Fit Fare

I read a recent Wall Street Journal article that instructed readers that in order to get the most nutrients from your vegetables you should slather it with butter.  I always thought butter was bad under any circumstance.  I was perplexed but read what turned out to be a very informative article.  These days it seems like every month we read new (and conflicting) information about what is good and what is bad to eat.  In this article I will attempt to clear up some of the confusion for commonly consumed items.

Milk
Though milk is a necessary part of a healthy diet it has become somewhat of a dirty word for a lot of people.  Whole milk is high in fat content and it is widely believed to be one of the main culprits in the ever-broadening American waistline.  Many people prefer no- or low-fat milk to whole milk.  Still others choose to skip milk altogether.  It has gotten to the point where the woman at the local Dean & Deluca looks at me with some mixture of disgust and disbelief when I ask for extra milk and cream in my coffee. 

Milk also has high levels of cholesterol which can lead to coronary heart disease. The fact is milk actually does do your body good.  (Our mothers were right when they gave us a glass or two of milk to drink every day when we were young.)  Milk contains high amounts protein, as well as Vitamins A, B12, D, K, iodine, biotin, pantothenic acid, and potassium among other nutrients.  Women should keep in mind that in order to stave off common illnesses like osteoporosis, we should consume 3 cups of fat-free or low-fat milk per day.   

There was even a study by Dr. Michael Zemel, PhD, of the University of Tennessee, that suggested that milk helps you lose weight.  The key to milk consumption is that it should be consumed as part of a well-balanced diet and also be no- or low-fat whenever possible.  That way you get all of the essential nutrients without having to worry about the extra fat and cholesterol.    

Fish
One of the biggest scares in what you “shouldn’t” eat came a few years ago when it was advised that eating fish can be dangerous when consumed by young children, women who are or may become pregnant and nursing mothers.  The reason for this warning was that fish was found to contain high levels of methylmercury and high levels could lead to many health issues.  One of the most alarming was the risk for pregnant women.  Since methylmercury was found to possibly lead to the development of learning deficiencies in the unborn children, many doctors and organizations went as far as to say that pregnant women shouldn’t consume fish at all. 

Fish not only can but should be consumed by everyone, including women of child-bearing age. The reason for this is that most Americans are not getting enough Omega-3, an essential fatty acid that many types of fish contain.  The FDA suggests that people (especially pregnant women) do not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish, because they contain very high levels of mercury.  The FDA also suggest that people limit their fish intake to 12 ounces (or two servings) of fish per week.  The amount per serving should accordingly be reduced for children. 

Butter
For years most of us have been indoctrinated to choose margarine, or some other form of butter substitute because margarine is low in saturated fat and cholesterol.  Butter was touted as heart-clogger and a waistline-killer.  I, like many, have always considered butter bad.  I knew that if I ate too much of it I would be a potential candidate for early-life heart disease.

It was not until I read reports touting the benefits of butter did I realize that it may actually be a much better option than margarine as a matter of health.  It contains many nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.  It is also a good source of fatty acids and (contrary to popular belief) does contain some of the good cholesterol as well.    

Butter also aids in the absorption of other nutrients (see the Wall Street Journal article mentioned above).  Therefore, it is better to have butter with your veggies than to eat them without anything at all.  Of course, I am not advocating having sizable amounts of butter at each meal, but it just goes to show that something that has long been taught to be “bad” may in fact be good. 

I think the moral of the story is moderation is key when eating. Butter, milk, fish and dozens of other one-time “bad” foods are now ”good.” Additionally, despite the constantly changing nature, one should err on the side of caution and heed official recommendations about the type, amount, and quality of the food we eat.  In the end, you still have to eat and drink what you feel comfortable with.  If you know that milk adds on the pounds or that you are not willing to take the risk of possible birth defects by eating fish while pregnant, it doesn’t matter what I, a newspaper article, or the FDA says.  However, as with everything in life, you should thoroughly research things so that you are not operating on long-held myths or on data that has since been changed with more recent research.