5 "Unhealthy Foods" That Are Actually Good For You

What if we told you that you’re avoiding the wrong foods?

In our 30+ years of helping people just like YOU achieve their weight loss goals…

We’ve heard A LOT of people say to avoid certain foods that are actually really beneficial to you!

So, without further adieu, here’s the list of foods that have a bit of a bad reputation but can actually help you with your weight loss goals.

(Important to note: All things in moderation! While you shouldn’t avoid these foods, you also shouldn’t have them with each and every meal!)

Conventional red meats are those that are fairly unprocessed, and include meats that are red when raw (hence the name!), such as lamb, beef, and pork.

While it’s important to eat red meat in moderation, it is one of the most nutritious foods you can eat! Beef is an excellent source of protein, which is crucial to you for building muscles, keeping your bones strong, and can help you recover faster from exercising!

It also contains several B vitamins, including B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, and B12! All these are important for you to maintain a healthy immune system and stay strong! [1]

When choosing red meats, make sure to choose lean options with less % of fat that are as unprocessed as possible.The processing of the meat (and other foods) is what can take away the benefits!

While they are typically seen as unhealthy, potatoes can be an excellent source of essential vitamins and minerals.

Potatoes contain iron, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and zinc, all of which help your body to build and maintain bone structure and strength. [2]

Plus, iron and zinc play crucial roles in your body’s production of collagen, which can help prevent wrinkles and keep joint cartilage strong! [3]

You should certainly be adding more of this powerful root vegetable to your diet. ? Just make sure you don’t eat potatoes for every meal, or load them up with a bunch of unhealthy add-ons!

Bread has gotten a bad reputation lately, but, as with most things, there’s a lot more to the story than simply “eating bread is bad for your weight loss.”

There are many breads that have added sugars and other ingredients that WILL destroy your weight loss, so you have to be careful which bread you get!

But if you’re eating bread with whole grains (whole grains as the FIRST ingredient), you’re likely to be healthier and have lower fat intake! [4]  

The benefits from consuming whole-grain bread are too many to list here, but for your weight loss, it has been proven to help with maintaining a healthy body weight! [4]

So go ahead and have some tasty whole-wheat bread, but be sure not to overdo it!

Popcorn is another whole grain food that is very high in fiber and can help support you on your weight loss journey! Since popcorn has a high volume, it takes up quite a bit of space in your stomach but is relatively low in calories!

You’ll want to opt for air-popped popcorn as opposed to microwave popcorn, as the microwave varieties contain more calories!

But popcorn contains large amounts of fiber, and increasing your fiber intake can help you regulate your weight! [5]

Go ahead and pop that popcorn next time you watch a movie!

Dark chocolate seems to go back and forth in the public eye, from healthy treat to unhealthy snack.

So, which is it? If you’re getting the proper dark chocolate, it can have some great health benefits!

Dark chocolate contains up to 2-3 times more flavanol-rich cocoa solids than milk chocolate. These flavanols have been shown to help improve blood flow, which lowers blood pressure. [6]

Other studies have suggested a link between cocoa intake and reduced risk of heart disease, likely because of its effect on reducing blood pressure and inflammation. [6]

When you’re choosing dark chocolate, look for 70% dark chocolate or higher to get the most flavanols.

You also want to be careful to avoid excessive added sugar, as that will add unwanted calories and ruin your weight loss.

But when you choose the proper dark chocolate, it can help your weight loss, help your overall health, AND taste delicious!

Sources

[1] Red Meat Benefits

[2] Benefits of Potatoes

[3] Collagen

[4] Whole Grains

[5] Fiber

[6] Dark Chocolate

[7] Harvard Calories Burned Info

[8] Vita Coco Water

[9] Quaker Oats

[10] Veggie Straws

[11] Harvard - Effects of Sodium