Eating healthy is hard work, so it’s no astonish that many of us have tried a shortcut or two at some level, hoping for speedy results.
But some of such alleged nutritional quick-fixes aren’t all that useful, and a handful of them can even be dangerous.
Here’s a look at the most insidious meat and nutrition myths, along with the social sciences that debunks them.
Myth: You should never ‘cheat’ on a diet .
Truth: It’s perfectly fine to go off your healthy eating scheme every once in a while, Nichola Whitehead, a registered dietitian and nutritionist with a practice in the UK, tells Business Insider.
“Its alright to overeat occasionally, ” tells Whitehead. “Its overeating systematically day in and day out over the long term that induces weight gain.”
If you’ve managed to switch from a diet heavy in cherry-red meat and processed carbohydrates to feeing mainly veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins, you’ve already done the majority of members of the operate, Whitehead says.
Myth: Counting calories is the best route to lose weight .
Truth: Although counting calories can be a useful tool in a bigger toolkit for weight loss, it is not a perfect answer for healthy eating, especially when it’s used in isolation.
That’s because restricting calories doesn’t take into account all the aspects of a meat that are required to fuel your body, from protein and carbohydrates to vitamins and minerals. Whitehead summarizes their own problems this style: “While calories are important when it is necessary to lose, preserving, or gaining weight, they are not the sole thing we should be focusing on when it comes to improving our health.”
Myth: Eating low-fat food will stimulate you lose fat .
Truth: A low-fat diet doesn’t necessarily translate into weight loss.
In an eight-year trial involving virtually 50,000 wives, approximately half the participants went on a low-fat diet, while the others did not. The researchers found that the women on the low-fat scheme didn’t lower their risk of breast cancer, colorectal cancer, or heart disease. Plus, they didn’t lose much weight, if any. New recommendations show that healthy fats, like those from nuts, fish, and avocados, are actually good for you in moderation. So add them back into your diet if you haven’t already.
Myth: Purifies and detoxes are a good way to jump-start a diet .
Truth: No one needs to detox.
Unless you’ve been poisoned, you have a built-in, super-efficient system for filtering out most of the harmful substances you feed. It’s made up of two toxin-bashing organs: the liver and the kidneys. Our kidneys filter our blood and eliminating the waste from our diet, and our livers process medications and detoxify any chemicals we ingest. Paired together, these organs induce our bodies natural cleansing powerhouses. Juice cleanse? No thanks.
Myth: Adding a supplement to your weight-loss program is a good idea .
Truth: Decades of research has failed to find substantial evidence that supplements do any significant good. On the contrary, some of them can do significant harm.
The most dangerous types of supplements are matters relating to weight loss, muscle building, and sexual performance, according to Harvard Medical School professor S. Bryn Austin, who spoke on a recent panel organized by the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.
These supplements are “the most lawless of all the categories and where the most problems turn up, ” Austin said.
Myth: A diet that works for person or persons should work just as well for others .
Truth: No two torsoes are the same, so there’s no single best diet.
Everything from an individual’s genetics to their taste predilections and even their schedule can influence the type of healthy eating plan that works for them. The most important factor to look for in a healthy eating program, surveys recommend, is a routine you are able to stick with. This can entail trying out a few different options until you find one you like and can maintain.
Myth: Egg whites are healthier than whole eggs .
Truth: People tend to avoid whole eggs because of their high cholesterol content, but recent research suggests that the cholesterol from our diets doesn’t have much of an effect on the level of cholesterol in our blood.
Most of the early research suggesting that cholesterol intake was unhealthy was be done in order to rabbits, who don’t feed any animal products.
Myth: Avoiding gluten is a good way to keep your digestive system healthy .
Truth: Unless you’re among the 1% of Americans who suffer from celiac cancer, gluten probably won’t have a negative effect on your body.
Studies show that most people suffer from slight bloating and gas when they feed, whether they consume wheat or not.
Myth: Almond milk is healthier than regular milk .
Truth: Alternatives to dairy aren’t ever nutritionally superior.
Compared with a glass of low-fat milk, which has about 8 grams of protein, almond milk has none. Plus, most of the vitamins in almond milk are added during the course of its production process, which some studies indicate can make it harder for the body to absorb and hold onto the nutrients. Soy milk, on the other hand, is approximately on-par with low-fat milk, serving up the same sum of protein plus some totally natural micronutrients from soy beans.
Myth: Juices are a good replacement for dinners .
Truth: While juice has some vitamins and in some cases even a small amount of protein, research shows that the best style to get those nutrients is to eat a balanced diet full of vegetables, fruit, and whole grains.
More importantly, juicing fruit removes most of the fiber, which is the key ingredient that retains you feeling full until your next dinner. This is one of the reasons why calories from sweetened liquors are often referred to as “empty calories, ” since they can increase hunger pangs and feeling swings and leave you with low energy levels.
Myth: You should steer clear of MSG .
Truth: Monosodium glutamate is an ingredient added to many foods to enhance their flavor, and it’s altogether safe to ingest.
MSG is often associated with a series of symptoms including numbness at the base of the neck and a general appreciation of tirednes that traditionally lumped together and called “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.” Eating too much, irrespective of the amount of MSG, is the more likely culprit here.
Myth: Microwaving your food destroys its nutrients .
Truth: “Nuking” food does not rob it of nutrients.
Microwave ovens cook meat employing energy waves that cause the molecules in food to vibrate promptly, building up their energy as hot. Some nutrients begin to disintegrate when heated, whether from a microwave, a stave, or oven. But since microwave-cooking times are typically shorter than oven-cooking days, microwaving something may actually continue more of its vitamins intact.
Myth: Chia seeds, apple cider vinegar, and mushrooms are superfoods .
Truth: While certain meat have more health benefits than others, there is no legal or medical definition for what counts as a “superfood.”
Nutritionists and public-health experts rarely use the term. So if someone starts tossing that word around, there’s likely a good chance they’re not as knowledgeable as they claim.
Read the original article on Tech Insider. Copyright 2017.
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