If you are just starting out your journey in healthy eating, then you have probably heard many myths and misconceptions about food. These are some of the most common myths you can read about in the magazines and on the Internet:
1. You must detoxify your body Almost every site you visit that covers weight loss and healthy living topics has advice on how to detoxify and cleanse the body. However, the fact is that you do not need to go to the extreme in an effort to cleanse your body. According to Alissa Rumsey, who is a qualified dietitian in New York, our livers and kidneys do a good job cleansing the body daily. So, instead of focusing on the juices, herbs and diets you can use to cleanse, think more about the food you eat. Eat more fruits, whole grains, vegetables, and of course double up your water intake. The moment you grasp the importance of healthy eating, you will not have to worry about detoxification and colon cleansing.
2. Bananas make you fat This is another myth you need to stop believing. Since bananas are sweet in taste, most people tend to believe that eating them will interfere with their weight loss progress. However, the founder of Middleberg Nutrition, who is also a registered dietitian, says that bananas are actually very healthy. Bananas are rich in vitamins and minerals such as potassium, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C and fiber that help in digestion. Besides, bananas make you full, so you don’t have to reach for an unhealthy snack.
3. If you eat late, you gain weight Many people believe that eating should be done at a specific time of the day and that if you eat later than 8 pm you will definitely gain weight. This is not necessarily the case. Jim White from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics says that what you eat is more important than the time you eat it. If you want to eat more at late hours of the night you should watch the amount of calories that you eat.
4. Wherever you go, you will find GMOs Even though most people believe that genetically modified organisms are all over the food stores, this is far from the truth. According to a registered dietitian Melissa Dobbins, most fruits and vegetables are organic. GMOs are mostly found in pre-packaged foods and items like zucchini squash and sweet corn. You must be wondering if foods such as seedless fruits are considered GMO, right? Well, they are not. They are simply fruits created through conventional seed breeding.
5. Eating fat makes you fat One of the biggest mistakes weight watchers make is completely avoiding fat. According to Bonnie Taub-Dix who is the founder of Better Than Dieting nutrition company, avoiding the fat completely is not beneficial to your health. She says that the trick you have to learn is knowing the type of fats you are using. There are healthy fats that you can use, like extra virgin coconut oil, pure avocado oil and olive oil. Choosing the right kind of oil is all that matters when it comes to consumption of fat.
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