22 Food Myths People Need To Stop Believing

solidsnake4545 Published 08/14/2022 in wtf

A collection of "facts" and common beliefs around food and dieting that aren't as factual as we once thought. As a matter of fact (yes, that word again), the more progress scientist are making the more we realize we were wrong all along. Just like parenting when you think of it.

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1. Drinking a lot of fruit juice is healthy. It's not, it contains as much if not more sugar than soda or lemonade, and often it's rid of healthy fibers from the fruits. So better drink water and EAT 2-3 pieces of fruit per day.
2. I'm surprised no one mentioned that the food pyramid is unhealthy and a scam by the food companies.
3. People believe that everything labelled ORGANIC IS ACTUALLY ORGANIC
4. Dietitian here. That sugar feeds cancer cells. Sugar (carbohydrates) feed ALL your cells. In fact, it's the main source of energy for your entire body. Avoiding entire food groups is going to do nothing but make you malnourished when you already have a disease that increases your body's energy needs which is going to result in worse outcomes. For the love of God, please just eat! Anything and everything that sounds good.
5. I have an advanced diploma in nutrition, it’s not a degree but still. The entire health and fitness industry is based around some guy going “this worked for me so it’s the only way to do it” the fact is if you want to lose weight etc how you do it doesn’t matter in the slightest, it’s as simple as calories in vs calories spent.
6. “Healthy” foods are bland.
7. Myth: "You should wash your Chicken before cooking it". FACT: Washing raw Chicken in the sink will spread all the bacteria over the surface. Please, don't.
8. Fat loss and muscle gain are based on a few simple and obvious principles that anyone can understand pretty easily. Calorie deficits cause fat and muscle loss, and calorie surpluses cause fat and muscle gain. In a deficit eat protein and lift weights to reduce muscle loss, and in a surplus eat protein and lift weights to increase muscle gain.

That’s pretty much it. Choosing certain diets might work better for some people than others because it’s psychologically easier to maintain nutrition goals.

Anything else is just noise created by a fitness industry that absolutely relies on making it seem like there’s more to it than the above. You don’t NEED a pre-workout, or to consume whey protein or créatine or any other supplements to make progress. As long as you’re sticking to the above you’re basically doing what you need to do.

You don’t need to optimize your macros. You don’t need to eat x amount of times per day. You don’t need to eat carbs after your workout. You don’t need to do anything else.

The obsession with perfection in workout routines and diets is also pushed by the industry to complicate things. A lot of what is pushed might give you some SLIGHT improvement in results IF you can stick to it but for pretty much anyone that isn’t a performance athlete dedicating their life to diet and exercise it’s more trouble than it’s worth.

Keep it simple. Go to the gym 3 days a week. Watch your calories and eat a decent amount of protein and that’s pretty much it for anyone looking to lose weight or gain muscle.
9. * No, that gum you swallowed as a kid is not still there. indigestible materials pass through your gut just as fast as anything else. it won't just magically hover there in your intestine as food forces it's way past. * colon cleansing is a complete scam. the colon is a self-cleaning organ. * Anything that has to do with blood pH is a scam. your body goes through great pains to keep that number exactly where it needs to be, since you'll die if it gets even *one degree* off.
10. Cold water does not make you gain weight. It's water. It has 0 calories
11. Carbs aren't evil unnatural things that trick your body into gaining weight. Food high in carbs is usually pretty tasty. Its a lot easier to eat a lot of something when its tasty.
12. Starvation diets do not work in the long term. Yes, you will lose weight in the short-term but once you stop your starvation diet, you gain the weight back plus more. This is known as ''yo-yo' dieting. The word 'diet' does not mean eating to lose weight, rather it means what you eat as a habit. For example, the SAD (Standard American Diet) is a diet which one wants to avoid.
13. Fat makes you fat. Muscle weighs more than fat.
14. Anything billed as a "superfood" just has a little bit higher levels of some nutrient than other foods. They're not magic and they don't make other, unhealthy foods healthier.
15. Agrarian here. Had "Food Science" among my classes.

