5 Diet And Nutrition Myths

When it comes to healthy nutrition and diet, may of us have to face lots of prohibitions that live in our minds. Some of those are scary stories from our childhood, some entered our life from the pages of magazines. Many rules we used to follow are still true, but what about diet and nutrition myths?

1. Eating before going to bed is a crime. Well, our working day sometimes ends up very late, and according to this rule, those people who come home at 9 p.m. should stay hungry till the morning, shouldn’t they? An American nutritionist Ashima K Kant from Queens College of the City University of New York is certain that the time when you have your last meal is not important at all. His study showed that those who eat cakes and fried chicken before going to bed really gain pounds, but those who consume fruit and veggies do not gain a grain!

2. Eating pasta does not bring anything good and only causes weight gain. This statement was “valid” for long time, despite the words of many world’s beauties about their passion for Italian pasta. Now, many people know that eating pasta made from Durum wheat (a special sort of wheat, also called “hard”) is quite safe in the context of weight management. Besides, this type of pasta is rich in vitamins E and B, fiber and other useful elements.

3. Drinking red wine every day is a way to becoming alcohol dependent. Do you remember that in old times kings and royal people used to drink high quality wine with every course? Wine has lots of excellent therapeutic properties: it is rich in antioxidants and helps to slow down aging, it has strong antibacterial powers and can protect us from many problems with digestion. The American Dietetic Association included red wine into the list of 5 most healthy foods in 2010. Drink 100-150 g of high quality red wine a day.

4. Various types of nuts have lots of fat and should be avoided. This myth has a certain logic and eating lots of nuts on a daily basis can cause problems. However, nuts, especially almonds, are among the best natural sources of magnesium, potassium, vitamin E and mono-saturated fat, which are vital for our body.

5. Eating chocolate every day causes nothing else but only weight gain. This statement is not true if we are talking about dark chocolate with not less than 65% of cocoa. A high quality dark chocolate with high content of cocoa can improve the function of our cardio-vascular system, prevent the risks of mood disorders and relieve the effects of depressions, slow down aging processes and – oh, my God – improve our dental health due to a high content of antiseptic substances. Great news for all desperate chocolate eaters like me! The recommended daily dose of dark chocolate is 35-50 g.

Author Info: Hi! My name is Carla and I am a 5th year medical student at HYMS. I am interested in alternative medicine and I have done months researching the topic of herbal medicine. Besides, I like interviewing people and learning more about their experiences with one or another type of herbal treatments. I am willing to contribute to this site with my knowledge, and I would be happy to help you out to the best of my ability with any specific questions or problems related to alternative medicine.

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