In the field of healthy eating and lifestyle circulating many myths associated with food. BusinessInsider article appeared on Chris Gunners, a nutritionist and a personal trainer. In it, he debunks the most pernicious myths about food.
Frankly, some of them just blew my mind. And foreshadowing same skeptics like me, Chris stocked every fact about nutrition several studies confirming that he was right. Willing to rethink everything you know about nutrition?
Eggs raise cholesterol levels
There is one thing in which the well-known nutritionists very successful - undeserved slander healthy food. The best example - it's eggs, which seem to contain an incredible amount of cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease.
Recent studies have shown that cholesterol in food does not cause increase in blood cholesterol levels. On the contrary, eggs contain "useful" cholesterol and cause heart disease risk. (1, 2)
In fact, the egg - this is one of the most useful products. They contain a large number of unique antioxidants that protect our eyes (
3). And despite the fact that they contain a decent amount of fat (in the yolk), recent studies We proved that eggs for breakfast contribute to significant weight loss, compared to other options (4, 5)Saturated fats are bad
A few decades ago, it was decided that the epidemic of heart disease is caused by the fact that people are eating too much fatty food. In particular, the harmful saturated fat.
Huge in scope article was published in 2010. It contained the 21 study subjects and the total number exceeded 345,000. And the result of this research: there is absolutely no link between heart attacks and saturated fats (6).
The theory, which states that saturated fats are bad for the body, is incorrect (7). Furthermore, saturated fats raise levels of HDL ( "good" cholesterol) and lower levels by DHL ( "bad") cholesterol in the blood (8, 9).
Meat, cheese, butter - there's no sense to be afraid of these products.
We need to eat cereals
The idea that our diet should be based on cereal products, always embarrassed me. Agrokulturnogo revolution thundered recently. Therefore, our genes have not changed much since then. And therefore, our bodies are not accustomed to eat cereals.
Grains contain a sufficiently small useful items, compared with vegetables. They also contain a large amount of phytic acid, which binds to the minerals in the intestine and prevent their assimilation (10).
The most popular cereals in our diet - it is wheat, which can cause a variety of both small and large-scale diseases. It also contains a large amount of gluten (toleykovina), and recent studies have shown that many people may be hypersensitive to it (11, 12, 13).
Gluten affects the intestinal mucosa, causing pain, bloating, stool violation (14, 15). It can also cause some brain diseases (16, 17).
A large amount of protein is bad for the bones and kidneys
Some people believe that excess protein standards causes osteoporosis and kidney disease. This is partly true. Protein actually leaches calcium from the bones in the short term. And in the long - shows the opposite effect.
In the long run, the protein is closely related to the improvement of bone health (18, 19). In addition, studies have shown a link between high-protein diet and kidney diseases in healthy people (20, 21).
There are two main factors that contribute to kidney disease: diabetes and high blood pressure. A protein intake prevents both of them (22, 23). It can be concluded that the protein not only causes bone disease and kidney failure, and vice versa - treats them!
Low-fat products - is good
Marketing ploy. These two magic words explain everything. Do you know what the taste is completely fat-free food? As a piece of cardboard. You would not have it.
Food manufacturers know this and try to compensate. How? Sweeteners used: sugar, fructose, corn syrup or artificial sweeteners such as aspartame.
Many studies show a link between higher doses of sweeteners and the risk of obesity-related diseases, diabetes, heart disease and depression (24, 25, 26).
In fact, low-fat products - these are products that are natural and healthy fats are replaced with artificial substances that are bad for the body.
You need to eat frequent small meals
The theory that you need to eat often and in small portions to speed up the metabolism, it makes no sense. It is true that food increases metabolism for a short time (while the food is digested) but the total expended energy is determined by the total volume of food, and not the number of receptions.
This was proven by studies. And do not even once. Test were divided into two groups. First eats small portions and often, the other - the same amount of food but with fewer servings. There was no observed absolutely no difference between the two groups of subjects (27, 28).
Other research suggests that satiety much less if you eat 6 times a day instead of 3 (29).
Our body can not constantly in a state of digestion of food. He's just not accustomed to it. When we do not eat, the body starts autophagy process by which cells are cleaned of decomposition products (30). Therefore, fasting from time to time it may be useful for the organism.
Some studies have shown a significant increase in the risk of colorectal cancer in people who eat instead of 4 times a day 2 (31, 32, 33).
Most calories should come from carbohydrates
Almost all of us know that our diet should contain about 60% carbohydrates. And this diet can work for those people who are in form.
For those who are obese, a number of dangerous carbohydrates. This question has been studied carefully. High-carbohydrate diet compared with the low consumption of fat and low-carbohydrate diet with high fat consumption. And the results show that the latter is better (34, 35, 36).
Omega-6 fats and vegetable oils - is good
Polyunsaturated fatty acids are considered to be part of a proper and healthy diet because they reduce the risk of heart disease. However, there are many kinds of unsaturated fatty acids, and they are not all that good. The two main types are: Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.
Omega-3 reduce inflammation and reduce the risk of diseases diseases associated with inflammation (37). A person needs to get omega-3 and omega-6 in a specific ratio, and if it is broken in the direction of Omega-6, you may experience problems (38).
The best known source of omega-6 - is processed seeds and vegetables. For example, corn oil, sunflower oil, and others. Mankind has never been able to take Omega-6 in such abundance. It is simply contrary to evolution.
Studies that have examined in detail the omega-6 acids, have shown that they actually increase the risk of heart disease disease (39, 40).
Low-carbohydrate diets are harmful to health
Personally, I believe that the low-carb diet can be a cure for many diseases. Why? And here's why:
- It reduces body fat% better than other diets (41, 42)
- Lowers blood pressure (43, 44)
- Lowers blood sugar levels and avoids the symptoms of diabetes (45, 46, 47, 48)
- It increases the levels of HDL ( "good" cholesterol) (49, 50)
- Decreases triglycerides (51, 52, 53)
- Structure improves LDL (the "bad" cholesterol) (54, 55)
- It is easier to adhere to (56, 57)
But many nutritionists advise continue their diet with a low fat content, which is only harmful to health.
Sugar is bad because it contains "empty" calories
Sugar does contain a lot of calories (99 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams = 400 calories). However, not all so simple.
Glucose contained in sugar, processed by the liver and converted into fat. This leads to increased levels of triglycerides and cholesterol (58, 59). Sugar also provides resistance to insulin and leptin, leading to obesity and diabetes (60, 61).
From fatty foods recover
It seems that everything is logical. In the food fat, the fat under the skin, too, like everything converges. But not all so simple. Despite the fact that the fat contains more calories than carbohydrates and proteins (9 to 4), the case is not the fat, and the amount of calories consumed.
That is, if you consume more calories than you spend, you'll get better, less - to lose weight. But these studies show that a diet high in fat contribute to weight loss greater than the low (62, 63, 64).
Output
Some of these facts really mind-blowing. At least, I blew up. But it is hard not to believe the article, which is based on 64 scientific studies. How do you feel about these myths and whether to revise your diet?