With all the confusing and contradictory information being shared in the media, it is easy to become overwhelmed about making the right choices to support a healthy lifestyle. With National Nutrition Month in mind, it is a great time to debunk a few of the most common nutrition myths to make implementing a healthy lifestyle easier.
Eating Healthy Is Too Expensive
With rising food prices, finding a healthy eating plan that works for your lifestyle can be complicated. Although it may take some time and preparation in the kitchen, it is possible to create a budget-friendly list. Some things you can implement in your shopping to lower the overall cost of eating healthy are:
Plan your meals around sales
Shop on a full stomach
Make a shopping list that you are confident you can follow
Choose produce items, seasonally (for example strawberries are in season in June-July)
Consider frozen and canned vegetables
Purchase nonperishable goods in bulk (beans, rice, salsa, tuna, etc.)
Repurpose leftovers
Carbohydrates are the Enemies
One of the many fad diets being spread through the media is the low-carb diet. We often hear that carbs are bad for you, but this is not the case when the right carbs are chosen. Research was done on 32 controlled feeding studies, showing no benefit to daily energy expenditure or weight loss from eating a low-carb diet rather than a high-carb one (Hall et al., 2017). Carbs are a vital nutrient, providing us with energy and playing a role in our ability to live a healthy lifestyle. Complex carbohydrates give us fiber, which helps in weight loss!
Skipping Meals Helps You Lose Weight
Another common nutrition myth is skipping meals to lose weight. Although weight loss may occur, it eventually leads to many other health problems. Skipping a meal can cause fluctuations in blood sugar levels and slow the body's metabolism, which can cause weight gain or make it more challenging to lose weight. Missing a meal should be avoided, and instead, a healthy and balanced meal should be added to help maintain a healthy weight and provide us with the energy we need to thrive.
Detox Diets Cleanse Your Body
There is little evidence that dietary cleanses do what they promise, and most of these diets get mixed results. The great thing about our bodies is that our livers, kidneys, and gastrointestinal tract work to detox our bodies, so a diet cleanse isn't needed and can at times cause detriments to our body. Many of these detoxes also provide only short-term results that can cause a lack of essential nutrients. Staying hydrated and eating a more balanced diet containing whole and less highly processed foods can help you feel refreshed.
You Have to Be Skinny to Be Healthy
Many people assume that being thin and having a lower body weight is a sign of good health, but this is a common misconception. An article on obesity (Blüher, 2020) goes over this myth, sharing that research shows that obesity is associated with many health conditions. However, this information leads to unintended results, with people believing thinner is always healthier. We should focus on maintaining a healthy body weight and making choices that promote an active and healthy lifestyle that makes us feel our best, as many factors play a role in determining good health.
Although the media constantly provides us with harmful and misleading statements, like the myths I shared above, we can still find accurate and trustworthy information by going to sources such as Kelly's Choice, where only the most up-to-date and valuable details are provided.
References
Blüher, M. (2020). Metabolically healthy obesity. Endocrine Reviews, 41(3). https://doi.org/10.1210/endrev/bnaa004
Hall, K. D., & Guo, J. (2017). Obesity energetics: Body weight regulation and the effects of diet composition. Gastroenterology, 152(7). https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2017.01.052
Springmann, M., Clark, M. A., Rayner, M., Scarborough, P., & Webb, P. (2021). The global and regional costs of healthy and sustainable dietary patterns: A modelling study. The Lancet Planetary Health, 5(11). https://doi.org/10.1016/s2542-5196(21)00251-5