For any of you paying close attention, I had to make a quick correction to my blog entry yesterday. I jumped 100 days ahead. I really do have trouble keeping track of days … in all aspects, apparently. A function of retirement, perhaps?
I read a fun article today entitled, “The 7 Worst Eating Tips Dietitians Want You to Forget.” Did that make you say, “What?!” It did, me. But the gist of the thing is that too many people claim to be health experts, offering bogus advice on every possible topic, while truly credentialed experts get drowned out by the noise of the chatter – including myths that are repeated over and over, making it harder to figure out what to eat. (sorry for the run-on sentence)
So, the dietitians in this article, shared their advice about the “worst tips.” I’ll be honest, I didn’t even understand a couple of them, but here are the interesting (and sometimes funny) ones:
Bad Tip #1: White foods lack nutrition, never eat them.
Well, that would mean banning cauliflower, potatoes, garlic, and white beans. And I’m pretty sure there are nutritional benefits in there – fiber, vitamin C, potassium. The experts say it’s more about how you cook the foods. And we already know those tips – no breading, no frying, no oil …
Bad Tip #2: Always eat five to six mini meals a day to lose weight.
What?%*# A BAD tip?! This is my life. Okay, reading on, this is more about the concept of “meal,” including prep time and calories. And they do recommend exactly what I’m doing, three balanced “meals” and two-three snacks in between. There you go.
Bad Tip #3: Don’t drink water with meals.
SO many articles about this issue, claiming that water with meals dilutes the digestive process. But the experts are here to tell us that’s a myth. Drinking water actually helps with digestion. It helps with constipation (yay), helps absorb nutrients, and is especially important if your meals includes a lot of fiber.
Bad Tip #4: Never eat protein and carbs together.
Ba ha ha ha ha ha ha … that’s all. Nope, go ahead, eat them together.
Bad Tip #5: Gluten-free foods are healthier.
Interesting that this one has come up again. I blogged at length about it – just to summarize – there is no research to support this. So unless you are gluten intolerant, don’t worry about it.
Bad Tip #6: Drink hot lemon water in the morning to aid digestion.
Oh no! This is a myth? I believe the reason I added this in was a medical article as well. Dueling experts? Perhaps because it hasn’t been “studied.” The bit of science that does support it is the “comfort” benefit of warm liquids and the pectin in the lemon, a soluble fiber – which can improve gut health and help with constipation. The nutrition experts say “go ahead and have your hot water lemon if you like it since water is good for hydration — but don’t be fooled into it will detox you or flush out your system.”
More food for thought . . .