In the nutrition field, it is often difficult to distinguish truths from falsehoods. In fact, there are several ways to find information in nutrition: social networks, blogs, websites, and our environment. However, these sources are not always reliable. To help us eat better, let's take up now the 5 most common misconceptions:
1. Carbs are fattening (bread, pasta, potatoes...)
These foods are part of the starchy food group and are very rich in carbohydrates indeed. But these are sugars that digest more slowly than added sugars, such as white sugar, honey, and others. On the other hand, the presence of starches is necessary to have a balanced diet, because they provide us with our main source of energy (carbohydrates) as well as dietary fiber. Although overconsumption of these foods can cause weight gain, this is the case for all foods. Rather, it is a question of ensuring reasonable consumption in terms of quantity and frequency.
2. Juice is a better alternative than soft drinks
Many people are turning to fruit juice thinking it's a healthy choice. As a comparison, fruit juices can sometimes contain more sugar than regular soft drinks! This is the equivalent of about 8 cubes of sugar.
If we want to reduce our consumption of sugar, let's take the whole fresh fruit, dilute the fruit juice with water or sparkling water, or drink fruit or lemon flavored water.
3. Fasting helps with weight loss
Weight loss occurs when the energy consumed in a day is less than what is spent. By skipping a meal, we certainly ingest fewer calories, but there will also be a reduction in our energy expenditure, often unconscious because our body detects a "shortage" of nutrients and energy. So our body spends less energy not to use these last reserves during this time. In addition, after longer periods of fasting, our metabolism will remain sluggish, resulting in a more likely increase in weight. Skipping a meal can also cause us to be hungry more than usual at our next meal and to eat more, including the result of long-term weight gain.
4. Light foods help lose weight
We often turn to the food products said "light" when in process of weight loss. The overconsumption of these products can have the opposite result wanted, to slow down the loss of weight and even to stop it completely due to the fact that one believes that they can eat more of it because it is "healthy". A good way to avoid falling into this trap would be to choose a food that you really like and consume it in moderation, reducing the feeling of deprivation.
5. Canned fruits and vegetables are less nutritious than fresh fruits and vegetables
Canning causes some losses in vitamin and mineral content. However, the transportation and storage time of these fresh foods out of season leads to similar losses. Thus, the consumption of canned fruits and vegetables is an economical and practical way to integrate more fruits and vegetables into our diet in addition to being a good choice of food. It is only necessary to rinse these foods well to reduce the salt content and added sugars.
