5 Diet Myths
July 19th, 2010 | 
Author: 
Myth or Fact?
Have you ever noticed that, if something is said often enough, people tend to accept it as true? Let’s talk about 5 of these diet myths which need to be purged from your knowledge base – they are simply not true! Some of them might even be sabotaging your health, fitness, or weight loss goals.
- Myth #1: Carbs are bad for you. Fact: This myth is only partially true. It should be amended to say that “white carbs” are not good for you. These include foods like white rice, white bread, and sugar. Whole grains such as brown rice and whole wheat products are a vital part of a healthy diet. In fact, the Department of Health recommends that 50% of our daily calories (energy) should come from carbs.
- Myth #2: Vegetarians can’t build muscle. Fact: You can build muscle on a vegetarian diet as long as you include protein. Animal protein is not the only kind of protein. Good vegetarian sources of protein include beans, nuts, and dairy products. Optimally, 15% of your daily calories should come from protein.
- Myth #3: Low fat = low calorie. Fact: Many products labeled low fat are very high in calories because of high sugar content. Remember, fat does not make you fat; eating more calories than you burn causes you to gain weight. Fat is actually a necessary part of a healthy diet. It should make up 35% of your daily calorie intake.
- Myth #4: Low fat milk has less calcium than whole milk. Fact: Milk’s calcium is in the watery part of the milk. It is not in the creamy part which is skimmed off to make skim or low fat milk.
- Myth #5: Eating past 8:00 at night causes you to gain weight. Fact: Once again, weight gain is directly related to the total number of calories you eat during the day, not the time of day you eat them. Although some people may not be able to sleep well after eating a late meal or snack due to heartburn, etc., it will not cause them to gain weight as long as they have not exceeded their daily calorie needs.
What other diet myths can you think of? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.
Paulina, you are so right!
The biggest myth is that if you eat the correct foods you don’t have to worry about quantity. At the end of the day it’s calories in vs calories out
Paulina recently posted..What To Do On Your Off Days To Keep You ON
Melonie, thanks for your very informative comment!
Here is another Diet Myth – Fats Make You Fat
FALSE: We ate like this for so long – cutting fat out of everything we ate – even resorting to things like fat-free whipped topping. (What is an edible oil product made of if it has no fat?) Seriously, if eating fat-free worked, we’d have a whole society of skinny, healthy people. Fats are required for the membrane of every cell in your body, all your hormones, your brain, and for balanced emotional health. Since these are such important roles, if you don’t get good fats from your diet regularly, you hold on to every last bit of fat you have. To lose excess fat, you need your body to know that it’s getting the good fats it needs on a regular basis so it has no need to store them, and that it’s safe to use up the currently stored fat. Eat raw nuts and seeds, avocados, fish, flax oil, and coconut oil regularly in moderate amounts to allow your body to burn fat.
I was glad to learn about that one too – I’d heard it all my life!
#5 is a myth I’ve always believed to be true… and I’m glad to hear it isn’t, because it’s almost midnight and I’m having a snack
Just when I think I’ve conquered the fitness knowledge database, I come to your blog and learn something new!
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