Answers to listener questions about coffee and cholesterol, “natural” nitrites from celery powder, hazards of home-frying, and whether ketone energy drinks are a smart choice for athletes.
Answers to listener questions about coffee and cholesterol, “natural” nitrites from celery powder, hazards of home-frying, and whether ketone energy drinks are a smart choice for athletes.
Find a full transcript here.
Additional episodes mentioned in this episode:
029 ND Looking for Mr. Goodbar
096 Nutrition Month: Fuel for Young Athletes
139 ND Do B Vitamins Give You Energy?
343 ND Fat or Carbs: Which Is the Body's Preferred Fuel Source
541 Are Sports Drinks the Best Way to Replace Electrolytes?
Should you stop using your French press coffee maker? Are uncured meats better than traditionally cured products? Is sauteing just as bad as deep-frying? And what’s the deal with ketone drinks that promise all-day energy—especially for young athletes? In this special mailbag episode of the Nutrition Diva podcast, I’m answering your questions on a variety of nutrition topics.
Hello, I’m Monica Reinagel and you are listening to the Nutrition Diva podcast. In addition to covering the latest nutrition news and research, I also love answering your questions about food and nutrition and today I have a bit of a grab bag of questions sent in by listeners over the past few weeks–touching on everything from French press coffee to beef jerky to stir fries.
Let’s start our show the way I start every day: with a nice cup of coffee!
Michelle wrote in after reading an article that warned of a potential link between French press coffee and elevated cholesterol levels. She and her husband have been using a French press to make their coffee every day for the last eight years. She says their cholesterol levels are currently fine, but understandably, the article made her a bit nervous. She wanted to know if they should consider switching to a different brewing method.
Unfiltered coffee—such as that made in a French press or Turkish coffee (which is boiled)—contains compounds called diterpenes. Two specific diterpenes, cafestol and kahweol, have been shown in clinical studies to raise LDL cholesterol levels. These compounds are largely removed when coffee is brewed through a paper filter, but they remain in unfiltered coffee.
So, yes, drinking unfiltered coffee might raise cholesterol levels. But—as always—the devil is in the details. For one thing, the effect is dose-dependent. In most of the studies showing a measurable rise in LDL, people were drinking four to six cups of unfiltered coffee per day.
If you’re someone who drinks multiple cups of unfiltered coffee every day and your LDL is trending high, it might be worth experimenting with filtered coffee for a few months to see if it makes a difference. But if you’re drinking one or two cups, the impact on cholesterol is likely to be modest to negligible.
In fact, coffee drinkers overall do not have an increased risk of heart disease—and in some studies, moderate coffee intake is actually associated with lower risk. This is likely due to coffee’s complex mix of antioxidants and bioactive compounds, which may counterbalance any small increase in cholesterol.
So, if you love your French press, and your cholesterol levels are in a healthy range, there’s no need to switch to a different method. But it’s still a good idea for all of us—coffee drinkers or not—to check our cholesterol periodically, especially as we get older.
But if your cholesterol levels are currently healthy and you’re otherwise in good cardiovascular health, there’s no strong evidence that you need to give up your French press.
Next up, we have a question about uncured bacon and hot dogs and whether they are actually better for you than traditionally cured meats.
Larry writes:
“Beef jerky made with celery powder instead of chemical nitrites is often marketed as a healthier alternative. Is it, or should we avoid all sources of nitrites?”
This is a great question and one I get over and over again. In processed meats like jerky, bacon, and ham, nitrites help inhibit bacterial growth. Without them, these products would spoil much more quickly—and wouldn’t look or taste the way we expect.
But there’s a potential downside: In the acidic environment of the stomach, nitrites can interact with the protein in those cured meats to form compounds called nitrosamines, which have been shown to be carcinogenic. In fact, people who eat a lot of cured meats do have an increased risk of stomach and other digestive cancers.
This has led many cured meat lovers to gravitate toward jerky, bacon, or other cured meats that are labeled “uncured” or “no added nitrites.” These products are often made with celery powder, which is a natural source of nitrates. The thing is that nitrites derived from celery behave the same way (in both the meat and in your body) as synthetic ones. So meat products made with celery powder carry the same potential concerns.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean that we should try to avoid all sources of nitrites. In fact, vegetables account for more than 80% of the nitrates and nitrites we consume. Leafy greens and root vegetables like spinach, beets, celery, and lettuce are all natural sources—and these are clearly not foods we want to be avoiding.
In fact, the nitrates and nitrites we get from vegetables may actually be beneficial. They can be converted in the body into nitric oxide, which helps regulate blood pressure and supports vascular health.
