Nutrition Myths Debunked: Know The Actual Truth

Due to the rise of short-form (or misleading) content on social media, the internet is flooded with nutrition advice by social media influencers and self-proclaimed “health gurus”, without any backing research. Unfortunately, we are being misguided by this popular but wrong information, because these big claims sound convincing at first, but they are oversimplified or outright false. 

Ask yourself, how often have you seen an influencer using the best equipment, promoting the best clothes, and eating the best food? The answer is quite often. While there is nothing wrong with it, this generally creates a perception that leading a healthy lifestyle is expensive and not achievable at all. This is simply discouraging for a lot of people, but here is the truth: working out or getting your life together does not have to break the bank. You can simply go on a run or perform some yoga at home, all you need is a yoga mat to start with. 

This article will focus on breaking myths like these, by backed-up research.

What Is Nutrition:

According to the World Health Organisation(WHO), “nutrition is the process of consuming food to meet the body’s nutritional needs.” It is a critical part of one’s health and development. 

Does everything we eat provide us with nutrition?

No, not everything we uptake provides us with nutrition, several foods help fulfill our nutrient requirements such as vegetables, grains, dairy, protein, and fruits. Taking better nutrition helps in improved childbirth, stronger immune systems, safer pregnancy, and lower risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. 

Importance of Nutrition:

• Taking good nutrition helps fuel your body, the food you eat supplies nutrients to maintain different organs of your body. 
• Taking proper nutrition helps protect your body from illness and diseases by improving your immune system.
• Prevent the body from heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and other non-communicable diseases.
• Helps in safer pregnancy and childbirth.

READ MORE: Best Kids Calcium Supplement in 2024: Top Choices for Growing Bones

Debunking Common Nutrition Myths

Myth 1: Carbs Are The Ultimate Enemy To Weight Loss

The keto movement and the low-carb diet have convinced people to avoid carbs altogether because they are the ultimate cause of weight gain, poor cardiac health, and several chronic diseases. But the truth is far from this overly simplified story.

What are carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are a preferred source of energy, they are required by muscles and the Central Nervous System which includes the brain. They help fuel your body after a high-intensity workout, by preserving muscle mass and preventing its breakdown.

They are classified into 2 main categories:

Simple and complex carbs

1. Simple carbohydrates: These are quickly digested and rise your sugar levels.

Present in: Sugary drinks, candies and refined grains.

2. Complex carbs: They provide long-lasting energy and are essential for our body.

Present in: Whole grains, starchy vegetable and legumes.

Complex carbs are packed with essential fibres, minerals and vitamins, which makes them important to be added in your overall diet.

Healthy Vs Unhealthy Carbs:

Unhealthy Carbs:

• Refined grains: White pasta, refined flour
• Processed snacks: Pastries, Cakes, Cookies
• Sugary drinks: Soda, sweetened beverages
• French fries, crisps, flavored yogurts

Good sources of carbohydrates include:

• Legumes
• Fruits and vegetables
• Whole grains
• Nuts and seeds

Why are carbs important?

• They are the primary source of energy
• Carbs breakdown into glucose, which fuels your body including your muscles and brain.
• Fibres benefit gut bacteria by improving digestion.

Note: According to research Cutting carbs from your diet leads to low energy, digestive issues, and several nutrient deficiencies.

How Much Carbohydrate Should You Consume?

In general, 45%-65% of your daily calories should come from carbohydrates. This makes up to 225-325 grams of carbs every day.

Myth 2: Skipping meals helps with weight loss

You must have heard many times, that less food equals fewer calories which is also equal to weight loss, which seems super logical at first, but unfortunately this approach backfiers very early, leading to slower metabolism, poor food choices, and binge eating.

The Science Behind It

Several research has proved that skipping meals does more harm than good to your body. A 2016 study published in the journal Obesity found that skipping meals can reduce resting energy expenditure (your metabolism at rest), making it harder to burn calories over time.

Skipping meals can cause blood sugar to plummet, leading to fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. A study published in Current Obesity Reports noted that skipping breakfast is linked to poor blood sugar regulation and increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

Skipping meals can actually lead to weight gain, slowing down metabolism, and starving yourself can also ultimately lead you to binge eat. When you are starving yourself, your body senses that it’s not getting enough food and stores energy in the form of fat, your body reduces the rate at which it burns calories. This makes it harder to lose weight in the long term.

Myth: 3 Consuming Fats Make You Fat

Fat is not the enemy, of weight gain, yes you heard it right, for decades fat has been highlighted for being the main reason for weight gain and chronic health diseases, due to this many workout plans and diets such as the “fat-free” and “low-fat” diets were in trend, but certain fats are essential for your body.

How fat benefits your body

Fats act as the body’s energy reserve and help in periods of limited food availability.

• Provide insulation and maintain body temperature.
• Unsaturated fats help lower the risk of chronic diseases.
• Also enhances mental health, Omega-3 fatty acids have been studied for their impact on mental health, and treating depression and other mood disorders.
• Helps in the absorption ad transportation of fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and k.

Good fats and bad fats:

1. Unsaturated Fats:

• They are the healthiest type of fats.
• They are further categorized into monosaturated and polysaturated fats.
• These fats promote heart health, reduce inflammation and support brain function and health.

Present in: Olive oil, avocadoes, nuts, walnuts,flaxseeds

2. Saturated fats:

• Found in animal products and are generally onsidered unhealthy, because they increase cholestrol levels and heart diseases.
• Always keep in mind to consume saturated fats in moderation.

Present in: Cheese, meat, butter coconut oil.

3. Trans Fat

Trans fats can be naturally occurring in small amounts or artificially produced by hydrogenating vegetable oil to create partially hydrogenated oils.

Just because fat has been called out for being unhealthy, the widespread product of low-fat and fat-free products, which often replaced fat with sugar, salt, and artificial additives to improve flavor. Ironically, these replacements often contributed to weight gain and health problems.

Myth: 4 Eating at night leads to weight gain

Adelle Davis, an American nutritionist, gave a very popular quote “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.” While this advice encourages eating lighter in the evening, it is often misconstrued as eating after 8 pm makes you fat, even a grape. Let’s break this myth down:

A 2013 study on Obesity claimed that eating at night leads to weight gain compared to eating in the daytime- even with the same calorie intake. This raised a lot of questions, and the study was conducted on mice, not humans, making it difficult to draw definitive conclusions.

Weight management basically boils down to the amount of calories you are taking and the amount you will burn, regardless of what time you are consuming the food, this is backed up by The U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Whether you eat your food at 10 pm or 11 pm, only the amount of calories you intake matter.

Myth: 5 Longer workouts=weight loss

Yet another common perception made around weight loss is the more you work the more you lose weight but it is absolutely wrong. Creating a calorie deficit is the fundamental principle of weight loss, which means burning down more calories than consuming them.

A research by Current Biology examined how exercise impacts total energy expenditure. Researchers analyzed the activity levels of 332 individuals across various populations, from sedentary suburban Americans to active hunter-gatherer societies in Africa. The results showed that:

1. While moderate exercise increased calorie expenditure, the effect plateaued at higher activity levels.
2. People who exercised intensely burned roughly the same number of calories per day as those who exercised moderately.

In simple terms, according to the research, intensely excercising doesn’t result in significantly higher calorie burn. The body adapts by conserving energy elsewhere, such as through reduced movement or lower cellular energy demand.

Hence, physical activity is one aspect of maintaining a balanced weight, but diet plays a far more significant role in losing weight. The best approach to sustainable weight loss combines regular exercise, mindful eating, and healthy lifestyle habits.

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