As we try to make proper food choices for our daily meals, we must always be aware of nutritional myths. Their prevalence on the internet, and other types of media, makes it very difficult to discern what's true, and what not true. Eating low-fat foods because they are better for you, is one instance. A food labeled "low fat" in the supermarket is usually synonymous with "loaded with salt and useless carbohydrates." For example, consider Smucker's Reduced Fat Peanut Butter. Smucker's added a quick-digesting carbohydrate called maltodextrin to substitute for the fat it replaced. Maltodextrin contains more calories than the fat it replaced. That's not going to benefit your weight loss program.
Other examples of nutritional myths are found below:
Sea salt is better than regular table salt.
According to a survey taken by the American Heart Association, many people believe that it's true. However, the statement is false. Sea salt is not a low-sodium alternative to table salt. Table salt is produced in underground mines. Sea salt is produced from the evaporation of sea water. Although they have different tastes, both are composed of sodium and chlorine.
Drinking red wine is good for the cardiovascular system, including the heart.
Research has proven that this statement is not one of many nutritional myths. However, a survey found that most Americans believe that increasing their daily intake of wine will increase its benefits to the heart. This is a myth. Drinking too much wine can cause many serious health problems because it contains alcohol. The American Heart Association recommends only one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. In other words, moderate drinking of wine, not excessive drinking, is good for the heart.
Ingesting eggs for breakfast is bad for your heart.
Eggs do include a significant amount of cholesterol in their yolks. An above-average size egg contains about 210 milligrams of cholesterol. I'm aware that cholesterol may contribute to clogged arteries and heart attacks. However, research has shown that most healthy people can consume an egg every day with no complications. Why is this so? The cholesterol we eat-in eggs does not cause a massive effect on raising our blood cholesterol. The chief heart-disease culprits are saturated and trans fats, which have a lot higher impact on raising blood cholesterol. A typical egg contains two grams of saturated fat and no trans fats. You should limit your cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg daily. When you eat a large egg, you are only getting 10% of this amount. So one large egg a day is fine as long as you don't go over that 300 mg of cholesterol with the rest of your daily diet.
Eating fatty foods, such as bacon and sausage, will make you fat.
This is not necessarily true. Fatty foods do contain cholesterol and saturated fats which contributes to having cardiovascular diseases. However, calories from sugars - not fat - are the main culprit that causes weight gain. Yes, bacon and sausage most certainly contain calories, but not as much as carbohydrates - which are broken down to forms different types of sugars. These sugars are the main sources of energy - calories - for our body.
So, what is the take home point? If you want to lose or keep from gaining a lot of weight, you should reduce your consumption of high-sugary foods, such as buttermilk pancakes with layers of mocha cream topped with chocolate and whipped cream. Instead of eating high-sugary carbohydrates, eat complex carbohydrates which are high in fiber and vital nutrients, such as broccoli, beans, spinach, and fruits.
If you are not sure whether a particular food practice is a nutritional myth or not, research it online. If you find that the behavior is a myth, congratulate yourself on becoming one of the many nutritional myth busters.
Other examples of nutritional myths are found below:
Sea salt is better than regular table salt.
According to a survey taken by the American Heart Association, many people believe that it's true. However, the statement is false. Sea salt is not a low-sodium alternative to table salt. Table salt is produced in underground mines. Sea salt is produced from the evaporation of sea water. Although they have different tastes, both are composed of sodium and chlorine.
Drinking red wine is good for the cardiovascular system, including the heart.
Research has proven that this statement is not one of many nutritional myths. However, a survey found that most Americans believe that increasing their daily intake of wine will increase its benefits to the heart. This is a myth. Drinking too much wine can cause many serious health problems because it contains alcohol. The American Heart Association recommends only one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. In other words, moderate drinking of wine, not excessive drinking, is good for the heart.
Ingesting eggs for breakfast is bad for your heart.
Eggs do include a significant amount of cholesterol in their yolks. An above-average size egg contains about 210 milligrams of cholesterol. I'm aware that cholesterol may contribute to clogged arteries and heart attacks. However, research has shown that most healthy people can consume an egg every day with no complications. Why is this so? The cholesterol we eat-in eggs does not cause a massive effect on raising our blood cholesterol. The chief heart-disease culprits are saturated and trans fats, which have a lot higher impact on raising blood cholesterol. A typical egg contains two grams of saturated fat and no trans fats. You should limit your cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg daily. When you eat a large egg, you are only getting 10% of this amount. So one large egg a day is fine as long as you don't go over that 300 mg of cholesterol with the rest of your daily diet.
Eating fatty foods, such as bacon and sausage, will make you fat.
This is not necessarily true. Fatty foods do contain cholesterol and saturated fats which contributes to having cardiovascular diseases. However, calories from sugars - not fat - are the main culprit that causes weight gain. Yes, bacon and sausage most certainly contain calories, but not as much as carbohydrates - which are broken down to forms different types of sugars. These sugars are the main sources of energy - calories - for our body.
So, what is the take home point? If you want to lose or keep from gaining a lot of weight, you should reduce your consumption of high-sugary foods, such as buttermilk pancakes with layers of mocha cream topped with chocolate and whipped cream. Instead of eating high-sugary carbohydrates, eat complex carbohydrates which are high in fiber and vital nutrients, such as broccoli, beans, spinach, and fruits.
If you are not sure whether a particular food practice is a nutritional myth or not, research it online. If you find that the behavior is a myth, congratulate yourself on becoming one of the many nutritional myth busters.
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