Top 10 Nutrition Myths You Should Be Aware of

You must have heard, “Don’t believe everything you hear.” When it comes to nutrition, this saying is a must to follow. Proper nutrition is essential to the proper functioning of the body and living a healthy and long life. But, in modern times, it has become a challenge for everyone to maintain sufficient nutrition in their bodies. You are not all wrong if you think fast food and an unhealthy lifestyle are the main reasons. However, prominent food and nutrition myths make our niche even smaller when it comes to consuming foods essential to keeping our bodies nutritious. Even if you eat healthy food and follow a healthy lifestyle, staying aware of myths in nutrition is crucial. Worry not; we are here to help you with this blog. So, let’s delve into this writeup and burst all the myths.

Food And Nutrition Myths And Their Truth

Myths can mislead you about the timing of meals, how often to eat, or even about the components of food. Keep reading to find out these myths and their truth.

1. Consuming More Calories In The Evening Causes Weight Gain

The first myth you need to be aware of is that the intake of more calories in the evening can result in weight gain. However, the truth is calories are calories; it doesn’t matter whether you consume less or more calories in the evening if you are burning them. If you have a habit of snacking at night, you can opt for healthier options, such as fresh fruits, low-fat yoghurt, and milk, instead of packet food. However, it’s worth noting that taking excessive calories at night might require you to work more than usual. This is because the metabolism slows down significantly when we are sleeping.

2. Fat-Free Means Calorie-Free

As people try to stay in shape and fit, they choose fat-free foods, expecting these edibles to contain low calories. However, this is one of the biggest food and nutrition myths. The truth is some foods contain large amounts of calories even after being low in fat. Dark chocolate, dry fruits, and nuts are low in fat. However, they are rich in calories. Some processed foods low in fat can also contain insane calorie amounts because the process involves adding sugar, flour, and starch to them. Moreover, the carbs present in the product also play a big role.

3. Carbohydrates And Sugar Are Bad

If someone says carbohydrates and sugar are bad because they elevate your weight, that’s among the myths in nutrition. In reality, carbohydrates and sugars won’t cause weight gain until and unless you overeat them. Indulging in sugar and refined carbohydrate-rich foods like white bread and pasta can also result in life-threatening health problems like heart disease and diabetes. Although, carbohydrates don’t add weight on their own, they promote fat buildup in the body because of the fact that our body becomes habitual to burn carbs, rather than fat to generate more energy.

4. Eating Mostly Salads And Greens Helps Maintain Weight

Next among the food nutrition myths is eating only salads and greens will help you maintain a healthy weight. Most Salads and green vegetables indeed have almost zero per cent fat, but they are also low in energy. On the other hand, Collard Greens and Swiss chard are high in calories. So, it’s best to have different foods on your plate to consume vitamins and nutrients essential for the body. 

5. Burning Fat With Certain Foods Is Possible

Burning fat with certain foods is among the food nutrition myths that people trying to lose weight often believe to be true. But no food can burn your fat until you try. Grapefruits have zero fat percentage, but they are also low in calories and sodium, which is important to regulate the fluid levels in the body. Similarly, cabbage is low in fat. However, eating only cabbage can lead to allergies, thinning your blood, and thyroid issues.

6. Eggs Are Bad For The Heart

You might have heard people saying not to eat eggs because they are bad for your heart. Well, that’s next among the food nutrition myths on this blog. Every egg contains 134 mg of cholesterol in its yolk. While cholesterol can contribute to clogged arteries and heart attacks, you can eat one egg daily; there is no harm in that. Contrary to popular belief, eating an egg daily can improve brain, heart, bone, and eye health. Or even better, you can opt to skip eating the yolk.

7.Microwaving Is Bad For Food

If you are learning about nutrition myths, one of them is that microwaving is bad for food. In fact, several cooking methods, excluding microwaving, affect food quality. Charcoal grills and fryers are two of them. Actually, it’s the heat and amount of cooking time that affects the quality of food. For instance, the longer you cook fish, the more nutrients you lose. 

8. Smaller Meals Are Good For The Metabolism

Among the myths in nutrition you believe to be true, one is that eating smaller meals is good for your metabolism. Every time you eat something, your metabolism starts and tries to process the consumed food. Eating multiple times daily can shift your metabolism to a higher gear. It will not only disturb the metabolism but can also result in digestive issues by using more bile salts for digestion.

9. All Fats Are Bad

Many people believe that all fats are bad for them. Guess what? It is also one of the nutrition myths. All fats are different, and some of them are essential for health. For instance, unsaturated fats can decrease the LDL cholesterol in the blood and protect our health. On the other hand, saturated fats in meat and dairy can raise the level of LDL cholesterol in the body. Trans fats can raise LDL cholesterol and lower HDL simultaneously.

10. Brown Sugar Is Better Than White Sugar

Brown sugar is better than white sugar; this is the final point on our blog and is the last among the nutrition myths. There is no difference in the nutritional value of both sugars. Also, brown sugar is granulated from white. Brown sugar contains a minimal amount of nutrients, but until you eat too much of it every day, there won’t be any difference.  Just be careful with your sugar intake if you or someone in your family has a history of diabetes.

Debunking Common Nutrition Myths

The world is filled with nutrition myths, which lead to misconceptions and public confusion. It’s best to trust health professionals and follow an active lifestyle. We have shared some of the myths in nutrition here. Follow Healthstrive for more insightful blogs like this one.

FAQs

1. How accurate are nutritional labels?

According to FDA guidelines, nutritional labels can be 20% inaccurate. 

2. Why do nutrition myths persist?

Nutrition myths persist because of how some people share their personal experiences.

3. Do packaged foods need to have nutritional facts?

Most packaged foods require a nutritional facts table to help consumers make informed food choices. 

4. What is the 5/20 rule in nutrition?

It refers to foods with a % DV of 5 or less, which means they are low in nutrients. If the %DV is 20 or higher, they are high in nutrients.