Ten Bad Foods That Are Actually Good For You

You may have heard me spouting off about how I'm going to the Powerhouse Gym along with eating better in an attempt to loose some weight this year. I've received plenty of advice from friends and family including suggestions on what foods I should avoid. When someone told be no more pasta, I said, "What???" According to Food Network Kitchens, here are ten foods that some say are bad for you, yet may actually be good.

You may have heard that avocados are loaded with fat, but did you know it's the good kind? They contain the heart-protecting monounsaturated fat. And that is why this tempting fruit is actually good for you.

If your pasta dish includes beef, you're getting a good dose iron and protein. The tomato sauce is packed with lycopene and the pasta has energy-producing carbohydrates. It's a healthy choice as long as you watch the portion size. I've made the mistake of having two plates full, while not using lean beef.

I've actually heard that if you're going to eat fruit, bananas are the worst. Huh? They are packed with vitamin B-6, fiber, potassium and lutein. A medium banana has roughly the same calories (around 100) as a medium apple. Enjoy!

My wife told me that a co-worker of hers eats peanut butter everyday for lunch. Now I know why. Peanut Butter contains 30 percent of your daily calories that come from healthy fats. Plus, it's loaded with protein, fiber and vitamin E.

"Where do you get all that energy in the morning?" "You sound so perky", they say to me. Coffee is my answer and now I'm not too worried about drinking it because coffee not only helps pry open your eyes in the morning, but it also gives you a healthy dose of antioxidants. Research has shown that people who drink coffee have a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes and improved mental health as they age.

I used to joke, I'd love to order a burrito at McDonalds. The jokes on me as they now serve them and for good reason. Burrito's often contain veggies, rice, beans with small portions of meat. This treat will pretty much cover all your nutritional needs without overloading the calories.

Often the least expensive cut of chicken, the thigh contains dark meat. Like avocados, dark meat is high in healthy monounsaturated fats.

Every Saturday and Sunday morning it's two eggs and toast for my breakfast, and why not. Eggs do contain some cholesterol, but healthy men and women can eat up to, two eggs a day without significantly increasing their blood-cholesterol levels.

If you're a meat and potatoes guy like me, don't worry about it. Potatoes are loaded with five grams of fiber, four grams of protein, 10 percent of your daily iron requirements and 70 percent of your daily vitamin C needs. A medium potato, at just 165 calories, is a nutrition powerhouse. Easy on the salt, sour cream and butter.

And how can we leave out corn. Yes, it's a starchy vegetable, but corn is starchy because it's actually a grain. In addition to protein and fiber, corn has energy-producing B-vitamins. It's make a good cooking oil as well.