Earlier people had made a conscious effort to make healthy food choices with a balanced and nutritious food. People today need to be taught how to eat healthily, need diet plans to follow and also need to be taught how to exercise and stay fit.
As a result, there are many guides out there who are willing to provide you with suggestions on losing weight and staying fit. It has become fashionable to skip meals, sip on smoothies, turn to fruit-only diets or exercise at odd hours. However, most people do not realize that perhaps these are not actually healthy and may even prove to be harmful. So, here we are debunking a few myths about the supposedly healthy food habits that many people adopt.
1. Skipping Breakfast
Many well-meaning friends may suggest that the best way to lose weight is to skip meals, especially breakfast. The reality, however, is exactly the opposite. Skipping breakfast can, in fact, prove to be counterproductive. Studies have proved that there is an increased prevalence of obesity among people skipping breakfast.
So, if you thought that you were taking a right step towards being healthy and fit, then think twice. It is best to eat in the same quantities at the same time and set a pattern for the body. By eating in smaller quantities rather than overeating, you may be doing yourself a favor.1
So, if you thought that you were taking a right step towards being healthy and fit, then think twice. It is best to eat in the same quantities at the same time and set a pattern for the body. By eating in smaller quantities rather than overeating, you may be doing yourself a favor.2
2. Cleansing Diets
Cleansing diets are the new in-thing. People get taken in by advertisements that suggest that the body needs to be detoxified in order to remain healthy. There are many such diets floating around which suggest people to eat fruits or drink only fruit juices for a certain period of time. Soup based detox options are being suggested as well.
But studies conducted on the topic prove that there really is no scientific evidence to support the use of any such detox diets. The key is to rely only on trustworthy advice and not blindly jump into any detox diets. These should be done under strict regulation of experts who understand that the aim is to move the toxins out of the body.34
But studies conducted on the topic prove that there really is no scientific evidence to support the use of any such detox diets. The key is to rely only on trustworthy advice and not blindly jump into any detox diets. They should be done under proper guidance.56
3. Cooking Sprays
Oil is unhealthy and fried foods that contain a lot of it are prohibited. But if you feel that it is okay if you use zero calorie cooking spray and cook at home, you’re thinking wrong. Cooking sprays may have some chemicals present in it since it would have undergone some treatment or the other to turn oil into a lighter component.
It is better to stick to extra virgin olive oil, peanut oil, almond oil, rice bran, avocado oil and coconut oil. All these are nutritious and help you remain healthy.7
4. Consumption Of Fruit Juices
Fruits and fruit juices are healthy. They provide you a lot of health benefits. So, in a fast-paced life, the solution may be to reach out to those cartons of fruit juice at the supermarket. Next time, please read the labels to check if they have sweeteners added.
The best option here is to either prepare your own fresh juice, preferably of those fruits that have low known sugar content and take it in appropriate quantities. Natural or 100% fruit juices do provide essential nutrients and are indeed healthy.8
5. Eating Meat For Proteins
If you are thinking that by including meat in your regular diet, you are having sufficient quantities of protein, you may be right. However, most of the poultry meat like the chicken, turkey, and even beef can prove to be detrimental to your health rather than doing good. They contain disease-causing bacteria that may necessitate antibiotic treatment.
The precaution to be taken is to look out for organic meat that is said to be safe for consumption. The other option is to make sure to cook them thoroughly to eliminate the contaminants. Vegetarians need to find safe alternates to proteins too, like lentils, nuts, and fruits like avocado.9
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