Eating Healthy - Part 1: The insanity *

I don't know about you but I have a hard time keeping straight what is considered "healthy" and what is considered "unhealthy" when it comes to food. I know, I know, I'm a nurse, I should know about nutrition. But this is what I've found... Some "expert" is saying don't eat eggs because they are high in cholesterol and the next "expert" is saying eat eggs because they are a good protein source and contain omega-3 fatty acids... The list goes on...use margarine spreads, no, butter is better...don't drink caffeine, no, black coffee is good for you...eat soy, don't eat soy...carbs are bad, well no carbs are ok, just don't eat them at night...eat more of this...avoid that...eat a big breakfast then eat a meal every couple hours, but be sure to limit your calories...this is the next superfood, but wait don't overdo it...drink milk - skim milk, no, 1% is better...take supplements, but too many can be harmful... Then there is the marketing of "healthy" foods by companies like Weight Watchers (which I respect and recommend as a weight loss plan) which are loaded with unhealthy artificial ingredients, but hey, they are only "1 point" so all is good, right? It seems that no matter where you go to find the truth (ie: advocates of natural foods, medical doctors, the latest scientific studies), there ends up being contradictions. They even changed the food pyramid (the one that we learned about since elementary school) a few years ago! So, this series is my feable attempt to try to sort through all of that advice from the "experts" which isn't even consistent over time. Of course, I am not a dietician nor do I claim to have all of the answers, but I have done a lot of reading and I will be doing more research on each of the topics that I write about. I plan to summarize what I have found and share what conclusions that I have come to. I hope you come back for Part 2. I hope that you find this series helpful and I welcome comments and discussion. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ * Warning: This post was a result of my head spinning because I've been going through my old Prevention magazines to get rid of what I can before we move...I think I better take a break...