Vegetables that aren’t as healthy as you think

You know you should eat more vegetables. We all do. If you’re one of the millions of people who are trying to live better, chances are you make a conscious effort to forego sweets and fast food for the occasional salad or green smoothie — because vegetables, no matter which ones, are always healthy, right?

“It is always better to choose a fruit or vegetable over processed food in a snap decision,” Dr. Konda Reddy of Physicians Weight Loss Orlando, told me in an interview. But, the truth is, not all vegetables are created equal. Here are some vegetables that aren’t as healthy as you think.

If you’re anything like me, corn probably ranks high on your list of favorite vegetables. From grilled corn on the cob to sweet corn salad, these little morsels of yellow goodness taste delicious no matter how you prepare them. And because they’re a vegetable, I always feel a little when I choose to forego French fries to nosh away at some corn instead. Unfortunately, most nutritional experts I spoke to weren’t as big of fans of corn as I hoped.

“Vegetables like corn are higher in carbohydrates, and the carbohydrates contained inside these veggies are not mostly indigestible fiber, but rather, strings of sugar also known as starches,” registered dietician Catherine Metzgar, Ph.D. told me in an interview. “These starches are very digestible and are quickly converted into sugar in your body, raising your blood sugar.”

 

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Will a Sound Machine Help You Drift Off?

The temperature in your bedroom is perfect. Your blackout curtains have been drawn shut. And you’ve just finished a cup of chamomile tea and novel that made you laugh out loud and forget about whatever was bothering you earlier in the day.

You’re just about ready to drift off, and suddenly the air conditioner kicks on. Or a car alarm screeches through the night air. Or your partner sneezes. Suddenly, you’re wide-awake again. Your brain responds to noises when you’re awake and asleep. But if the interruptions wake you up, that can keep you from getting the restful shuteye that you need.

When ambient noise is disrupting your sleep, white (or pink) noise can help to smooth out the rough edges. Imagine sitting next to a person who is loudly chewing gum in a library. Then imagine sitting next to that same person in a crowded bar. It’s the same chomping gum, but underneath the drone of a crowded place, you can’t even hear it anymore. White noise, whether it’s from a sound machine, a simple fan, or crowd noise helps to mask noise-related disruptions by creating a constant ambient sound that makes a “peak” noise, like a door slamming, less of a contrast. And that makes you less likely to be startled awake.

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