Just don't overdo it. Drinking more milk aFct-checking your bones stronger. Have you ever read something online and changed your eating habits because of it?

Fact-checking nutrition myths -

Iodine is often added to table salt. But be mindful of your total sodium intake—the majority of which actually comes from processed and restaurant foods. The Truth: Gluten is a protein that exists in wheat, barley, and rye. Chen shares. A lot of the processed gluten-free products are high in refined sugar, saturated fat, and sodium.

They can be more expensive, too. The Recommendation: Gluten-containing grains, especially in their whole-grain form , provide fiber, vitamins, and minerals your body needs for good health. They can also help reduce your risk of several chronic diseases, as well as help you feel better and have more energy.

The USDA recommends half of the grains you consume be whole grains. The Truth: Sugar is sugar! Your body digests honey and agave the same way it does table sugar.

All forms of sugar maple syrup is another common example contain calories and can raise your blood sugar. The AHA recommends a daily sugar intake of less than 6 teaspoons 24 grams for women and 9 teaspoons 36 grams for men. Many Americans eat about two to three times the recommended amount.

The Recommendation: Limit your intake of added sugar, in all its forms. Chen advises. Naturally occurring sugars , such as those found in whole fruit, are better for you because the fiber from the fruit helps regulate blood sugar levels.

There is also added nutritional value from the phytochemicals found in whole fruits. The Truth: Not all milks are created equal. Some plant-based milks lack or are low in certain key nutrients, such as protein. At the same time, they can be high in carbohydrates, including sugar from flavorings or sweeteners.

Some but not all plant-based milks are fortified with calcium and vitamin D. Eating whole soybeans, oats, and almonds is preferable to drinking their milks. The Recommendation: While plant-based milks might not be more nutritious, they do offer important health benefits for those with dairy allergies or sensitivities.

The key is to choose your plant-based milk wisely. Go with plant-based milks that contain less or no added sugar. We thank Dr. Chen for giving us the true scoop on these popular food and nutrition myths.

We hope this information empowers you to be a more educated shopper and consumer, as you choose the foods that will best fit your life. For more fad-free nutrition information, check out our blog Nutrition News: Who and What Can You Trust?

You can count on Feed Your Potential as a trusted source of insights and information! We only rely on evidence-based information for our nutrition-related blogs. Our dietitians are licensed experts that put forth the most accurate content for our followers—so you can discover what a healthy lifestyle can do for you.

Forgot your password? Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive mail with link to set new password. Home Nutrition News 9 Nutrition Myths, Busted! Qiong Chen, PhD, RDN.

Remember me. Log in. Walnuts are worthy of a special mention because in addition to heart-health benefits, this type of nut is also one of the few good plant sources of the omega-3 fats , essential in our diet for good heart and brain health. A palm-sized portion of plain or roasted nuts make a healthy snack but try to avoid flavoured and seasoned nuts which include added oil, salt and sugar.

Nuts also make a great addition to stir fries, salads and breakfast cereals. It is true that cocoa beans used to manufacture chocolate are high in antioxidants and there is some evidence that consuming high levels of these antioxidants are linked to heart health.

However, most of the antioxidant content is removed during processing and very little remains in the chocolate we eat you would get far more antioxidants from eating an apple.

Chocolate is high in sugar and fat, making it very calorific and far from being a healthy option. This does not mean chocolate should be excluded from a healthy diet but it is sensible to eat it in moderation.

One interesting study showed that chocolate is more likely to improve your mood if you eat it mindfully, so the best advice for chocoholics is to have a couple of squares of your favourite chocolate and REALLY enjoy it. Milk chocolate contains very few antioxidants and double the sugar while white chocolate contains no cocoa solids so you will not get any antioxidant benefit from it.

Find out more about dark chocolate and antioxidants. There is a lot of confusion around whether eggs can be part of a healthy diet, which stems from the fact that egg yolks contain cholesterol.

Dietary cholesterol is found in animal sources such as whole milk dairy products, egg yolk, meats, poultry and some shellfish. While it does raise blood cholesterol levels, its effect is usually modest. Foods high in saturated fat have a more significant effect on blood cholesterol so it is much more important to limit the amount of saturated fat in the diet.

Eggs are low in saturated fat and have many other nutritional benefits so, for the general healthy population, they can be included as part of a heart-healthy diet. For certain groups of people however, the recommendation for eggs is slightly different.

For those with Familial Hypercholesterolaemia FH , high blood cholesterol levels and those who are at high risk or have cardiovascular disease, we recommend limiting intake to three to four eggs a week. For more information visit our page, Can I eat eggs? Butter is manufactured by churning cream and removing the butter milk.

This means that one teaspoon of butter contains 4. It is also very calorific with one tablespoon containing calories. Margarine, also known as fat spread, is recommended as a heart-healthy alternative to butter because it is made from vegetable oils such as rapeseed, olive and sunflower oil containing the healthier unsaturated fats.

They have been vilified on the internet partially because of the way they are manufactured but also because of the incorrect thinking that saturated fat is healthy. Some spreads provide further heart health benefits because their ingredients include plant stanols and sterols which can lower LDL cholesterol if eaten in the right amounts.

So, while butter can be enjoyed in moderation as part of a healthy balanced diet it is not true that it is better for you than margarine because of its high saturated fat content. More importantly, coconut oil is made up almost entirely of the unhealthy saturated fat. This means it is likely to cause similar heart health issues to any other high saturated fat food.

Coconut oil does have a lovely flavour and is excellent in Thai style curries but it is best to use it sparingly. All national guidelines are based on reviews by leading academics in the field of all the relevant research, so if you are in any doubt, check out Public Health England or the NHS site.

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Knowing Fact-checking nutrition myths nyths can Fact-checking nutrition myths you reach a healthier body Glutamine supplements and Factchecking happier mind. Nutrition can be a hotly contested topic, but health experts agree that eating ,yths is actually simple. Katz, MDcoauthor, along with Mark Bittman, of How to Eat: All Your Food and Diet Questions Answered. In essence, says Dr. Here, we cut through some of the bigger food myths out there to help you eat better starting today. Carbohydrates include highly processed foodslike crackers, chips, bread, and breakfast cereal. Are you overwhelmed by daily hutrition about Fact-cnecking to Ulcer prevention measures, Facg-checking much to eat, Fact-checkong to eat, and how much physical activity you need Fac-checking be healthy? With so many choices and decisions, it myyths be hard to Concentration and multitasking what to do and which information you can trust. This information may help you make changes in your daily eating and physical activity habits so that you improve your well-being and reach or maintain a healthy weight. Small amounts of your favorite high-calorie foods may be part of your weight-loss plan. Just remember to keep track of the total calories you take in. To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you take in through food and beverages.