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5 Common Myths About Nutrition (And The Truth Behind It)
We currently live in the era of information—and, unfortunately, misinformation as well.
While it can be hard to separate myths from facts, the following tidbits of common “knowledge” are riddled with inaccuracies that might cloud your path toward a healthier self.
This statement is not entirely a lie. In reality, gluten-free products are ideal for your body—with a caveat: proven gluten sensitivity, intolerance, or celiac disease.
Gluten is not a scary, spooky evil particle hiding in food; it’s just a protein found in certain grains that some people may have issues digesting, leading to multiple symptoms.
For everyone else, gluten is just that—a protein. Whole wheat products have multiple benefits and include fibre and some essential vitamins worth including in your diet. Not to mention, some gluten-free products may include additional starches or sugar to compensate for the changes in texture, flavour, or consistency.
Fat gets a nasty rep, and it’s all rooted in outdated science that found a correlation between high cholesterol, high-fat diets, and heart disease. As such, it became common knowledge that reducing all fat consumption would lead to a healthier heart.
However, this has a lot of nuance, as not all fats are made equal. Trans fats have no known benefits and increase “bad” cholesterol, which is bad news. Saturated fats are present in countless healthy meals, but excess consumption can also increase bad cholesterol.
On the other hand, good fats are essential for our health. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats come from vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fish, and they might even help reduce heart disease.
Conclusion? Don’t assume that something labelled “fat-free” is automatically healthy—in many cases, they make up for the lack of fats with other more damaging components.
Many diets or regimens promise to deliver a general cleanse that can help remove toxins from your body, ensure health, and promote weight loss. However, studies have determined that there is no compelling evidence that detox diets or techniques have any beneficial effects on well-being.
Conversely, countless detox and/or cleansing products and techniques can negatively impact your health, as they may contain potentially harmful ingredients or be otherwise unhealthy practices.
In short? There is no scientific evidence that detox diets can actually “detox” you and some of the options you can find online might even be detrimental.
Everyone knows the old dieting advice: Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper. However, current research determines this advice is inaccurate and potentially even downright harmful.
If late-night snacks make you gain weight, it has less to do with the time and more with the snack itself. Weight gain is tied to the calories you consume regardless of the time—so if you snack at night very often, you might be eating more than you need, potentially out of cravings or stress rather than hunger.
So, cutting out late-night snacks might be a good idea if you’re doing so out of boredom. However, if you get hungry at night, you might be better off eating than otherwise—remaining hungry can cause stomach issues, blood sugar fluctuations, and other afflictions. Just be sure not to do it too close to bedtime to avoid indigestion or reflux.
Eating too much sodium is a common problem in our current diets, but it is not the fault of your salt shaker.
Most sodium consumption nowadays comes from processed foods and other products you buy rather than what you prepare at home. In fact, a significant portion of the food you consume daily contains sodium, even those you might not even perceive as salty. Even pills and medication can include sodium, so these amounts can build up and lead to excess without you noticing.
So, while there is significant value in learning to explore flavour profiles and combinations outside of salt, a more efficient approach would be to read labels and cut out foods with high sodium levels.
As research advances, studies will continue to separate the truth from the fiction regarding food and nutrition. That is why it’s important to remain informed, avoid common misinformation, and ensure your diet remains as balanced as possible.