The Truth About the Top 6 Diet Myths

Everybody has an opinion these days, and especially about dieting. How are we supposed to keep up when they keep changing the rules on us? First they tell us the eggs are great for you, and then they turn around and say that eggs are bad, and now they are back in the good books once again! This is the same for a lot of diet rules. Diets contradict one another all the time, and we wonder why we can’t lose any weight!

If there are so many different rules out there, which ones are not true? Are there really diet myths? There are many myths about dieting, and sadly, a lot of people believe in them. These same people are the ones who can’t seem to keep the extra weight off. Here is a list of the 7 most popular myths about dieting, and the real facts about the issues:

• If you eat red meat you can’t lose weight . This is simply not true. I know many people who eat red meat and have no trouble losing weight. The key here is moderation. If you overeat with any type of food, you will have some trouble losing your extra weight. Eat red meat only once or twice a week, and watch your portion sizes and you will be fine.
• You can only lose weight if you eat low fat or no fat foods. Some low fat foods are legitimate, but before you buy anything now fat, read the label carefully. Usually when fat is taken out of something, you lose a lot of the taste, so they will actually put more sugars, starches or thickeners in these low fat foods to improve the taste. This always means a lot of extra calories, so be careful what you buy!
• Skipping meals = losing weight. When you skip meals and go hungry, your body’s metabolism will slow down immediately, and your body will think there is not enough food. This means that whatever you do eat will be stored to fat cells in case food really is scarce. When you eat a lot of small meals and snacks throughout the day, your body thinks there is plenty of food to go around and it uses a lot more for energy, speeding up your metabolism.
• Low fat milk has less calcium. The calcium in milk is mostly contained in the watery part, not the creamy part, so low fat and skim milk has the same amount of calcium as any other milk.
• Nuts will make you gain weight. Nuts are very nutritional, and while they are high in fat, it is actually good fat! Nuts contain omega 3 fatty acids that are helpful to weight loss.
• Vegetarians lose more weight. The truth is, vegetarians often lose more vitamins, minerals and nutrients. You don’t lose weight by cutting out meat; you lose weight by eating healthier, watching portion sizes and cutting calories. A regular exercise routine doesn’t hurt either.