Food (and superfoods!) you should eat that you've been told are bad for you

Despite many claims that high-in-fat nuts are dangerous for dieters, "most nutritionists consider nuts to be a 'superfood,' as they're packed with various B vitamins, vitamin E, iron, zinc and selenium," according to Women's Day.Self included nuts on its list of high-fat foods that are good for you and noted, Your best bets for nutrition are almonds, walnuts and pistachios. Almonds are the richest in vitamin E; walnuts contain a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid; and pistachios have lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids important for eye health. Research shows nut eaters are generally thinner, less likely to develop type 2 diabetes and have a reduced risk of heart disease to boot.So let's stay away from the cocktail peanuts (which are not actually nuts, they're legumes) and stick with healthy nuts. Undoubtedly, the taste of liver isn't for everyone, but that doesn't mean it can't pack in a ton of nutrients.Beef liver is high in protein, low in carbohydrates, and vitamin-rich, especially in vitamins A and B. According to Live Strong, in one slice, beef liver isextremely high in vitamin A, with about 431 percent of your daily requirement. Vitamin A is good for your eyesight, teeth, bones and skin. It also contains about 60 percent of your vitamin B-3, or niacin, requirement, 48 percent of your vitamin B-5 requirement, and 800 percent of your vitamin B-12 requirement. The B vitamins all help your body process the food you eat so you can use it for energy.Duck liver (pictured), has a similar nutritional profile and while banned in California, is still a nutrient dense food.Grass-fed beef quickly becoming more available throughout the United States as the number of facilities has ballooned into the thousands from just 50 about ten years ago. At your local Trader Joe's, you'll find grass-fed beef at reasonable prices and Whole Foods sometimes has specials that can actually make grass-fed beef cheaper than its grain or corn-fed counterpart.Why should you be looking for your beef to be of the grass-fed variety? Grass-fed beef has twice as many vital omega 3's compared to corn-fed beef. According to NPR, "almost all cuts of grass-fed beef have less total fat than beef from corn-raised cattle" and fewer calories as well.CNN pointed out from EatWild.com's Jo Robinson,'If you eat a typical amount of beef per year,' Robinson points out in Pasture Perfect, a book about the benefits of pasture-raised animals, 'which in the United States is about 67 pounds, switching to grass-fed beef will save you 16,642 calories a year.'A study at Chico State found,"Grass-fed beef is lower in calories, contains more healthy omega-3 fats, more vitamins A and E, higher levels of antioxidants, and up to seven times the beta-carotene."View the list »
When you get a physical or a health assessment, one of the numbers that you're provided with is your total cholesterol number. Diet and exercise are often mentioned as the way to lower your cholesterol figure.Uffe Ravnskov, author of The Cholesterol Myths, wrote that cholesterol from your diet generally tends to increase blood levels of cholesterol by less than one percent. Less than one percent!Eggs are a great source of vitamin A, iron, cholesterol, riboflavin, vitamin B12, selenium, and choline. According to the Harvard University Gazette, researchers found that eating an egg a day did not raise cholesterol levels. They're also low in calories, protein-dense, and cheap for the nutrient punch they provide.

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With changing food pyramids, debates around soy, and the never-ending debates about the good and bad of eating grains, the definition of a healthy diet has taken an unusual number of twists and turns in the 21st century.

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More Americans are vegan than ever before. The Paleo diet is one of the most hotly debated diets since the Atkins Diet. Every day, it seems like there is a new study that proclaims why certain diets are the new worst diet of its kind.

Balanced Bites recently published a list of "4 Super-foods the media tells you are unhealthy," which was met with strong support from readers around the world and across social media. Lists like these aren't new, but they continue to open our eyes to what defines a healthy diet in today's world.

Read on to clear up some rumors and find some healthy, nutrient-rich food you might want to incorporate into your new healthy diet!