Even better, a diet high in fruits and vegetables can actually reduce the risks associated with eating cured meats. That’s because vitamin C from these foods helps block the conversion of nitrites into nitrosamines in the digestive tract. The strongest health risks have been associated with high and frequent consumption of cured meats, coupled with a low intake of fruits and vegetables.
Enjoying jerky or smoked salmon once in a while is not likely to pose a meaningful risk, especially if your diet also features plenty of produce. But it really doesn’t matter whether your jerky is cured with celery powder or synthetic nitrites.
Our next question is about fried foods and what actually belongs in this category.
Lisa wrote in with the following question.
“I was reminded again by your recent podcast on seed oils to limit my consumption of fried foods. Do you make a distinction between pan-fried and deep-fried? I’ve been forgoing deep-fried foods at restaurants lately but occasionally will have pan-fried foods, thinking that’s a better choice. Just wondering if you think that’s a reasonable decision or am I fooling myself?”
You're not fooling yourself, Lisa—I do think there’s a meaningful difference between deep-fried foods and something that’s sautéed or stir-fried in a pan.
Deep frying involves completely submerging food in very hot oil. Heating the oil to this temperature can create harmful compounds, which are then deposited onto the food. This is especially a concern when the oil is reused multiple times, as is common in restaurants. With each cycle, the oil becomes more oxidized and can break down into potentially harmful byproducts.
Pan frying or sautéing, on the other hand, typically uses a much smaller amount of oil—maybe a tablespoon or two in a skillet. That’s often not enough to qualify as “frying” in the traditional sense, at least from a nutritional standpoint. And the oil used for sautéing is usually fresh and discarded after one use, which makes a difference.
Of course, there’s a gray area. If you use enough oil in a pan that the food is more or less floating in it, you’re drifting into shallow frying territory, which shares more characteristics with deep frying. An air fryer can be a great way to get more of a deep-fried crunch with a minimum of added oil (or risk).
So your instinct is a good one. Avoiding deep-fried restaurant foods, where the oil is used repeatedly and the fat content is quite high, is a sensible move. Sauteing or pan-frying foods at home is less of an issue. Just be sure to use fresh oil each time.
Our final question today comes from Joel, who is wondering about zero-calorie energy drinks that claim to provide all-day energy with ketones.
Joel coaches high school athletes and the kids that he works with have gotten very into zero-calorie energy drinks that claim to provide all-day energy with ketones. He’s wondering if they are a good choice.
Ketone-based energy drinks are definitely having a moment, especially among fitness enthusiasts and young athletes looking for an edge. Many of these drinks do contain actual ketones–or precursors that your body converts to ketones–which can be used as an alternative fuel source.This essentially mimics what happens in your body if you are fasting or following a ketogenic diet.
But the idea that they provide “all-day energy”? That’s largely marketing hype.
Research has consistently shown that exogenous ketones don’t reliably improve physical or mental performance. In fact, many well-designed studies have found no benefit compared to plain water, electrolyte drinks, or carbohydrate-based beverages. Some studies even report that ketone drinks can impair performance—especially in high-intensity activities—because they can interfere with how the body uses carbohydrates, which are the muscles’ preferred fuel during exercise.
There’s also the issue of side effects. The ketone salts used in some of these products can cause nausea, bloating, and other digestive upset. And while they’re probably safe in the short term for healthy adults, we don’t have a lot of data on long-term use—especially in adolescents..
So what are healthier and more effective options? For those engaging in endurance or high-intensity training, carbohydrate-based drinks—with or without electrolytes—are still the gold standard for sustained energy and performance.
But sometimes people reaching for energy drinks aren’t trying to fuel athletic activity. They are just hoping that an energy drink will make them feel alert. And for that, you really can’t beat adequate sleep and good nutrition–and, possibly, the judicious use of caffeine.
Bottom line: Ketone drinks might sound high-tech and cutting-edge, but for most active people—especially young athletes—they’re expensive, unproven, and possibly counterproductive.
If you’re interested in more on energy bars, sports drinks, and eating for athletic performance, I’ve put together a playlist to some past episodes you may find useful..
Thanks to everyone who has sent in questions and, once again, if you have a question you’d like me to answer, you can email me at nutrition@quickanddirtytips.com.
Nutrition Diva is a Quick and Dirty Tips podcast. Holly Hutchings is our Director of Podcasts. Steve Riekeberg is our audio engineer, Morgan Christianson heads up Podcast Operations & Advertising. Thanks also to Nat Hoopes for his support and most of all thanks to you for listening!