Two Horrible Food Myths You May Believe
04/11/2016 / By Michael Bundrant
We all want to have the best food in terms of taste, benefits, and ethics. But sometimes, and from the best meaning of people, dead wrong advice slips in. Other times, it may be a concerted effort by parties interested in disinformation.
Either way, here are two big myths that you should rid yourself of if you have them.
Not too long ago it was very popular to hear someone saying that to make the best use of your eggs, throw away the yolks. They often cited that the yolks contained a lot of cholesterol and were therefore unhealthy as the primary reason why you should discard them. This is well-intentioned but incorrect.
The yolk contains a high level of cholesterol and many typical nutritionists will say have two to six in a week, but a study found that for 70% of people, that whole egg consumption did not effect their cholesterol levels. It is also important to note that the yolk of the egg contains virtually all the nutrients of the egg. These include healthy fats, excellent proteins, critical vitamins, and even antioxidants. Eggs, with the yolk, are some of the best foods you can select in your weight loss regiment as well.
So at best, the advice ought to be tailored for that 30% of the population whose cholesterol levels are affected (and not as much as one would think). For all people, whole eggs are a smart choice of food in moderation.
Shakespeare once said, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” That may be true, but this kind of thinking is down right dangerous out of context. For example, there is a claim that a calorie from any food is equivalent to a calorie from any other food.
It is unintentionally deceptive in that it is true on some level. It is true that a calorie is a unit of measurement that is specifically defined as the amount of heat energy necessary to heat one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius.
This is indeed a calorie and when you read the amount of calories in a donut as compared to the amount of calories in celery, they are using the same unit of measurement. But it would be as mistaken for me to assume these calories were truly equal as for me to assume one pound of my body is the same as a pound of moon rocks.
True they are both a pound, but their content differs vastly. We find an obsession with measuring this unit of energy in our world that detracts from the real and important message of eating correctly. The content of our food matters vastly more than the amount of calories in each one. This is, not to swing unreasonably to the other side, to undermine the value in knowing generally how many calories you are intaking.
These are two of the most popular myths circulating about our food and our health. If you, like I, believed in them, try to rid yourself of that paradigm. It came from a place of insight, but, as time has progressed we have learned more and our approach is now more nuanced.
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Tagged Under: Food Myths, slender, weight loss
