Bad Foods

Are there really any bad foods? Over the last 20 years, we have vilified fats, carbohydrates and proteins. We have created thousands of fad diets, all of which profess to help people lose weight and live healthier lives. We have stopped looking at foods as a whole source of nutrition and broken them down into their components. We have stopped buying fresh, farm raised or “wild” foods and moved to “enriched” packaged foods.

While we have scientifically scrutinized foods and dieted, as a whole, we have gotten fatter and more out of shape. We worry about pesticides and preservatives while buying highly processed foods in boxes and cans. We don’t have time to eat so we consume nutrition from a candy bar.

There are no bad foods; there are just bad things man does with food!  Last night, Renee and I attended one of our favorite parties of the year. Aside from enjoying the guests, we know we are going to feast on some of the most scrumptious and expertly-prepared foods in Chicago. We weren’t disappointed!

G-d makes vegetables and packs them full of nutrients; man fries them in tempura. G-d makes crabs and man fries them into crab cakes. Milk and cream is mixed with sugar and becomes ice cream. The caterers did a marvelous job at converting the inherently healthy food into the potentially unhealthy delectable treats.

The operative word in the sentence above is “potentially.” “There are no bad foods” is a true statement. There are just bad things man does with foods is where the problem lies. The delicious, tempura fried vegetables I ate last night were not bad for me. While I wanted to pig out on them, I ate a only a handful.  The expertly-seasoned fried crab cakes kept calling my name. I ate six (they were tiny) instead of 20. Along with these cholesterol-laden delectables, I consumed tuna tuatara, shrimp, salad and fresh fruit. Yes, I had a small scoop of ice cream, along with fresh strawberries.

Last night could have been a very bad food night. I could have worried about grams of fat and carb counting. I could have vilified the shrimp as being high in cholesterol and shunned the ice cream for being high in fat and sugar; but, instead, I looked at the meal as a whole and limited my quantities.

There are no bad foods! I tell my patients that we should be eating a “Caveman” diet, full of whole foods, freshly grown and natural. Our diets should be full of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, fish, poultry and other meats. How we prepare those items affects both their nutritional value and how fattening they become. 

I prefer steaming vegetables rather than boiling and like to serve them crunchy. I prefer fruits in their natural, raw state. The less you do to fruits and vegetables, the more you preserve the vitamins and minerals packed in them by nature.

The method of preparation often dictates portion size. The tempura fried vegetables were designed to please your palate. The price you pay for that mouthwatering goodness is excess calories and fat. Limiting the quantity of what you eat limits the risk of the preparation. Yes, you can have your cake and eat it, too. You just have to eat less of it.

Are there really any bad foods? No, there are not. You can eat anything you want in the proper proportions if you include it in a balanced diet. It’s what you do with your food and how much of it you eat that may put you in peril!