If you’ve had high blood pressure for a while, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes or any other chronic disease dominating modern society, chances are you’re trying to eat healthy.
The problem is “what’s healthy” seems to change daily. What was deadly yesterday is life-saving today. Sometimes there seems to be no way to keep up with the changes.
That’s why in today’s feature article I’m going to tell you about five delicious foods that are often considered “no-no” but have actually been proven healthy both in scientific studies and common sense tests.
These foods lower blood pressure, balance cholesterol and improve your overall health.
Chocolate
Most sweets are rightfully considered unhealthy. Moderate consumption of chocolate has, however, in several studies been proven to lower high blood pressure, improve cholesterol level and deliver several other health benefits.
There is a small catch, though. It’s really the cocoa that is healthy, so you should consume at least 70% dark chocolate. It’s also easy to overdo it. Just 50 grams of dark chocolate is plenty to get its health benefit.
Eggs
Once cursed as the devil’s advocate, new studies have shown that the cholesterol in eggs does not raise your bad cholesterol or promote plaque build up. Not only that, there are even indications that eggs promote good cholesterol.
Eggs also contain high quality protein and are low in calories. They are therefore ideal for reaching weight loss goals. And there are several antioxidant ingredients in eggs that promote your overall health.
Nuts
high in calories, high in fat, doctors and nutritionists alike used to warn against the consumption of nuts. But then studies began to roll in proving that several types of nuts improve heart health, and lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Even the FDA had to give in and allow producers of many types of nuts such as walnuts to mark their products “heart healthy.”
No need to go overboard, but one or two handfuls of nuts daily (despite their high calorie count) have also been proven in several studies not to add to the stubborn belly flab.
Salt
The debate over salt continues. Yes, it’s a fact that a high consumption of salt can raise your blood pressure. But the highest rise in blood pressure ever recorded due to salt intake was only 4-5 points. And we’re talking about extremely high salt consumption.
However, studies are showing that decreasing salt intake does not lower your risk of dying from stroke, heart attack or any other known disease.
Furthermore, it may not actually be the salt that increases blood pressure; but rather, the chemicals added to salt and how it’s processed. There are great indicators that high quality sea salt actually improves your overall health.
What you should restrict are highly processed foods full of chemicals and industrial type salt.
Potatoes
No we’re not giving you a free pass to load your plate with deep fried French-fries. This type of trans-fat is still considered bad.
Chewing on a big juicy baked potato is, however, as healthy as any other vegetable. Yes, it’s high in starch but these are complex carbohydrates so they drip into the blood stream slowly.
We need carbohydrates. But not highly processed carbohydrates like white, bleached wheat and especially not highly processed fructose carbohydrates like white sugar and high fructose corn syrup.
Potatoes are also extremely high in potassium, vitamin C and fiber, which all help lower your blood pressure and improve overall health.
These are just 5 examples of healthy foods that are too often labeled as bad for you. For more REAL information on tackling diseases using EFFECTIVE diet and lifestyle changes, check out:
Three-step approach to reverse type 2 diabetes…
Step-by-step plan to bring your cholesterol level down to a healthy level in 21 days…
And without any diet changes – drop your blood pressure below 120/80 as soon as today using these simple blood pressure exercises…
But first- what’s the food you love that has been mislabeled “bad” when it’s actually healthy? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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I will be passing this on to my son who has high cholesterol . I love Chocolate and i try telling people that dark chocolate is good, as you stated the pure cocoa chocolate.It is a little more bitter but if you persevere you acquire a taste for it, it`s a bit like sugar in tea , if you reduce the sugar say from 2 spoons down to 1 then eventually none,you will find that after a while if you put sugar back in your tea it will taste too sweet. problem there solved. We have to break those bad habits. Many thanks for your info I think it helps many people. Regards
Dee
Excelent article about health.
MORE good things to know about nutrition.
Dark chocolate used to irk me to no end. But as you say Dee, a gradual getting use to it comes with time and now I like it a lot. As for sugars, I generally try to avoid them at all costs although that is impossible in today’s market place. So I just avoid all the ones I know about. I have found an excellent source of sea salt that doesn’t have the chemicals used to prevent clumping. Adding a bit of rice to the shakers relieves that problem pretty well.
Smaller potatoes used in baking instead of the giant “baking potatoes” is a way of controlling how much starch is added to your diet. The smaller potatoes have smaller protein chains than their bigger cousins so it digests much easier and more of the potassium and complex carbs are better utilized.
I am a hypertensive, type 2 diabetic and I have found that the only way I could adapt a healthier life style is in small increments. Trying to do it all at once is doomed to failure.
Actually nothing new here except maybe for salt.I remember reading an article quite some time back on MSN UK on exactly the same 'findings'.
