If you haven’t checked out part 1 of this Common Nutrition Myths series yet, I highly recommend giving that a read. I’m back for part 2 since there are so many misconceptions out there!
I am currently a senior nutrition major at Drexel University, so all of the information I will be giving has been learned in my classes or researched.
Keeping reading to see even more common nutrition myths…BUSTED!
More Common Nutrition Myths
1. You should only eat when you’re hungry.
Yes, you should eat when you’re hungry, but that’s not the only time you need to eat. What I’m talking about is emotional eating and practical eating. Emotional eating can be looked at as eating a bag of chips when you’re sad, or even ice cream when you’re celebrating.
These are normal experiences. Sometimes I’m in a bad mood and am craving chocolate, even though I’m not necessarily hungry. The key is knowing that the chocolate isn’t going to totally fix my day, but it’s a little something that I enjoy.
You can also look at practical eating. Maybe you have an appointment at 1:00, but that’s when you normally eat lunch. Would you rather get ravenously hungry and end up overeating, or eat a little something before even though you may not be “hungry?”
You don’t have to be the “perfect” eater and only eat when you’re physically hungry. I’m not telling you to go out and eat if you don’t want to, but remember that there are going to be situations in life that don’t fall into a perfect eating pattern, and that’s okay.
2. BMI is an accurate way to measure health.
This nutrition myth I’m particularly passionate about. BMI stands for Body Mass Index, which looks at a person’s height and weight, and determines if they are underweight, “normal” weight, overweight, or obese.
To start off, the BMI scale was discovered in the 1800s by a male mathematician. That being said, it’s a bit outdated.
Of course, there are times when this is a useful tool, but most of the time it can cause more harm than good. It doesn’t take into account muscle mass, which is a key aspect of someone’s weight.
According to the BMI scale, I’m just on the cusp of being overweight. I know that I am at a healthy weight for my body, and would not consider it unhealthy. It’s only looking at my height and weight, not how much muscle I have, if I’m bloated, etc. Don’t let this number freak you out.
3. Calories are all that matter.
Have you ever heard the term, “calories in, calories out?” Why is no one talking about the actual food we’re eating and just the calories?
All foods contain calories, but that’s not the only thing we should be looking at. Think of the nutrients, feelings, and sensations you get from food. Yes, bananas are one of the “higher calorie” fruits, but they also contain potassium, prebiotics, and antioxidants which are all so important for our health.
Satisfaction in food is something that is SO important and goes beyond calories. I can tell you right now, if you’re eating celery sticks all day because they’re “low-calorie” when you actually want crackers, you’re going to end up eating the crackers.
Eat foods that make you feel good both physically and mentally.
4. Gluten is bad for you.
I feel like a lot of people who are gluten-free don’t know what gluten actually is. Gluten is a protein found in wheat products that provide structure. You can find it in bread, barley, cereals, and even soy sauce.
If you have been medically diagnosed with Celiac disease, you should absolutely avoid gluten. Celiac disease is actually an autoimmune disease that negatively affects your small intestine when you eat gluten.
Some people who don’t have Celiac disease also don’t feel super great after eating it. This is most likely a gluten-intolerance. You can eat gluten and it’s totally safe and doesn’t have anything to do with your immune system. You just may not feel so great afterward.
If you feel fine after eating gluten, keep on eating it! A lot of foods that contain gluten are high in B vitamins and certain minerals that you could be missing out on with a gluten-free diet.
And honestly, most gluten-free products are pretty pricy, so if you don’t need them, don’t buy them! Gluten-free DOES NOT make something automatically healthier.
5. The more protein, the better.
Protein is one of the three macronutrients that make up our diet, along with carbohydrates and fat. I’m sure you’ve heard a lot of people who go to the gym need to make sure that they get extra protein. Not totally necessary…
Most Americans actually over-consume protein. I know, crazy! Only 10-35% of the calories you consume are recommended to come from protein.
You actually don’t really need to increase your protein intake when you workout. Of course, when you workout you’re going to consume more calories and therefore more protein, but you don’t need tons of protein shakes.
Protein is extremely important for muscle recovery and structure in the body, but you don’t need to be consuming tons of it! Try and have a protein source at every meal, but if you don’t…I promise that you’ll be okay.
6. Artificial sweeteners are better.
A lot of the low-calorie ice creams and products on the market contain artificial sweeteners. They are considered safe, but that doesn’t mean that they’re better for you.
Artificial sweeteners are a type of nonnutritive sweetener that are usually low in calories and placed in products to make them “low-calorie.” Another nonnutritive sweetener is sugar alcohols, which are found in things like Halo Top.
If you’re ever eaten Halo Top and felt a little gassy, that’s the sugar alcohol. When consumed in excess, they can definitely have an effect on your digestive system. They’re also usually not as satisfying, which is why people tend to over-consume them or eat the whole pint of Halo Top (no shame!).
Instead of eating the whole pint of Halo Top that you probably stopped enjoying halfway through and feel gassy afterward, maybe try the real deal?? The “regular” ice cream will actually satisfy you, instead of massive amounts of “healthier” ice cream. I bet you’ll feel better.
Consuming artificial sweeteners in small amounts is totally fine! I think the issue comes in when people see that they’re low calorie and end up eating it on autopilot.
7. You always need to buy organic.
Yes, organic produce tends to have more health benefits, but it’s not always necessary. I have an easy trick that you can implement when you’re deciding if you should buy organic or not:
If you’re buying something that has a skin that you don’t eat, such as bananas, avocados, or oranges, buying organic is not necessary. You can totally buy organic if you want, but it’s not going to make a difference to the actual fruit.
If you’re looking at buying berries or anything on the Dirty Dozen list (I’ll link to it, here), I would recommend buying organic IF YOU CAN. There is some research to say that organic produce is higher in certain vitamins and minerals like vitamin C and iron, and lower in nitrates and pesticides.
I definitely don’t buy organic all the time. It’s something that if you can afford and want to go that route, then absolutely. Eating inorganic fruit is better than not eating fruit at all.
I hope this helped reduce some confusion about the common nutrition myths you see out there!
xoxo
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