DIETARY darlings

Due to effective marketing (and/or misinformation) some foods receive "health halos," while others get a bad rap-regardless of evidence. Here are the facts behind the trends.

- MARGE PERRY

OFTEN, FOODS GET THROWN INTO ONE OF TWO BUCKETS:

GOOD OR BAD.

THE TRUTH IS, WE SHOULDN'T VILIFY SPECIFIC FOODS ANY MORE THAN WE SHOULD HOLD UP OTHERS AS THE SILVER BULLETS TO PERFECT HEALTH. READ ON TO DEMYSTIFY THE NOTORIETY OF SOME SNACKS AND INGREDIENTS.

acai some health benefits," says registered dietitian nutritionist Keri Gans, author of The Small Change Diet and host of The Keri Report podcast. "But they're expensive, and we usually consume acai as a powder or pulp, which can be lower in fiber." You may be better off making your smoothie bowl with a mix of berries rather than pricey acai. You'll get plenty of antioxidants from other readily available (and less expensive) fresh or frozen berries, according to Gans. "Acai berries do have

In addition, look out for purchased acai shakes or bowls, which can be serious added-sugar bombs.

corn

In the last decade or so, corn has been cast as a dietary villain, and unfairly so. Consumers often associate the cereal with high-fructose corn syrup, the ubiquitous sweetener used to add sweetness and improve texture in many processed foods. But unlike corn syrup, which adds sugars but no nutritional value, whole corn has vitamins, minerals, and fiber. "If you eat the whole corn kernel, you get all the benefits of a whole grain, much like brown rice," says Dalina Soto, a Philadelphia-based registered dietitian who specializes in Latina health. Like corn kernels, corn tortillas are considered a whole-grain food. (And whole grains should make up half of your daily grain consumption, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.)

vegetable chips and straws