12 Nutrition Myths Busted

Who wants to live an illness prone life? It’s proven that healthy people live longer and happier lives. These days, everyone is on a hunt to get a healthy body, which is also the main reason why one hears a lot of nutritional facts and advices. But are they accurate? Our lifestyles can be much better if we learn to separate facts from fiction.

So let’s get cracking the kernel of truth! You will be amazed by these revelations:

1. Drinking 8-10 glasses of H2O daily:  Easy rule. There are several benefits of drinking water. Drink enough water to quench your thirst. Period. Having too much water can lead to intoxication, hyponatremia and electrolyte imbalance. A quick test to know if you are hydrating your body well is by checking your urine color. If it is too dark, you must increase the intake of water, too light implies you are over drinking.

2. Daily consumption of eggs can raise cholesterol levels: If you are taking a healthy and normal cholesterol diet, it is completely okay to eat eggs daily.

3. Fasting once a week can cleanse your body:  Fasting has nothing to do with the cleansing process. Nature has gifted our body with a mechanism to detoxify itself. Periodic fasting is harmful as it results in deficiency of certain vital nutrients.

4. Taking mutivitamins/supplements everyday: Good intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy products is sufficient for one’s body. Doctors suggest that, lower the dependence on pills, better for your body.

5. Having supplements to build muscle mass: Consume only the prescribed supplements. Adequate protein level can be acquired by a well-balanced meal also. Body building Supplements, if taken in excess, can result in accumulation of extra protein as body fat. Our bodies then need to work overtime to get rid of this.

6. Alcohol consumption is bad for health:  If you are consuming the right amount of liquor, there is nothing to worry about. One can drink beer in moderation as it has low alcohol content and red wine as it is rich in antioxidants. In fact, red wine can dilate blood vessels. Drinking 30ml is recommended for heart patients.

7. Microwave cooking is unhealthy:  It is surprising that there are no proven studies to show that microwave cooking can affect food items. Furthermore, microwave waves are completely safe. Microwave cooking , if done well, can preserve some nutrients to a great extent.

8. Eating potato (or any carbohydrate) can make you fat: Excessive consumption of carbohydrates gets converted into fats. Carbohydrates are a good source of energy and getting rid of them completely can make one weak and lethargic. Hence, a potato free diet will never help you in losing weight.

9. Diet Cola is safer than Cola: Both contain equal amount of chemicals such as phosphoric acid, which can cause thinning of bones. Diet cola contains an artificial sweetener known as Aspartame which is harmful if taken in excess.

10. Eat anything under the pretext of exercising: Metabolism rate, burnout rate, mental activity burn out is different from person to person. If you notice no change in your weight even post work-out, it is time you rework your eating pattern.

11. All brown breads are healthy: This is true but only if you get hold of 100% whole wheat products. Most breads available at stores are made up of regular flour with an artificial color added to them. Answer to this is to check the ingredients properly before buying the next loaf of bread.

12. Raw food is better than cooked food : Raw food, along with good enzymes and fiber, provides harmful bacteria. Cooking techniques like steaming, pressure cooking and roasting are healthier options. Food cooked with perfect temperature and technique can aid in quicker digestion.

It is often said that what’s dangerous is not the lack of knowledge but the illusion of it, which is the  main reason why we got down to myth-busting. Life’s simple. Let’s learn to keep it that way.