3 Foods You’ve Been Lied To About
There’s a lot of BS out there about what you should and should not eat. This is not one of those blogs.
Here’s my philosophy on food:
You can eat whatever you want.
But how you feel after you eat something will depend on your unique body chemistry, what is going on for you that day, your stress levels, your age, etc.
Food is not a black and white game.
And I definitely do NOT believe that you should NEVER eat certain foods (unless we’re talking about crazy things like human-made trans fat).
Listen, on a practical basis, “when in Rome,” I’m going to eat the damn gelato. I’m probably just not going to eat it every single day back home because I personally would not feel good.
Get my drift?
In other words, it’s up to you to listen to your body on a daily basis and figure out what it wants and needs.
To be honest, I’m not much of a foodie. If I didn’t have to eat to survive and function, I don’t think I would. I’m one of those people who forgets to eat and who is not that creative in the kitchen. “Wait, it’s 2 pm and I haven’t eaten yet?” That’s a conversation I have with myself every day.
But if there’s one thing I love, it is teaching people the truth so they can let themselves off the hook. There’s so much shame around food and it’s ridiculous.
There are three ingredients that get a lot of bad rap when it is really not earned. They got a reputation for no good reason other than diet trends that happened 50 years ago.
And we all know how trends go.
I’m still not a fan of velvet clothing and yet HERE WE ARE.
I digress, but let me tell you about three foods you might be beating yourself up for eating, that is really just not worth the bad energy. In fact, they have significant health benefits that I don’t want you to miss!
1) Butter
Butter that comes from high-quality sources is actually very high in butyrate, which is an important short chain fatty acid that helps both protect and restore your gut. Your body’s gut microbiome produces butyrate when breaking down certain carbohydrates (fiber).
Butyrate in particular acts as an anti-inflammatory, is important for restoring gut function, helps regulate the intestinal wall and strengthen its barrier, among other traits. If you’ve ever been diagnosed with leaky gut, you may have been prescribed a butyrate supplement as part of your treatment.
Choosing a high-quality butter will be important for maximum benefits. Studies have shown that butter from pasture-fed or grass-fed cows tend to have healthier nutrition profiles.
My favorite is Kerrygold. Also, it’s tastes more delicious than any other butter I’ve ever eaten!
2) Salt
This one really gets me. Each individual cell in your body literally requires salt in order to function. Each cell’s membrane potential (which is how you do every single activity in your life) is managed with sodium and potassium (among others).
So if you do not have adequate levels of the salt (or electrolytes) in your body, you are not going to function at your highest potential.
The Intersalt Study showed that across 48 populations around the world, dietary salt intake did NOT predict high blood pressure.
Salt has become associated with unhealthy, processed foods, but it’s not the salt that is the issue – it’s all the other chemicals and lab-designed ingredients in that bag.
And actually, when you do not eat enough sodium, your body goes into sodium retention mode and releases hormones that simultaneously raise blood pressure. The link between sodium restriction and elevated blood pressure was studied in The Framingham Offspring Study.
Not to mention that when you eat a low salt diet (like most Americans have been scared into doing), you are at higher risk of:
Osteoporosis
Muscle cramps
Low energy
Fatigue
Weakness
Brain fog
And more!
Bottom line: You don’t need to be scared of salt, especially if it is healthy salt, such as Himalayan pink salt, Celtic sea salt, etc. I don’t recommend Morton’s classic salt because it contains chemicals.
My favorite way to add salt to my day is with electrolytes from LMNT. I love this brand for the science and its clean ingredients.
I add Chocolate Salt to my coffee every morning and Watermelon Salt to my water in the afternoon. I’ve never felt better and notice when it is missing from my day.
3) Bacon fat
Did you know that bacon fat is actually very high in oleic acid, which is an anti-inflammatory substance thought to help lower cholesterol? Olive oil receives a lot of credit among foodies for its high concentrations of oleic acid.
Now, I believe all things in moderation is key and eating any kind of fat is the same. But I think most Americans have been scared of fat, even though each cell in our body is made of a membrane that is composed of - you guessed it - FATS!
Eating high-quality fats mean that these will become incorporated into your cell membranes, and as I always say: Being well starts with the cell.
Your cells require fat. On another note, your nerve cells that work the most efficiently are myelinated, which means that they are protected by a layer of fat. Again, for your body to function, you need high-quality fats.
Bacon fat is made of about 50% monounsaturated fat and 10% polyunsaturated fats, both of which are good for your heart and help reduce inflammation.
Bacon is also one of the top 5 sources of dietary choline, which is an important nutrient offering incredible antioxidant properties. Choline will be found in the bacon fat as well.
The biggest concern with bacon fat is that whatever chemicals were present in the bacon will end up in the grease as well. Nitrates, in particular, may become harmful when placed in high heat. So my recommendation?
Don’t be scared of bacon fat. Just buy high-quality bacon without nitrates and without other chemicals or additives.
There are lots of brands out there that sell bacon without all the gunk. Read the labels and if you can’t recognize an ingredient, don’t buy the bacon.
Let Yourself Off the Hook and Listen To Your Body
So there you have it! Three foods that receive bad names in the kitchen that can actually benefit your body in many ways.
My advice always is to trust yourself, listen to your body and eat in moderation. What is good for you today is not always good for you tomorrow and no one will know this except for you.
Life is not black and white and the same is true of our food.
I hope this takes some pressure off and reminds you that it is always best to do some research and then move forward with what feels best for you.
Happy Thanksgiving, my friends.
Xoxo,
Em