{"id":779,"date":"2020-05-21T16:03:20","date_gmt":"2020-05-21T16:03:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/?p=779"},"modified":"2020-10-15T02:01:15","modified_gmt":"2020-10-15T02:01:15","slug":"top-10-annoyingly-stubborn-nutrition-myths-debunked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/top-10-annoyingly-stubborn-nutrition-myths-debunked\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 10 nutrition myths that are annoyingly stubborn debunked"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p>When it comes to nutrition myths, it\u2019s easy to believe something so many people constantly proclaim is true \u2014 especially when most of us aren\u2019t experts who would know otherwise. Something as simple as forks over knives being a clear example. Considering the overwhelming amount of misinformation floating around about healthy eating, we don\u2019t blame you if you\u2019ve been fooled by one, two or maybe several of these nutrition myths that can\u2019t seem to die.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. Superfoods are better than other healthy foods.<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"165\" height=\"127\" class=\"wp-image-781\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Eats_Pomegranate-165x127-1.jpg\" alt=\"Eats_Pomegranate\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Americans are suckers for magical solutions\u00a0\u2014 whether they be in the form of pharmaceuticals, fad diets, medical procedures or even foods. And the people marketing your food are well aware of that, which is probably how the term \u201csuperfood\u201d came into existence. \u00a0Same goes for spaghetti squash recipes. \u00a0Doesn&#8217;t being it&#8217;s less better than superfoods.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>No federal agency or food regulating organization actually has defined the term \u201csuperfood,\u201d and its use on packaging and advertising is completely unregulated. The America Dietetic Association states that there are three major problems with superfood claims:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>There aren\u2019t different \u201csuperfood\u201d labels for foods that are nutrient-rich due to additives added during processing versus foods that are naturally full of nutrients;<\/li>\r\n<li>Sometimes these so-called superfoods can also be loaded with sugar, saturated fat or sodium; and<\/li>\r\n<li>Some foods might have an immense amount of nutrients, but those nutrients might not be completely metabolized by the body.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Rather than dish out excessive grocery money for \u201csuperfoods,\u201d the ADA recommends eating a \u201csuper diet\u201d (cheesy, we know) by following the Dietary Guidelines for Americans on a daily basis, which you can find here. As Cooking Light explains, \u201cGrapes, cherries, blueberries and wine offer the same antioxidants as acai for a lot less dough.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. We need to take a daily multivitamin to be healthy.<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"258\" height=\"130\" class=\"wp-image-782\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Eats_Vitamins-258x130-1.jpg\" alt=\"Eats_Vitamins\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>We all know vitamins and minerals are good for us, and many Americans are convinced it\u2019s necessary to take a daily multivitamin to ensure they\u2019re getting enough nutrients to keep their bodies healthy. But this might not be the case. An in-depth Psychology Today article explained that studies have surprisingly shown little to no benefit from taking a multivitamin\/mineral supplement on a daily basis. It didn\u2019t improve longevity, reduce the risk of heart disease or cancer, or improve memory or other cognitive functions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In fact, two studies released last year showed that high doses of vitamins and supplements can actually be detrimental to your health. One study indicated an association between multivitamin and supplement use and an increased risk of death (except with calcium), and the other study showed an increased risk of cancer for men taking vitamin E supplements, selenium supplements or both.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>While some individuals do need certain supplements due to particular deficiencies associated with various health conditions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on its website that most people can usually get all of their necessary vitamins from their diet. Instead of spending your money on a monthly bottle of pills, go to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/green-market-glossary-farmers-market-labels-demystified\/\">farmers market<\/a> and buy some nutritious produce.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>3. Egg yolks raise blood cholesterol and increase your risk of heart disease.<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"153\" height=\"170\" class=\"wp-image-783\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Eats_EggYolk-153x170-1.jpg\" alt=\"Broken egg isolated on white\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Eggs have long suffered from a bad reputation for increasing one\u2019s risk of heart disease, as well as raising cholesterol levels. Yes, it\u2019s true that eggs are high in cholesterol \u2014 the average large egg contains about 212 mg. But it\u2019s a myth that it significantly increases your blood cholesterol since, for most people, only a small amount of a food\u2019s cholesterol actually passes into the blood. Saturated and trans fats do much more damage to cholesterol levels than the occasional healthy omelet.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>As far as heart disease is concerned, unless you have diabetes, moderate egg consumption won\u2019t affect your heart health. Research has shown that eating up to one egg a day does not increase heart disease risk in healthy people. It\u2019s important to note, however, that studies have shown that eating one or more eggs a day is associated with an increased risk of heart disease in diabetics.