What to believe and what not to believe as far as nutrition goes, is tricky territory, to begin with. Some foods that can be really healthy, could be as bad if consumed in excess amounts. Hence, NutraSphere brings you 10 facts that you ought to keep in mind if you want to make healthy nutrition choices.
1. Those Fad Diets Do not Work in the Long Term
The trendy diets, sometimes peculiar, that show up every now and then, require you to get rid of entire food groups as part of their "rules" - and it obviously can never be a good idea. You may lose some weight at the beginning, but there is a high chance that you could gain the weight back after discontinuing the diet. Eating a balanced diet with the right number of calories is the best way to watch your weight.
2. Drinking Plenty Of Water Is A Prerequisite To Your Overall Good Nutrition Levels.
That feeling of water quenching your thirst is unmatched. But there is a deeper reason why you should pay attention to how much water you drink each day. This is because not only does drinking water in itself offers several health benefits to the body, such as flushing out toxins and giving you a healthy glow, it also keeps your body running smoothly as it should.
3. Health Does Not Necessarily Correspond To The Number On The Weighing Scale.
It is a common notion that the lower the number on the scale, the healthier the individual is. However, it has been shown that it is possible to improve overall health without weight loss occurring, or the opposite happening. It is a very natural possibility that people considered to be "obese" in common terminology, are actually healthy, while individuals in the "normal" weight range commonly believed have health problems associated with obesity.
4. Not all Fat is Bad.
Fat always gets a bad reputation, when the fact is that there are many "healthy" kinds of fat found in foods such as avocados, nuts, and fish. However, the kind that happens to be trans fat - found in junk food - truly is bad for your health. And this brings us to a similar point.
5. Not All Sugars Are Bad.
Sugar, similarly, has a bad reputation, but in this case, too, not all sugars are harmful. The sugars you need to avoid are those found in processed foods, that are sucrose, dextrose, maltose and other such added sweeteners. On the contrary, fruits have sugar in the form of fructose and milk has to sugar as lactose. These naturally occurring sugars are a part of a healthy diet.
6. Coffee Can Be Healthy In Moderation.
Moderate consumption of coffee has been shown to provide the body with numerous health benefits and help protect the body against a variety of diseases. Coffee can protect the body against numerous health conditions, including heart failure, type 2 diabetes, and liver disease.
Keep in mind that in excessive amounts, coffee consumption has been shown to cause symptoms such as anxiety and/or depression and headaches. For more information about how much coffee you should drink a day, read our article: How Much Coffee is Ok?
7. The Juice Is Filled With Sugar
The fruit juice you buy in tetra packs is delicious, but it is filled with sugar and can be really bad for our nutrition. These types of fruit juice have in them a huge amount of added sugar, which is tough for the body to process. Naturally extracted juice is a healthier option, as it does not contain added sugar but only the natural, healthy sugar that is present in the fruit. Better yet- stick to eating the fruit in its natural whole form to absorb all the nutrients properly.
8. Carbohydrates Are Essential
Forget the misconception that carbs are "bad" - you should remember that carbohydrates are in fact your body's main energy source, and your body very much needs it to make glucose, which actually provides you with the energy to go about your daily activities. Moreover, most of your calories that are needed by the body should come from carbohydrates themselves.
9. Food Packaging Labels Can Be Misleading
Processed and packaged foods that we purchase have Nutrition Facts labels, which help us to decide if we want to buy the product. The calorie count and nutritional content per serving of food are what you need to be cautious about while checking out these labels. The foods come with promising claims that are written on the front of the packaging. Remember that these claims are merely used to market the product, and while it is true that they are technically accurate, they can also be deceiving just to have you buy the product.
10. Sodium Is not Always Bad
While it is true that too much sodium over time can cause high blood pressure, in the right amounts it can actually help regulate blood pressure and volume. Foods that are highly processed are chock-a-block with sodium. Therefore reducing such a high sodium intake could lead to a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney damage and high blood pressure.
It is thus important to be aware of what proper nutrition consists of, and what you are believing since it is imperative that you do not get misled with false information that tends to fly around about nutrition and make correct choices yourself.
Must read: Exercise and Nutrition: The Best Approach Towards A Healthy LifestyleDisclaimer: The statements, opinions, and data contained in these publications are solely those of the individual authors and contributors and not of Credihealth and the editor(s).
About the Author
This write-up was contributed to Credihealth by Prakash M Rao.Prakash M Rao is a clinical biochemist from Institute of Science Mumbai who also is an MBA in Marketing was an Associate Editor of the magazine "Foods & Drinks" & CEO of NutraSphere currently handles a variety of consultancy assignments in foods, pharmaceuticals & cosmetics as a CEO of a multi-faceted company Zantech.
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