20 Nutrition Facts that should be Common Sense (But Aren’t)
Common sense does not prevail when talking about nutrition. There are rumors and myths spread even by the ‘so-called’ experts. Different opinions on nutrition can only confuse us. Here are 20 nutrition facts which should have been common sense but are not.
- News to be taken with a pinch of salt:
There is a lot of confusion regarding nutrition due to the widespread myths and rumors by the media. Every week you have some new nutrition fact being proved which is in total contradiction to the study made just a month before. Most of the time, the real studies conducted tend to contradict directly the frenzy created by the media.
- No need of eating every 2 – 3 hours:
Eating at an interval of 2 to 3 hours is definitely inconvenient and not essential at all for the loss of weight you are looking for. All you need to do is eat when you are hungry and ensure you choose to eat only nutritious and healthy food.
- Artificial Tran’s fats are a big ‘NO’:
Consuming Trans fats means increasing the risks of heart diseases. Tran’s fats require heat, high pressure and hydrogen gas for their production. Vegetable oil in the liquid form turns into a toxic sludge with this process. This is definitely not fit for human consumption.
- Eggs are Healthy:
The yolks in the eggs are high in cholesterol, due to which eggs have been demonized. Research has proved that eggs do not raise the cholesterol and do not have any kind of side effects on people. Consuming 4 to 5 eggs on a weekly basis is healthy as these have a high level of vitamins, fatty acids, proteins and other nutrients.
- Meat does not rot in your Colon:
Human body is well equipped to absorb and digest all the nutrients from meat. The stomach acids in the stomach break down the protein and the rest in broken down by the digestive enzymes in the small intestine.
- Sugary Drinks are Fattening:
Getting sugar is definitely harmful, this is more so in the liquid form. The brain is not able to compensate for calories by consuming less of the other foods. These calories of the sugary drink are not ‘registered’ by your brain. You eat more of calories overall.
- Low Fat is not healthy:
Low fat foods do not help in preventing neither the different diseases nor the loss of weight. Manufacturers producing these types of foods tend to add other additives to the food to give it some flavor, which is lacking due to the ‘no-fat’. This is harmful and needs to be avoided. Natural ‘low-fat’ foods are safe but those ‘low-fat’ foods which are processed are a big ‘NO’.
- Gut Bacteria:
It is known that an individual is only 10% human as the bacteria in the gut outnumber the human cells. This bacteria which is important for the overall health, also needs to eat. The perfect source of fuel for these bacteria is fiber. Include the required fiber in your daily diet so that the gut bacteria are healthy.
- Fruit Juice is equally bad as Sugary Drinks:
Fruit juices contains equal amount of sugar as the sugary drinks you avoid. As juice contains negligible fiber and no resistance to chewing, the consumption of sugar is equal to the sugary drinks. Avoiding juices is equally important as avoiding sugary drinks.
- Weight Loss Supplements do not work:
The supplements for weight loss available in the market rarely work. The best way to lose that excessive weight is to adapt a healthy life-style and not go in for these supplements.
- Counting Calories is a Waste of Time:
It is not necessary to count calories for the required loss of weight. Calorie restriction is easily achieved by consuming a good amount of proteins as this can reduce the oxidation of fat and also your appetite. This is sufficient for the required loss of weight.
- Health is not about the Weight:
Improvement in the health can be possible without losing weight. For good health it is important to make an effort to lose the belly fat, which is linked with metabolic problems.
- Cholesterol is not the Enemy:
Cholesterol is not the enemy as the actual culprit is the lipoproteins that do the job of carrying the cholesterol around. LDL is the Low Density Lipoprotein and HDL is the High Density Lipoprotein.
- A High-carb Diet is not for those suffering from Type-2 Diabetes:
Those suffering from Type-2 Diabetes tend to be resistant to insulin and any carbs consumed can lead to a spike in the levels of blood sugar. This low-carb diet can benefit only those who are diabetic.
- Carbs and Fats do not make you fat:
As compared to carbs and proteins, fats have more of calories for every gram, and thus have been blamed for weight gain or obesity. The fact is those who eat a high-fat diet which is low in carbs , tend to eat fewer calories than those having a low-fat, high-carb diet. Fat and carbs can make a difference to the weight but this depends on the diet followed otherwise and also on the life-style of an individual.
- Junk food is Addictive:
Research has shown that junk food is as addictive as drugs, as the food engineers have found ways and means to make this type of food rewarding to the brain. The brain gets more of dopamine with this type of food.
- Do not trust the Claims on Packaging:
The food manufacturers have found ways and means to market processed foods by claiming it to be healthy with different nutrients and vitamins. This is just a marketing gimmick and works well for the people these days.
- Avoid Specific Vegetable Oils:
You need to avoid vegetable oils which contain Omega-6 fatty acids as this is one cause of inflammation in the body. Some of these oils are the corn oil, soybean oil and sunflower oil. Instead look for vegetable oils which are low in Omega-6 fatty acids.
- ‘Gluten free’ or ‘Organic’ is not healthy:
Junk foods can also be made organic and free of gluten, this does not mean that they are healthy. This means, natural gluten-free foods are good but not processed foods which are free of gluten.
- Health Problems and Old Food:
Diet plays an important role in diseases like Type-2 Diabetes and Obesity. These diseases were blamed on eggs, red meat and butter by the health authorities. These foods have been consumed since ages and thus you need to re-think and decide on blaming on the new foods which are processed for these ailments.
The above information helps you be aware of the different misconceptions floating around and choose a balanced 20 Nutrition Facts life-style for good health.
20 Nutrition Facts
