Having a healthy diet is the purpose of most people. There is a huge interest in enjoying a long and healthy life. We've all heard something about food that we thought was true only to find out later that it was false. When it comes to food and nutrition, there are myths and misconceptions that have circulated throughout time. As there are myths about "unhealthy" food, there are also about healthy food, and this is something that many people do not know. And this is why they base their diets on these myths and do not achieve the proposed goals.
1. Giving up gluten helps you lose weight.
Only people who have intestinal intolerance to this wheat protein should exclude it from their diets. The phrase gluten-free does not mean that it is healthy; many of the products that substitute it have higher amounts of sugar and trans fats.
2. Low fat or light is synonymous with zero calories.
The difference between a low-fat food and a regular food is that the former has fewer calories or different ingredients. However, you should know that sometimes sugar, flour or thickeners containing starches are added to light products to give them a texture and flavour that compensates for the fat that has been removed. In this sense, they may provide more calories than the original version.3. Greek Yogurt.
Greek yogurt (both traditional and processed) is a highly caloric product, considerably more than normal yogurt, and it also contains much more fat, which is what gives it that creamy consistency.
4. Wholemeal foods.
Whole foods provide more fiber, but the composition of the rest of the nutrients is similar, they do not have a lower caloric intake. The interesting thing about fiber is that it improves intestinal transit, helps reduce blood glucose and cholesterol levels, and prevents diseases such as cancer. It is advisable to include whole grain products in the diet for these reasons, but not as a method of reducing calories.
5. Olive oil.
Olive oil, like other oils, provides calories, so its consumption should be moderated. A soup spoon (10 cc) of oil (olive, sunflower, corn) provides 90 calories.
6. Commercial vegetable milks.
Are healthier as long as it is only the product squeezed from the vegetable fruits, something that is not the case in most cases (they usually contain a maximum of 20% of vegetable element). These misnamed "milks" (the only "milk" thing about them is that they are liquid and whitish in colour) generally have water as the first ingredient in their composition, and sugar as the second. And they are sold at a price of gold.
7. Sliced chicken or turkey breast.
In reality, sliced turkey and chicken breast is still a processed product (very processed) in which many things are lost along the way. So many that in the end we only have, hopefully, 70% chicken or turkey left. And the remaining 30%? What is it filled with? Basically with thickeners like flour.