Hundreds of tips try to point you toward the best ways to eat and lose weight. Unfortunately, much of the advice can be contradictory. What should you believe? The key to choosing a proper diet is knowing which myths to disregard. In fact, the best diet is a balanced one encompassing all the major food groups, which provide the nutrition your body needs to function effectively.
Fasting Is the Best Way to Start a Diet
Skipping meals is actually a good way to sabotage your diet. Any weight lost through fasting is mostly water weight, which you easily gain back. Fasting tends to make you feel extremely hungry, and even a bit deprived -- the perfect set-up for overeating at the next meal.
Drinking Water Will Help You Lose Weight
You need to drink water every day to remain healthy. Although drinking lots of water can make you feel full and may lead to less snacking, it won't make you lose weight. According to the National Health Service of the U.K., you should drink 2 liters daily, or about eight 8-ounce glasses.
Diet Foods Help You Lose Weight
Foods labeled "low-carb" and "low-fat" are not always the low-calorie choices you think they are. "Real Simple" magazine states many people will eat 50 percent larger servings of these foods because they believe them to be non-fattening.
High-Protein, Low-Carbohydrate Diets Are Healthy
The long-term effects of this type of diet are not yet known. Focusing on protein and neglecting carbohydrates does not provide you with a good balance of nutrition and may have a negative impact on your cholesterol levels, according to the Weight-control Information Network.
All Fats Are Bad
You need some fats in your diet for maximum health. Fats assist with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K from your digestive tract. "Real Simple" states you can get healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats from olive oil, canola oil, oily fish and a small handful of nuts.
Brown Sugar Is Better for You
Brown sugar is simply white sugar mixed with molasses, another sugar. It does contain a tiny bit of nutritients, which white sugar does not. However, University of Washington Medicine states it does not contain enough nutrition to make a difference. Any type of sugar is basically empty calories.
Carbohydrates Will Make You Fat
Carbohydrates provide the building blocks for the energy your body needs to run. Complex carbohydrates, including whole grains, fruits and vegetables, are loaded with healthy fiber and nutrients that can help you maintain a healthy weight.
Natural and Herbal Diet Pills Are Safe and Effective
Diet pills are classified as dietary supplements and not rigorously tested by the FDA, according to the Weight-control Information Network. Some diet pills can do more harm than good, so only take them under a doctor's supervision.
Don't Eat After 8 O'Clock at Night
Weight gain occurs from eating more calories that you burn off in a day, and it makes no difference what time of day you ingest the calories. Your body processes calories from food in the same way, regardless of the time of day.
Fad Diets Will Help You Lose Weight
Fad diets may generate quick weight loss for some, but for the most part the weight comes back when you go off the diet, according to the Weight-control Information Network. Fad diets generally do not provide healthy nutrition, either.
References
- MedlinePlus; Balanced Diet; 2010
- National Health Service: Ten Weight-Loss Myths
- "Real Simple"; Busting 10 Diet Myths; Sally Solo
- Weight Control Information Network; Weight-Loss and Nutriton Myths; March 2009
- University of Washington Medicine: Common Diet and Nutrition Myths
- Harvard School of Public Health: Carbohydrates
Member Comments