`Bad' foods that aren't bad for you: thanks to the sound byte, these six foods have been unfairly stigmatized. The truth is they can get you bigger and leaner

Men's Fitness, March, 2003 by Dan Gordon

Demonized by the popular media, banished by misguided fad diets, fat, cholesterol and carbohydrates have come to be considered as ruinous to one's health efforts as a weeklong cruise. We're here to set the record straight on a half-dozen foods that have gotten bad raps, and in turn bad reps. Books, television, even dear old infallible Mom have steered you wrong. The latest science says the following six foods provide healthy fuel for burning fat and building muscle.

ALMONDS

Reputation: High in fat.

Reality: High in healthy fat; may help fight heart disease.

Recommendation: Up to two dozen a day.

Remember, not all fat is bad. A certain amount of it actually helps keep your testosterone levels up, says Thomas Seabourne, Ph.D., of Northeast Texas Community College. Unsaturated fats--including the oil from nuts--are far preferable to saturated fats.

"Nuts have a bad reputation," says Stephanie Logan, M.S., R.D., a Los Angeles-based dietitian. "Almonds, in particular, have a lot of pluses." For starters, they're a good source of calcium and fiber. A one-ounce serving (about 22 almonds) includes six grams of protein and 15 grams of fat--mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, which have been found to protect against heart disease. Another advantage of consuming healthy fat is that you'll become satiated sooner, which leads you to eat fewer calories that would otherwise settle onto your body as fat. One-ounce serving: 166 calories, 6g carbs, 6g protein 15g fat (1g sat. fat), 4g fiber

PORK

Reputation: Dripping with fat.

Reality: A low-fat source of protein, like--surprise!--chicken.

Recommendation: If "Extra Lean" appears on the label, treat it like a chicken breast.

Pork needs a public relations makeover, including a new name that doesn't evoke excess. The right kind of pork is not only high in protein, but also quite low in total fat and relatively light in saturated fat. The key is to know where and how the cut has been made. The loin of the animal is usually leanest. "Extra lean" is defined as less than five grams of total fat and two grams of saturated fat per three ounces. The word extra is critical, as plan lean pork can contain up to 10 grams of fat, too high for the fat-conscious.

Three-ounce serving: 140 calories, zero carbs, 24g protein, 5g fat (2g sat. fat), zero fiber

SHRIMP

Reputation: Cholesterol-loaded heart bombs.

Reality: High in protein, low in fat--and dietary cholesterol is not the same as blood cholesterol.

Recommendation: Boil and add to your salad of pasta several times a week with no worries.

A three-ounce serving of shrimp is crammed with protein--18 grams--while containing just a single gram of fat. "High-protein foods are necessary to the muscle-building process," says Logan. In turn, increased muscle mass helps the body burn more calories at rest.

While shrimp does contain cholesterol, it's irrelevant. "Changing your dietary cholesterol isn't going to affect your blood cholesterol," says the University of Florida's Susan S. Percival, Ph.D. If blood cholesterol is your problem, you need to cut down on your intake of overall fat (of which shrimp has negligible amounts), increase dietary fiber, exercise, and possibly go on medication. Don't blame the shrimp.

Three-ounce serving: 84 calories, zero carbs, 18g protein 1g fat (zero sat. fat), zero fiber

WHOLE EGGS

Reputation: Yolks are bad, whites are good.

Reality: Important nutrients reside in the egg's center.

Recommendation: One whole egg a day.

In the early 1970s, eggs became the poster children for high-cholesterol warnings, causing a precipitous decline in the number of eggs consumed by the average American. But when you throw out the yolk, you're discarding many essential nutrients, including folic acid, vitamin A, selenium and amino acids--the building blocks of protein. A jumbo egg has only tire grams of fat the majority of it unsaturated.

"You can benefit from egg whites," says Percival, "but you can probably get more benefit from whole eggs, and they're not detrimental when eaten in moderation." That last word, of course is key. If you add one whole egg to your otherwise egg-whites-only omelet you can retrieve those important nutrients and improve the overall protein profile of the omelet itself.

One large egg: 75 calories 1g carbs, 6g protein, 5g fat (2g sat. fat), zero fiber

POTATOES

Reputation: Fat-depositing carbs

Reality: Nonfat energy source with fiber and antioxidants.

Recommendation: Two or three baked potatoes a week (but watch what you put on them) combined with protein.

Low-carbohydrate diets are all the rage, with proponents insisting that starches, such as potatoes, are the root of evil body fat. While it is true that potatoes have a high glycemic index--meaning they produce a dramatic blood-sugar spike, a counteractive insulin surge, and then a quick return trip to a state of hunger--this only becomes a problem when you consume carbs and nothing but carbs. Combining a carbohydrate with a protein prevents the jump in blood sugar. Additionally, fiber (found in the skin of the potato) also slows down the blood-sugar rise.