaganda that considers all fats fattening. WHY WE SHOULD EAT IT: With 84% of their calories coming from fat, it’s true that they’re a fatty food. But it’s mostly monounsaturated fats, the same type of fat that makes olive oil healthy and does not contribute to weight…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. Part 33: BLOOD SAUSAGE
WHY WE AVOID IT: Blood is for vampires, not day walkers. Made with congealed pork blood, gelatin and spices, the black color of these sausages is disturbing to many. Besides, eating blood is banned in many religions. WHY WE SHOULD EAT IT: If you’re traveling to parts of Europe or Asia, there will be blood. The dish is a…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. Part 32: BEEF BRAINS
WHY WE AVOID IT: Zombies aside, even the most enthusiastic carnivore draws the line at brains. Besides, there’s a small chance that you develop variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) from eating the brains of cattle infected with “mad cow disease.” WHY WE SHOULD EAT IT: Brains are a concentrated source of DHA, an important…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. PART 31: BUTTER
WHY WE AVOID IT: Made of pure fat, two-thirds of which is saturated fat. Health authorities have been telling us for years that foods like butter are clogging our arteries and causing heart disease. Even though the evidence proves otherwise, many of us can’t shake our fat phobia. We were told to replace butter with trans-fat laden…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. PART 30: AMARANTH
WHY WE AVOID IT: Once the staple of Aztecs, amaranth grains aren’t as widely available as other grains. Some cultures even consider it an annoying weed. The saponin content, a class of compounds that can irritate the gut, is a concern for some people. WHY WE SHOULD EAT IT: As a relative of spinach, amaranth grains contain much…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. PART 29: ARAME
WHY WE AVOID IT: Those long brown strands of seaweed on your mixed Japanese salad are often pushed to the edge of your plate because they smell like the ocean floor. A species of kelp, arame can readily absorb minerals from the water, so can become toxic with heavy metals such as arsenic, lead and cadmium if they’re harvested…
Foods you avoid BUT SHOULDN'T. PART 28: CORN SMUT
WHY WE AVOID IT: You know that anything called “smut” has to be gross. True to form, corn smut is a fungal infection that causes disease on corn and looks like a slimy, black, gooey brain. It doesn’t matter how good it tastes -- it looks horrible. WHY WE SHOULD EAT IT: The smut is a delicacy in Mexico. Known as huitlacoche…