{"id":23871,"date":"2019-04-16T10:59:44","date_gmt":"2019-04-16T17:59:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/?p=23871"},"modified":"2022-06-09T12:52:22","modified_gmt":"2022-06-09T19:52:22","slug":"nutrition-myths-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/all-mfn\/nutrition-myths-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Nutrition Myths | Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

Check out Part 1<\/a> of this article for more nutrition myths<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Looking for weight loss and overall health in the digital age can be a mixed blessing. Technology, on one hand, is a threshold to endless potential weight loss diets, nutrition facts, health and fitness approaches.<\/p>\n

But, on the flip side, it can be difficult to know what to follow and what activities could supercharge your health and fitness.<\/p>\n

Take a look at some common nutrition myths…<\/p>\n

Myth#6:\u00a0All sugars are bad.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Fact:\u00a0<\/strong>Go for natural sugars over artificial sugars. Natural sugars are already present in whole foods, such as milk (Lactose), plain yogurt (Lactose), and fruits (Fructose).<\/p>\n

\"\"Natural sugars are a better alternative to added sugars<\/strong>\u00a0as they are packed with\u00a0health-promoting nutrients<\/strong>\u00a0such as calcium, iodine, magnesium, potassium and fiber, along with natural sugars.<\/p>\n

Added sugar sabotages your metabolism leading to heart disease, type-2 diabetes, cancer, weight gain and other inflammatory diseases. You will be surprised to know that, even if you don\u2019t eat sweetened foods like dessert and cookies. your foods have hidden sugar in it.<\/p>\n

Added sugars present in your diet include high fructose syrup, maple syrup, honey and glucose. Around 70% of processed and packaged foods (breakfast cereals, soups, flavored yogurt) have added sugar in it.<\/p>\n

As per a\u00a0CDC report (1),\u00a014% of total calories are comprised of added sugars in the Western diet. Consumption of added sugars should be less than 10% of 2000 calories\/day (<200 calories).<\/p>\n

According to the\u00a0American Medical Association, 6 teaspoons of sugar (25g) for a woman and 9 teaspoons of sugar (36g) for a man is enough to add sweetness to your diet.<\/p>\n

The Takeaway:\u00a0<\/strong>Try to\u00a0add fruits to your breakfast for sweetness.\u00a0Buy plain oats\u00a0over flavored oats, which are loaded with added sugar and excess sodium.<\/p>\n

Also, you can enhance your meal with the addition of\u00a0plain yogurt,\u00a0not flavored yogurt. Then you can enjoy more natural sugars. Reconsider your diet and lifestyle.<\/p>\n

Myth#7:\u00a0Drink 8-ounce glasses of water daily to stay hydrated.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Fact:\u00a0<\/strong>Our body comprises of 60% of water. You can\u2019t store water; you need to continually replenish your body with water throughout the day.<\/p>\n

Drinking those bland and boring 8-10 glasses of water is now revamped to include\u00a0flavor-infused water,\u00a0along with\u00a0herbal tea and green tea.<\/p>\n

Along with a glass of water and beverages (tea, coffee), you can add foods rich in water. Water-rich foods\u00a0(pineapple, strawberry, celery, watermelon, oranges, and spinach) not only keep you hydrated, but are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.<\/p>\n

During summer, you can drink smoothies that have a blend of fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats for a morning go-getter.<\/p>\n

Myth#8:\u00a0Organic foods\u00a0are better than\u00a0conventional foods.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Fact:\u00a0<\/strong>Despite the high prices of organic foods, its consumption has increased over the last few years. Organic, as the name suggests, means more natural, ethical, and healthy, without artificial GMO seeds, pesticides, and fertilizers.<\/p>\n

Unlike conventional processing of foods organic farming involves traditional ways and uses organic compost.<\/p>\n

We tend to buy organic foods as they are touted to be high on antioxidants, vitamin C, and omega-3 fatty acid. There is mixed evidence about it. Hence, there\u2019s not a significant difference in its nutritional value compared to conventional foods.<\/p>\n

Organic cultivation has less use of pesticides, like\u00a0sulphur, natural vegetable oils, and copper sulphate.<\/p>\n

Toxic content in any food depends on concentration and vulnerability of toxins, not on how natural that food is grown.<\/p>\n

It is healthy to\u00a0eat a variety of fruits and vegetables<\/strong>\u00a0judiciously with little significance on how it is produced.<\/p>\n

In respect to the environment, conventional foods are better than organic foods. A study showed that organic farming requires more land to produce and emits more greenhouse gas compared to the same crop grown from conventional methods.<\/p>\n

The Takeaway:\u00a0<\/strong>A healthy eating approach boils down to two factors viz. expectation and personal choice.<\/p>\n

