5 Common Health and Nutrition Myths – And the Truth Behind Them
If you ask the average person, most of them will tell you that they know what being and eating healthy is about. In reality, they might be engaging in all sorts of unhealthy habits without knowing it. Most of what we think we know about nutrition comes from misinformation, lies, and pseudoscience. Even the food pyramid can’t be trusted as it was corrupted by lobbies. This is why you need to dig deeper and look for proof whenever you hear about certain principles and practices. Let’s take a look at some of the most common health and nutrition tips and the truth behind them.
Skipping Meals is a Good Idea
If you’re going to try intermittent fasting and only eat during a certain feeding window, this could work, but know that not everyone is up for the challenge. And, if you think skipping meals is a great way to lose weight by cutting your calorie intake, think again.
Our bodies are very good at adapting to fluctuations in caloric intake, and when you skip meals, it will interpret this as starvation and will slow down your metabolism to save energy. This is bad news. Instead of skipping meals, you should consider eating smaller, healthier meals or going for meal replacements.
One benefit of meal replacements is that they’re formulated to contain all the nutrients you need. This can be difficult to figure out if you’re going to be cooking meals yourself. This is why we suggest you give this range of meal replacement shakes a try. Shake That Weight makes some of the best meal replacement shakes on the market and they’re extremely satisfying. These shakes would make a perfect replacement for breakfast or supper and they have a very wide selection of flavours to choose from.
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Calories Are all That Matters
This is one of the toughest myths to dispel because there’s a germ of truth in there. You indeed need to get a caloric deficit to lose weight, but calories are not the only thing that matters. Too many people spend too much time focusing on the caloric value of certain foods instead of looking at the nutrients.
You also have to know that there isn’t a magic number of calories you should be consuming per day that works for everybody. Your overall level of activity, your age, any conditions you may be suffering with, or hormonal imbalances can all affect the number of calories you should be taking in.
This is why it’s often recommended that you see a doctor before embarking on a diet to know if you have any issues that could make losing weight harder. They will also be able to tell you which type of diet might work better for you and which ones you should avoid.
Jogging is the Best Way to Lose Weight
Jogging is often portrayed as the ultimate exercise for losing weight. Not only is it not true, but jogging could actually be harmful to you. If you have bad joints, jogging every day could end up deteriorating them. There are so many more efficient, safe, and fun ways to lose weight.
If you want an activity that will allow you to burn energy and will be gentle on your body, we suggest you try swimming. If you want to have fun and learn a valuable skill while getting a nice cardio workout, you should consider looking at martial arts. Martial arts are a great form of interval intensity training and hardly feel like exercise. This is the type of activity you should fit into your routine if you want to stay healthy or are trying to lose weight.
Artificial Sweeteners are Good for You
Non-nutritive sweeteners may help reduce the number of calories in things like fizzy drinks, but they can wreak havoc with your health. They often have very complex chemical structures that the body isn’t used to dealing with. This is why NNSs have been linked to things like type 2 diabetes. This is quite ironic when considering that these are often marketed towards diabetics. Do your research on any artificial sweeteners before you use them and consider going for a natural healthy option to white sugar like agave nectar instead.
Fats are Bad
There’s also this idea that fat makes us fat, but that’s another blatant lie. What matters most is the type of fat that you’re eating. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats like the ones you find in olive oil, nuts, and fatty fish can promote good health and help you lose weight. Fat also plays an important role in hormone production. So, don’t cut fat completely out of your diet and learn the difference between healthy and bad fats.
These are all myths that should be dispelled right away about health and nutrition. Adjusting your idea of what it means to eat and be healthy will allow you to get better results and maybe add a few years to your life.