It’s hard to keep track of all the misinformation out there saying something is good for you, another thing is bad, this might be okay. Ultimately, how can you tell what’s truth and what’s myth? Considering how important health is, it’s surprising how little we know for sure about nutrition.
Lucky for us, many health myths have finally been debunked. We’ve all been duped before by some of these things. Now, it’s time to get our facts straight.
1. Myth: Chicken skin is bad for you.
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Basically, just because they’re greasy and delicious, people believed chicken skins were bad for you. However, the myth goes against the science that tells us that chicken skin is actually 55% heart-friendly monounsaturated fat.
2. Myth: Avoid whole milk.
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While still high in fat content, drinking whole milk has been linked to a decrease in the risk of heart disease.
3. Myth: Your body communicates with you through cravings.
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Normally, when we crave something we think our body needs it because of a deficiency, but these cravings are mostly linked to our emotional states.
4. Myth: You need more fiber.
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While getting enough fiber is important, for the most part, we don’t have to go out of our way to eat fiber-enhanced yogurts or cereals in order to get our necessary daily intake. The food we eat regularly is enough.
5. Myth: Sea salt is healthier than regular salt.
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This is just completely false, while it may not be as processed, it still counts the same amount toward your daily intake of sodium.
6. Myth: Scales are a good way to determine fat loss.
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When some people begin exercising to lose weight and gain muscle, they may be disappointed when they see the numbers on the scale go up instead of down. Muscle weighs more than fat, so you may be shedding fat, but gaining weight in healthy muscle.
7. Myth: The skin of potatoes contains all the nutrients.
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While potato skin is rich is multiple vitamins, it still only contains about 20% of the total nutrients of a potato. Solution: Just eat the whole thing.
8. Myth: Eating carrots improves your eyesight.
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Carotene may help maintain your vision, but it simply isn’t true that it will in anyway make your eyesight better than it already is.
9. Myth: Fat free means healthier.
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The problem with many fat free products is that while the fats have been removed, these products often contain loads of sugar, which isn’t exactly a healthy alternative.
10. Myth: Microwaves destroy the nutrients in food.
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While zapping something does have an affect on certain nutrients, microwaves certainly do not remove all the nutrients from all foods.
11. Myth: MSG is terrible for you.
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While not exactly a product you would find in healthy foods, the myth that MSG gives everyone terrible headaches is simply based on how some have reacted to the ingredient, but not all.
12. Myth: In order to lose one pound of fat, you need to burn 3,500 calories.
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While not technically incorrect, there are too many variables to get an exact calculation, especially considering how difficult it is to determine exactly how much of that pound is actual fat.
13. Myth: Gluten-free living will benefit everyone.
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If you’re not gluten sensitive or intolerant, going gluten-free really won’t accomplish much.
14. Myth: High fructose corn syrup is the worse thing in the world.
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Even though there’s been quite a fuss lately over how much better sugar is than high fructose corn syrup, they actually contain the same amount of glucose and and fructose. And, they’re both unhealthy when consumed in large quantities. So, they’re pretty much the same.
(via 10awesome, Life Hacker)
Some of these myths I’ve been hearing since childhood. Now that we’ve got facts on our side, it certainly feels good (and healthy) to have all this cleared up. Now, excuse me while I got eat some chicken skins…