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  • When you get a physical or a health assessment, one of the numbers that you're provided with is your total cholesterol number. Diet and exercise are often mentioned as the way to lower your cholesterol figure.Uffe Ravnskov, author of The Cholesterol Myths, wrote that cholesterol from your diet generally tends to increase blood levels of cholesterol by less than one percent. Less than one percent!Eggs are a great source of vitamin A, iron, cholesterol, riboflavin, vitamin B12, selenium, and choline. According to the Harvard University Gazette, researchers found that eating an egg a day did not raise cholesterol levels. They're also low in calories, protein-dense, and cheap for the nutrient punch they provide.
  • Grass-fed beef quickly becoming more available throughout the United States as the number of facilities has ballooned into the thousands from just 50 about ten years ago. At your local Trader Joe's, you'll find grass-fed beef at reasonable prices and Whole Foods sometimes has specials that can actually make grass-fed beef cheaper than its grain or corn-fed counterpart.Why should you be looking for your beef to be of the grass-fed variety? Grass-fed beef has twice as many vital omega 3's compared to corn-fed beef. According to NPR, "almost all cuts of grass-fed beef have less total fat than beef from corn-raised cattle" and fewer calories as well.CNN pointed out from EatWild.com's Jo Robinson,'If you eat a typical amount of beef per year,' Robinson points out in Pasture Perfect, a book about the benefits of pasture-raised animals, 'which in the United States is about 67 pounds, switching to grass-fed beef will save you 16,642 calories a year.'A study at Chico State found,"Grass-fed beef is lower in calories, contains more healthy omega-3 fats, more vitamins A and E, higher levels of antioxidants, and up to seven times the beta-carotene."
  • Undoubtedly, the taste of liver isn't for everyone, but that doesn't mean it can't pack in a ton of nutrients.Beef liver is high in protein, low in carbohydrates, and vitamin-rich, especially in vitamins A and B. According to Live Strong, in one slice, beef liver isextremely high in vitamin A, with about 431 percent of your daily requirement. Vitamin A is good for your eyesight, teeth, bones and skin. It also contains about 60 percent of your vitamin B-3, or niacin, requirement, 48 percent of your vitamin B-5 requirement, and 800 percent of your vitamin B-12 requirement. The B vitamins all help your body process the food you eat so you can use it for energy.Duck liver (pictured), has a similar nutritional profile and while banned in California, is still a nutrient dense food.
  • Despite many claims that high-in-fat nuts are dangerous for dieters, "most nutritionists consider nuts to be a 'superfood,' as they're packed with various B vitamins, vitamin E, iron, zinc and selenium," according to Women's Day.Self included nuts on its list of high-fat foods that are good for you and noted, Your best bets for nutrition are almonds, walnuts and pistachios. Almonds are the richest in vitamin E; walnuts contain a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid; and pistachios have lutein and zeaxanthin, carotenoids important for eye health. Research shows nut eaters are generally thinner, less likely to develop type 2 diabetes and have a reduced risk of heart disease to boot.So let's stay away from the cocktail peanuts (which are not actually nuts, they're legumes) and stick with healthy nuts. 
  • If you were in school in the 1990s, chances are someone, whether it be a gym or home economics teacher, warned you about the high fat content in avocados. In reality, "they received their bad reputation due to their relatively high fat content, but the often-ignored fact is that these fruits are full of heart-healthy, monounsaturated fat" (that actually fight cholesterol!).Researchers found avocados are "loaded with a variety of antioxidants, including familiar disease-fighting compounds such as lutein, beta-carotene, and vitamin E." Additionally, avocados might be the perfect food to pair with your next meal as a study from Ohio State University found that "avocados help the body absorb phytochemicals from other foods... pairing avocados with salsa or salad allows for better absorption of antioxidants in those foods."
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, LA Fitness Examiner

Dave Chung, an avid fitness enthusiast, has been an active member the fitness and CrossFit communities in the greater Los Angeles area since 2007. After working for the University of Southern California football team, Dave wrote for Rotten Tomatoes, AmericanIdol.com, and Billboard Magazine, and...

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