Six Nutritional Myths That Are Cheating
Your Health:
• Eating a high carbohydrate, low-fat diet is healthy.
• You get all the nutrients you need from the food you
eat.
• Trans fats and hydrogenated oils are better for you than
saturated fat.
• Fish oil is a good source of Omega 3.
• You should eat six small meals a day.
• Dietary fat is converted to body fat and contributes
to heart disease.
It’s far too easy to be misled when it comes to health and nutrition.
There have been numerous opinions circulating over the years, taken
for fact and followed religiously, sometimes to the detriment of the
follower’s health. Somewhere in this melee of information, the
true science of the body has been buried under ideas that sound good
but have no basis in scientific fact. Finally, researchers and authorities
in science and medicine are speaking out, increasing awareness of
how harmful many of the misconceptions about nutrition have been.
Nutritional advise has led us down a path that is potentially dangerous
by drastically reducing or entirely removing foods from our diet that
are essential for our health. Because of the rush to lower cholesterol
and fat in our diet, animal-based protein and natural fats have been
replaced by highly processed protein and fat substitutes. These foods
are not natural. They have been altered from their natural state.
For instance soy, which we are led to believe is practically a "miracle"
food, has never been approved for human consumption (soy
has yet to achieve G.R.A.S. status – Generally Recognized As
Safe). The only approval soy has received is as a binder for cardboard
boxes.
Animal-based protein and natural fats are vitally important nutrients
that support body structure (dietary fat does not go to body fat).
Protein and natural fat are the building blocks for our body’s
regenerative processes.They also provide energy and satisfy the appetite.
Think back to the last time you ate eggs and sausage for breakfast.
Remember how satisfied you were for 4-6 hours afterwards, compared
to eating a bowl of cereal, which left you feeling hungry in less
than 2 hours?
Natural fat and protein are the preferred fuel for our bodies. Reducing
these vital nutrients has created the need to replace them in our
diets, not only with highly processed protein and fat substitutes,
but an increasing amount of carbohydrate based foods. Carbohydrates
have been advertised as healthy, but what exactly is a carbohydrate?
Carbohydrate is just a fancy name for sugar. Many foods that aren’t
sweet are converted to glucose (sugar) by the body. Our bodies don’t
know the difference between the sugar from a plain bagel and the sugar
in a candy bar. Many of us unknowingly consume the equivalent of 60
teaspoons of sugar in one day. This includes sugar in foods like pasta,
rice, potatoes, corn, bread, and other carbohydrates. This number
may not include sugar consumed when snacking. Our bodies keep approximately
one teaspoon of glucose in our bloodstream. All excess glucose is
stored as body fat unless immediately used for energy. There is no
mechanism in the body for storing dietary fat as body fat, only sugar.
When we use carbohydrates for energy, we don’t burn body fat,
we store it instead.
If you were asked: What is the most important nutrient for the body?
What would be your reply? Most people would say vitamins, but when
it comes to achieving great health the most important nutrients are
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)
“parent” omega 3 and “parent” omega 6. EFAs
are essential because the body cannot make them, they must come from
our diet. Foods in their natural unaltered form are loaded with these
oils, but in most modern foods (even fresh fruits and vegetables),
EFAs have either been altered into dangerous hydrogenated oils and
Trans fats, or removed altogether.
EFAs are vital for healthy brain function, circulation, nerve function,
cellular health, hormonal balance, and much more. Without EFAs, the
likelihood of developing degenerative diseases increases. Half of
every cell in the body is made of EFAs. When we don’t get EFAs
in our diet, our body will use what’s available (Trans fats)
in their place. This makes for unhealthy cells, which can negatively
affect our health.
Vitamins are most commonly promoted for their importance, but what
isn’t discussed is the role of minerals.
Without the proper balance of vitamins and minerals in their natural
form neither nutrient will work properly or even be absorbed by the
body. Modern growing methods and food processing not only destroy
EFAs but also reduce the availability of essential minerals in our
food. Mineral supplements that are truly chelated (tied to amino
acids) are easily absorbed and used by the body.
Also consider the negative affects of pollution and toxins
in our environment. These toxins get stored in excess body fat When
we burn body fat for energy toxins are released and can make us feel
unwell. Eating organically grown/raised foods is a good way to avoid
these toxins. There are also herbal methods to cleanse the blood,
which can greatly improve your energy and help you feel better.
We the public need to think for ourselves when it comes to maintaining
our own health. Always second-guess any food that isn’t in its
natural form. If it’s boxed and contains a nutrition label,
most likely it’s very processed and should be avoided or at
least minimized. These foods may taste fine and look pretty, but more
often than not they contain little to no nutritional value.
We are what we eat. There is no getting around it. Taking a close
look at your eating habits and making necessary adjustments can help
you to achieve better health and possibly even avoid some health problems
in the future.
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The information on this website and
it's conclusions have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
Nothing herein is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any
disease.