Myths About Nutrition

Today, on the Internet, glossy publications and numerous books, you can find a huge amount of information about how to eat right, lose weight and quickly get in perfect shape. Some of the theories are supported by many nutritionists, however, not all of them are true and so unambiguous. Let's find out which common ideas about healthy eating should be questioned.

People have always dreamed of living happily ever after, and that's why they were looking for a miracle cure, an elixir of youth or, on the contrary, the culprit of all troubles. However, our health does not depend on individual components, but on a complex of reasons that act simultaneously and combine with each other in quite a variety of options. Here are the main ones:

• The state of the nervous system and what affects its health the most.

• Quality and complete sleep.

• Correct motor activity and breathing.

• Water-salt balance.

• Influence of environmental factors.

• Hereditary features of the body.

• Nutrition .

Scientists and specialists still argue about the degree of importance of individual factors, but everyone understands that a person's health, mood and life expectancy are always a combination of various influences. That's why there are so many nutrition myths and just as many refutations. Given the presence of the same product in the diet , other aspects of life can be very different for different people, since the result will be completely opposite. Despite this, people tend to believe in many myths about food and nutrition , because they want to simplify everything. For your attention, the most common of them.

Saturated fats are harmful

The demand for low-fat products does not decrease even today. We are assured from all sides that animal fats are bad, and professional nutritionists often express this opinion. Today, everyone wants to be slimmer and protect their blood vessels from atherosclerosis, and therefore maniacally exclude fats from their diet . However, despite all efforts and, it would seem, proper nutrition , people gain extra weight and begin to get sick. The fact is that fats, including animal fats, have been present in the human diet for thousands of years. If they were so harmful, then man would not have managed to live to this day. Think for yourself: fats of animal origin are also in the dietlong-lived people known to science. Their benefit lies in a positive effect on the hormonal background of men and women, with their help the body absorbs fat-soluble vitamins and minerals (for example, calcium from dairy products helps to absorb fats). In addition, saturated fats are an accumulated source of energy for the body, which can be used in emergency cases and protect in stressful conditions.

The only problem with modern people is that there is too much saturated fat in our diet . Moreover, trans fats created as a result of technological processing of oils and clearly harmful to the body appeared, with the help of which the shelf life of products is significantly increased, and when they are heat-treated, they acquire even more pronounced carcinogenic properties. That is why it is necessary to limit the consumption of pastries with margarine, fast food and food fried in vegetable oil .

Eggs contain a lot of cholesterol, which is harmful to blood vessels

The history of harmful cholesterol began in the middle of the 18th century, when a dense white substance was isolated from gallstones. It was called fat wax because it did not dissolve in water, and was later renamed cholesterol. At the beginning of the 19th century, this substance was found in deposits on the walls of blood vessels - this is how people learned about cholesterol plaques. Then they began to study this substance in more detail and discovered not only its bad properties, but also good ones. For example, cholesterol can patch holes in the inner wall of blood vessels and participates as a source of energy in cell growth and during strong sudden physical activity (for example, when you have to run uphill quickly).

However, the problem with modern people is that they have stopped running upwards, and adults no longer grow cells. Instead, the inner walls of blood vessels are damaged every day due to a large number of free radicals, which are formed due to smoking, carcinogenic substances in household chemicals and food products , as well as due to a deficiency of vitamins, enzymes and antioxidants. Also, our diet often contains too many cholesterol-containing products, and our body has not learned to quickly remove it. This causes the problem of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. 

But people have been eating eggs for a long time. They are an excellent source of easily digestible protein, fat-soluble vitamins, especially deficient D, E, A, important alkaline trace elements (potassium, magnesium), calcium, iron, zinc and copper. In addition, eggs contain phospholipids that help dissolve and remove so-called bad cholesterol. After all, it is possible and even necessary to eat them, but, of course, in moderate quantities.

To lose weight , you need to eat fewer calories

Recently, we hear this theory most often, but it is not entirely true either. Our body has a vital need for energy even in a state of rest.

We spend energy even during sleep - for the work of the heart, lungs and other internal organs, for digestion and assimilation of food , for muscle preservation and cell division. It needs a lot of energy - about 1500 kcal for a woman's body and 1800-2000 kcal for a man's. And if the body does not receive a sufficient amount of energy from food , it begins to save it and slow down the rate of metabolic processes. In this case, muscle tissue begins to burn, internal organs suffer, work capacity and mood decrease. After all, nutrition should be balanced and sufficient in terms of calories, and a calorie deficit should be created by increasing physical activity. Forget about dietswith a norm of 700-800 kcal per day and immediately question the qualifications of a specialist if he advises you on such a diet .