Diet Myths - Don't Be Misled, Learn the Truth

This is a report on WebMD.com about 10 diet myths. While you may think of WebMD as a trusted source for information, some of these reported 'myths' are actually points that need clarity because, well, they're just not. So while the explanations will not be included in this list that are a part of Ms. Hitti's article, my rebuttals for why they should be considered are made. In Ms. Hitti's defense, she is merely a reporter for the listed "myth busters" - Christine Rosenbloom, PhD, RD, CSSD, and Roberta Duyff, MS, RD, FADA, CFCS; quite the resumes for two people who are sadly wrong. (You can read the full article here...)

Myth: Eating at night makes you fat.

    WRONG. If you think that eating at night is not going to contribute to your weight gain, then think again. It may not pack on the pounds depending on what you eat, but come on, for what reason do you have to eat at night? Unless you work the night shift, your body doesn't need the energy to sleep for 6-8 hours. Secondly, you'll find that you get a better night's sleep when you go to bed more on the hungry side rather than full side. Do it for a week and you'll see the difference. This statement does more harm than help, so by the very nature of it, it shouldn't be a 'Myth' that needs 'busting'.

Myth: Avoid foods with a high glycemic index.

    WRONG. Why would you even think that high glycemic index foods are ok? The 'busters' point out that you don't need to avoid them all the time. I would point out that most high glycemic index foods are probably not healthy to begin with - and the exceptions are few. Spending your entire day trying to check out what foods make the medium to lower glycemic index may not be so healthy. Common sense should be the rule, or at least taught first.

Myth: High fructose corn syrup causes weight gain.

    WRONG. Don't believe for a minute that you can consume HFCS whenever you want and in whatever form. It may not be that HFCS is going to cause weight gain in small quantities, but who cares!? This stuff is no good, and the word has gotten out to the masses enough that Corn Growers (or some organization with that name) have a massive campaign in place to get their sales back up and 'get everything back to normal'. You may have seen TV ads. TV ads!  Why do we need TV ads to make us think that HFCS is ok? Their ads mean: You're wrong, enjoy it, and don't worry about it; we wouldn't sell anything that could hurt you? Don't kid yourself, we have an obesity epidemic and it gets worse with each soft drink sold - and they contain lots of high fructose corn syrup. If you can't just drink one because of their addictive nature, then you better not drink any.

Myth: Caffeine is unhealthy. Agreed. This is a myth. A little bit of caffeine can actually benefit in many ways. But drink makers are overdoing it with these Monsters, Rush, Adrenaline, and on... they have way too many stimulants. And there are better and healthier stimulants than caffeine that you may want to consider.

Myth: The less fat you eat, the better. This is a long-running debate, and I'm not taking it up here, except to say that the opposite is true - you shouldn't consume a lot of fat, even 'good' fats.

Myth: To eat less sodium, avoid salty-tasting foods and use sea salt in place of table salt.

    WRONG. If it tastes salty, it probably is and why not avoid it? If it tastes salty, it may not be salty due to the salt substitutes that are on the market, but why continue to feed a salt addiction (if you have one) with things that taste like salt? That will just put you in a place where you'll still want the real thing and eventually cave. We see it happen all the time and not with just salt, but with every diet vice. The 'busters' also suggest that Sea Salt is not a better substitute, and will only say BS. If you have a natural, organic, more pure - that is, closer to exactly how it exists in nature (another comment on this on sugar below), then it is going to be better and healthier, end of story. The source is health(ier) than man-made, always. That doesn't mean you shouldn't limit yourself. The old saying, 'if a little is good, then more is better' needs to be avoided.

Myth: Drinking more water daily will help you lose weight.

    WRONG. When did they write these, after cocktails and tequila shots when deciding on content to fill three web pages? Look, the reality is that you are going to be consuming things all day, be they food or beverages. That's just human nature, more for some and less for others. So if you carry a water bottle with you and drank from it often, you are more likely to avoid things like soft drinks and unhealthy snacks. Water will help curb your appetite. The thirst-quench is often mistaken for hunger pangs. So if you feel like you could use a little snack, try drinking some water first. It is probably one of the best initial treatments to any small illness than anything else. If you read the stats on the soft drink consumption per capita in this country (see The Vice Busting Diet book), you'd agree that drinking water is the best solution for weight loss. Just an added point: estimates show that over 90% of Americans don't drink enough water.

Myth: Whole grains are always healthier than refined grains. Ok, I'll go with that so I can deal with the next one.

Myth: Sugar causes behavioral problems in kids.

    WRONG. This is not a myth, don't believe for a moment that you can let your kids have sugar, at least not the kind that is prevalent in 97% of the foods and beverages that are consumed by kids (and adults), and not in the amounts that too many are used to having. Now, if you want to give your kids plenty of fruits each day - and they contain sugar, but the natural kind as mentioned above with Sea Salt - then you'll be find. There have been numerous studies that show when the candies and soft drinks are taken out of schools, in favor of water and fruits and vegetables, that the average attendance goes up, missed days go down, sick days go down, the number of altercations goes down, and the overall attitude and health of the student body goes up. (Actually, there haven't been a number of studies because this would be damaging to the fast food, soft drink, and candy makers all of whom make large donations to schools to ensure their vending machines are well positioned in the halls in schools across the country. But there was one very significant study in Wisconsin). So get rid of the cereals and soft drinks and candies - anything that contains a high amount of sugar, and have your kids get their carbohydrates from sources like sweet potatoes, multi-grain breads, and fruits (especially). You will see their attitude, their grades, their behavior all improve!

Myth: Protein is the most important nutrient for athletes. This is acceptable as a myth.

This sort of reporting just leads this author to believe that the writer needs to provide some solid data when trying to 'debunk' any diet myth, or come up with some truly 'debunkable' myths that most everyone can agree on. Another consideration that you may have to make when you turn to an large organization, major news outlet, or highest trafficked website for your information, is where the sponsorship dollars are coming from? That may be an influence on what you're reading, which should be a crime. But do you ever hear or see a story on any major TV news outlet about the harm that soft drinks and fast food has on an indviduals weight and overall health? Absolutely not.

Be careful what you read and the source. Even check out the claims made here. They are only meant to help. To make anything that is bad, ok to have in moderation is false. A little bit of heroine is not ok, nor is a little bit of many food and beverage items that soon become regularly consumed, addictive, lead to obesity and many other health problems. How is it that consuming good things all the time could in any way be anything but healthy? Only to you, not so much to the makers of all the junk on the market. Why else would we need so many diets, diet plans, diet programs, weight loss products to combat an obesity problem?

Just some food for thought.

Dr. Patrick Havey
President, The Health & Wellness Institute, DC PC

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