Anyone who wants to create a healthy relationship with food knows what a challenge it can be. From scrolling through social media to flipping pages of our favorite magazines, we are constantly exposed to endless information about diet and nutrition. We hear heaps of advice about "good" and "bad" food, including inaccurate maxims we accept without questioning. No wonder navigating the twists and turns of this topic makes our heads spin!
Thankfully, Redditor Rapid_falls263 decided to help us separate facts from fiction and make us feel more confident in our choices. Recently, they reached out to members of 'Ask Reddit' with a question: "Nutritionists, dietitians, and other food experts, what are some food myths most people believe?" Specialists immediately jumped to the comment section to debunk these tales, offer their wisdom, and arm other health-conscious individuals with knowledge.
Below, we wrapped up some of the most common fables from the thread that need to be put to rest. So take out your notebooks, grab your pens, and get ready for some myth-busting responses. Keep reading to also find interviews with Rapid_falls263, and registered and licensed dietitian Kristina Zalnieraite. Then be sure to upvote the replies that surprised you most, and weigh in on the topic in the comments!
#21
“It’s okay to leave salsa on the table all day, after all, no bacteria would be able to survive in something so hot”. WRONG! The heat sensation from spicy foods is something that mammals feel, not birds, not reptiles, and probably not bacteria either. Other living things would not think it “hot”, it just falsely tricks our brain into sensing pain, which we interpret as spice.
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66points
Moreover, she advised to be on the lookout for health fraud and misdirected health claims:
- Health Fraud is similar to food fads and fad diets. Health fraud includes products or diets that have no scientific basis, yet are still promoted for good health and well-being. Common examples include promises of "fast, quick, and easy weight loss," or a "miracle, cure-all product."
- Misdirected Health Claims that lead consumers to believe a food is healthier than actually the case. Examples include foods that are low in fat or low in carbohydrates, yet still high in calories.
We hope these tips will help you become better at navigating the rocky waters of nutrition. Did any of the food myths stand out to you? Or maybe you encountered some questionable legends yourself but are unsure if they're true? Share your thoughts with us in the comments, we'd love to hear them!
#23
NO DIET can cure illnesses based on genetic defects - because no diet can repair genes
the medical diets do remove some serious symptoms, but the error and the damage is still there, it just does not go much worse.....
do not fall for the frauds with - miracle diet that cured influencer XY of their terrible disease -
there is a whole snake oil branch of business with these diets....they do not work!
yes, this is true even for such a - stupid - illness like acne.....acne means your broken genes tell your skin to go crazy with oil production, and no diet can fix this skin-maddness!
having acne due to food allergy or at least histamine intolerance is pretty rare!
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59points
#24
*If something consistently upsets your stomach, you're allergic to it.*
You may have a food intolerance, but a not true food allergy. Even a tiny amount of the allergy-causing food can trigger signs and symptoms such as digestive problems, hives or swollen airways. In some people, a food allergy can cause severe symptoms or even a life-threatening reaction known as anaphylaxis.
[Source](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/food-allergy/symptoms-causes/syc-20355095)
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58points
#25
Dietitian here.
That sugar feeds cancer cells. Sugar (carbohydrates) feed ALL your cells. In fact, it's the main source of energy for your entire body. Avoiding entire food groups is going to do nothing but make you malnourished when you already have a disease that increases your body's energy needs which is going to result in worse outcomes. For the love of God, please just eat! Anything and everything that sounds good.
That sugar feeds cancer cells. Sugar (carbohydrates) feed ALL your cells. In fact, it's the main source of energy for your entire body. Avoiding entire food groups is going to do nothing but make you malnourished when you already have a disease that increases your body's energy needs which is going to result in worse outcomes. For the love of God, please just eat! Anything and everything that sounds good.
55points
#26
Vitamins aren't necessarily good for you. Obviously they are, but not in just any form. A lot of supplements have forms that your body can't effectively process, others have so much that it can be an issue if your body tries to process all of it (think B supplement superdosing). They're also not heavily FDA regulated, so pretty much as long as your claims are not too insane and there's at least some of what you say is in the bottle, that can go on the shelf. Get a recommendation from a professional, don't just grab one and be like "oh, this one says vitamin D, cool!"
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45points
#27
Agrarian here. Had "Food Science" among my classes.
The "2000 calories" recommendation isn't a universal indicator. It assumes you're an adult with an active lifestyle: a job five days a week, walking, doing chores daily, and exercising on the weekend. It's a lifestyle that maintains your metabolism high and functional.
If you live a sedentary lifestyle, your metabolism goes down, reducing your body's ability to take energy from stored fats. Your muscles lose mass, reducing your calorie intake need as well (muscles require more calories than fat to maintain). So if you're sedentary, your actual calorie deficit can be much lower than 1900 calories. This also leads your brain to develop the habit of replenishing lost energy with immediate food intake rather than taking it from your fat storage, which means you get hungrier when you're tired (the reason why exercise makes you feel like starving when you're a beginner). It's a vicious cycle.
Also, water poisoning is a thing. Don't drink if you're not thirsty.
44points
#28
Re-heating spinach is toxic.
It has been told for a long time that you shouldn't eat too much nitrate rich foods, and especially not re-heat them.
However, these statements didn't hold after research, but it's still a believe under many ppl.
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43points
#30
There are people who actually believe if you eat fruit after a meal, it will ferment in your belly and cause health issues.
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36points
#31
Fat makes you fat.
Muscle weighs more than fat.
Muscle weighs more than fat.
36points
#32
So I’m not working with food or anything like that but I’ve heard this before
Some people think that because they’re allergic to bees that they’re 100% allergic to honey. It’s not necessarily true at all.
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35points
#34
I think one of the most pernicious ideas spread by the diet "industry" is that everything is about losing weight - just the period where you are reducing. But what people really want is to *change* their weight, the one weight they have all the time (plus or minus a bit) more or less for life. That is different and much harder.
The reason different diets take off in popularity and why one set of people will die on the hill of their diet when it worked for them and another group will feel the same way about their regimen that uses the opposite plan is because it is actually relatively easy to lose weight. But once one idea has been popular for a while, people start to gain back the weight, and it loses luster until another generation picks it up later.
Changing your eating regimen, focusing on food and what you are eating for every meal of the day (whether it's counting calories, macros, carbs, grams, food groups, whatever), and increasing your activity will always allow for weight loss. Do it more strictly/intensely, and you will lose even more weight.
The trick isn't to lose a certain amount of weight, it's to change how much you weigh for the foreseeable future. That is the hard part and what most "diets" cannot offer.
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33points
#37
Ground turkey and chicken are always better for you than ground beef.
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22points
#38
One myth I hear all the time is that the less ingredients something has, the healthier it is for you.
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19points
#40
Fat makes you fat. ...
Muscle weighs more than fat. ...
Eight glasses of water a day is the magic number. ...
To lose weight, avoid indulging. ...
“Healthy” foods are bland. ...
Eating after 7 PM will make you gain weight. ...
Ground turkey and chicken are always better for you than ground beef.
Muscle weighs more than fat. ...
Eight glasses of water a day is the magic number. ...
To lose weight, avoid indulging. ...
“Healthy” foods are bland. ...
Eating after 7 PM will make you gain weight. ...
Ground turkey and chicken are always better for you than ground beef.
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-7points