Information about sixteen dietary myths to help you lose weight.
1. Becoming a vegetarian or vegan will help you lose weight.
Not necessarily because many high calorie and unhealthy foods are also vegan such as Coca-Cola and Oreos. Vegan faux foods like this Tofurky Hearty Hemp Veggie Burger are high in calories and sodium. Becoming a vegan health food nut that eats only whole vegetables, fruit, grains, nuts, beans, and legumes and restricts dietary intake to about 1500 calories a day will help you lose weight.
Sources:
Meat & Weight Gain in the PANACEA Study (video)
2. Low Carb Diets are Healthy.
Low carb diets are very unhealthy. Dr. Robert Atkins the founder of the Atkins Diet had heart disease when he died and he was morbidly obese at 258 lbs. See Scam Diets Exposed.
Sources:
Low-Carb Diets & Coronary Blood Flow (video)
Paleo Diets May Negate Benefits of Exercise (video)
3. You have to exercise to lose weight.
Exercise does burn calories but it is more about keeping your body healthy. Realistically a person is not going to be able to do enough exercise to lose a significant amount of weight. See how much exercise it takes to burn off one McDonald’s Big Mac Sandwich. Exercise but do not over do it. Calorie reduction is what matters most.
Sources:
Diet vs. Exercise for Weight Loss (video)
How Much Exercise to Sustain Weight Loss? (video)
Is It the Diet, the Exercise, or Both? (video)
4. High sugar fruits and vegetables are unhealthy.
Whole fruits and vegetables are the healthiest foods you can eat. The sugar content of fruits and vegetables does not matter because they contain fiber and phytonutrients which slow the absorption of sugar into the blood stream. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables such as beets, carrots, watermelon, and cantaloupe will help you lose weight.
Sources:
If Fructose is Bad, What About Fruit? (video)
How Much Fruit is Too Much? (video)
5. Processed diet foods such as energy bars, energy drinks, and protein shakes will help me lose weight.
Energy and nutrients such as protein come from the food you eat. Processed foods will not satiate you as much as whole foods like vegetables, fruits, grains, and beans. Whole foods have enough energy and nutrients to sustain you. Energy bars, energy drinks, and protein shakes are unnecessary and unhealthy.
Sources:
Food Industry-Funded Research Bias (video)
6. Drinking lots of water will help me lose weight.
Drinking plenty of water will flush toxins, and salt from your body. When you feel thirsty drink water. If you notice that your urine is clear then stop drinking water.
Sources:
How Many Glasses of Water Should We Drink a Day? (video)
Water Intoxication
7. Fasting for long periods is healthy.
Fasting for more than 3 days is dangerous and should only be done under a doctor’s supervision. The weight you lose from fasting will most likely return because fasting does not teach healthy eating habits. But there may be some health benefits to fasting.
Sources:
Is fasting a free health fix – or is it just a fad?
Is Fasting Healthy?
Fasting: health benefits and risks
Caloric Restriction vs. Plant-Based Diets (video)
Is Caloric Restriction Good For You? (video)
Fasting
8. Eating at night makes you fat.
Total calories eaten is what matters not the time of day you eat.
Sources:
Diet Truth or Myth: Eating at Night Causes Weight Gain
9. You cannot use the protein from beans unless they are eaten with rice.
The human body breaks protein down into amino acids and then combines them as necessary. You do not need to consciously combine foods like beans and rice. See The Incomplete Protein Myth.
Sources:
The Protein-Combining Myth (video)
10. Microwaving destroys nutrients.
While cooking does slightly lower some nutrients it also makes others more available such as with carrots and beta carotene.
Sources:
Raw Food Diet Myths (video)
11. Negative calorie foods will help you lose weight because you can eat as much as you want.
There are no negative calorie foods. In fact there are very few zero calorie foods. Miracle Noodles a zero calorie food made from the Konjac plant contains 100% Insoluble fiber. This means it will pass through your body undigested.
Sources:
Are There Foods with Negative Calories? (video)
12. Carbohydrates or carbs are unhealthy so I should avoid foods like pasta, rice, and potatoes.
Carbohydrates are just another energy source. Foods like pasta, rice, potatoes, and beans are high in calories and carbohydrates but a small amount will go a long way to satiate your appetite. A carbohydrate like refined sugar is unhealthy but sugar contained in a whole food is healthy.
Sources:
Kempner Rice Diet: Whipping Us into Shape (video)
Minimum “Recommended Daily Allowance” of Antioxidants (video)
Whole Grains May Work as Well as Drugs (video)
Beans, Beans, They’re Good For Your Heart (video)
Anticancer Potential of Sweet Potato Proteins (video)
If White Rice is Linked to Diabetes, What About China? (video)
13. A gluten-free diet is healthy for anyone and will help me lose weight.
Gluten-free diets are healthy for people with gluten sensitivity or celiac disease They may also be beneficial for people with hypothyroid. Before going on a gluten-free diet you should be tested for these disorders. Less than 1% of the world population has coeliac disease. Products that are labeled gluten-free usually contain more sugar and calories than products that contain gluten because people with coeliac disease have trouble absorbing calories.
Sources:
Is Gluten Sensitivity Real? (video)
Gluten-Free Diets: Separating the Wheat from the Chat (video)
How to Diagnose Gluten Intolerance (video)
Grain drain: should everyone adopt a gluten-free diet?
Is Gluten Safe to Eat If You Have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis?
14. Juicing is healthy and will help me lose weight.
When you juice fruits and vegetables you remove the fiber and other nutrients. This is a waist of food, money, and nutrients. You will not feel as satiated juicing compared to eating the food. It is also unhealthy. Smoothies which are blended fruits and vegetables with the fiber intact are healthy and will satiate you just as much if you drink them slowly.
Sources:
Juicing Removes More than Just Fiber (video)
Liquid Calories: Do Smoothies Lead to Weight Gain? (video)
Juicing
15. Eating fat makes you fat.
Fat is required for your body to function properly. It is unhealthy to have 0% body fat. The human brain is 60% fat. Saturated fat is unhealthy. Unsaturated fats such as monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat are healthy. Good sources of fat are avocados and nuts. Bad sources of fat are meat, eggs, dairy, processed foods, and junk food.
Sources:
Brown Fat: Losing Weight Through Thermogenesis (video)
Boosting Brown Fat Through Diet (video)
Testing the Fat-Burning Theory (video)
PREDIMED: Does Eating Nuts Prevent Strokes? (video)
Are Fatty Foods Addictive? (video)
How to Prevent Blood Sugar & Triglyceride Spike after Meals (video)
The Effects of Avocados and Red Wine on Meal-Induced Inflammation (video)
Are Avocados Good for You? (video)
Are Avocados Bad for You? (video)
Any update on the scary in vitro avocado data?
Forego Fat-Free Dressings? (video)
16. Soy Contains Carcinogenic Estrogen.
Soy contains phytoestrogens which fight cancer in men and women. In fact soy lowers estrone, another female hormone in men. Soy does not lower estrogen in women. Soy prevents both prostate cancer and breast cancer. Dairy from an animal contains carcinogenic estrogen and raises estrogen levels.
Sources:
Soy and Manboobs: A Busty Myth? (video)
Soy Phytoestrogens for Menopause Hot Flashes (video)
The Role of Soy Foods in Prostate Cancer Prevention & Treatment (video)
Should Women at High Risk for Breast Cancer Avoid Soy? (video)
No Debate: Soy is Beneficial to Health
Where do we stand on soy?