25 food myths that can lead to weight gain
Much of what we believe about
food is just hearsay, a nutritional telephone game streamed from science
magazines to newspapers and television, to your aunt to your mother and then to
you. Well, we had an investigative team to track down the truth. Learn how to
separate fact from fiction and what might ultimately shed the habits that
sabotage your weight loss efforts.
1. Myth: Kale is our healthiest green.
A 2014 study at William Paterson
University ranked fruits and vegetables by their nutrient density, out of 17
different ones that are linked to improved cardiovascular health. Not
surprisingly, the top 16 were leafy, packing the most nutrition by calories.
2. Myth: High fructose corn syrup is worse than refined sugar.
Sugar is that the master of
disguise, consistent with new research in the Zero Sugar Diet. Maltodextrin,
brown rice syrup, dextrose, and sucrose. But the best-known suit is high
fructose corn syrup. In a 2014 review of five studies comparing the effects of
sugar and HFCS, no difference was found in changes in blood glucose levels,
lipid levels, or appetite between eating table sugar and consumption of HFCS.
In other words, your body cannot tell one from the other: they are just sugar.
It is best to cut out all unnecessary sugars.
3. Myth: Sea salt is the healthiest version of common salt.
Table salt is derived from a mine
and contains about 2,300 milligrams of sodium per teaspoon. Sea salt comes from
evaporated seawater, and it also contains about 2,300 milligrams of sodium.
That makes them, well, almost identical. Proponents point to the fact that sea
salt also contains other compounds like magnesium and iron, but in truth, these
minerals exist in trace amounts. To get a meaningful dose, you would have to
take in extremely high and potentially dangerous levels of sodium. What's more,
traditional table salt is regularly fortified with iodine, which plays an
important role in regulating hormones in your body. The bottom line is this:
you've lost a few dollars.
4. Myth: Energy drinks do less harm than soda.
Energy drinks like Red Bull,
Monster and Full Throttle try to boost your energy with B vitamins, herbal
extracts, and amino acids. But what your body will remember the foremost
(especially around your waistline) is that the sugar in these concoctions. A
16-ounce offers up to 280 calories from pure sugar, which is about 80 calories
quite you'd find during a 16-ounce cup of Pepsi. Even, a study from The University of Maryland found that energy drinks were 11 percent more tooth decay
than regular soda. So here's the key energy drink companies don't need you to
know: the sole proven and significant energy boost comes from caffeine. For an
energy boost, have a cup of coffee.
5. Myth: Diet sodas will help keep you slim.
The obesity research community is
increasingly aware that the synthetic sweeteners utilized in diet sodas contain
aspartame and sucralose, resulting in difficulty controlling foods later within
the day. A Purdue study found that rats took in additional calories if that
they had been fed artificial sweeteners before mealtime, and a University of
Texas study found that folks who consumed just three sodas per week were more
likely to be obese. Try switching to carbonated water flavored with lemon,
cucumber, and some fresh herbs. A study in the American Journal of Public
Health found that the most obese adults drank more diet soda than
healthy-weight adults and that among the obese and overweight adults studied,
those who drank diet soda ate more calories than those who drank soda
sweetened. Researchers have also linked regular consumption of diet sodas with
decreased response to artificial sweeteners and a decreased link between sweet
tastes and energy value, meaning their bodies can disassociate sweetness with
signals of satiety, making it easier to overeat.
6. Myth: Yogurt is good for your stomach bacteria.
Some yogurts contain beneficial
bacteria that can send a boost to your gut when you need it. Most yogurts are
so high in sugar that they promote unhealthy gut bacteria more than anything
else. (Unhealthy bacteria feed on sugar in the belly the same way they do
around the teeth.)
7. Myth: Low-fat diets are good for you
As applied to food marketing, the
term "low-fat" is synonymous with "loaded with salt and cheap
carbohydrates." A 2008 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found
that over a 2-year span, people on low-carb diets lost 62 percent more
bodyweight than those trying to cut fat.
8. Myth: "trans-fat-free" foods are literally trans fat-free
FDA guidelines require companies
to claim 0 grams of trans fat and even post it on the front of their packages,
as long as the food in question does not contain more than 0.5 grams of fat per
serving. But here's the deal: Due to an inextricable link to heart disease, the
World Health Organization recommends people keep trans fat intake as low as
possible, with a maximum of about 1 gram for every 2,000 calories consumed.
9. Myth: Foods labeled "natural" are healthier.
The FDA makes no serious effort
to regulate the utilization of the word "natural" on nutrition
labels. Example: 7UP boasts that it is made with "100% natural
flavor", while in reality, soda is sweetened with a prescribed unnatural
dose of high fructose corn syrup. "Corn" is natural, but "high
fructose corn syrup" is produced employing a centrifuge and a series of
chemical reactions. The worst part is, you probably pay a premium price for
common junk food.
10. Myth: Egg yolks increase cholesterol
Egg yolks contain dietary
cholesterol - this is true. But research has shown that dietary cholesterol has
almost nothing to do with serum cholesterol. Researchers at Wake Forest
University reviewed quite 30 egg studies and located no link between egg
consumption and a heart condition, and a study in Saint Louis found that eating
eggs for breakfast could decrease your calorie intake during the remainder of
the day.