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>4. Red meat leads to high cholesterol and heart disease.<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"229\" height=\"116\" class=\"wp-image-784\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Eats_RedMeat-229x116-1.jpg\" alt=\"Eats_RedMeat\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Many people have a beef with red meat because they believe it raises one\u2019s \u201cbad\u201d LDL cholesterol levels, thus increasing the risk of heart disease. If you only eat rib eyes and fatty ground beef, then yes, your arteries aren\u2019t going appreciate it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>But a study in January showed that, contrary to popular belief, red meat can be part of a healthy, low-cholesterol diet if people would just choose the leaner cuts. In fact, the study\u2019s results showed that it\u2019s possible to lower cholesterol levels even with lean beef included in the diet. Just keep in mind that even if it\u2019s lean, you still have to eat in moderation \u2014 about one to two 3-oz. to 4-oz. servings per day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>5. You have to drink eight glasses of water a day.<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"111\" height=\"231\" class=\"wp-image-785\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Eats_GlassOfWater-111x231-1.jpg\" alt=\"Eats_GlassOfWater\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>One nutrition myth our society really can\u2019t seem to shake is that the human body requires eight glasses of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/carbonated-vs-regular-h20-seltzer-water-just-healthy\/\">water a day to stay healthy<\/a> and hydrated. Heinz Valtin, a retired professor of physiology from Dartmouth Medical School, told Scientific American magazine that this just isn\u2019t true and would really only apply to people with such health concerns as kidney stones or a susceptibility to urinary tract infections.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>A glass of pure, clear water isn\u2019t the only way to hydrate. We also obtain a good amount of H2O from our food, including fruits and vegetables, as well as other beverages, such as coffee, tea, milk, soda and juice. In 2004, the Food and Nutrition Board, which may have originally been responsible for the eight-glasses-a-day myth, revisited the issue and stated that \u201cthe vast majority of healthy people adequately meet their daily hydration needs by letting thirst be their guide.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>6. Red wine is the only alcohol with health benefits.<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"105\" height=\"194\" class=\"wp-image-786\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Eats_RedWine-105x194-1.jpg\" alt=\"Eats_RedWine\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Just because you\u2019d rather an IPA (or a Chardonnay) than a Pinot Noir doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re not getting any nutritional benefits. It\u2019s true that too much beer will give you a beer belly, but if you drink in moderation, beer can supply you with folic acid, iron, niacin, silicon, fiber, riboflavin and antioxidants \u2014 plus B vitamins and folates, which wine doesn\u2019t have.\u00a0 Additionally, beer consumption has been linked to positive effects on bone, mental and heart health; blood clot prevention; diabetes prevention; and longevity.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>And if you prefer a refreshing glass of cold, white wine in the summer, you\u2019re not necessarily missing out on any health benefits. Studies are mixed; some have shown that red wine contains more resveratrol, flavonoids, antioxidants and tannins than white wine, but a New York Times article stated that there aren\u2019t enough studies out there to conclude that red wine has more positive health outcomes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>7. Vegetables are healthier raw than cooked.<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"223\" height=\"140\" class=\"wp-image-787\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Eats_RawFood-223x140-1.jpg\" alt=\"Eats_RawFood\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Raw food fanatics constantly claim vegetables lose critical nutrients when you cook them. The truth is that while cooking veggies can potentially destroy their vitamin C, it can have the opposite effect on many vitamins. For example, cooking tomatoes boosts their amount of lycopene \u2014 an antioxidant that strict raw foodists are low on, according to a 2008 study. According to Scientific American, cooked carrots, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage, peppers and other vegetables also contain more antioxidants \u2014 like carotenoids and ferulic acid \u2014 than their raw equivalents.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The other claim you\u2019ve probably heard \u2014 we noticed someoned use this in the documentary \u201cFood Matters\u201d just the other day \u2014 is that raw foods preserve specific enzymes that are essential to digestion; when you cook the food, those enzymes are destroyed. Here\u2019s the thing: \u201cThose enzymes are made for the survival of plants,\u201d Brenda Davis \u2014 a registered dietitian and co-author of \u201cBecoming Raw: The Essential Guide to Raw Vegan Diets\u201d \u2014 was quoted saying by Eating Well. \u201cFor human health, they are not essential.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>8. Some foods (like celery) have \u201cnegative calories.