| Collective Evolution | Jan 11, 2015 | Jeff Roberts |
With the advent of the internet came a
superabundance of available information regarding personal health.
However, with this deluge of available information also came a hefty
downfall – a massive amount of misguided and unreliable information.
Out of all fields of discussion, it’s
safe to say that no other topics are more dangerous to have
misinformation spread about than diet and nutrition. If a nutrition myth
is continually repeated, it can soon become a culturally accepted
truth, something that is dangerous to the general public. So for that
matter, this article will address some of the most common and misguided
nutrition ‘facts’ out there today.
9) Eggs Are Bad For Your Heart & Overall Health
Eggs have had a bad rap in recent years,
mostly due to the cholesterol myth. But a few recent studies have since
debunked this myth.
A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found
that higher consumption of eggs (up to one egg per day) is not
associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease or stroke. In
fact, eggs actually raise the ‘good’ cholesterol (called high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) which works to remove the ‘bad’ cholesterol.
The health benefits of eggs include:
- 6 grams of high quality protein (full amino acid profile).
- High in lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants in your lens and retina that help prevent eye diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts.
- Good source of choline, a member of the vitamin B family.
- One of the few food containing naturally occurring Vitamin D.
- Contains sulfur - essential for healthy hair and nails.
*The key is to eat organic, pasture-raised eggs.
8) All Saturated Fats Are Bad For You
This is a myth that stemmed from an unsubstantiated claim made decades ago. The truth of the matter?
There is absolutely no
significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is
associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD, according to a meta-analysis which looked at 347,747 subjects.
As mentioned in #10, saturated fats from things like egg yolks, coconut oil, and avocado work to increase the good cholesterol which works to lower the bad cholesterol.
Saturated fats from proper sources
provide the building blocks for your cell membranes and a variety of
hormones and hormone-like substances, as well as serve as carriers for
the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K and are required for converting
carotene into vitamin A.
Good sources of saturated fat: nuts, seeds, coconut oil, organic nut oils, eggs, avocados, grass-fed meat.
7) Breakfast Is The Most Important Meal Of The Day
There is new evidence to suggest that intermittent fasting
has some major health benefits. By skipping breakfast and not eating
until around 11am, you’re giving your body an extended break from
eating, which has been shown to be as effective as calorie restriction
in fat loss.
Fasting has also been shown to increase human growth hormone secretion by up to 1200 percent for women and 2000 percent for men.
Other benefits include reducing inflammation, reducing insulin resistance, improving blood pressure,
and increased lean body mass. Intermittent fasting can also improve
your brain function by increasing levels of BDNF, a protein that
protects your brain cells from the changes associated with Alzheimer’s
and Parkinson’s disease.
6) Eat 6 Small Meals Per Day Instead of 3 Big Ones
The logic behind eating 6 small meals
makes sense, (i.e., portion control, stabilizing blood sugar), however,
this claim has not been proven to be true. In fact, multiple studies prove that
there is no difference in metabolism or fat loss with people eating 6
meals per day compared with people who eat the same amount of food in 3
larger meals.
We know that our ancestors weren’t
constantly feasting, they also didn’t have access to a grocery store
24/7. Our ancestors were more likely to go through periods of fasting
and then eating large meals.
Furthermore, when we don’t eat for a while, a process called autophagy cleans waste out of our cells.
5) Omega-6 Fats From Seed and Vegetable Oils Are Good For You
While eating omega-6 fats is crucial
to our health, the main issue lies in the fact that most of us are
eating too much omega-6 fatty acids, most of which are sourced from
processed seed and vegetable oils.
Humans are supposed to receive a well
balanced ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fats, that is 1:1. Most westerners
are getting about 20-50 times more omega-6’s than omega-3’s, which can
cause problems.
One study showed that too much omega-6 fats from processed oils is a leading factor to coronary heart disease.
Be sure to eat well sourced omega-3 fats (flax/chia seeds, cod liver oil) and reduce your intake of processed omega-6 fats (vegetable oil, sunflower oil).
4) Artificial Sweeteners Are Safe Sugar Replacements for Diabetics, and Help Promote Weight Loss
As a child, I remember seeing my
grandmother using artificial sweeteners in her tea, which she explained
was for her diabetes. If only I knew then what I know now.
A study
from 1986, which included nearly 80,000 women, found that those who
used artificial sweeteners were significantly more likely than non-users
to gain weight over time, regardless of initial weight.
A more recent study found similar results, here’s what researchers had to say, “Several
large scale prospective cohort studies found positive correlation
between artificial sweetener use and weight gain. When matched for
initial body mass index (BMI), gender, ethnicity, and diet, drinkers of
artificially sweetened beverages consistently had higher BMIs at the
follow-up, with dose dependence on the amount of consumption…”
Another study published in PLoS One found that chronic lifetime exposure to aspartame, commencing in utero,
produces changes in blood glucose parameters and adversely impacts
spatial learning and memory in mice (a.k.a. messes with the body’s
insulin response, a danger for type II diabetics).
3) Low-Fat Foods Help With Weight Loss
In order to compensate for the flavour
of low-fat foods, food manufacturers will usually add sugar (corn syrup)
or artificial sweeteners. As mentioned above, artificial sweeteners are
silent killers.
The idea that fat is bad for us came out of the 1970’s when the American dietary guidelines were first published. They demonized saturated fats (which we’ve just explained are crucial to our health) while giving sugar and refined carbs a free pass. It’s interesting to note that the obesity epidemic began around the same time…
2) Carbs & Grains Should Be Your Highest Source Of Calories
While the mainstream states that your
biggest source of calories should come from carbs (50-60%), many
nutritionists are now coming forward and refuting
this statement. Carbs, including organic whole grain bread, cereal, and
pasta, spike insulin and leptin levels in the blood, which is a leading
factor to many chronic illnesses.
The low-fat, high-carb diet simply isn’t working for North Americans, as obesity rates are at an all time high.
While this diet may be okay for people who are lean, people who are
obese or who have metabolic syndrome should stay far away from this
type of diet, according to a few studies.
As explained above, properly sourced, high-fat diets are crucial to our overall health.
1) Soy Is A Health Food
Clever marketing has denoted soy beans as a ‘health food’, when in fact there is much more to the story than this simple claim.
Over 90% of soy produced in the U.S. is genetically modified and the crops are sprayed with the herbicide Roundup, which may be associated with adverse effects on health.
Most of the soy consumed in the western
diet is processed, in the form of soy bean oil. In fact, in 1999, 7%
percent of Americans’ total diet was derived from soy bean oil, which is derived from a process that uses hexane to extract it.
While whole soy beans do contain nutrients, they also contain phytates, a substance which inhibits nutrient absorption in the body.
Soy also contains large amounts
of biologically active compounds called isoflavones, which function as
phytoestrogens… that is, plant-based compounds that can activate
estrogen receptors in the human body, a.k.a., soy acts as a hormone disruptor.
When is soy okay for you? When it is fermented. Tempeh, natto, and miso are fermented forms of soy which contain lowered levels of phytic acid and other anti-nutrients, as well as beneficial bacteria for our gut. The key here is to consume in small amounts.
Do you know of any other mainstream
nutrition myths that are widely accepted as truth? Share with us in the
comment section below!
Sources:
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