Top 8 nutrition myths you ve been taught to believe

Don’t always believe what you hear - especially when it comes to your health. Here’s some nutrition myths we were taught to follow, and according to the experts, we shouldn’t have listened to.

Sugar Causes Diabetes

So far, a diet high in calories, being overweight, and an inactive lifestyle are the main risk factors for Type 2 diabetes.

All Fats are bad

The key is to replace bad fats (saturated fats and trans fats) with good fats (monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats) in our diet.

Brown Sugar is better than White Sugar

Unless you eat a gigantic portion of brown sugar everyday - the mineral content difference between brown sugar and white sugar is absolutely insignificant.

Brown Eggs are more nutritious than White Eggs

Eggshell color can vary but it has nothing to do with the quality, flavor, nutritive value, cooking characteristics or shell thickness of an egg. The eggshell color only depends upon the breed of the hen.

Avoid seafood to lower blood cholesterol

Saturated fats usually found in meat products and packaged foods, and trans fatty acids, are the most important factors that raise blood cholesterol, not dietary cholesterol.

Avoid carbohydrate to lose weight

Many low-carb diets do not provide sufficient carbohydrates to your body for daily maintenance. It doesn't matter if you eat a high or low-carb diet, you will lose weight if you decrease your caloric intake to less than that is needed to maintain your weight.

Avoid nuts as they are fattening

In moderation, nuts can be a part of a healthy diet. In fact, nuts are high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (good fats) as well as plant sterols which have all been shown to lower LDL cholesterol.

Skipping meals can help lose weight

Often times, skipping a meal results in an increase in total caloric intake than if we just ate more frequently throughout the day. A better approach is to eat smaller frequent healthy meals and snacks to keep our blood sugar balanced.

So now you know the real truth and when these come up in conversation again, you can educate your friends and family.

Calories the good and bad

Making a commitment to have healthier eating habits is a tough one. Knowing how to implement that commitment may be even harder. Where do you start? What foods should you eat, and which ones should you stay away from? These are all questions you should answer before going out to the grocery store.

We need nutrients to survive. We need vitamins, minerals and calories everyday. There are two types of nutrients. Micronutrients are our vitamins and minerals and macronutrients are where our calories come from. The three types of macronutrients are fat, carbohydrates and proteins.

Many people think that all fats are bad and recently started thinking all carbohydrates are bad too. That leaves us with just protein. If this were the case, our diets wouldn't be very enjoyable. Fortunately not all fats are bad and the same goes for carbohydrates.

With all the negative publicity recently, you might be afraid to eat any carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are our main fuel source. Our brain can't use anything else to power itself with and our muscles will work the best on it. Don't deprive yourself of it. Carbohydrates that you should stay away from are simple sugars that are found in candy, sodas and many snacks. Good carbohydrates such as whole wheats and fruits will keep you energized throughout the day and avoid sugar highs and lows.

Fats are also very important. Without fat, our body wouldn't be able to utilize some of the vitamins we consume. Fat is found in our cell walls and make up a big part of hormones. Fats you should avoid are saturated fats that come in meat, milk and dairy products. Every one should consume good (unsaturated fats) that come from plant sources such as nuts and olives.