8 myths about healthy eating that it's time to stop believing in

1. Salt is the "white death."

This is an exaggeration. Cooking salt, which is used in every kitchen, consists of two elements: chlorine and sodium. They play an important role in the metabolic processes of the body: they maintain fluid balance and blood pressure, are responsible for the work of nerves and muscles. Therefore, a healthy person should not rush to extremes and self-appoint a salt-free diet. Such a diet is a temporary measure prescribed to people with certain diagnoses. For example, a sharp restriction of salt to 0.05-0.10 oz per day is prescribed to patients with chronic kidney disease, and the exact period of abstinence is determined by a doctor on the basis of tests.

When it comes to the question of whether or not to salt, moderation is important. The World Health Organization recommends a daily intake of up to 0.17 oz of sodium chloride, which is slightly less than one teaspoon. However, don't forget that most prepared foods already contain salt. For example, in sausages and sausages it is hidden about 0.035 oz per 3.5 oz of product, and in cheese, depending on the variety - up to 0.07 oz. Therefore, the correct tactics of improving the diet involves the refusal of salty snacks, and not a transition to completely fresh food.

2. Honey and sweeteners are healthier than sugar

So-called healthy eating analogs of the usual sweet dishes do not contain the usual white sugar. Honey, agave nectar, topinambur syrup or coconut sugar are used as a sweetener in the preparation of healthy cakes, pancakes and cookies. Now, there are no real benefits of such desserts.

The World Health Organization does call for reducing the consumption of free sugars to less than 10% of the total daily calorie intake. Specialists believe that this measure helps reduce the risks of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, tooth decay, liver and kidney disease. Honey, syrups, nectars, juices and their concentrates are on the list of free sugars, as is added table sugar in foods. If you simply replace the usual refined conditionally useful sweetener, but do not limit yourself in the sweet, the miracle of recovery will not happen.

Among scientists there is no unambiguous answer to the question of how popular low-calorie sweeteners affect health. It is still unknown what happens to the body when the brain receives a signal about the presence of sweet food in the mouth, but the dose of sugar does not enter the bloodstream, and whether there is a relationship between excessive consumption of sweeteners and the risk of diabetes. However, in 2020, a study came out that proved that diet sweet drinks can negatively affect metabolism and vascular health.

Also, sugar substitutes can distort eating behavior. A person stops restricting themselves in desserts if they are made with stevia or erythritol. Therefore, a healthy relationship with sugar is best built on moderation rather than seeking alternatives.

3. Skimmed dairy products are better than regular dairy products

Fats are the basic "building material" in our bodies. They protect cells from mechanical damage, are responsible for insulation and support immunity. Calcium and fat-soluble vitamins, which are rich in dairy products, are assimilated in the body if they are taken together with lipids.

In recent years, dairy fats, long considered a taboo in dietetics, have been rehabilitated. For example, suspicions that milk fat contributes to the development of obesity and increases cardiometabolic risk have been disproved. And the results of scientific work by scientists from Sweden, where the consumption of dairy products is one of the highest in the world, showed that a diet rich in milk fat, on the contrary, can reduce the risk of heart disease and vascular disease.

Milk, cottage cheese and reduced-fat yogurts make no sense even for those on a diet. Simple arithmetic: the difference in the nutritional value of kefir with 3.2% fat and fat-free is about 30 kcal. Therefore, you should not deny yourself your favorite cheese, ryazhenka and even butter.

4. The norm of water - 2-2.5 liters per day

Surely everyone has heard that "doctors advise" to drink at least 2 liters of pure water a day. This drinking regimen is supposedly able to get rid of excess weight, remove swelling, speed up metabolism and generally rejuvenate the body from the inside. And all this is bound to happen simply because we are 70% water.

So, the strict norm of 2-2.5 liters of pure water per day is a myth. The World Health Organization does not give any recommendations on exactly how much fluid a person needs to drink during the day. The needs of a particular body is influenced by too many factors. For example, thirst increases noticeably during sports, after a raucous party or poisoning, and even when it is too hot outside.

Many foods already contain water. For example, fruits and vegetables contain a lot of water. In addition, during the day we drink tea, coffee and sometimes eat soups. Forced infusion of additional liters of liquid can overload the kidneys and cause significant discomfort in the usual life, because you will have to go to the toilet more often. The best solution is to focus on your own thirst and drink at your body's demand, not when your tracker sends you a reminder.

