Nutrition Myths

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marcae70
marcae70 Posts: 72 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I see the same thing over and over on these message boards (not just MFP either) and it boils my blood! I thought these myths were debunked such a long time ago but I still see people regurgitating the same old crap over and over again.

My personal favorites...

-Eat 8 small meals a day! You metabolism will speed up and you'll burn more fat/calories!

-Eat breakfast every day! You metabolism will slow down if you don't eat breakfast and you'll gain weight!

-Fruit is so healthy! The sugar is fruit is "natural" and "healthy" so it must be okay. It's totally different than sugar in soda or candy!

What are your favorite myths that people will argue to the death over?
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Replies

  • DuckReconMajor
    DuckReconMajor Posts: 434 Member
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    Artificial sweeteners are cancer/make your body forget how to process sugar/make you fat
  • ZyheeMoongazer
    ZyheeMoongazer Posts: 343 Member
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    OMG you ate under 1200 for 1 day, your body will go into "starvation mode."
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Oh that weight gain must be all the muscle you're building from that cardio you're doing....
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
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    What makes fruit unhealthy? Other than eating a ton of it, just like eating a ton of lettuce and carrots would make that unhealthy too....
  • ManiacalLaugh
    ManiacalLaugh Posts: 1,048 Member
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    asflatasapancake wrote: »

    A lot of people have their own definition of what is "healthy" and what is fact versus myth. For instance, the latest craze is "sugar will murder your sister". I argue that sugar will not murder your sister and that dietary "health" is all about meeting calorie/macro/micro goals. Which one is fact and which one is myth? One could find information either way. It depends on which one each individuals chooses to believe based on the information and evidence given.

    What if my sister had it coming?

    Definitely seconding the "sugar/carbs are the devil" myth.
  • dogcatac
    dogcatac Posts: 124 Member
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    Ready2Rock206 wrote: »
    Oh that weight gain must be all the muscle you're building from that cardio you're doing....

    lol yep. the "weight gain is probably muscle" thing. ha even pushing yourself w/ lifting and diet will only MAYBE give you 1lb of muscle/mo.

    another one: eating late at night is bad for you/fattening.
  • megantischner
    megantischner Posts: 85 Member
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    astrampe wrote: »
    What makes fruit unhealthy? Other than eating a ton of it, just like eating a ton of lettuce and carrots would make that unhealthy too....

    Some people think that because something is "healthy" you can eat as much of it as you like. Calories from fruit is still calories. Yummy, yummy calories.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
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    You can lose weight simply by eating low carb- no calorie deficit needed *eyeroll*
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    dogcatac wrote: »

    another one: eating late at night is bad for you/fattening.

    Those people just make me mad!!! I want all this free time to be able to have had dinner and everything before 7pm. Who are these people?! I'm not even home from work yet - let alone had time to do all my evening activities and make dinner. I'm just jealous and bitter.... >:)
  • ManiacalLaugh
    ManiacalLaugh Posts: 1,048 Member
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    Adding another entry even though I've already commented...

    I think the "starvation mode" myth honestly kept me from losing weight as early as I could have. My mom had me so freaked out about "starvation" and my metabolism that I would panic a little every time I felt really hungry because "oh noes! My metabolism's shutting down!"

    I appreciate the fact that some people use it thinking that a hungry person could be malnurished (which in some cases, may be true), but I really think that myth has done a lot more harm than good in the weight loss realm.
  • Lourdesong
    Lourdesong Posts: 1,492 Member
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    The reverence shown for fruit grates on my nerves a bit. I don't care that is has sugar, but yeah the idea that it's not a man-made sugar-bomb bred for consumer preference for candy, not vitamins, kinda gets me. Also the notion that one has to eat fruit for health and to get your vitamins when you really don't. Veg will suffice.
  • andympanda
    andympanda Posts: 763 Member
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    asflatasapancake wrote: »
    marcae70 wrote: »
    I see the same thing over and over on these message boards (not just MFP either) and it boils my blood! I thought these myths were debunked such a long time ago but I still see people regurgitating the same old crap over and over again.

    My personal favorites...

    -Eat 8 small meals a day! You metabolism will speed up and you'll burn more fat/calories!

    -Eat breakfast every day! You metabolism will slow down if you don't eat breakfast and you'll gain weight!

    -Fruit is so healthy! The sugar is fruit is "natural" and "healthy" so it must be okay. It's totally different than sugar in soda or candy!

    What are your favorite myths that people will argue to the death over?

    A lot of people have their own definition of what is "healthy" and what is fact versus myth. For instance, the latest craze is "sugar will murder your sister". I argue that sugar will not murder your sister and that dietary "health" is all about meeting calorie/macro/micro goals. Which one is fact and which one is myth? One could find information either way. It depends on which one each individuals chooses to believe based on the information and evidence given.

    What if I don't have a sister?

  • marcae70
    marcae70 Posts: 72 Member
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    @astrampe Well, one could argue that since someone wouldn't recommend eating a couple teaspoons of sugar then maybe we shouldn't eat fruits which also may contain a ridiculous amount of sugar.

    For example...1 apple contains 19g of sugar. That equals 4.75 tsps of sugar. No thanks!
  • marcae70
    marcae70 Posts: 72 Member
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    @Lourdesong Preach
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    I love fruit.
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    marcae70 wrote: »
    @astrampe Well, one could argue that since someone wouldn't recommend eating a couple teaspoons of sugar then maybe we shouldn't eat fruits which also may contain a ridiculous amount of sugar.

    For example...1 apple contains 19g of sugar. That equals 4.75 tsps of sugar. No thanks!

    What if someone absolutely would recommend eating a couple teaspoons of sugar? Because I have no earthly idea why they wouldn't.
  • TheVirgoddess
    TheVirgoddess Posts: 4,535 Member
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    Caitwn wrote: »
    TheVirgoddess wrote: »
    I love fruit.

    Stop that. You're killing your sister.

    Or something.

    None of the myths listed by the OP "boil my blood". They're all pretty benign, to be honest. And fresh fruit can be a beautiful thing when it, like any food substance, is understood and kept in reasonable perspective. Just like the sugar in ice cream or chocolate.

    The fake information that "boils my blood" is the BS that's perpetrated by scam artists who are trying to make a buck off of vulnerable people who are desperate to lose weight: the diet "experts" and book and wrap and pill and miracle diet secret and spirulina pushers. Those make me mad.

    Thinking that breakfast is important isn't a concept that bothers me much.

    I'm a terrible person.

    I agree with you on the annoyance of MLM schemes, totally.
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