Have «comfort foods» PUT YOUR healthy diet ON THE BACK SHELF?

Nutrition Myth Buster Jonny Bowden says toss out the old nutrition advice along with the junk food. It’s time to start fresh before you start having health issues.

- Jonny Bowden

It’s no big surprise that some processed foods, such as boxed macaroni and cheese, have been enjoying a renaissance lately. People are stressed. Grocery prices are rising. And given all the confusing nutrition advice coming at us, surely someone … somewhere … has done a study that says sugary snacks are good for you. Yeah, not so fast. Step away from the toaster pastries.

“Many high salt, high carb comfort foods are only going to make you gain weight, feel worse and could ultimately damage your health,” cautions Nutrition Myth Buster Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., CNS. “You’ll actually start feeling better and have more energy once you begin eating more nutritious foods.”

But here’s the dilemma: When it comes to dietary advice, who do you believe?

Some dietary advice on mainstream websites is decades out of date

The dietary advice issued by various organizations is often a mix of old and new data. It’s not in line with what those of us who study this continually are telling people today. It takes way too long for some of these big organizations to incorporate the current scientific thinking into the mantras that they’ve been repeating for sometimes decades,” says Bowden.

“Another reason why it’s so hard to get a straight answer about foods is that they don’t fall into perfect categories. For example, some saturated fats are very healthy for you. And some unsaturated fats should be avoided at all costs!”