5. All bio, eco and organic products are healthy

Such labels should ideally signal to the buyer that the product was created according to the principles of organic production. That is, without the use of synthetic agrochemicals, mineral fertilizers and antibiotics. Whether this is a plus or a minus, each buyer decides for himself, but some researchers seriously doubt that organic is healthier than conventional food. Consciously choosing such products is more a story about environmental stewardship than about good nutrition.

Real organic products must undergo serious certification according to international standards. For example, Russian certified producers are collected in the state register. In fact, not every package labeled "Eco", "Bio", or "Organic" contains inside the product, which can be called organic with a clear conscience. Very often on the shelves there are banal marketing miracles like GMO-free salt, which add points to the manufacturer in the eyes of the buyer and stimulate sales.

If you care about a healthy diet, do not forget its main tenet: the diet should be balanced, varied and rich in vitamins and micronutrients. Can't afford to buy organic tomatoes and farm cottage cheese? Seasonal vegetables and dairy products from your neighborhood supermarket are just as good.

6. Snacking can make you fat

A snack is not the same as a snack. If you constantly intercept chocolate bars, chips or cookies, then extra pounds will not wait long. In addition to obviously harmful snacks should refuse and pseudo-useful food, such as granola bars or glazed cheese. They dull hunger due to the large amount of sugar in the composition. Glucose from such products is released very quickly and provokes insulin spikes.

A useful snack should satiate energy, but not overload the body with empty calories. Light hunger will perfectly satisfy fiber-rich and vitamin-rich fruits, vegetables or berries. A small handful of almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts or unsalted seeds will help you feel satiety longer and add fatty acids to your daily diet. Cottage cheese and natural yogurt without sweet additives will provide your body with protein and calcium.

7. Gluten should be completely eliminated from the diet

Gluten is a wheat protein found in cereals and grains. The disease in which a person does not produce enzymes to break it down is called "celiac disease", and according to official data, it affects only 1% of the world's population. Problems also occur in people who are allergic to wheat.

But there's no need to look for gluten-free products in the store unless you have an individual intolerance to this substance. The decision to switch to a wheat protein-free diet should be made in conjunction with your doctor, not because it's suddenly trendy among influencers.

Gluten-free foods rob your diet of vitamins D and B12, folic acid, zinc, magnesium, iron and calcium. Dishes become noticeably higher in fat and lower in fiber because such a diet involves avoiding whole-grain cereals and breads. For people with individual intolerance, a serious set of measures is developed, which normalizes the diet. Therefore, if you adhere to a gluten-free diet, add to the daily menu more products that can fill the deficit of useful substances.

8. Special diets will help you get rid of toxins

Fans of detox practices promote ways to cleanse themselves of toxins that supposedly poison the body. However, there is no scientific evidence of the existence of such harmful substances. To be convinced of this, it is enough to go to the website of the World Health Organization and try to find some intelligible information about what slags are and how they are dangerous for humans. Spoiler: WHO does not mention their existence at all. The International Classification of Diseases, by the way, also knows nothing about "slagging". And the term "slags" has little to do with medicine - it came from metallurgy. Finally, it simply makes no sense to endlessly clean the body: a healthy person, he himself perfectly gets rid of everything unnecessary through the intestines and bladder.

The least harmful to well-being cleanse on detox juices and smoothies: in fact, these products are simply pureed fruits and vegetables. Nevertheless, you should not get carried away with such diets. Prolonged abstinence from normal food can provoke problems with the GI tract and lead to a deficiency of proteins, vitamins and trace elements. A completely unhealthy practice is medicated cleansing. Laxatives and diuretics, taken without obvious physiological reasons, disrupt the natural process of digestion.

Very serious problems can be caused by hydrocolonotherapy, which is often recommended to fight slags. In fact, it is a hardware modification of an enema, which pumps liters of water through a quite healthy intestine. In addition to the obvious flushing out of microflora, cases of rupture of the rectum have been described. Therefore, if you do not have problems with the GI tract, which require treatment by a gastroenterologist, it is enough to eat vegetables and do not refuse fermented milk products to cleanse the body.