We’ve all heard the rumors; eggs can cause heart attacks, oranges can get rid of the cold faster than you can say “A-choo,” and a whole lot of other food myths that you were convinced were more than just myths and held truth.
Brace yourselves; this blog is written to destroy all your false beliefs about different food myths and shine some light on what the actual truth is. You won’t be believing in food myths any time soon.
Eggs are evil
We all have heard about this food myth at least once. Eggs are full of cholesterol which are found in its yolk and can have as much as 211 mg of cholesterol per large egg. Even though cholesterol is bad for you, saying that eggs are evil and are bad for the heart is a little too farfetched. Expert, Penny Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., R.D., says:
“Epidemiologic studies show that most healthy people can eat an egg a day without problems.”
Cholesterol that is found in eggs does not contribute to building cholesterol within the blood. When consuming eggs, the body counteracts it by manufacturing less cholesterol of its own. Penny Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., R.D., says:
“The chief heart-disease culprits are saturated and trans fats, which have a much greater impact on raising blood cholesterol.”
So it settles it, eggs aren’t evil, they are just misunderstood, so why not give them a chance.
Carbs make you fat
According to experts, there isn’t anything inherently fattening about carbohydrates; the main problem lies with taking more calories than you are burning.
It is evident that sugary and refined carbs like donuts, white bread and pasta can put you at risk of heart diseases and diabetes. That being said, if you decide to cut off from carbs completely, you are at risk of losing whole grains, beans, fruits, and vegetables, which act as your body’s primary source of fuel as well as vital nutrients and fiber.
Initially, any diet that restricts you tends to help you lose weight, but it is reported that low-carb dieters tend to regain more weight by the end of three years when compared with low-fat dieters.
Carbs won’t make you fat, calories will, so take it in moderation and you are good to go.
Calories are more fattening when you take them at night
This is one of the most baseless food myths out there. Calories don’t magically acquire a 2 x multiplier at night. Dr. John Foreyt, Director of the Behavioral Medicine Research Center at Baylor College, says:
“Calories are calories are calories, and it doesn’t matter what time you eat them. What matters are the total calories you take in.”
Periodic fasting is necessary to clean toxins in the body
Remember your organs the kidney, liver, and spleen, well it’s their job to clean any toxins in your body. Not eating, or only consuming juices for any period of time does not make these organs do a better job and no studies report any evidence for this. So you don’t have to starve yourself in an attempt to clean your body of toxins, your organs have got you covered.
Don’t starve yourself based on a food myth that has no real backing to it.
Eating celery burns calories
Let’s break this food myth down; when you intake anything, it comes with a certain amount of calories. It is physically impossible for anything to have “negative” calories. The myth is that eating celery will help you burn fat, this is not the case, although celery has as low as ten calories per serving, making it a great snack to munch on when trying to lose weight.
Microwaves are nutrient killers
We need to stop blaming microwaves with everything wrong in this world. Nutrients in food are not lost because you blasted it in the microwave, anything that heats the food will make it lose its nutrients, now that could be with a charcoal grill or an electric stove, anything you heat up will make the food lose its nutrients.
Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Ph.D., R.D., professor of nutrition at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey says:
“It’s the heat and the amount of time you’re cooking that affect nutrient losses, not the cooking method. The longer and hotter you cook a food, the more you’ll lose certain heat- and water-sensitive nutrients, especially vitamin C and thiamin [a B vitamin].”
Fruits have too much sugar
Read: Top 10 Superfood Snack you Can Munch On Without Guilt
If you’ve ever avoided fruits because they are too sweet and you don’t want to intake sugar, you need to understand that fruits are not just full of sugars but also come with fibers. Fibers are essential for the body and help with bowel movement and keep your digestive system healthy.
So next time you think of avoiding fruits, think again. It is more helpful to you than you might think.
Granola and yogurt is a healthy breakfast
Although it is a healthy choice, it can be a dessert in disguise depending on the brand that you are using. Most yogurts are full of sugars so go for plain, full-fat Greek yogurt and granola with less than 10 grams of sugar. Try adding fruits to give you the sweetness that you need.
Artificial sweeteners are god’s gift
You thought it was all over, the days where you had to be worried about sugar thanks to artificial sweeteners. Yes, they may have fewer calories, but artificial sweeteners come with a cost that you have to pay.
Evidence suggests that artificial sweeteners may change your perception of sweetness (making you crave higher levels of sweetness) and alter your gut bacteria as well. You’re better off having fruits and less sweetened drinks to satisfy your cravings.
Eating fat will make you fat
Let’s tear away from logic for a quick moment. Reading this myth at face value may make sense since eating fat should naturally make you fat, but you need to understand there is such a thing known as “good fats.”
Gram per gram, fat has more calories than both carbs and protein, but fat provides you with a feeling of fullness and helps your body absorb nutrients like vitamins A, D and E. Try taking plant fats for optimal health, like nuts, seeds, olive oil and avocados, and just watch your portion size.
This is just the tip of the iceberg; there are a number of different food myths and rumors related to food. We hope that after reading this blog, you won’t believe every other myth that you hear.
Which ones did we miss out? Let us know in the comments.
If you are looking for some healthy lunch ideas, click here.
