Hey Friends! How’s it goin?
Thank you for your kind comments on my elimination diet eats post. It’s good to know that I’m not alone in my stomach issues and that I’m not the only peanut butter lover out there 😉
Anyway, on to today’s post. This week I thought I’d debunk some healthy living myths. Some of these are things I believed myself and others are things I hear other people say and just want to scream ‘IT’S NOT TRUE!’
5 Healthy Living Myths that just aren’t true
1. Everyone must drink 8 glasses of water
I believed this for most of my life. I didn’t do it, but I took it as truth.
But here’s the real truth- we’re all different. Age, activity levels, health problems, the climate and so much more can affect how much water you need to stay hydrated. Your body knows how much water it needs so take your cues from it.
If you want a more concrete answer, good rule of thumb is to take your weight divided by two in ounces as the base for how much water you should drink in a day e.g. if you weigh 150 pounds you’ll need about 75 ounces of water a day.
2. Diet soda and low fat foods are better
Yea, no.
Diet soda is just as bad or worse for you than regular soda. They replace the sugar in regular sodas with artificial sweeteners, like aspartame, which do nothing good for your body. As a former Coca Cola addict myself I understand how hard it is to give it up, but diet soda is not the answer.
Low fat foods are sneaky. When people started to reduce the amount of saturated fats in their diets, the food industry started replace animal fats in their food products with unsaturated vegetable oils. Not only are these hydrogenated oils themselves bad for you, but food manufacturers also started adding more sugar to their products so they’d still taste good and we’d keep buying them.
The foods may be low in fats, but added sugar is never a good thing.
3. Eating late at night makes you gain weight
There’s nothing different about the calories in your food, whether you eat it at 10am or 10pm. The problem with eating too late is that you chance consuming too many calories. If you’ve already eaten all your regular meals – breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks – mindless snacking at night (or at any time) can lead to weight gain if you consistently overeat. But if 10pm is your regular dinner time, eating that late won’t make you pack on the pounds.
4. Gluten free/vegan/organic foods MUST be healthy
Are Oreos healthy? Nope. But Double Delight Mint’n Creme Oreos are vegan…
Food companies caught onto all the buzzwords like gluten free, vegan and organic and decided to take advantage. A gluten free or even organic version of your favourite cookie might contain just as much – and sometimes more – fat, sugar etc. as the regular one. I’m not saying you can’t indulge if you want to, but don’t buy the [insert buzzword here] version of whatever junk food and think you’re being any healthier.
Read the nutrition labels and ingredient lists on your food and make informed decisions.
5. You need to take Vitamins/Supplements
I use protein powder after working out sometimes because I don’t always meet my protein needs with food. But, many people can and do meet their vitamin and dietary needs through food. If you think you can’t, talk to a Registered Dietician and find out your options. It isn’t necessary to run out and spend loads of money on supplements and vitamins if you can just made a few changes to your diet instead.
What about you?
What are some untrue healthy living/fitness myths you’ve heard? Do you have a different opinion for any of these? Share in the comments below!
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Love all of these!
Another one is: calories in/calories out. Our bodies are made up of hormones which burn calories differently! Just because an app tells you that what you ate had this many calories and you burned this many running, does not mean you metabolize those calories that way!
As far as sugar goes- Youtube “Sugar: The Bitter Truth”- it’s a little long but with an insane amount of information!
Thanks for sharing!
xoxo
The Accidental Mama
http://theaccidentalmama.com
The Accidental Mama recently posted…The Final Countdown: A Wedding Update
That’s so true! The nutrition density of the food we eat is super important- calories aren’t everything!
I’ll check out that video ASAP; thanks for recommending it 🙂
Thanks so much for linking up! There are a lot of great points in this post. Especially about the diet soda! Have a great weekend 🙂
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Thanks for hosting Heather 🙂
I drink a ton of water every day. More than 8 glasses. I have been staying away from red meat for awhile, because I don’t think it is as healthy as other proteins, but I have been reading up on the Paleo diet lately and seems that’s it’s not as bad as I think. I may have to incorporate that more into my diet.
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I’ve been staying away from meat since my elimination diet cuz my gut feels a lot happier when I do. But I have to admit that I don’t know much about the paleo diet.
Fabulous knowledge to have in this day in age when so many people are looking for a quick way to lose weight.
Thanks for the tip about putting on weight if you eat late at night. I’ve never really known whether I can/should eat later or not. It’s good to know that it doesn’t matter.
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Great post! The one about vegan/gluten free food is so true. Sometimes those are just a processed mess. Yuck!
I think that paying attention to the number on the scale is wrong. I weigh more today than a month ago but look better in my swimsuit. There is more to the number on the scale than just fat.
