With so much new information being released each week about what is healthy and what is not, it is incredibly hard to keep up! What was a superfood last week is suddenly not as good for us as this new fangled product today. In a recent 'Eat this, Not that' magazine article they break down some very interesting nutrition myths. Have a read as some of these may surprise you!
1. The yolk in eggs increases your cholesterol.
I was super excited when I read this, as I am a huge fan of eating whole eggs, not just egg whites! Egg yolks contain dietary cholesterol, which has next to nothing to do with serum cholesterol, the cholesterol present in your blood. Over 30 recent egg studies could not find one link between egg consumption and heart disease and on top of that, a Saint Louis study revealed that consuming eggs for breakfast can actually lower your daily calorie intake! So eat your yolks people!
2. The healthiest green vegetable is kale
I remember the massive hype that the green leafy vegetable caused a few years ago when it became super popular. It was hailed as one of the best superfood and I often saw Kale in print as the 'best green vegetable'. Now we all know not to believe everything we read. A 2014 university study rated vegetables and fruits according to their nutrient density, by testing their levels of 17 different nutrients that have been linked to boosting cardiovascular health. Surprisingly, Kale did not even make the top 10! Less surprisingly however was the fact that the top 16 were all leafy green vegetables. Spinach, romaine lettuce, parsley, chives and the greens atop beetroot were some of more nutritiously dense vegetables that beat out kale for the prime top spots.
3. Low-fat foods are better for you than foods that have naturally occurring fat
What does the marketing term low-fat refer to in board rooms? Food filled with salt, cheap carbohydrates and lots of sugar. I grew up eating a lot of low-fat food in the 90's, as there was no education on what these products were actually made with. As a teenager, I greatly struggled with my weight, even though I was exercising up to 5 hours a day! Now I am my lowest and most healthy weight, with the help of eating lots of naturally fatty foods, including avocados, coconut oil, nuts, eggs, etc and no low-fat foods.
4. Sea salt is healthier than regular salt
This myth surprised me! Regular old table salt is found in mines and contains around 2,300 milligrams of sodium per teaspoon. Sea salt is extracted from vaporised seawater, and it also contains approximately 2,300 milligrams of sodium. Avid supporters like to argue that sea salt contains different compounds to table salt including iron and magnesium, however these minerals are present in extremely minuscule amounts per average dose of salt. Iodine is also regularly added to table salt, which plays a big role in balancing your body's hormones, whilst sea salt contains basically no iodine. The bottom line here: cut down on salt full stop and save a few dollars by not purchasing expensive sea salt!
5. The words "natural" and "healthy" don't carry much (and sometimes no) weight
The food packaging words "natural" and "healthy" are considered "weasel words", as they have no legal or formal meaning. Whilst the Australian New Zealand Food Standards Code does monitor the use of specific health and nutrient content claims, it does nothing to control, manage and/or explain these looser terms. As these words are not regulated in the food standards code, these words then rely on their dictionary meanings, of which there are numerous interpretations! What to do: carefully read all the ingredients in a product that calls itself "natural" and/or "healthy". And always remember that the most healthy foods do not come out of a package!
x The Premium Pilates Team
Image by http://www.fitnessrepublic.com.
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