When it comes to choice of foods to eat, we can easily get lost because of the information out there. We all have different food needs depending on our bodies and the stage we are at in life. For some it is about weight loss, others it is about weight gain, some have allergies, while others just want to eat healthy by tracking their meals. Often the information about food that is spread in our social circles can be misconstrued. Nutrition is one of the topics with the most diverse opinions. Everyone wants to give their two cents about how to eat right, what food to avoid and what not. This just feeds the growing pool of misconceptions about certain food practices. Let us debunk a few of these myths.
Eating carbohydrates at night will make you fat
If I had a dollar for every time I have heard that from people who are dieting I would be rich. People go as far as avoiding carbohydrates after 3 pm in the afternoon just to be sure. The truth is, it does not matter what time you eat. A calorie is a calorie. Weight gain is simply contributed to the fact that you eat more calories than you burn. Nutritional experts call this the theory of calorie in-calorie out the theory of weight control. So just eat that rice at 8 pm. All you have to do is track your meals and get to know how your metabolism works. That way, you do not eat more than you burn. Easy as pie.
Consuming extra protein builds muscle
So you are thinking of building muscle and you think the answer is to eat 6 eggs a day on a daily basis and overload on protein intake. Think again. Protein is important for building muscle. However, building muscle is a combination of a couple of things; good calorie intake, adequate exercise for the amount of muscle you want and a good protein uptake. Remember, skipping carbohydrates because you want to burn fat and replace it with muscle is a bad idea. Your body automatically jumps to your protein load in the absence of enough calories for energy.
Food cravings are caused by nutrition deficiencies.
When we get cravings, we assume that we lack the specific nutrients provided by the food we are craving. That is not the case. Cravings are more of emotional needs. We crave foods we when our diet becomes boring or when we just have not had that specific food in a while. The only exception to this rule is when it comes to iron. Often when we are nutrient deficient, we crave weird things from the soil on trees to eating frozen foods.
Chocolate causes acne
Now, this is a myth that people often come across in their teen years when their faces are acting up and they will move mountains to stop it. For some of us, acne follows us into our adult lives. Sadly, puberty cannot be cured and thus you just have to let nature take its course. That, however, does not deter people from trying to get rid of the acne. So you find most people avoiding chocolate because it will only make their acne worse. It is true that acne can be caused by inflammatory responses by the skin caused by high sugar/fat diets. However, there is no direct link of chocolates to acne. So depriving yourself of chocolate only to stuff yourself with other high-fat foods is just a waste of your time.
Brown bread is healthier than white bread
It does not matter the colour of the bread, what matters is the ingredients in the bread. Healthier bread has 100% whole grain or whole wheat. Also, some brown bread just comes with added caramel colour which does nothing for your nutrient needs.
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