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Can’t believe I left that out! The number on the scale is so not everything. I’ve been the same weight for about a year but my body fat percentage has dropped and my clothes fit better. If I was just relying on that number I’d be one unhappy camper!
I believed the thing about the drinking too! I find it hard to let it go!
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Oh these are great! I keep trying to tell people you need to drink water according to your body, not just a set amount. And your last myth about needing vitamins or supplements- on point! I’m in the Marine Corps and every single person is talking about what are the best supplements and how you HAVE to take them if you’re working out. I blew a few people’s minds when I told them eating correctly will give you what you need, you just have to be active and smart in researching what is right for you. Thanks again for this awesome post!
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I especially like #2 and #4. I was passing the gluten free products in the store a couple of days ago and thought I should really buy some of these – so much healthier, but they were expensive. Your post made me realize you really need to know what you are purchasing.
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While I generally agree with your take on all of these myths, I want to caution everyone about taking hydration cues from your body. On rare occasions those cues are broken. My husband’s “thirst-o-meter” stopped working about 20 years ago (we were in our 30s at the time) which led to some serious kidney problems due to him always being dehydrated. He now knows that he has have “keep alive drinks” (that what he calls his glasses of water) throughout the day, even though he isn’t thirsty.
Thanks for helping debunk these five myths!
(#SITSblogging)
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Woah! That’s kind of scary to imagine. I had an aunt who had kidney issues so I know they’re no joke.
Thanks for sharing!
Great post. I, too, used to believe many of these. I remember eating a box of snack well cookies and thinking it was ok because it was “fat free.” Now, I embrace fat…as long as it is the right kinds as found in avocados, seeds, etc. Glad to link up with SITS.
Those fat free snacks get the best of us Caryn, probably because we’re taught to be afraid of fats from a young age.
Embracing healthy fats was really hard for me to do but so worth it 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
I always believed the 8 glasses of water thing a day! My doctor said that water is the only liquid we really need to consume. Juices and sodas do nothing for us except give us some empty calories. While it’s okay to have it every once and a while, water should be our main liquid!
Enjoyed the read! Thanks for sharing!
(found you on sitsgirls!)
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Definitely true! I can’t even fathom returning to the days when I used to drink less water and more juices/pop etc.
Thanks for stopping by Sarah 🙂
Great post. You’ve hit the nail on the head with all these. Off the top of my head I can’t think of anything to add to your list.
Visiting from SITS
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Great post found you via SITS Sharefest. I’ve been vegetarian for the past three years and prior to I did a lot of research before actually giving up meat and processed foods. Of course these companies follow trends and most people don’t research anything the just go along with what everyone else is doing. So if you slap gluten free, vegan, etc… on something they will just pick it up and go. However, not all vegan foods are loaded with unhealthy crap. There are still good vegan products out there you just have to be selective about what you eat.
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Very true; Being selective about what you eat is true, no matter what label you put on your diet.
Preach it girl!
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I totally agree with all of these… except the water. Or at least for me. I start to feel it in my head when I’m dehydrated… I probably over hydrate though. Maybe 200 ounces a day. Whoops.
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Eating fat will make you FAT!!!!!! DONT TOUCH IT!!
BAH HA HA HA HA HAA!! THIS IS THE WORST MYTH EVER… In fact, I am going to go eat lots and lots of saturated fat, RIGHT NOW! LOL!
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I just recently learned about the water myth. I always heard you needed 64 oz. I’m glad that I now know it depends on your weight.
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Thanks for your post! Over the last year, I’ve definitely learned a lot from NOT following these myths. I have to drink half my body weight in water. I also liked a previous comment that said it’s not about calories in and calories out.
This is a great reminder!
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Many thanks for bursting these myths! I have been telling people to give up diet soda, as I knew that they do no good and are as bad as the regular soda. But its heartening to know that I can take my dinner late because I like to do so and my wife believed in the myth of taking early dinner.
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Some of these I’ve never heard of, but I’ll be sure to try and separate the health facts and myths
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Great Post! This post is very useful & informative. I got too much information about Food conveyor Manufacturers from this post. Thanks for sharing such a helpful post. Keep Posting!
Great article!
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Debunk myths by relying on professional guidance and effective supplements. Try Gundry MD Bio Complete 3 available on https://www.gundrymdbiocomplete3.com/ , which aids healthy gut balance and in turn, overall wellness. Don’t rush health improvements, they require consistent effort and time
Debunk myths by relying on professional guidance and effective supplements. Try Gundry MD Bio Complete 3 available on https://www.gundrymdbiocomplete3.com/ , which aids healthy gut balance and in turn, overall wellness. Don’t rush health improvements, they require consistent effort and time