With so many people now interested in health, people are handing out advice left and right. Maybe you heard that açaí is a magical fat burner or that doing the Master Cleanse will have you feeling better than ever, but many of these widely held beliefs have no science behind their claims.
In today’s day and age, there’s no question that we are surrounded by an overload of information. On top of the things we hear in magazines and television, we now have different bloggers, Instagrammers, and Tweeters telling us what to do…not to mention the things we hear from our friends. It can get difficult to discern truth from fact when there are so many claims floating out there.
Misconceptions about health and nutrition are constantly being circulated, so it’s important to make sure the information you receive is coming from a doctor, nutritionist, or valid researcher. To help keep you tabs on what’s fact and what’s fiction, we’ve rounded up a list of the top health myths that aren’t actually true.
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Diet soda is better for you than regular soda
The word diet might be enough to tempt people into thinking this particular type of soda is better for you, but it turns out diet soda is actually worse for you than regular pop. Diet sodas are typically made with artificial sweeteners instead of sugar, which carry their own negative health effects. Studies have found that people who drink diet soda are at a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Research has also found that people who drink diet soda are actually more likely to gain weight or be obese, as sugar substitutes can actually increase cravings for sweets.
You shouldn't eat eggs everyday
Eggs have suffered a terrible reputation over the years, but recent studies have found that eating eggs daily has only a modest effect on cholesterol, and this effect is not linked to increased risk of heart disease or stroke. Eggs also contain a good assortment of vitamins and nutrients that may actually counter the small effect on cholesterol from eggs. Eating eggs in the morning can also help you feel full and prevent overeating, so unless you already have a current issue with cholesterol, feel free to load up on these protein-filled suckers daily.
Raw food is healthier than cooked food
With a large raw food movement happening recently, many people have been turning their attention to how they cook their food. Despite raw foodies insistence that food in its purest form is healthier, certain foods are actually more nutritious after they are heated, and this includes vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, asparagus, and spinach. While cooking foods at super-high temperatures does cause some nutrient loss, things like lightly sauteing, boiling, or steaming foods can actually kill harmful anti-nutrients while still retaining the majority of vitamins and minerals.
Microwaving kills nutrients
Many people still live in fear of using the microwave, worrying that heating their food in this appliance will tarnish the nutrient value in their meals. However, heating your food in a microwave is no different than heating your food on the stove or in the oven, so you can rest easy next time you need to reheat last night’s dinner. In fact, since microwave cooking is actually quicker, you may even be preserving some nutrients by exposing them to less heat.
You need a cleanse to detoxify your body
Juice cleanses have been all the rage the past few years, but despite people’s claims that juicing is a fast track to weight loss or a sure-fire way to rid your body of toxins, juicing is mainly a way to increase your intake of essential vitamins and nutrients you may not be getting from a typical American diet. Our bodies actually detoxify themselves naturally through organs like the liver and kidney, so the positive effects you feel from a juice cleanse or most likely from cutting out foods such as refined carbohydrates and sugars, alcohol, and excess salt, all of which you can do without liquefying your foods.
You should eat a low-fat diet
For years, people were told that fat was the enemy, and low-fat and non-fat products began popping up everywhere. Turns out, fat is actually an essential component of healthy nutrition, and the right types of fat can actually encourage weight loss by keeping you full, help you absorb nutrients, and even improve your mood. Non-fat and low-fat foods are often filled with added sugars and salt to replace the loss in flavor, and these additives can have much worse effects on your body than healthy fats would have otherwise. Stick to good fats such as nuts, avocado, olive oil, and fatty fish to get the benefits of fat.
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Source: bustle.com
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