Myths in Health
If you're on the look-out for what to eat
and what to avoid, you've probably been given some advice from
colleagues, friends and family members that sounds reliable. If you're
taking it super seriously, you might have even looked up diet tips on
blogs or online forums. We've all been lent some genius expertise, which
by all means, sound pretty obvious and credible. Well...after you read
the following facts (backed up by scientific research) you'll realize
just how gullible you might have been to believe these common food
myths.
1. "Eating fatty food makes you fat."
This is a wide-spread misconception, which leads dieting individuals to
substitute their seemingly fatty intake with portions of greens. In
reality, consuming fatty food does not mean you will become fat, or that
the fat will be trapped in your body. Balance is the key. Even though
some fats are considered 'worse' than others, excess intake of any kind
of food in general may lead to weight gain, including carbohydrates and
protein. Here's what Dr. Carly Stewart (medical expert at Money
Crashers) states about the matter:
"Eating fatty foods does not make you fat. Fat in moderation is a
necessary part of any healthy and balanced diet. Putting on more weight
in the form of fat is a result of energy imbalance. You will gain weight
if you take in more calories than you burn. Fat is a concentrated
source of calories, but it is not necessary to eliminate fat from your
diet completely."
Bottom line: Fat won't make you fat, unless you eat too much of it. So
go ahead and fill your plate with varied foods, and put your mind at
rest. All you need to do is maintain a healthy balance.
2. "Eating carbs makes you fat."
Ok, we've debunked the 'fat makes you fat'
myth. But what about carbohydrates? Are these tempting donuts, for
instance, to blame for our flabby stomachs?
First of all, carbohydrates aren't only sugar, they also come in forms
of starch and fiber. This means that when people say they'll eliminate
carbs from their diet, they're also including fruits, vegetables, milk,
nuts, grains, seeds and legumes, all of which are super vital for our
body. So, what's the right thing to do? This is what Dr. Stewart
recommends:
" It is a good idea to limit the number of carbs you eat in the form of
sugar because sugar is low in nutritional value and high in calories.
However, if you eliminate carbs completely, you will miss out on healthy
food such as whole grain breads and wheat pastas. You will only gain
weight if you consume more calories than you burn."
Bottom line: Eliminating carbs entirely
from your diet is wrong. They will only make you fat if you have a poor
diet or lack of exercise. Some carbs are less healthy than others, such
as sugary and processed foods, but this does not mean you should remove
them from your diet. Again, keeping a reasonable balance is a must,
alongside regular exercise.
3. "Gluten-free food is healthier."
Being gluten-intolerant means you may need
to cut down on your intake of quite a number of produce, including
bread, pasta, cereal, beer, pastries, etc. Of course, there are
gluten-free alternatives to these, which lately have not only been used
by people who suffer from this intolerance , but also by people who
believe this myth. Just as some people find they feel better when eating
gluten-free products, these products are not always a healthy option
since they are often made with refined starches. Here's what Dr. Stewart
suggests:
"Gluten-free foods are only healthier for you if you are allergic to
gluten. If you aren't, eating a gluten-free diet restricts the amount of
fiber, vitamins, and minerals you are able to consume. A variety of
foods that are high in whole grains (such as foods containing wheat,
rye, or barley) also contain gluten, and these foods are an essential
part of a healthy diet. Most people have no trouble digesting gluten."
Bottom line: Only unless you are sensitive
or allergic to gluten, there's absolutely nothing wrong in consuming it.
Don't miss out on nutrients you are able to tolerate just because you
were carried away with one of the gluten myths. Go ahead and enjoy your
beer, without needing to worry - and as always, don't forget: balance.
4. "Everyone needs to defecate daily."
You might have grown concerned when hearing
people say that they're able to defecate twice a day, and asked
yourself - how is that even possible? If you're not as efficient as
them, does that mean you have something wrong? Well, these people have
been honest enough with you and yes, many might need more frequent use
of the toilet than others. But this doesn't mean there's something wrong
with your body. According to Dr. Stewart, everyone has different
schedules:
"No single bowel movement schedule is right for everyone. However,
staying hydrated, eating foods high in fiber, and being active will help
ensure that your schedule is regular and you do not become backed up."
