It’s Time to Bust These 8 Common Diet Myths
- Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
- Jul 31, 2019
- 3 min read
It’s Time to Bust These 8 Common Diet Myths
It seems like every year there’s a new nutrition trend, backed by lots of smart-sounding pseudoscience. But it’s important to separate the truth from the trend before you unconsciously (or consciously) make it a part of your diet. It’s time to bust these eight common diet myths.
1. A VEGAN DIET IS AUTOMATICALLY HEALTHY
Going vegan or vegeterian does not mean you are going healthy for example potato chips is vegeterian but it is unhealthy food. Moreover, vegeterian diet lack many essential nutrients like "B12".
2. RAW FOODS ARE THE MOST NUTRITIOUS
Raw diet has become popular as it believes that cooking food destroys enzymes and nutrients. This is true to some extent but also cooking make some nutrients available like lycopene. So make always a combination of both.
3. FREQUENT SMALL MEALS ARE BETTER THAN FEWER LARGE ONES
Eating small frequent meals instead of large meals to boost metabolism. Well! This is not true in all cases as calories in meals matter more than frequency of meals.
4. CARBS ARE THE ENEMY OF WEIGHT LOSS
Simple and refined carbs — cakes, cookies, crackers, pasta, etc. — aren’t very nutritious and can contribute to weight gain. So when people lose weight from “cutting carbs,” it’s likely because they avoided these foods. But healthy carbs from whole grains, fruits, vegetables and more are part of a nutritious diet. And it’s time they stop getting lumped in with their unhealthy cousins.
5. FAT IN FOOD EQUALS FAT ON YOUR BODY
Just like carbs, not all fats are equal.
You need to choose heart-healthy unsaturated fats, such as olive and canola oil, nuts, nut butters and avocados over those that are high in saturated and trans fats, including fatty meats and high-fat dairy products.
These healthy fats help our bodies protect organs and absorb nutrients, among other benefits.
6. EATING LOTS OF PROTEIN STRAINS YOUR KIDNEYS
Research actually has shown a higher protein intake might help to lower your blood pressure and combat Type 2 diabetes two risk factors for kidney disease. Plus, protein consumption helps to maintain a healthy weight, which also benefits kidney function. So again, a balanced diet is what strengthens your body and prevents disease.
7. A DETOX DIET IS WORTH A TRY
The fact is we don’t need to cleanse our bodies. Our liver, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract do a good job of detoxing it every day.
Some of these diets essentially starve you (or use laxatives) to cause you to drop weight quickly. But that’s incredibly unhealthy and can upset your gut health, among other issues. Instead, focus on cutting processed foods and drinking lots of water if you want to rejuvenate your system.
8. CALORIES IN VERSUS CALORIES OUT DETERMINES WEIGHT
Many people believe weight is a reflection of willpower, based on caloric input versus output. But it’s so much more than that. Human body system is much complex than you think. Genetics, hormones and other factors contribute to weight loss process.
In addition not all calorie from food work in the same way.Different foods go through different metabolic pathways and have direct effects on fat burning and the hormones and brain centers that regulate appetite.
For instance, a high-protein diet can actually increase your metabolic rate. Thus, weight is not as simple as counting calories and willpower, and you should never assume you know what’s going on in another person’s body.
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