11. Myth: You can eat whatever you want if you train
It's almost impossible to go on a
poor diet unless you plan to spend half of your days in the gym. You must
exercise and eat right to see results.
12. Myth: you will burn more fat if you don't eat before a workout
Without the proper fuel, you will
not be able to train for as long or as hard as necessary. What's worse, fasted
workouts can cause low blood glucose and lightheadedness.
13. Myth: The Going Paleo Diet Guarantees Weight Loss
Not surprisingly, Paleo is one of
the most sought-after diets in recent years. bacon and steak to lose weight?
Yes, please! But the Paleo diet is really too good to be true. Although
high-protein diets help you lose weight, eating a diet low in carbohydrates and
protein can actually cause long-term weight gain, say the Spanish researchers.
In fact, the results of their study revealed that those who follow high-protein
diets have a 90 percent increased risk of gaining more than 10 percent of their
body weight.
14. Myth: all calories are created equal
Eating 300 calories of chicken is
not the same as eating 300 calories of pie. The body uses and stores calories
differently depending on the nutrients that each food makes up. Corn and beans,
for example, contain something called resistant starch, a type of carbohydrate
that is really difficult to digest. In turn, the body is not able to absorb the
most calories or most of the glucose, a nutrient that is stored as fat if it is
not burned. It's a similar story with lean protein sources like turkey,
chicken, and fish. In addition to increasing satiety, protein also has a high
thermogenic effect compared to fats and carbohydrates.
15. Myth: You shouldn't eat at night if you want to lose weight.
Eating too many calories
throughout the day and not eating at night causes weight gain. In fact,
"eating the right kind of snack before bed really boosts your metabolism
and helps you lose weight - not the other way around," explains Cassie
Bjork, RD, LD of Healthy Simple Life. "When you don't eat before bed, your
blood sugar levels plunge so you don't sleep. In turn, you'll crave more sugar-
and carbohydrate-laden foods the next day. If this happens often, it can cause
a serious spike. of weight.
16. Myth: You can eat as much as you want, as long as it's healthy.
Avocados, oats, nuts, and their
creamy, delicious kinds of butter are indeed healthy, but low in calories they
are not. Sure, it's best to eat 200 calories of oatmeal and 200 calories of
sugar cookies made with the grain, but that doesn't give you free rein to eat
as much as you want. The bottom line: Nutritious or not, serving size counts as
all foods.
17. Myth: Protein Shakes and Bars assist you to reduce
Although packaged protein
products can be part of an overall healthy diet, they are no better than a meal
made up of similar nutrients. However, depending on which bars and shakes, you
could actually be putting your health at risk. Many popular products are full
of bloat-causing additives like carrageenan and whey, plus caramel coloring,
which has been shown to cause cancer in humans.
18. Myth: Drinking 8 glasses of H20 guarantees weight loss
"Drinking water does not
guarantee weight loss, especially if you are still eating an unhealthy,
high-calorie diet," says Lisa Moskovitz, R.D., founder of the private
Manhattan clinic, The NY Nutrition Group. "Staying hydrated throughout the day is a great habit to maintain good health.
19. Myth: walnuts are fattening
"Nuts have gotten a nasty
rap for its total fat content, but nutritional science suggests that the
quality - not the amount - of fat is most significant to our health," says
Jackie Newgent, RDN and author of The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook. "In
fact, the FDA recently announced that they are re-evaluating the term 'healthy'
as it applies to foods with good fats for you, such as pistachios,"
continues Newgent. "What's more, foods like shelled pistachios can assist
you to fool yourself into feeling full because the leftover shells can provide
a clear cue for portions, potentially helping to curb your intake."
20. Myth: drinking beer causes a bloated belly
While drinking beer does not tend
to help reduce the waistline, a bloated stomach is not necessarily caused by
beer, it is more likely caused by consuming too many calories.
21. Myth: Comfortable foods are better.
Comfort food just causes you to
feel better, doesn't it? Actually, it doesn't. In a 2014 study published in the
journal Health Psychology, titled "The Myth of Comfort Food," Does a
good excuse to eat poorly feel bad? Turns out it isn't.
22. Myth: Peanut butter is healthy food.
At its best, peanut butter is
actually healthy food. That's because peanuts are full of monounsaturated fats,
the heart-healthy fat that really helps you reduce. But most peanut butter is
not like that. "Peanut butter" is even worse. The word
"spread" indicates that it is at least 10 percent more addictive.
23. Myth: "Multigrain" and "wheat" bread is better than white bread.
Wait a minute, isn't
"multi-grain" one of the biggest buzzwords in nutrition? And haven't
we been trained to pick up the wheat bread on target at every turn? Yes, but
unfortunately those labels are as credible as your local congressman's campaign
promises. Generally "wheat bread" is white bread with caramel or
molasses added to make it look dark and healthy. Always look for the words
"100% whole wheat" or "100% whole grain" on the package.
24. Myth: Wraps are healthier than regular sandwiches.
Those skinny wrappers are so
fragile, so delicate, which is why they make for a friendly kitchen fusion.
Consider the Subway wrapper, for example. Packs 310 calories - before you even
add the first smell of meat or sauce. The reason is that for the tortilla to
wrap like this, it needs added fat, often in the form of soybean oil and
hydrogenated oils. (In fact, when ordering Mexican food, a steamed taco is
usually best.
25. Myth: Potatoes are empty carbohydrates.
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