Bottom line: As long as your stool is healthy, you needn't worry about
how frequent you poop. This frequency might even depend on your food and
water intake. Unless you're feeling any discomfort or are seriously
constipated, you can put your mind at rest.
5. "The microwave kills nutrients in food."
Most of us might be familiar with this
myth, and with the microwave being so widely-used nowadays, it has also
become quite a worry to families, especially because they've been told
microwaves can kill nutrients in food. People might not have been
completely wrong on this, but there's certainly nothing to worry about.
Dr. Spencer Nadolsky (medical editor at Examine.com) elaborates on this:
"Microwaving can kill some nutrients (sulforaphane from broccoli, for
example) but this does not extend to all nutrients. Unfortunately, we
need to look at this stuff on a case by case basis to see which foods
you should microwave and which you cannot since there is no rhyme or
reason to which compounds are damaged or inactivated. In general,
microwaving is not a serious concern".
Bottom line: There's no major reason to abandon your microwave. You
might be more concerned about your microwave not heating meals evenly or
not keeping your food in the desired texture, rather than it killing
nutrients. After all, heating up broccoli in any way will cause it to
lose its sulforaphane.
6. "You lose a pound of fat for every 3,500 calorie you burn."
When dieting, some individuals tend to get
very obsessed about their calorie intake and the exact amount of
exercise they engage in, in parallel. This idea might have elements of
truth, but the reality is that although we have various devices that can
measure our calorie burn, none of these are precise. In fact,
Dr.Nadolsky says:
"Unfortunately we do not have perfect equations right now, so while a
pound of fat does have about 3,500kcal in it we tend to lose a pound of
fat when our diets give us somewhere between a 2,000 and 5,000 caloric
deficit."
Apart from that, although he partly agrees with the statement, he
emphasizes that this loss is not necessarily fat. We lose a substantial
amount of water and other forms of tissue when we exercise.
Bottom line: Do not rely on calorie counting to track your weight loss.
It might give you a rough estimate, but it's not worth the time you
spend to calculate and predict your loss by use of untrustworthy
formulas. They might eventually lead you to disappointment.
7. "Spot training helps you burn fat in desired areas."
Everyone has stubborn areas in their body
that gain weight more easily than others, such as the stomach, legs or
arms. People who have always wanted to target those areas in weight loss
have tried 'spot training', but the fact that it's not effective might
not be well received by these individuals. The reality is explained by
Dr. Stewart:
" Doing sit-ups (or another type of spot training) will strengthen the
abdominal muscles, but will not burn fat specific to that area. Fat is
burned or lost throughout the body on a more even basis, and is
accomplished through aerobic or cardiovascular exercise. The pattern of
fat gain or loss has more to do with each person’s unique body than it
does with the type of aerobic exercise performed."
Bottom line: Spot training won't help you eliminate fat from specific
areas. However, this should in no way stop you from doing it. Muscle
building makes you fit and it is still beneficial to burn fat in any
part of your body.
8. "The scale is a good way to see your fat loss progress."
So you've lost a pound or 2, and you're
feeling satisfied. Your desired results are finally showing numeric
proof on the scale - you're definitely burning enough fat! Wait - are
you sure it's fat you're losing? The truth is, our body is made of much
more than just fat. We all know it consists of a large quantity of water
for starters, together with other materials, which can also be lost
after exercise. Dr. Stewart explains further:
"The scale treats both fat and muscle the same way – a pound of fat is
the same as a pound of muscle. If you're strengthening your muscles
during your exercise regimen, you might actually see a small amount of
weight gain rather than weight loss, which is not a bad thing. A better
way to track the progress of diet and exercise is to monitor how you
feel and how you look. Your local fitness center may also be able to
help with measuring your percent body fat."
Bottom line: Using the scale is not the best way to track the progress
of your diet. It may mislead you in both positive and negative ways -
you may be interpreting muscle gain as fat gain, or water loss as fat
loss. But either way, you will probably realize when you'd been burning
your fat by the way you see yourself and feel.