Table of Contents
Carbs Are The Enemy and Make You Gain Weight
One of the most persistent nutrition myths is that carbohydrates automatically lead to weight gain. Carbohydrates are often seen as the enemy, but they’re not the villain when it comes to weight gain. Weight gain happens when we eat more calories than we burn – whether they come from carbs, protein, or fats. The real culprit is eating too many calories from any source, not carbs themselves.
Choosing high-fibre carbohydrates (e.g., whole grains, fruits, and vegetables) while limiting added sugars is linked to more positive health effects, such as lowering our risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Quality matters more than completely avoiding entire food groups.
Plant-Based Diets Can’t Provide Complete Protein
While meat is a rich source of protein, many plant-based foods also provide plenty of protein. Beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, nuts, seeds, and whole grains can all contribute to meeting your protein needs. The idea that you need to carefully combine specific plant foods to get complete protein has been debunked by modern research.
Research has shown that when you eat a variety of plant-based proteins throughout the day and enough calories, you can easily get all your amino acids. Studies show that vegetarians and vegans get 70 percent more protein than they need every day (70-plus grams), while non-vegetarians get even more than that (almost 80 grams). Without even trying, you are most likely getting more protein than you need – whether you’re a vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore.
Seed Oils Are Dangerous and Cause Inflammation
Social media has been flooded with claims that seed oils like canola and sunflower oil are toxic and inflammatory. However, high-quality research shows that eating more linoleic acid doesn’t increase inflammatory markers in the body. In fact, higher levels of linoleic acid are associated with lower inflammation.
Canola oil is very low in saturated fat and is high in healthy monounsaturated fats, omega-3s and phytosterols, which are known to reduce the absorption of cholesterol in the body. A 2020 review published in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases found that canola oil lowered cholesterol and improved cardiovascular risk factors. The evidence consistently supports these oils as part of a healthy diet.
Fat-Free and Low-Fat Foods Are Always Healthier
Many products labeled low-fat or fat-free contain added sugar or sodium to help make up for the loss of flavor when removing or reducing fat. Choosing a fat-free product to reduce calories can backfire as you may find yourself snacking soon after. These products often contain just as many calories as regular versions.
You do not have to avoid all fats if you’re trying to improve your health or lose weight. Fat provides essential nutrients and should be an important part of a healthy eating plan. The key is choosing healthier fats like those found in avocados, nuts, and olive oil rather than avoiding fat altogether.
Gluten-Free Foods Are Automatically Healthier
Gluten-free foods are not healthier if you don’t have celiac disease or are not sensitive to gluten. A health care professional is likely to prescribe a gluten-free eating plan to treat people who have celiac disease or are sensitive to gluten. For everyone else, gluten-containing whole grains provide valuable nutrients.
Be mindful when manufacturers remove gluten, as additional sugar, salt or refined starches are often added to make up the difference in flavor and texture. Unless medically necessary, avoiding gluten doesn’t offer any special health benefits and may actually reduce your intake of beneficial nutrients.
Eating Small Frequent Meals Boosts Your Metabolism
The idea behind this myth is that eating small, frequent meals could boost your metabolism so you burn more calories. However, studies show that splitting the same number of calories into six meals rather than three does not help with daily energy expenditure, weight loss or fat loss.
University of Colorado researchers found that those who ate smaller, more frequent meals ended up feeling hungrier than their counterparts who ate less often. In the real world, if people are told to eat five or six small meals, they are just going to eat more, or eat more of the wrong things. The total calories consumed matter more than meal frequency.
Detox Diets and Cleanses Remove Toxins From Your Body
There’s little evidence that dietary cleanses do any of the things they promise. Your liver, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract do a good job of detoxing it every day. Your body already has sophisticated detoxification systems that work continuously without special products.
If you’re looking to rejuvenate your body, focus on eating more whole foods, drinking water and removing highly processed foods from your diet. These sustainable habits provide genuine health benefits without the need for expensive cleanses or restrictive detox programs.
Eating Late at Night Automatically Causes Weight Gain
While late-night snacking can lead to weight gain or prevent weight loss, it’s not because of the time on the clock. Instead, it’s about why you’re eating. It’s common to reach for food for reasons other than physical hunger in the evening, whether it be a habit, boredom or craving.
What matters is your total daily calorie intake, not when you consume those calories. Late-night eating becomes problematic when it leads to consuming excess calories or choosing less nutritious options during emotional or mindless eating episodes.
Natural Sugars Like Honey and Agave Are Much Healthier Than Regular Sugar
Sugar is sugar, although unrefined sugar options may contain a small number of vitamins and minerals. The advantage is minimal as they are still considered added sugar and contribute to the recommended daily limit on added sugar in the diet. Your body processes all forms of added sugar similarly.
While natural sweeteners might sound healthier, they still contribute to tooth decay, blood sugar spikes, and excessive calorie intake when consumed in large amounts. The focus should be on reducing overall added sugar intake regardless of the source.
Dairy Products Are Inflammatory and Harmful
A strong body of research suggests that dairy foods like milk, cheese and yogurt are not inflammatory but can have anti-inflammatory effects. In fact, a 2019 validated inflammation scoring system found that both high-fat and low-fat dairy foods had anti-inflammatory scores. For most people, dairy can be part of a healthy diet.
Dairy is nutritious and a good source of protein. There’s no evidence that it’s harmful unless you have an allergy or dairy intolerance. The anti-dairy sentiment often stems from individual experiences or dietary philosophies rather than scientific evidence for the general population.