5 Common Nutrition Myths

A lot of people use the word nutrition quite loosely, believing they know everything there is to know about it. Don’t eat after 9pm, ration your meals and eat a lot of raw food, etc. However, things are never this easy, since there is a lot of misinformation out there. Some of the nutrition tips you come across are just ineffective, while others have the potential to seriously backfire. So, without further ado, here are some of the most common nutrition myths.

1. Avoiding Fats

One of the greatest misconceptions is that in order to lose fat cells, you need to avoid eating fats. The truth is completely the opposite. In order to function properly, your body needs fat, protein and carbohydrates. Amongst these three, fat packs by far the most energy, which means that most commonly it serves as fuel to your metabolism. This fuel helps your body burn calories even while in a completely sedentary state. Naturally, you shouldn’t eat fatty food all the time, since this inevitably leads to gaining weight, but it is just as dangerous to avoid this nutrient altogether.

2. Frequency of Meals Matters

When you start browsing the internet for nutrition tips, it is certain that you will encounter much talk about the frequency of meals. Most guides will suggest that it is far better to have many smaller meals during the day, than just two or three major ones. This, however, can be quite dangerous. First, there is no proof whatsoever that this makes you lose weights. Second, according to a 2014 research, eating six or more times a day doesn’t give your liver enough time to rest, which in some cases leads to a disease known as fatty liver.

3. A Timetable is Vital

In the introduction, we have mentioned the myth about not eating after certain times of day as being perceived as a reliable weight losing method. In truth, calories have no timetable and at the end of the day, this is all that matters. Sure, at night you usually engage in sedentary activities, which can make things worse, but then again, this is about your choices and not a timetable.

4. Supplements Are Dangerous

Probably the most controversial issue when it comes to nutrition is that of dietary supplements. Namely, many people believe that all supplements are dangerous for your health, but this point of view is completely absurd. First of all, the notion of supplements can stand for anything from simple vitamins to steroids. There is a great difference between using illegal substances and simply enhancing your training with basic gym supplements. On the other hand, some people simply use these supplements as an addition to their diet.

5. Cooking Doesn’t Ruin Protein

The next myth worth mentioning is the one about cooking changing the biological value of the protein. Sure, eating raw fruit and vegetables can be good for you, but there is a reason why people cook food prior to eating it. If the end result of this ritual would be to make food easier to digest but ruining its nutritious value in the process, it wouldn’t be a good bargain. This isn’t true for meat and it isn’t true for protein powders either. In other words, releasing your inner genius can help you improve your dietary habits while maintaining the quality of your meal.

Conclusion

As you can see, on every valid piece of information you encounter, there is a myth to be debunked. Sure, this may be difficult at times, but nothing worth having ever comes for free. These are not all the nutrition myths out there, just some of the most common ones. The rest are out there for you to discover.