It's the excess in calories, regardless of the source, that contributes to weight gain. Understanding the role of fats helps make balanced choices for a healthier diet. The misconception of cutting carbs entirely for weight loss overlooks their importance.

Carbohydrates provide essential energy and nutrients. Choosing complex carbs like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables over refined ones aids in weight management and sustains energy levels. Moderation and selecting the right carbs, rather than avoidance, foster a balanced and sustainable approach to healthy eating.

The notion that healthy eating is costly overlooks affordable options. While some health foods can be pricier, budget-friendly choices exist. Buying seasonal produce, legumes, and whole grains in bulk or frozen can be economical.

Planning meals, reducing waste, and prioritising nutrient-dense foods over processed items can make healthy eating affordable and accessible for everyone. The belief that everyone requires a gluten-free diet isn't factual.

For individuals with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, avoiding gluten is crucial. However, for most people, gluten-containing grains like wheat provide essential nutrients. Unless medically necessary, eliminating gluten can lead to nutrient deficiencies.

Understanding individual needs is key; a gluten-free diet isn't universally essential for everyone's health. The belief that eating after 7 pm leads to weight gain isn't backed by science.

Weight management depends on overall calorie intake and food choices rather than specific times. Focusing on meal quality and portion control throughout the day matters more than the time of consumption for most individuals.

Contrary to the misconception, potatoes offer valuable nutrients like potassium, fibre, and vitamins when prepared healthily. It's the preparation method and added fats that can diminish their nutritional value. Boiling, baking, or steaming potatoes without excessive fats maintains their health benefits.

Viewing potatoes as inherently unhealthy overlooks their nutritional value in a balanced diet when consumed mindfully. Detox diets claiming to cleanse the body often lack scientific support. The body naturally detoxifies through organs like the liver and kidneys.

Extreme diets or fasting can disrupt this process, leading to nutrient deficiencies. Dispelling these 7 popular nutrition myths unveils the importance of informed choices.

Balanced eating, embracing diverse foods, and mindful consumption play pivotal roles in a healthy lifestyle. Debunking these myths empowers you to make informed decisions about your daily diet plan, fostering a positive relationship between food and your overall well-being. No two words better harmonize than healthy eating and meal prep, which is why our glass lunch boxes are perfect for storing rice, quinoa, veggies, meat, and more.

Make meal prep easy and hassle-free with our glass lunch boxes. Our stainless steel bento boxes come with multiple compartments, granting you the option to separate different food groups.

Add proper hydration to the mix you'll have conquered the battle for a healthier and happier lifestyle. Invest in our water bottles with time and capacity markers. On a different yet important note, explore our Valentine's Day collection and find an assortment of thoughtful presents. Our Valentine's Decor collection also offers various items from scented candles , to artificial flowers , wall decorations , and all things adorable.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser for better use of the website! New In 🆕. Let's debunk a few common myths so you can feel more confident about your food choices. Unless you have celiac disease or gluten intolerance, you don't need to avoid gluten, which is the protein found in wheat, barley and rye.

Whole-wheat products have great nutritional benefits, including essential B vitamins and fiber. Be mindful when manufacturers remove gluten, as additional sugar, salt or refined starches are often added to make up the difference in flavor and texture.

If you follow a gluten-free diet for medical reasons, check the ingredient list and nutrition facts to make sure you are choosing a healthy option.

Sugar is sugar, although unrefined sugar options may contain a small number of vitamins and minerals. The advantage is minimal as they are still considered added sugar and contribute to the recommended daily limit on added sugar in the diet. The fat-free and low-fat diet trend is a thing of the past — 80s and 90s to be exact.

Yet, some individuals are still scared of fat. This shouldn't be the case as fat has beneficial functions like protecting our organs, maintaining cell membranes, promoting growth and development, and absorbing essential vitamins.

Be aware that fats aren't created equal. Choose heart-healthy unsaturated fats, such as olive and canola oil, nuts, nut butters and avocados over those that are high in saturated and trans fats, including fatty meats and high-fat dairy products. The low-carb diet is a fad diet that has continued to make an appearance over the years.

It gives carbohydrates — fruit and whole grains included — a bad reputation. Individuals who followed this diet had success with weight loss. But anytime anyone eliminates highly processed carbohydrates foods, such as chips, cookies, white bread and potatoes smothered in butter and gravy, they would be expected to have the same results.

Any diet or eating program that eliminates an entire food group gets a red flag from me as you likely will miss out on vital nutrients. There's little evidence that dietary cleanses do any of the things they promise. The fact is you don't need to purchase a product to cleanse your body.

Your liver, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract do a good job of detoxing it every day. If you're looking to rejuvenate your body, focus on eating more whole foods, drinking water and removing highly processed foods from your diet.

Limiting fats, carbohydrates and protein may leave you lacking certain nutrients that your body really needs. Know this: all foods can fit into your nutrition plan. Keep it balanced! Second, skipping meals may even bring you extreme hunger which can later result in overindulgence — thus packing on more calories than you originally intended.

Instead, aim for three meals a day to give your body the fuel it needs. As a general rule of thumb, try eating every four to five hours with balanced foods. TRUTH: Vitamins are not a replacement for a healthy, well-balanced diet.

Instead, think of them as an insurance policy. Aim for a variety of vegetables, fruits, lean protein, low-fat dairy and whole grains to give your body a leg-up.

So, let's clear up some of the confusion and dispel some myths today. It's time to eat with a little more confidence. Myth No. This was proven to be a myth as early as , when a study published in JAMA showed that diets high in carbs or fat do not affect the production of skin oil , which means that they are not likely to adversely affect acne vulgaris.

This myth really has really had legs. In fact, even some nutritionists will tell you to avoid eggs or egg yolks, but a American Society for Clinical Nutrition study found that there was no relationship between egg intake and coronary heart disease.

The study also showed that, within the intake range of study participants, egg consumption was unrelated to blood cholesterol levels. Have you heard this one? It's an easy one for many people to believe, but unfortunately, it seems to be a myth, according to a review published in the journal Critical Reviews in Food Science.

Researchers found no evidence that organic food is more nutritious, and noted that although organically-grown foods are likely to contain lower pesticide residues, there has been very little documentation of nutritional levels. However, the jury may still be out on this topic, a few studies have suggested that organic foods may offer a small boost in nutrition.

Healthy Bites appears weekly on LiveScience. Deborah Herlax Enos is a certified nutritionist and a health coach and weight loss expert in the Seattle area with more than 20 years of experience. Read more tips on her blog, Health in a Hurry! Open menu Close menu Live Science Live Science.

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Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors. Deborah Enos. Second, skipping meals may even bring you extreme hunger which can later result in overindulgence — thus packing on more calories than you originally intended.

Instead, aim for three meals a day to give your body the fuel it needs. As a general rule of thumb, try eating every four to five hours with balanced foods.

TRUTH: Vitamins are not a replacement for a healthy, well-balanced diet. Instead, think of them as an insurance policy. Aim for a variety of vegetables, fruits, lean protein, low-fat dairy and whole grains to give your body a leg-up. For more information on important nutrition topics, be sure to visit and claim a FREE copy of the Your Weight Matters Health and Wellness Guide by CLICKING HERE.

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Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Latest Exercise Health Care Mental Health Motivation Nutrition Weight-loss Options. Below, we tackle a few popular and common myths that you might have come across.

MYTH: Eating one meal a day will help you to lose weight quickly.