10 Myths about healthy eating that don’t help you lose weight

If we look at evolution, human beings tend to gain weight more and more. This is because for thousands of years, our species, homo sapiens, lived in conditions of great scarcity and the organism was forced to make the most of whatever food it could get. From the moment that the evolution of agriculture and livestock increased the supply of food, there was no longer this need for the body to take advantage of every gram of ingested food and store it in the form of fat for the hard times.

But then, it was too late and our genes were programmed (as they are until today) to make the body an ‘efficient machine’ in the use of calories. Result: we get fat.

Therefore, a sedentary lifestyle and the large amount of high-calorie and ultra-processed foods have only strengthened this trend. That’s why we see a lot of people struggling with the scales and getting into the craziest diets. What many people don’t know is that there are many myths related to food and today we’re going to talk about some of them.

The closer a person’s body mass index (BMI) is to normal, the greater the chances that he can enjoy a long life. Therefore, it is not worth abandoning attempts to lose weight, but it is always good to be careful when starting a new diet. Check out some advice from “healthy eating experts” that are best to avoid.

From a caloric point of view, there is almost no difference. A spoonful of brown sugar contains approximately 17 calories, while the same amount of other sugar has 16 calories.

Everyone who follows a healthy diet is sure that brown sugar has more calcium, iron and magnesium, and they bring only benefit to the body. This is not completely true, as these components do not appear in abundance in sugar, so you you’re not going to get any real benefit to your health. The big difference is in the taste.

In reality, oatmeal is only good for breakfast when plain and without other ingredients. O industrialized product contains a lot of carbohydrate. If you add fruits and honey, the amount will only increase.

So if you really want to have a healthy breakfast, take a little time and prepare your oatmeal.

Almost all diets or correct eating principles claim that greens are super healthy and should be consumed as much as possible. Beware, this is not always right. We often don’t think about where and how these vegetables were grown. Many of them, as is known, contain pesticides.

Some vegetables (whether organic or not) can also significantly increase a person’s blood sugar level. This depends on the characteristics of each one’s body. Some people cannot eat potatoes, others cannot eat tomatoes.

The level of activity after a cup of coffee depends on the dose taken. On average, caffeine needs 15 to 45 minutes to spread through the blood and activate the body. During the next 5-6 hours the effect is decreasing. Therefore, if you have a coffee at 8 am, at 2 pm you will feel less active.

Coffee causes a sudden spike in blood sugar, which often causes a feeling of energy. As the glucose level decreases, the ‘battery’ again discharges. Therefore, the drink does not help the body to stay active all day.

But this does not mean that sugar does not have a positive effect on the body.

One of the reasons people don’t use olive oil to fry food is time. People think that the products will not have time to cook, since the oil burns earlier. That’s just a myth. That takes place at approximately 190°C. That is, a temperature sufficient to prepare any type of food.

And yes, olive oil is really good for your health, but not as much as some people want to believe. It contains vitamin K, iron, potassium, calcium and sodium, but in very small amounts to provide benefits to the body.

You must have heard more than once that sea salt is healthier than usual. In reality, this is not quite right. Both varieties are taken from saline deposits in the sea, but the second is ground and cleaned of impurities, while the first retains part of its microelements.

But do not forget that salt is often spiked with iodine (40 ± 15 mg / kg), the lack of which can cause serious health problems. Sea salt, in addition to ‘good’ impurities (including iodine: 0.7 mg / kg), can also contain substances that are harmful, such as heavy metals. However, the amount of elements is very small to the point of affecting health in some way.

Dairy and fatty products contain saturated fat, which means a lot of calories. Therefore, all people who want to lose weight opt ​​for skimmed products. Furthermore, people say that whole milk and curd are also responsible for causing cardiovascular problems.

However, scientists have come to the conclusion that this is not true. Consumption of full-fat dairy products is not linked to an increased risk of developing heart disease; they even lower a person’s risk of obesity.

In countries where cows are grazed (as is the case with most producers here in Brazil), consuming whole milk helps reduce the risk of heart disease by 69%.

In reality, chocolate calories are different from kale calories, for example, because they follow different metabolic pathways and have a direct effect on fat burning, as well as the hormones and brain centers that regulate appetite.

For example, a high-protein diet can increase metabolism rate by 80-100 calories per day and significantly reduce appetite. This just confirms that not all calories are created equal.

In reality, this is not true. It is not so important the moment of the day when you are going to consume the calories, what matters is their quantity and, as we saw before, their quality. This was demonstrated by US scientists using the example of rhesus monkeys. They found that overnight eaters did not gain weight any faster than other animals.

Once again the principle of ‘spending more than consuming’ becomes relevant.

In general, diets usually work based on a decrease in calories. This shows that what matters is not always the type of product, but the calories. Some diets avoid fatty products, others carbohydrates, and some even proteins. In any case, if you follow a strict diet, it is very likely that you will lose weight. But if you go back to your old habits after that, the kilos will reappear.

So it’s not fair to say that some diets don’t work. The truth is that all of them are effective in their own way, but in order to maintain the good results, the person needs to keep making an effort. That’s why many experts recommend not just looking for a diet, but maintain a balanced and adequate diet for you.

What other food myths do you know? Share in the comments.