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"226\" height=\"154\" class=\"wp-image-788\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Eats_PeanutButterCelery-226x154-1.jpg\" alt=\"Eats_PeanutButterCelery\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>We admit it: We ate tons of peanut butter on celery sticks in college, thinking that somehow the vegetable reduced the amount of calories in that delicious spoonful of Skippy. While not everyone was such a sucker for the myth of negative calories, most people have heard of that magical concept whereby the body burns more calories digesting a certain food than it absorbs from it. Celery is mostly water and fiber, so it seemed to make sense to a 19-year-old girl petrified of the freshman 15.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The truth is that even if there is such a thing as a negative-calorie food, that negative number would be so miniscule it just wouldn\u2019t make a difference. According to Livestrong, the calories required by your body to digest and process food equate to a very small percentage of the calories you eat. Foods frequently thought of as having negative calories \u2014 such as celery, lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, cauliflower and zucchini \u2014 might be healthy, low-calorie additions to your diet, but eating them won\u2019t burn off calories.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>9. Eating after 8 p.m. causes weight gain.<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"198\" height=\"214\" class=\"wp-image-789\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Eats_MidnightSnacking-198x214-1.jpg\" alt=\"Eats_MidnightSnacking\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The myth of \u201ceat late, gain weight\u201d has hung around forever, and plenty of people still cut off their food consumption at 8 p.m. for fear it will ruin their diet. It turns out your body doesn\u2019t care if it\u2019s 8 a.m., noon or midnight; it\u2019s still going to digest your food in the same way and absorb the same amount of calories from that food. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains, \u201cThe time of day isn\u2019t what affects how your body uses calories. It\u2019s the overall number of calories you eat and the calories burned over the course of 24 hours that affects your weight.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>That said, there is an unusual phenomenon associated with late eating that can affect your weight: Research published in the Journal of Nutrition suggests that food eaten in the evening tends to feel less satiating than when eaten at other times of the day. Because of this, we tend to eat more when we eat later in the day.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In conclusion, if you want a late-night snack or prefer later dinners, feel free \u2014 as long as you haven\u2019t already consumed your recommended daily amount of calories.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>10. High-fructose corn syrup is worse than sugar.<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\r\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"223\" height=\"149\" class=\"wp-image-790\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Eats_Corn-223x149-1.jpg\" alt=\"Eats_Corn\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Eats_Corn-223x149-1.jpg 223w, https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Eats_Corn-223x149-1-120x80.jpg 120w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 223px) 100vw, 223px\" \/><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>High-fructose corn syrup has gained a reputation as one of the villains in the processed food industry because of its association with obesity. A sweetener made from corn, HFCS is sweeter and cheaper than sucrose, which is why you\u2019ll find it in plenty of non-diet soft drinks, cereals, candy and sweets, condiments, baked goods, salad dressings and other food products.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Dr. David Katz of Yale University believes that the main problem is eating too many sweet foods \u2014 whether they contain high-fructose corn syrup or pure sugar. \u201cWhile there is some legitimate debate about the importance of differences in the metabolism of pure fructose, and table sugar, or sucrose, there is no good reason to differentiate high-fructose corn syrup from table sugar.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Before you light up the comment section, we know: Just last month, the Food and Drug Administration rejected the Corn Refiners Association\u2019s request to rename HFCS \u201ccorn sugar.\u201d This is because of its syrup form; the FDA said it defines sugar as a solid, dried and crystallized food, not a syrup. The FDA also said back in 2008 that \u201cwe would not object to the use of the term \u2018natural\u2019 on a product containing HFCS produced by the manufacturing process.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>In the past decade, when experts noted that obesity was skyrocketing, they pointed the finger at HFCS since Americans had also increased their consumption of it. They theorized that our bodies were metabolizing it differently than other forms of sugar and that it was raising the risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. However, most experts now regard HFCS to be no different than other forms of sugar and blame the controversy on the fact that too much sugar in general had started being added to too many foods at the same time HFCS was introduced.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When it comes to nutrition myths, it\u2019s easy to believe something so many people constantly proclaim is true \u2014 especially<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":780,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/779"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=779"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/779\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hellawella.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}