Nutrition is a complex subject, and although everyone claims to be an expert these days, very few people actually have the necessary knowledge to guide themselves or those around them towards a better, healthier and tastier life. The internet is the ultimate source of information about anything and everything, but unless you have the requisite scientific background, it would be impossible to tell the wrong or misleading information from the authentic bits, which is one of the prime reasons why dietary myths are being created all the time. On that note, here are three popular dietary myths that are just not true.
Fasting is Bad for You
Before you start questioning this myth buster, understand that we are talking about intermittent fasting. There are some brilliant benefits to intermittent fasting, some of which are mentioned below.
- It drains the body of its glucose reserves, inducing weight loss through ketosis in the process
- It protects against excitotoxic stress and promotes regeneration of neurons
- The caloric restriction improves memory functions
- May act as an antidepressant
Do remember that unplanned, long term fasting is actually starvation, and while it will help to lose weight in the short term, it is almost guaranteed that you will gain back even more fat in a few months’ time, as the body tries to make up for the calorie and nutrient deficiency.
Fat is Bad for You
Healthy fats are necessary and they won’t make you fat; if anything, healthy, unsaturated fats from sources like fish, whole eggs, chia seeds, dark chocolate, cheese, avocados and the like can actually make you lose weight, gain muscle mass and lead a healthier, better life. Check out The Big Fat Surprise, which is the ultimate nutritional guide to know and understand how much wrong information is out there from seemingly authentic sources that misleadingly affirm the myth of fat being bad for health. It’s also a detailed guideline towards figuring out and designing the perfectly healthy (and tasty) meal plan for every individual who wants to lead a happier and fitter life.
Late Night Snacks Make You Fat
While there are definitely differences in how the body utilizes food as we sleep, it has been found that late night snacks are not as bad as we make them out to be. It is more important to keep the total calorie count within the desirable range, irrespective of when you are consuming those calories. Also, the food source is more important than the calories, which is something that very few people are aware of. In fact, separating your meals throughout the day and night might make it easier for the body to digest the food; just make sure that your midnight snacks are healthy.
There are of course, plenty of other dietary myths circulating both online and offline, so always double check your facts from an authentic source before believing anything that you read on the internet. Applying a bit of common sense and acquiring the basic understanding of the various nutrients is essential to figuring out fact from myth.