Contents
There are many misconceptions about food among followers of proper nutrition. For example, the fact that milk is healthy, and fatty foods are harmful to the figure and health. Despite the fact that these myths have long been debunked by scientists, we still believe in them. Today we will learn some of the most pernicious myths in order to know exactly how to eat right.
Milk is good for bones
This is the oldest misconception about the benefits of food. And everything that is ancient is somehow considered correct by default (this is another misconception). We have been drinking milk since childhood in order to grow faster, be strong and healthy. Its main benefit was considered to be calcium saturation, which means it is necessary for teeth and bones. Dairy products, although they contain calcium, but this does not bode well. Milk contains protein, which, when ingested, turns into casein. To break it down and get some benefit, children produce renin, and adults produce pepsin. At the same time, pepsin copes with this task more difficult than rennin.
In the stomach, under the action of enzymes, casein, together with fat, curdles and precipitates. This sediment stays in the gastrointestinal tract for a long time. To dispose of the leftovers, the body secretes more hydrochloric acid in the gastric juice. It turns out that the environment becomes very acidic, which should also correct our body. To restore the acid-base balance, own minerals are used. Of all the reserves of useful minerals, we have the most calcium, so it “goes to waste” first.
True: for the processing of milk, our body spends more calcium than it receives, while, at the same time, it is absorbed better in young children, and worse from the age of 10.
To obtain useful substances, scientists recommend fermented dairy products: cheeses, cottage cheese, sour milk, kefir, etc. They contain partially decomposed protein, which is easier to digest.
Eating after six is bad
In general, this belief was spread by the doctors themselves. Since the metabolism slows down during sleep, a late dinner should definitely be deposited in the fat store. In addition, we spend less energy during sleep, so everything seems very logical: eating at night is harmful. But at night, the metabolism does not stop completely, it just slows down. That is, food will also be split and utilized, giving away useful substances. Another question is what exactly we eat and how much. The usual portion of porridge, soup, salad or even a little pasta will not be postponed anywhere. They are recycled and used to generate energy.
We still use energy in a dream. From 10 to 30% of the calories received, our body will spend just on the digestion of food, especially a lot of energy is needed for protein processing. Up to 80% of calories are used to provide all vital systems in the body: the work of the heart, circulatory system, lungs, metabolism, etc. That is, we spend the bulk of our energy during sleep and other “doing nothing”. This, of course, is not a reason to refuse morning exercises or sports. But, as we see, food is digested during sleep, and energy is consumed.
Why during diets it is supposed not to eat after six, and not after eight, for example, no one knows for sure. This incomprehensible rule has already been excluded from many modern diets; losing weight is recommended not to eat just a couple of hours before bedtime. But there are still a lot of people who are convinced that dinner should take place no later than six in the evening.
True: you can have dinner after six, it is safe for both the figure and health. The main thing is not to overdo it with flour and sweets. Recently, the opposite nutrition system, which Olga Goloshchapova outlined in the book Goodbye Diet, has been gaining particular popularity. Her followers eat at night, skip breakfast and lose weight on pizza.
Sweet is necessary for the brain and good mood
A very popular belief among people who love sweets. For excuses, the theory that glucose from sweets is needed for brain function and mood elevation has long been used. Let’s figure out why this myth has spread so much. Let’s start with how the brain works. In order for us to remember names, fantasize, answer questions, raise our hands, and so on, impulses must be transmitted from one cell to another in our brain. This will not happen if the brain does not feed on glucose. Glucose is a monosaccharide, the most common source of energy. The misconception is that it is not only in sweets.
Glucose for brain nutrition can be obtained from vegetables and fruits, cereals, meat and much more. From desserts, it is easiest to isolate it, and for splitting from meat products, you need to spend additional energy. As we have already seen, we need energy for important functions, so if you can save energy, the body saves it. Therefore, when the level of glucose decreases, we want sweets, chocolate or cakes, not buckwheat. After all, in order to get glucose from complex carbohydrates, the body needs to expend its own strength.
The brain will feed on any glucose if it really needs it. With cravings for sweets, you can eat any other product that will nourish the brain just as effectively. Inveterate sweet tooth still needs to get used to this, as the body gets used to a simple formula: you need energy – fast carbohydrates – there is energy. To combat this bad habit, it is enough to overcome yourself several times and eat salad instead of chocolate.
As for sweets in the name of a good mood, this is a very pernicious myth. Sweets, indeed, provoke the release of endorphins and dopamine – the hormones of pleasure and happiness. But such a hormonal attack quickly passes, as a result, the blood sugar level instantly drops. From this mood and well-being becomes even worse than before dessert. Hence, people develop an addiction to sweets.
True: the brain does not need sweets at all, it also gets energy from cereals and meatballs just as well. The mood after desserts rises, but this is followed by an even greater decline in emotional strength.
You can replace sweets with natural berries and fruits, juices. Nuts and seeds, blueberries, natural spices, fish and seafood are recommended for brain function.
Low fat foods are healthier than fatty foods
In the previous century, fat was not blamed for anything: they quickly gain weight from it, it provokes heart and vascular diseases, it has a bad effect on vision, etc. Research by modern scientists refutes these conjectures one by one. Let’s start with the figure. Until now, many believe that fats are more caloric than carbohydrates, which is not entirely true. The body immediately spends part of the energy on the digestion and assimilation of fats, and besides, they are not completely absorbed. But carbohydrates are absorbed by 100%, the body releases glucose from them, which, at low energy costs, is deposited in fat. We gain weight from carbs, not fat. There is very little fat in the diet of any person, for example, to gain 350 kcal, you need to eat a bowl of boiled rice or 3 tablespoons of butter. It is clear that no one will eat butter with spoons, but a portion of rice is a common thing.
When losing weight, giving up animal fats does not make sense. The amount of fat that we eat is unlikely to affect the figure. It is also wrong to say that the liver suffers from fatty foods. Fat accumulates in the liver if you consume a lot of carbohydrates and do not spend them, and veal steak will have little effect on the liver. Fat free food is just a marketing ploy. Food completely devoid of fat tastes like paper. We probably wouldn’t eat it. Therefore, manufacturers add flavors, more sugar and flavor enhancers to “healthy” fat-free products. As a result, we get no benefit, but only harm, but without fat.
Also, fats do not increase cholesterol levels and do not affect the development of cardiovascular diseases. Firstly, cholesterol is not fat, so the latter does not affect the level of “bad” or “good” cholesterol. In 2010, a massive study was conducted in the US and Europe, in which 345 volunteers participated. The aim was to test the relationship between the consumption of fatty foods and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Report published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. No link has been found between fat and heart disease, and it has been confirmed that lipids do not increase cholesterol levels.
Truth: When losing weight, it’s best to reduce your carb intake (but not eliminate it entirely). Fat does not affect the diseases of the cardiovascular system. It is important to remember that both vegetable and animal oils are useful only in moderation.
In conclusion
This is only a small part of our misconceptions about food. For example, more and more people are learning that eggs do not increase cholesterol, grains should be eaten less, and natural juices can be drunk no more than one glass a day. Today we realized that you can eat after six, you don’t have to refuse cutlets and chops, but you can from milk. We must not be misled and get rid of such popular myths for the sake of our own health.