Myth Busters: The Healthy Eating Fads You Don’t Need To Follow

Did you hear the one about eating only grass fed beef? How about the gluten free trend that everyone’s going on about? The healthy eating world is filled with a huge amount of myths and legends and in many cases, you can blindly follow the eating advice of others without doing a little digging for yourself. When it comes to eating fads, there is often more information out there than meets the eye and by looking at the myths more closely, you can discover a where they came from and what they really mean. What you eat is for you alone to decide so before you dive headfirst into these eating habits, here’s some pointers you might want to know.

1. Frozen Foods Are Worse Than Fresh

(source: livestrong.com)

Freezer aisles have got a bad reputation. So often associated with unhealthy, processed foods, the frozen produce section is something that many health fanatics will avoid, regardless of what can be found there. In fact, eating things like frozen fruits and vegetables can be just as good for your health as going fresh; the only difference is that one type is frozen directly after being harvested. As a result of this, the nutrient content within frozen vegetables and fruits is still incredibly high and having a few bags of the stuff in your freezer is always a good idea when you’re all out of food.

2. You Need To Cleanse Your Body

(source: livescience.com)

The rise in popularity of cleanses and detoxes has peaked in recent years and now, you might be hard pushed to find someone who hasn’t gone on some kind of juicing program. While there is nothing wrong with going on a cleanse, you don’t need to go through this kind of process to do yourself any extra good; your body is already doing that for you. As long as you are following a healthy, balanced diet, your organs can do an effective job of clearing your system of any toxins or waste products; you can just let it run its own course!

3. Cutting Calories Is The Only Way To Lose Weight

(source: expertbeacon.com)

While cutting your caloric input will lead some sort of weight loss, it is not the most important factor to consider in your dieting journey. If you eat 200 calories worth of cookies or chips, you won’t be getting the same kind of healthy benefits as if you had eaten 200 calories worth of fish, or brown rice. The trick is knowing where your nutrients are coming from. The quality of food that you eat is so much more important than its caloric content, so make sure you put nutrition above everything else.

4. All Fats Are Bad For Your Health

(source: health.harvard.edu)

There’s a common misconception that eating fats will lead to you becoming fat and while it’s worth eating the food group in moderation, you can include it in a healthy diet. Foods like avocados and oily fish might be higher in fats than other produce, but they contain fatty acids that are essential to the healthy functioning of your body. Monounsaturated fats can help to boost your cardiovascular system and maintain healthy blood pressure, so getting your fill can really help out in the long run.

5. Late Night Eating Causes Weight Gain

(source: thebrunettediaries.com)

The saying goes that if you’re eating after 6pm, you will start to pile on the pounds. Incredibly, the hour in which you eat can have little to no effect on the size of your waistline. It’s all about what you’re putting in your body, not when you’re putting it in there. If you eat a big meal at 5pm, your body will take in the same amount of calories as it would if you ate it at 10pm. Snacking too late into the night, however, can lead to overeating and if you consistently pile up your plate after eating a big meal, you will experience some form of weight gain.