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6 harmful nutritional myths being promoted on Instagram
It is good to bring knowledge to the masses, but sometimes they are very contradictory.
Healthy lifestyle is a trend. Nowadays they are greeted not by their clothes, but by a bottle of water and containers with food sticking out of the bag. Bloggers on Instagram felt the trend clearly. And everyone who has in their arsenal impressive photos “before” and “after”, took to “thin” others. In general, this is not bad – healthy motivation did not interfere with anyone. Carrying knowledge to the masses is also good: thank God, no one believes that a healthy diet is about dry chicken breasts and hard calorie counting. But there are plenty of myths and conflicting information.
Certified Nutritionist, FFAR Trainer
Let’s take a look at the most common nutritional myths.
Eat foods with a low glycemic index (GI)
What they say: sweets, pastries, instant cereals, fruits and some vegetables are foods with a high glycemic index. They quickly raise blood sugar, do not contain enough nutrients, so you feel hungry faster and constantly want to eat.
What actually: indeed, GI is a unit that measures the ability of certain foods to raise blood sugar levels. The net glucose index is 100. Accordingly, the lower the GI, the slower the sugar level rises, the longer you feel full. If the diet contains foods with a high GI, their nutritional value is lower. Everything is correct here.
But! The problem is that the glycemic index of one product is not a constant value; it can vary depending on the metabolic characteristics of a particular person. This has been confirmed by the latest research by scientists. Moreover, it turned out that the GI will be different on different days for the same person, depending on what he ate the day before, with what he ate this or that product, whether it was warm or cold. This shows that the GI cannot be a unit for a reference point, it is too unstable and depends on other factors. Measure in everything is what is important.
What they say: the salt contained in cottage cheese and kefir retains water. Accordingly, the figure on the scales is larger, the relief is less noticeable.
What actually: this argument is relevant only for bodybuilders performing at competitions, who dry their bodies for a long time for the competition, emphasizing the relief as much as possible. And who suffer from terrible edema, should they eat at least something containing salt. Because the body, living on a fresh ration, is trying to somehow make up for the sodium deficiency. In addition, there are many other causes of edema (hormonal, insulin, kidney problems, etc.) that are not associated with the use of cottage cheese or kefir.
So if you do not perform in a fitness bikini tomorrow, then forget this myth forever. Dairy products are an excellent source of protein with a good amino acid profile, which is also highly digestible and provides long satiety.
What they say: contains harmful trans fats that accumulate on the walls of blood vessels and seriously increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and can even cause cancer.
Actually: all this, of course, is nothing more than a myth. Palm oil is the same vegetable oil as most, but high in saturated fat (like coconut, by the way). But in addition to the conditionally bad fats, it contains 50% oleic acid – all of itself unsaturated and positive. It is also found in the composition of olive oil, which we love so much and consider it useful. Palm oil does not stick to the walls of the stomach, and those “specialists” who say so, do not interfere with reading a textbook on physiology, in particular, the section “Digestion”. Foods are broken down by enzymes, and do not melt from temperature, our stomach is not a frying pan that melts fats.
The scream was raised in due time, when some manufacturers began to reduce the cost of production, replacing animal fats in dairy products with palm oil. This is how “sour cream product”, “curd product”, etc. appeared on the shelves. Yes, this is no longer sour cream, but it will not cause irreparable harm to your health.
Brown sugar is healthier than white
What they say: white sugar is chemically processed, nothing useful remains in it.
What actually: both brown and white sugars are 99% glucose. Brown actually contains useful elements – iron, phosphorus, calcium. But there are so few of them that it is difficult to consider their presence as any serious advantage. Moreover, the stores most often sell not natural brown sugar, but dyed white. If you want to lose weight, it is worth giving up both.
What they say: cereal protein (gluten) causes inflammation of the small intestine and autoimmune diseases. It is necessary to permanently exclude wheat and its derivatives from the diet.
What actually: only 1% of the world’s population suffers from celiac disease – gluten intolerance. And in order to identify it, you need to pass tests and undergo an examination. Chances are, you’re getting better not because pasta is gluten-free and intolerant, but because you eat it too often.
Yes, another six percent have a so-called hypersensitivity to gluten-containing foods. What is the likelihood that you hit that 7%? Agree, it is very small. Evidence-based medicine currently has no real evidence to support the harm of gluten. But this is a very convenient excuse to write on the box with oatmeal “No traces of gluten” and sell it three times more expensive.
What they say: kills the nervous system, libido, causes depression and even affects the ability to conceive a child.
What actually: Drinking coffee is not harmful – if you do not overdo it, as with any other product. And, of course, if you are a healthy person. Scientists have proven that coffee does not dehydrate the body (a diuretic effect is possible only in beginner coffee lovers in the first 4-5 days, then the body adapts), does not remove all useful minerals, and does not have narcotic properties. In general, many positive and negative qualities are attributed to this drink, but most of them are simply not proven. Therefore, a couple of cups a day of your favorite drink will not hurt anyone.