Do you get on your scale, and get frustrated that nothing seems to change? Especially when you’ve been following your diet religiously? There are quite a few nutrition myths out there that, thanks to misinformation, may be keeping you from making progress in your weight loss program.
Here’s the good news, though: Since you’ve already proven to yourself that you have great willpower and determination; all you have to do is shift that energy to weight loss tips that actually have backing instead of following diet myths that are just keeping you fat and frustrated.
Myth #1. Avoid carbohydrate to lose weight: When you start a low carb diet, You’ll begin to burn stored carbohydrates (glycogen) for energy. When your body starts burning glycogen, water is released. So, the initial drop of weight at the beginning is mostly the water that you lose as a result of burning glycogen. What makes low-carb diets work are that they are also designed as low-calorie. It makes more sense to eat a balanced diet with lower calories, than to starve your body of the energy and nutrients it needs!
Myth #2. Nuts are fattening: Nuts are quite calorically dense; 15 cashews, for instance, deliver 180 kilocalories! On top of that, it is very tough not to overeat these tasty snacks. But, nuts are high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (the good fats) as well as plant sterols which have all been shown to lower LDL cholesterol.
Myth #3. Sugar Causes Diabetes: The most common nutrition myth is probably the misconception that sugar causes diabetes. If you don’t have diabetes, sugar intake will not cause diabetes. So far, a diet high in calories, being overweight and an inactive lifestyle are the main risk factors for Type 2 diabetes.
Myth #4. All Fats are bad Fats: help nutrient absorption, nerve transmission and maintain cell membrane integrity just to name a few functions. The key is to replace bad fats (saturated fats and trans fats) with good fats (monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats) in our diet.
Myth #5. Brown Sugar is better than White Sugar: The brown sugar sold at the stores is actually white granulated sugar with added molasses!
Myth #6. Brown Eggs are more nutritious than White Eggs: The eggshell color only depends upon the breed of the hen. There is no difference in taste or nutrition content between white and brown colored eggs.
Myth #7. Avoid seafood to lower blood cholesterol: The cholesterol found in seafood and other meats has little effect on blood cholesterol in most people. Saturated fats found in meat products and packaged foods, and trans fatty acids foun in packaged snack foods, deep-fried foods or firm margarine are the most important factors that raise blood cholesterol, not dietary cholesterol.
Myth #8. Eating for 2 is necessary during pregnancy: An extra snack before bedtime consisting of a fruit, a serving of milk or yogurt and a few biscuits is often enough. In addition, a daily prenatal multivitamin supplement is often recommended during pregnancy.
Myth #9. Skipping meals can help lose weight: If we skip a meal, our body will think that we are in starvation mode and therefore slow down the metabolism to compensate. We then tend to overeat at the next meal. A better approach is to eat smaller frequent healthy meals and snacks to keep our blood sugar balanced.
Myth #10. Red meat is bad for health: Even chicken can contain as much saturated fat as lean cuts of beef or pork. Instead of excluding red meats, choose leaner cuts of beef and pork. For beef, choose eye of round, top round roast, top sirloin and flank; for pork, choose tenderloin and loin chops.
