Common Nutrition Myths

So much misinformation is out there about nutrition.  At a recent book signing, I was in line to get some of the delicious treats that were being served.  The lady in front of me told her friend that she was trying to lose weight.  “I am cutting out the carbs, but you can’t cut out all your carbs,” she stated as she looked at all the table laden with delicious cookies and cakes.  Cutting back on carbs to lose weight is a common nutrition myth.  Yes, cut back on those added sugars and refined carbs like white bread, but keep the whole grains, fruits, and vegetables in your day.  My daughter shared with me some common nutrition myths that were posted on Snapchat.  Let’s look at 2 of those nutrition myths this week and more next week.  

1.   Nutrition Myth:  Ordering only egg-white omelets

In a nutrition course I teach, a mother indicated she served her children only egg whites and never the egg yolk.  When I asked why?  She said the egg yolk is bad for you.  Egg yolks are actually loaded with nutrition.  The entire egg has only 70 calories and provides a high-quality protein that actually helps stabilize your blood sugar levels.  According to Harvard, “an egg a day does not increase your risk of a heart attack…”  Researchers have found saturated fat is more linked to heart disease risk than dietary cholesterol.  The yellow color of eggs yolks is due to the carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin which are good for eye health by lowering the risk of macular degeneration and cataracts.  Yolks contain choline for our brains and heart health. Egg yolks provide a good amount of vitamin A (270 IU) and vitamin D (41 IU).  Egg yolks are one of the few foods that provide vitamin D in our diets.  Yolks provide the mineral selenium that helps our immune function and iron for our red blood cells.  Yes, the yolk also has the cholesterol but the American Heart Association indicates we can now eat eggs once again.  

2.   Nutrition Myth:  Gluten Free and Cutting the Carbs

Cutting carbs to lose weight is a long-standing nutrition myth.  Never have I heard an overweight person say, “I want to lose a few pounds so I am cutting back on fat in my diet.”  Or, “I want to lose a few pounds so I am cutting back on the added sugars in my diet.”  If you want to “cut the carbs” cut the unhealthy carbs, the added sugar carbs in soda, in the fruit drinks like Sunny D, in cereals like Froot Loops that has sugar as the first ingredient.  But don’t cut the whole grain cereals, the whole grain bread, the baked sweet potato.  Carbs are the major energy source for our bodies.  Cut your carbs and you could end up feeling tired.  Fuel up with carbs, but healthy carbs.  By choosing the fruits, vegetables, whole grains you add many nutrients, folate, many B vitamins (needed for energy production) and much needed fiber to your day.

Going Gluten Free – one can hardly pick up a food package in the grocery store without reading “gluten-free”.  Another food craze not based on nutrition.  Yes, there are people who have to adhere to a gluten-free diet, those with celiac disease or Crohn’s.  But as the November 2017 issue of Consumer Reports states, “A gluten-free diet isn’t necessarily a healthy diet.”  They also warn, “For most people, eating less gluten may be risky.”  Gluten is found in the grains, wheat, barley, and rye.  According to Consumer Reports, about a third of us are buying gluten-free products.  Most do so thinking “gluten-free” means healthier.  But if you don’t have a medical condition like celiac disease, there is no reason to be “gluten-free”.  A British study found that those who avoided gluten in their diet, also had less whole grains and less of the many nutrients and fiber whole grains provide. A surprising finding is those who go “gluten-free” may be adding more arsenic or mercury to their day.  Consumer Reports notes, “A recent study published in the journal Epidemiology showed that people who were on gluten-free diet had up to twice the amount of arsenic and 70 percent more mercury in their systems than people who were not.”   Alarming that people trying to eat healthier by going “gluten-free” could be eating to the detriment of their overall health.  Why more arsenic and mercury if you go gluten-free? Because many of those gluten-free crackers, cereals, pastas are made with rice flour and rice can have “worrying amounts of arsenic”.  The Chief Medical Advisor at Consumer Reports sums it up by saying, “The bottom line is that by eliminating gluten from your diet unnecessarily, you are missing out on some important aspects of nutrition.” 

Recommendations:

1.      Enjoy some eggs in your diet and the whole egg.  If you are worried about cholesterol levels, then limit your egg consumption to one egg a day.  A 2016 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating one egg a day was not associated with an increase in heart risks. That's on top of a 2003 study published in the British Medical Journal, which tracked 115,000 adults for 14 years: researchers found eating one egg daily was not associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. I enjoy 2-3 eggs at a time, scrambled, hard-boiled, but I don’t eat eggs every day.  But when I do eat eggs, I eat the whole egg to get all the nutrients.

2.       Add some whole grains to your day – so important for good health.  At least half the grains you eat each day should be whole grains.  Even those with celiac disease can add whole grains by adding Quinoa, Amaranth and other whole grains to their day. Whole grains are full of vitamins and minerals and have fiber to fill you up.  Fiber helps lower one’s risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and helps with weight loss as it fills you up at meals. 

Sources:  egg, Harvard, carotenoids, vitamin D, Consumer Reports  Image sources: Whole grain bread, Whole Grain Stamp, eggs