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March is National Nutrition Month
Diet Fact vs. Fiction: Nutrition Edition!
With a constant barrage of miracle diets, the latest food trends endorsed by celebrities, and often conflicting information about diet and nutrition, it can be hard to keep up and know just what to eat. What was thought to be healthy a few years ago, may have changed—and sometimes eating healthy feels downright confusing.
National Nutrition Month®, celebrated each March, focuses on the importance of developing sound eating habits to help people make better, informed choices about diet and nutrition. But with so much conflicting information, we thought we’d take a look at a few common questions with a little fact vs. fiction: nutrition edition!
Fact or Fiction? Eating carbs causes weight gain.
FICTION! A calorie surplus from any combination of food or beverages can cause weight gain.
Fact or Fiction? Only fresh produce is considered a good source of fruits and vegetables.
FICTION! All types of fruits and vegetables, fresh, frozen, canned dried even 100% juice will all count toward your daily totals.
Fact or Fiction? Any physical activity is better than none at all.
FACT! Every action burns calories, and is an improvement over a sedentary lifestyle.
Fact or Fiction? Eating before bedtime will cause weight gain
FICTION! What you eat, not when, makes the difference; calories have the same effect on the body no matter when they are consumed. Evidence does suggest that eating regular meals, especially breakfast, helps promote weight loss by reducing fat intake and minimizing impulsive snacking.
Fact or Fiction? Healthy eating is just too expensive
FICTION! It may take some planning and time in the kitchen but eating healthy on a budget is possible. Helpful hints: shop sales, stick to your grocery list, don’t go to the store hungry, avoid pre-washed, pre-cut, individual servings of produce as they are often more expensive.
Fact or Fiction? Skipping meals will help you lose weight.
FICTION! When you skip a meal, your metabolism slows down, so the food you eventually eat isn’t burned as efficiently. In addition to feeling sluggish, by the time the next meal comes around, it’s common to overeat due to a ravenous type of hunger. Your best bet is to eat consistent, healthy meals and/or snacks throughout the day.
Fact or Fiction? Some foods, like grapefruit or vinegar, can actually burn fat.
FICTION! Sorry, no foods burn fat, make you lose weight more quickly or increase your metabolism enough to have an effect on weight loss.
In general, always remember that a healthy, well-balanced diet features lean protein, fruits, and vegetables. That, along with portion control, is a great way to prevent falling victim to nutritional fiction. So, go out there, put your best fork forward and stay healthy. Happy National Nutrition month; you’ve got this.