Indeed very informative research. Long live Blueheron News
Yes, this is a good article. This “grass root”s forum is the only way to kick start a full health reappraisal of the distorted medical advice that has so damaged our health and has been kept up by vested interests in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
Generally if the source of food we eat is one that gives life, then it will be a complete food and healthy. Just as eggs make chickens, nuts make plants. Seeds too will be a source of new life but not when they are processed into oils and breads. So to say eggs were bad is just absurd.
Like Einstein said; “The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has limits”!
this article is a MUST for all peoples to read and ingest mentally in order to assist in GOOD health and positive thinking.. thanks for such a wonderful article.
great info!
Great article as usual. Interesting take on salt. But best to use sea salt. Keep up the good work, blue heron!!
Good stuff guys. Knew it all already coz I’m a litmus for good and bad foods but it’s nice to have someone confirm it.:D
Who says they are BAD foods? That great swirling vortex of so-called “experts!” I’ve always known these foods were GOOD.
Thanks for these new information Surely I will follow them.
As usual the “EXPERTS” say one thing one day then change their collective minds the next. Moderation is mostly the answer in all things, don’t overdo anything and you can’t go wrong, “a little of what you fancy does you good” these were the words spoken to me a long time ago buy my Father, who lived till he was 105 years young and never had very many sick days in his life.
very interesting and very informative,very helpfull
Well i sorry but potatoe causes my blood sugar to go through the roof due to the starchy carbs.Doesnt matter how i eat them..as does rice,noodles,white bread,french fries…White flour contains something that stuffs your pancreas up….so stay away from white flour folks.
In fact for a long time……potatoe/noodle always gave me blown out stomach….felt like wind/like i was pregnant….now i know why.
I have to disagree on the salt. I have had my blood pressure go up to 190 after eating salted fish. It always goes up after a meal that contains more salt than I am used to. After being on a strict low-salt diet, my BP goes down more than you indicate–but it’s a hard diet to follow. One must get used to it over about two weeks at least.
My father was salt-sensitive and HBP finally killed him. I think you err in not admitting that some people are more prone to being salt sensitive than others.
Great news, I have been lectured for years about chocolate, potatoes,salt,eggs and nuts, and often wondered why I frequently suffer cramps, due to lack of salt, its the old story what we should do basically is eat in moderation
Remember when tests came out that the cholesterol in eggs was bad for you? Well if you do your homework, you will discover that those tests were done for egg whites only… not egg yolk and white. You need both for a healthy balance.
I agre with you and would add white tea as it is anti-cancer as is green tea but white has less fluoride.I should add do not use lemon in green tea.
GREAT NEWS THIS ! ALL THESE HAVE BEEN MY FAVOURITE CHOMPS IN MY LIFE AND NOW I CAN SEE WHY AT 81 MY BP IS 105/55, HEART RATE AT REST 53 – 58 & NOT DIABETIC, PLAYING AGGRESSIVE TENNIS TREE TIMES A WEEK THOUGH SLEEPING TREE HOURS ONLY AT NIGHT WHILE SNATCHING FORTY WINKS DURING THE DAY NOW & THEN ! i LOVE BOILING POTATOES WITH THE SKIN ON – DELICIOUS !
There is only one way to be fit and healthy. Exercise and health living. Plain and Simple. I exercise every day and eat a healthy balanced diet, so does my husband who is a type 2 diabetic and his blood sugars are normal.
Good article but how about diabetics people can they go ahead with chocolate too
I write training for a living, and find that oftentimes adding redundant information assists the learner in fully grasping the concept. I appreciate the information provided. But, I wish the author has listed the nuts that were good, and those to avoid. Peanuts are a legume and are treated as a nut. Macadamia is loaded with fat, while pistachios are less fat-laden. What about pecans, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, cashews, etc.
Potatoes are bad for you not because of its carbs content, but because of its alkaloids and other molecules that damage the kidneys.
Jordon…I can give you some info on nuts…..best to eat raw…except peanuts are still good for you roasted.
1.Brazil nuts are high in selenium…..eating 2 or 3 a day is very good for mens prostate.Men should eat regularly as hard to find in diet and brazil nuts are the highest source….try to crack em open fresh is best.
2.Pumpkin Seeds-Same as above…..healthy fats/minerals…boost your sex life!High in zinc.
3.Walnuts…Good for your arteries.
4.Cashews=Anti depressant !
5.Sesame seeds……again full of nitrients…food of the Egyptians
6.Chia seeds ……high in healthy fat and soluble fibre…absorb water so keep you regular.
7.Peanuts(legume)…high in arginine…helps produce nitric oxide which relaxes arteries for improved blood flow.
8.Pine nuts -high in healthy mono unsaturated fat.
9.sunflower seeds….very nutritious.
Jordan…If you smash the seeds up a bit(mortar and paiste)…makes it easier to digest.