Eating healthy is hard work, so it's no surprise that manyof us have tried a shortcut or two at some point, hoping for speedyresults.But some of these alleged nutritional quick-fixes aren't all that useful, and a handful of them can even be dangerous.
Here's a look at the most insidious food and nutrition myths, along with the science that debunks them.
1. Myth: You should never 'cheat' on a diet.
Truth: It's perfectly fineto go off your healthy eating plan every once in a while,Nichola Whitehead, a registered dietitian and nutritionist with a practice in the UK, tells Business Insider.
"It's alright to overeat occasionally," says Whitehead. "It's overeating consistently day in and day out over the long term that causes weight gain."
If you've managed to switch from a diet heavy in red meat and processed carbohydrates to eating mostly vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, you've already done the majority of the work, Whitehead says.
2. Myth: Counting calories is the best way to lose weight.
Truth: Althoughcounting calories can be a useful tool in a bigger toolkit for weight loss, it is not a perfect solution for healthy eating, especially when it's used in isolation.
That's because restricting calories doesn'ttake into account all the aspects of a food that are required to fuel your body, from protein and carbohydrates to vitamins and minerals.
Whiteheadsummarises the problem this way: "While calories are important when it comes to losing, maintaining, or gaining weight, they are not the sole thing we should be focusing on when it comes to improving our health."
3. Myth: Eating low-fat food will make you lose fat.
Truth: A low-fat diet doesn't necessarily translate into weight loss.
In aneight-year trial involving almost 50,000 women, roughly half the participants went on a low-fat diet, while the others did not.
The researchers found that the womenon the low-fat plan didn't lower their risk ofbreast cancer,colorectal cancer, orheart disease.
Plus, theydidn't lose much weight, if any. Newrecommendationsshow that healthy fats, like those from nuts, fish, and avocados, are actually good for you in moderation. So add them back into your diet if you haven't already.
4. Myth: Cleanses and detoxes are a good way to jump-start a diet.
Truth:No one needs to detox.
Unless you've been poisoned, you have a built-in, super-efficient system for filtering out most of the harmful substances you eat. It's made up of two toxin-bashing organs: the liver and the kidneys.
Ourkidneysfilter our blood and remove any waste from our diet, and ourliversprocess medications and detoxify any chemicals we ingest. Paired together, these organs make our bodies natural cleansing powerhouses.
Juice cleanse? No thanks.
5. Myth: Adding a supplement to your weight-loss plan is a good idea.
Reuters
Truth:Decades of research has failed to findsubstantial evidencethat supplements do any significant good. On the contrary, some of them can do significant harm.
The most dangerous types of supplementsare those related toweight loss, muscle building, and sexual performance, according toHarvard Medical School professorS. Bryn Austin, who spoke on a recent panelorganised by the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health.
These supplements are "the most lawless of all the categories and where the most problems turn up," Austinsaid.
6. Myth: A diet that works for one person should work just as well for others.
Truth: No two bodies are the same, sothere's no single best diet.
Everything from an individual'sgenetics to theirtaste preferencesand even theirschedule can influencethe type of healthy eating plan that works for them.
The most important factorto look for ina healthy eating plan,studies suggest, is a routine youcan stick with. This canmean trying out a few different options until youfind one youlike and can maintain.
7. Myth: Egg whites are healthier than whole eggs.
Truth: People tend to avoid whole eggs because of their high cholesterol content, but recentresearchsuggests that the cholesterol from our dietsdoesn't have much of an effecton the level ofcholesterol in our blood.
Most of the early research suggesting thatcholesterol consumption was unhealthy was done in rabbits, who don't eat any animal products.
8. Myth: Avoiding gluten is a good way to keep your digestive system healthy.
John L/Yelp
Truth: Unless you're among the 1 percent of Americans who suffer from celiac disease, glutenprobably won't have a negative effecton your body.
Studies show that most people suffer from slight bloating and gas when they eat, whether they consume wheat or not.
9. Myth: Almond milk is healthier than regular milk.
Truth: Alternatives to dairy aren't always nutritionally superior.
Compared with a glass of low-fat milk, which has about 8 grams of protein, almond milkhas none.
Plus, most of the vitamins in almond milk are added duringthe production process, which some studies suggest can make it harder for the body to absorb and hold onto the nutrients.
Soy milk, on the other hand, is roughly on-par with low-fat milk, serving up the same amount of protein plus some naturally occurring micronutrients from soy beans.
10. Myth: Juices are a good replacement for meals.
Truth:Whilejuice has some vitamins and in some cases even a small amount of protein, research shows that thebest way to get those nutrientsis toeat a balanced diet full of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
More importantly, juicing fruit removes most of thefibre, which is the key ingredient that keeps you feeling full until your next meal.
This is one of the reasons calories from sweetened beverages are often referred to as 'empty calories', since they can increasehunger pangs and mood swingsand leave you with low energy levels.
11. Myth: You should steer clear of MSG.
Will Wei, Business Insider
Truth: Monosodium glutamate is an ingredient added to many foods to enhance their flavour, and it's completelysafe to ingest.
MSG is often associated with a series of symptoms including numbness at the base of the neck anda general sense of fatigue that are commonly lumped together and called Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.
Eating too much, regardless of the amount of MSG, is the more likely culprit here.
12. Myth: Microwaving your food destroys its nutrients.
Truth: 'Nuking' fooddoes notrob it of nutrients.
Microwave ovens cook food using energy wavesthat cause the molecules in food to vibrate quickly, building up their energy as heat.Some nutrients begin to disintegrate when heated, whether from a microwave, a stove, or oven.
But since microwave-cooking times are typically shorter than oven-cooking times, microwaving something may actuallykeep more of itsvitamins intact.
13. Myth: Chia seeds, apple cider vinegar, and mushrooms are superfoods.
Truth: While certain foods have more health benefits than others, there is no legal or medical definition for what counts as a'superfood'.
Nutritionists and public-health expertsrarely use the term. So if anyone startstossing that word around, there's probably a good chance they're not as knowledgeable as they claim.
This article was originally published by Business Insider.
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