Good Food Is Not Bad For You

Of all the subspecies the human race is afflicted with, probably one of the most exasperating is the one that labels itself as ‘nutritionists’. These pontificating windbags take particular delight in pointing out to the world, in general, that all the good food – pepperoni pizza, Outback steaks, sinful desserts – that makes life worth living is bad for you. Typical pronouncements include ‘Avoid eggs, drink eight glasses of water a day; and eating carbs will make you fat’. Mention any food group that has a modicum of flavor and these charlatans will rattle out percentages; how so and so increases the risk of so and so disease by so and so percent. Left to themselves, all right thinking men would treat this poppycock with the contempt it deserves. Unfortunately, the wives seem to lap it up and the suffering husbands end up the creek without a paddle – forced to gulp down a disgusting diet of okra and broccoli and egg whites. If someone did a study on how many divorces are caused by husbands being forced to eat crap, the results may come as a surprise to many.

But hope is at hand. Wendy Repovich, an exercise physiologist at Eastern Washington University in Cheyenne, Washington, has done her best to dispel several common nutrition misconceptions during a health and fitness summit, sponsored by the American College of Sports Medicine- held recently in Dallas.

"Eating eggs will raise your cholesterol." This myth started because egg yolks have the most concentrated amount of cholesterol in any food, Repovich said. However, she discovered that, when eaten in moderation, eggs do not contain enough cholesterol to pose health risks. "Most people avoid eggs and probably if they have any kind of cardiovascular risk, but really, there aren’t a whole lot of studies that show that one or two eggs a day really make a difference to cholesterol levels."

"Eating carbohydrates makes you fat" is another myth. It is more likely that a person sheds pounds due to water loss from a decrease in carbohydrate stores, Repovich said, but eating carbs in moderation does not directly lead to weight gain.

Here’s another myth. "Drink 8 glasses of water a day." Repovich said people need to replace water lost through breathing, urinating, sweating each day — but that doesn’t necessarily total 8 glasses. "I see an awful lot of people carrying bottled water around," Repovich said. "I think many people are still under the impression that they have to drink 8 glasses of water a day, but most people don’t realize they get water from other sources in the diet." Too much water, in fact, can be harmful, Repovich warned, leading possibly to an imbalance in the body of sodium, a condition called hyponatremia.

In other words, as long as you consume in moderation, you’ll be fine. You don’t have to give up on food that tastes good. Just don’t pig out.