Research says to include more fruits and vegetables in your diet to attain health benefits. Buy locally grown foods that are in season to avail every nutrient.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0organic tag<\/strong>\u00a0is not a guarantee for your food security. Moreover, the difference in taste and quality of organic and conventional foods are minimal if any at all.<\/p>\n

Tip:<\/strong>\u00a0In practice,\u00a0rinse the food thoroughly\u00a0before consumption to remove bacteria, pesticides from outside.<\/p>\n

Myth#9:\u00a0Multivitamins protect you from diseases.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Fact:<\/strong>\u00a0Multivitamin intake should never interfere with a nutritious, varied and regular diet. Consumption of multivitamins daily for disease prevention is a double-edged sword.<\/p>\n

As per\u00a0Harvard led Physician Health study for a period of ten years in 1000 men showed that\u00a0multivitamins lowered the risk of developing a diagnosis of cancer by 8%, but not death.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In another Harvard led PHC study\u00a0no beneficial effect of multivitamin supplements were observed in the prevention of heart disease\u00a0<\/strong>and related symptoms such as heart attack, stroke or death from cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n

The physicians in the study had a more nutritious diet, were more physically active and were involved in less unhealthy routines compared to the general population.<\/p>\n

The Takeaway:\u00a0<\/strong>More than spending time and money on supplements, focus on getting essential nutrients from healthy foods that are seasonal, locally grown and home-cooked.<\/p>\n

\"\"According to\u00a0the American Medical Association\u00a0(AMA)\u00a0and\u00a0the American Cancer Society\u00a0(ACS),<\/strong>\u00a0a healthy diet is superior to taking a multivitamin. If you already eat a healthy diet, you are less likely to benefit from extra multivitamin pills, says Dr. Kormos.<\/p>\n

Overall optimal health is not based on a single nutrient, rather a synergy of varied nutrients from the food we eat.<\/p>\n

Choosing nutrient-dense foods such as plain yogurt, whole grains, salmon, leafy greens, nuts and seeds, and lentils helps you meet nutrient and vitamin needs.<\/p>\n

But, people who eat a vegan and a vegetarian diet, vitamin D may be recommended if the intake cannot be met through foods.\u00a0Vitamin\u00a0D supplements (600-800 IU)\u00a0are good, as sources of vitamin D are of animal origin (such as tuna, fatty fish, salmon, cod liver oil, and mackerel).<\/p>\n

Hint:\u00a0<\/strong>You can also add\u00a0Vitamin D fortified foods\u00a0in your diets such as orange juice, soy milk, some dairy products, and cereals.<\/p>\n

The decision to include supplements in your diet is personalized based on your diet and your risks. Review the recommendation of supplements with your doctor to make the important health choice, says Dr. LeBoff.<\/p>\n

Reprinted with permission from\u00a0Akanksha Srivastava. Originally printed on\u00a0healthrewardz.com.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Akanksha Srivastava is a Nutritionist, content writer & a food blogger. She is a life member of the Nutrition Society of India (LM No. LM-2018-0284). Her website, healthaadhar.com<\/a>, is not just a hub of information which imparts views on health & nutrition related topics backed with scientific research papers, but a journey where everyone associated is a part of an endeavor through educative article beyond health. With a significant focus on the holistic approach to health and well-being, her blog successfully forays into empowering people with healthy eating behavior.<\/em><\/p>\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/nutrition\/data-statistics\/sugar-sweetened-beverages-intake.html<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Check out Part 1 of this article for more nutrition myths. Looking for weight loss and overall health in the digital age can be a mixed blessing. Technology, on one hand, is a threshold to endless potential weight loss diets, nutrition facts, health and fitness approaches. But, on the flip side, it can be difficult to know what to follow and what activities could supercharge your health and fitness. Take a look at some common nutrition myths… Myth#6:\u00a0All sugars are bad. Fact:\u00a0Go for natural sugars over artificial sugars. Natural sugars are already present in whole foods, such as milk (Lactose), plain yogurt (Lactose), and fruits (Fructose). Natural sugars are a better alternative to added sugars\u00a0as they are packed with\u00a0health-promoting nutrients\u00a0such as calcium, iodine, magnesium, potassium and fiber, along with natural sugars. Added sugar sabotages your metabolism leading to heart disease, type-2 diabetes, cancer, weight gain and other inflammatory diseases. You will be surprised to know that, even if you don\u2019t eat sweetened foods like dessert and cookies. your foods have hidden sugar in it. Added sugars present in your diet include high fructose syrup, maple syrup, honey and glucose. Around 70% of processed and packaged foods (breakfast cereals, soups, flavored […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":280,"featured_media":23874,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[139],"class_list":["post-23871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-mfn","tag-nutrition"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/280"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23871"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31950,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23871\/revisions\/31950"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}