Popular Health myths busted

Sugar free and fat free foods lead to fat-free bodies

When you read the words 'sugar free' or 'fat free' across a box of chocolate it's you feel probably  less guilty about eating the entire box in one time. "Fat free and sugar free do not mean foods are calorie free. It doesn't matter what type of food you are eating, if you are consuming more calories than you're expending, you will gain weight. When sugar or fat are removed from food, artificial ingredients may be added back to the food to enhance its taste which will give you the extra calories!

 

Carbs make you fat

Carbs alone do not cause weight gain but it is important to choose the carbs wisely. Carbs are the body's main source of fuel so you need to consume a balanced diet higher in complex carbs and lower in simple or processed carbs. It is advisable to eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains and less processed foods, refined carbohydrates and white flour products.

You Need a Daily Multivitamin

Have you heard about taking multivitamins to makeup the nutrient needs of our body which are not fulfilled by diet? Researchers don’t agree on that point. But if your doctor advices you to take vitamin, go for it. And if you’re pregnant, you need to take folic acid to lower the risk of birth defects. But still it is good to eat a balanced diet filled with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and healthy oils to fulfill the nutritional requirements of your body rather than depending on pills. 

Skipping sleep CAN cause weight gain.

It is found in study that who people who sleep less than seven hours were more likely to gain weight; other research has shown that even partial sleep deprivation ups production of the hormone cortisol, which triggers hunger and can lead you to overeating. The increased levels of the hormone also help cause higher insulin levels, your blood sugar drops and you crave sugary, fatty foods.

Exercise can wipe away all my bad eating habits.

This one is unescapable and unluckily a myth. You can’t out-exercise a crappy diet. It’s a calorie game, and people often overestimate the amount of food they burn in an hour-long session. If you do five workouts each week it doesn’t mean that you can eat whatever you want. You can easily out-eat your exercising. It’s essential to both work out and eat right for successful weight loss and to maintain good health.

Eat only egg whites and not the yolks.

Egg yolks have got had a bad crack, supposedly being terrible for your cholesterol. Conversely, eggs won’t affect your cholesterol balance unless they’re fried in butter and served with bacon. In fact, one study by the University of Connecticut found that the fat in the yolks helped to reduce LDL, or the bad cholesterol. In fact, eggs are an inexpensive source of many nutrients, including zinc and iron, antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin, vitamin D, and the brain-boosting chemical choline. Keep cholesterol in check by monitoring saturated fat in your diet. 

 

Drinking water helps you lose weight.

Drinking water won’t specifically prompt weight loss, but it can support in the process. Water replaces other calorie-laden beverages in the diet, initiating you to reduce your overall number of calories. Also it keeps you feel fuller, so you may eat less at each meal. 

Coffee causes cancer

Coffee has been linked to cancer on over the past several years. However after 1980’s the scientists looked for links between coffee and these cancers, using superior research methods and studying larger groups of people. They found none. For instance, a review of 17 studies conducted from 1990 to 2003 found a 24 percent reduced risk of colon cancer among people who regularly sipped coffee and tea. Studies have also shown in recent years that drinking coffee appears to offer some protection against other conditions, including Parkinson’s disease and type 2 diabetes.

Radiation from microwaves creates dangerous compounds in your food.

Microwaves, radio waves and the energy waves that we perceive as visual light all are forms of radiation. So, too, are X-rays and gamma rays—which do pose health concerns. Only a few types of radiation cause cancer and these depend on the dose. But the microwaves used to cook foods are many, many times weaker than X-rays and gamma rays and the types of changes that occur in microwaved food as it cooks are “from heat generated inside the food, not the microwaves themselves.  Radiation from the sun can cause skin cancer, for example, but just enough helps your body make Vitamin D, too. Microwaving in some plastics may leach compounds into your food, so take care to use only microwave-safe containers. 

Brown sugar is healthier than white sugar.

In fact, brown sugar is mostly white sugar with some molasses — so refining it further would give you white table sugar. As far as your body is concerned, white and brown sugar are one-in-the-same.

References:

1. www.sciencedaily.com
2. http://www.webmd.com
3. http://www.health.com
4. www.forbes.com
5. Cancer Research UK
6. www.besthealthmag.ca
7. Business Insider,"The dispensatory of the United States of America," Self Nutrition Data