10 nutrition myths solved: Learn more!

Just when you think you’ve got a handle on the safest way to feed your body. A new study comes out that’s going to end what you thought. Yesterday’s coffee is linked to hypertension. Today, it prevents heart disease. Is butter all right? Or is it the enemy these days? Worse, the Internet makes it easy for these half-baked ideas and nutrition myths to spread like flames across social media, blogs, and other sites. No wonder consumers are scratching their heads.

The results of a particular study can make headlines. But sometimes, the analysis is not well designed. The nutrition recommendations that you can’t trust on one report but a whole body of studies with similar outcomes. That’s why the basic dietary recommendations haven’t changed much over the last few decades. The focus has always been:

• eating lots of fruit and vegetables, 
• preferring lean meat and dairy products over more fatty types, 
• and limiting sugar, salt and saturated and trans fats.

No matter what your health goals are, it’s important to debunk the nutrition myths.

Here are 10 common nutrition myths solved that can break down your aim of healthy eating.

Nutrition myths no.1: Whole Grain Foods Are Good For Everyone

There has long been a movement away from processed carbs like pasta and white bread. It is common advice that if you want to lose weight and be healthy, you should substitute them with whole grains.

One problem with this is that people always see ‘contains whole grains’ as a label. That promises health when there could still be many other processed carbohydrates and chemicals in that product. It’s important to keep this in mind when shopping for whole-grain food.

Another factor is that for those sensitive to certain aspects of carbohydrates, such as gluten, these substances are mostly present in higher quantities in whole grain forms, as less extracted from the processing process. If grains don’t agree with you, you may want to turn to other complex forms of carbohydrates. Such as sweet potatoes.

Nutrition myths no.2: Carbs At Night Make You Fat

When you first hear about this one, it may sound like common sense. But the body doesn’t necessarily act in the way we assume it is. The myth is that by eating carbohydrates late at night, because you’re inactive, you’re not going to be able to burn them, and your body is going to be forced to preserve them as fat. For a few reasons, this is untrue.

First, the body’s resting metabolic rate at night is somewhat similar to that during the day due to the various regulatory processes during sleep. Second, if you exercise intensely throughout the day, your metabolism will stay elevated during the night while your body restores itself and replenishes fuel stores.

Remember that your body develops muscle when you’re sleeping, not while you’re exercising. And this is an energy-consuming process that takes place regardless of the time of day.

Nutrition myths no.3: Energy drinks rev up your metabolism

There’s no magic food or drink that can improve your metabolism. Up to 400 mg of caffeine is safe to drink. Some energy drinks are more than 400 mg in just one bottle! And some bags of sugar, too. Drinking energy drinks can boost your heart rate. And you can believe you have improved your metabolism. But this isn’t real. Water is the easiest thing to drink. Even when the energy is down, go for the water.

Nutrition myths no.4: Gluten is evil. When you cut it, you’re going to lose weight.

The gluten-free diet is not a weight-loss diet. Currently, there is no proof that gluten itself causes weight gain. On the other side, a diet composed of whole grains (both gluten-containing and gluten-free varieties), fresh produce, and lean meat. Low carbohydrates can make you feel healthier and more energized. And help you lose weight when you get fuller longer.

Nutrition myths no.5: Eating healthy is too expensive.  

It may take some prep and time in the kitchen. But it’s easy to eat healthy on a budget. 

Some useful tips are as follows:

• Shop sales and clip coupons
• Stick the list of your groceries
• Don’t go starving to the store
• Stock on staples—such as brown rice, whole-wheat noodles, dried beans and lentils, and frozen vegetables—when on sale  
• Check high and low for better deals 
• Avoid re-washed, pre-cut, individual servings of items as they are often more costly.

Nutrition myths no.6: Skipping meals can help you lose weight

Your metabolism slows down when you skip a meal. Meaning that the food you consume is not burned as quickly as possible. Besides feeling tired, it’s normal to overeat the next meal because of the greedy type of hunger. Your best choice is to eat a regular, nutritious meal and snacks throughout the day.

Nutrition myths no.7: A detox diet will clean toxins out the body

There is very little proof that dietary cleanses do any of the things they promise. The truth is that we don’t need to cleanse our bodies. Our liver, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract do a good job by detoxifying it every day. If you’re trying to rejuvenate your body, concentrate on:

• consuming whole fruit, 
• drinking water, 
• and removing heavily processed ingredients from your diet.

Nutrition myths no.8: Milk is essential for bone health

Low calcium intake is associated with low bone mass and weakening bones. However, milk is not the only source of calcium in our diet. Non-dairy sources of calcium include:

• leafy green vegetables, 
• collards 
• bok choy, 
• soya products 
• and baked beans.

• Nutrition myths no. 9: don’t eat at fast-food chains

We hear this every time we want fast food, don’t we? Everyone is going to make negative comments about eating in a fast-food restaurant like a broken record. They’re going to say it’s bad because you’re going to gain weight afterward. Is it? What if you don’t have the time to prepare your meal and want to have a good meal in the restaurant instead? A lot of fast-food restaurants can work into your diet plans today. You can quickly order a meal. And ask to change it by asking for less salt or sugar.

The reality is, you need to know what food to eat. That’s not exactly where you eat it. The place or how they cook a meal doesn’t matter at all.

Nutrition myths no.10: Avoid red meat; take white meat instead

People are claiming that red meat can cause cancer. Smoked meat has poly-aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs that can damage our genome. And lead to cancerous substances in our body. There is also proof that people who eat red meat can be vulnerable to cancer, especially if they have unhealthy choices and a poor lifestyle.

If you’re a non-smoker who works regularly and eats fruit and vegetables, There’s a lower risk of developing cancer from consuming red meat.

The Bottom Line

Nutrition can be confusing. Nutrition myths are increasingly changing as time progresses. These nutrition myths still exist because of our lack of nutrition knowledge and lack of reliable data.

Self-improvement is fine, but self-acceptance is even better. In the end, you should always ensure that, apart from being healthy, you can also enjoy consuming meals that will not only fill your tummy but will also please your taste buds.