The "2000 calories" recommendation isn't a universal indicator. It assumes you're an adult with an active lifestyle: a job five days a week, walking, doing chores daily, and exercising on the weekend. It's a lifestyle that maintains your metabolism high and functional.

If you live a sedentary lifestyle, your metabolism goes down, reducing your body's ability to take energy from stored fats. Your muscles lose mass, reducing your calorie intake need as well (muscles require more calories than fat to maintain). So if you're sedentary, your actual calorie deficit can be much lower than 1900 calories. This also leads your brain to develop the habit of replenishing lost energy with immediate food intake rather than taking it from your fat storage, which means you get hungrier when you're tired (the reason why exercise makes you feel like starving when you're a beginner). It's a vicious cycle.

Also, water poisoning is a thing. Don't drink if you're not thirsty.
16. Eating after 7 PM will make you gain weight.
17. NO DIET can cure illnesses based on genetic defects - because no diet can repair genes the medical diets do remove some serious symptoms, but the error and the damage is still there, it just does not go much worse..... do not fall for the frauds with - miracle diet that cured influencer XY of their terrible disease - there is a whole snake oil branch of business with these diets....they do not work! yes, this is true even for such a - stupid - illness like acne.....acne means your broken genes tell your skin to go crazy with oil production, and no diet can fix this skin-maddness! having acne due to food allergy or at least histamine intolerance is pretty rare!
18. Eight glasses of water a day is the magic number.
19. Carbs are not bad for you. Unless medically informed otherwise, your body needs carbs. They are our source of energy and hold essential nutrients the body needs to function properly.
20. There are people who actually believe if you eat fruit after a meal, it will ferment in your belly and cause health issues.
21. Laying down after you eat will make the food you ate digest slower.
22. Diet soda is a good alternative, it’s really not.

1. Drinking a lot of fruit juice is healthy. It's not, it contains as much if not more sugar than soda or lemonade, and often it's rid of healthy fibers from the fruits. So better drink water and EAT 2-3 pieces of fruit per day.
2. I'm surprised no one mentioned that the food pyramid is unhealthy and a scam by the food companies.
3. People believe that everything labelled ORGANIC IS ACTUALLY ORGANIC
4. Dietitian here. That sugar feeds cancer cells. Sugar (carbohydrates) feed ALL your cells. In fact, it's the main source of energy for your entire body. Avoiding entire food groups is going to do nothing but make you malnourished when you already have a disease that increases your body's energy needs which is going to result in worse outcomes. For the love of God, please just eat! Anything and everything that sounds good.
5. I have an advanced diploma in nutrition, it’s not a degree but still. The entire health and fitness industry is based around some guy going “this worked for me so it’s the only way to do it” the fact is if you want to lose weight etc how you do it doesn’t matter in the slightest, it’s as simple as calories in vs calories spent.
6. “Healthy” foods are bland.
7. Myth: "You should wash your Chicken before cooking it". FACT: Washing raw Chicken in the sink will spread all the bacteria over the surface. Please, don't.
8. Fat loss and muscle gain are based on a few simple and obvious principles that anyone can understand pretty easily. Calorie deficits cause fat and muscle loss, and calorie surpluses cause fat and muscle gain. In a deficit eat protein and lift weights to reduce muscle loss, and in a surplus eat protein and lift weights to increase muscle gain.

That’s pretty much it. Choosing certain diets might work better for some people than others because it’s psychologically easier to maintain nutrition goals.

Anything else is just noise created by a fitness industry that absolutely relies on making it seem like there’s more to it than the above. You don’t NEED a pre-workout, or to consume whey protein or créatine or any other supplements to make progress. As long as you’re sticking to the above you’re basically doing what you need to do.

You don’t need to optimize your macros. You don’t need to eat x amount of times per day. You don’t need to eat carbs after your workout. You don’t need to do anything else.

The obsession with perfection in workout routines and diets is also pushed by the industry to complicate things. A lot of what is pushed might give you some SLIGHT improvement in results IF you can stick to it but for pretty much anyone that isn’t a performance athlete dedicating their life to diet and exercise it’s more trouble than it’s worth.

Keep it simple. Go to the gym 3 days a week. Watch your calories and eat a decent amount of protein and that’s pretty much it for anyone looking to lose weight or gain muscle.
9. * No, that gum you swallowed as a kid is not still there. indigestible materials pass through your gut just as fast as anything else. it won't just magically hover there in your intestine as food forces it's way past. * colon cleansing is a complete scam. the colon is a self-cleaning organ. * Anything that has to do with blood pH is a scam. your body goes through great pains to keep that number exactly where it needs to be, since you'll die if it gets even *one degree* off.
10. Cold water does not make you gain weight. It's water. It has 0 calories
11. Carbs aren't evil unnatural things that trick your body into gaining weight. Food high in carbs is usually pretty tasty. Its a lot easier to eat a lot of something when its tasty.
12. Starvation diets do not work in the long term. Yes, you will lose weight in the short-term but once you stop your starvation diet, you gain the weight back plus more. This is known as ''yo-yo' dieting. The word 'diet' does not mean eating to lose weight, rather it means what you eat as a habit. For example, the SAD (Standard American Diet) is a diet which one wants to avoid.
13. Fat makes you fat. Muscle weighs more than fat.
14. Anything billed as a "superfood" just has a little bit higher levels of some nutrient than other foods. They're not magic and they don't make other, unhealthy foods healthier.
15. Agrarian here. Had "Food Science" among my classes.

The "2000 calories" recommendation isn't a universal indicator. It assumes you're an adult with an active lifestyle: a job five days a week, walking, doing chores daily, and exercising on the weekend. It's a lifestyle that maintains your metabolism high and functional.

If you live a sedentary lifestyle, your metabolism goes down, reducing your body's ability to take energy from stored fats. Your muscles lose mass, reducing your calorie intake need as well (muscles require more calories than fat to maintain). So if you're sedentary, your actual calorie deficit can be much lower than 1900 calories. This also leads your brain to develop the habit of replenishing lost energy with immediate food intake rather than taking it from your fat storage, which means you get hungrier when you're tired (the reason why exercise makes you feel like starving when you're a beginner). It's a vicious cycle.

Also, water poisoning is a thing. Don't drink if you're not thirsty.
16. Eating after 7 PM will make you gain weight.
17. NO DIET can cure illnesses based on genetic defects - because no diet can repair genes the medical diets do remove some serious symptoms, but the error and the damage is still there, it just does not go much worse..... do not fall for the frauds with - miracle diet that cured influencer XY of their terrible disease - there is a whole snake oil branch of business with these diets....they do not work! yes, this is true even for such a - stupid - illness like acne.....acne means your broken genes tell your skin to go crazy with oil production, and no diet can fix this skin-maddness! having acne due to food allergy or at least histamine intolerance is pretty rare!
18. Eight glasses of water a day is the magic number.
19. Carbs are not bad for you. Unless medically informed otherwise, your body needs carbs. They are our source of energy and hold essential nutrients the body needs to function properly.
20. There are people who actually believe if you eat fruit after a meal, it will ferment in your belly and cause health issues.
21. Laying down after you eat will make the food you ate digest slower.
22. Diet soda is a good alternative, it’s really not.

Drinking a lot of fruit juice is healthy.

It's not, it contains as much if not more sugar than soda or lemonade, and often it's rid of healthy fibers from the fruits.

So better drink water and EAT 2-3 pieces of fruit per day.

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Drinking a lot of fruit juice is healthy. It's not, it contains as much if not more sugar than soda or lemonade, and often it's rid of healthy fibers from the fruits. So better drink water and EAT 2-3 pieces of fruit per day.

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