Nutrition can be a hotly contested topic, but health experts agree that eating well is actually simple.
No matter which way you slice and dice the information, the conclusion is you should mostly eat a whole, minimally processed diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and water.
1. Low Carb Means Grain Free!
Carbohydrates include highly processed foods, like crackers, chips, bread, and breakfast cereal.
But the category also includes berries, spinach, beans, lentils, and plant based foods that contain fiber and a variety of health promoting nutrients.
2. Carbs Are Bad and Should Be Avoided!
Consuming high fiber, unrefined carbohydrates whole grains, legumes, fruit, and vegetables is linked to a reduced risk of chronic disease.
3. Breakfast Is the Most Important Meal of the Day!
There's nothing special about breakfast.
The first food you eat during the day is technically breakfast, but it doesn't need to be consumed early or include certain types of foods.
If you're not hungry in the morning, you can skip this meal and move right into lunch.
4. Snacking Is Bad for You!
Snacking takes the edge off your hunger and can work for or against you depending on what you're eating.
Katz recommends apples, walnuts, bananas, carrots, hummus, and bean dip as nutritious snacks.
Skip highly processed vending machine food that will spike and then crash your blood sugar.
5. Always Eat Fresh Produce!
Sometimes, frozen produce may be healthier than fresh.
Frozen produce is often flash frozen at the peak of ripeness, while some fresh produce is picked before it's ripe.
The nutrition in fresh produce may degrade as it's shipped to stores.
6. Always Eat Local Food!
Eating locally produced food is a worthy aim.
However, the most important goal is to eat more fruits and vegetables even if they were grown far away.
7. Organic Produce Is Better Than Conventional!
If you can afford organic, eat organic, since organic produce contains fewer potentially harmful chemical residues.
But if it's out of your budget, buy conventional and rinse it off before eating to reduce the amount of pesticide residue.
The most important thing is eating more fruits and vegetables.
8. You Need to Detox or Reset!
The beauty of having organs, such as lungs, skin, kidneys, and a liver, is that your body relies on them to detox your body naturally.
You don't need to buy an expensive detox program to improve your health.
9. You Should Avoid Gluten!
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation.
About 90 percent of people are gluten tolerant and consume these foods just fine.
What's more, research published in May 2015 in the journal Digestion shows that among people who believed they were sensitive to gluten, 86 percent could eat it just fine.
Unless you have celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity, you can continue to cook foods with gluten, such as whole grains.
10. Low Fat Versions of Foods Are Better for You!
Skip fat and you're skipping out on the most satiating nutrient.
Plus, low fat foods often backfire: these alternatives are often higher in sodium and sugar to make up for the lack of mouthfeel from removing the fat, so they're not necessarily healthier.
11. Green Juice Is Good for You!
Turning produce into juice strips away the fiber, making juice a more concentrated source of sugar.
The end result is a higher glycemic load, which means your blood sugar will surge after drinking the juice, according to How to Eat.
Better to consume whole fruits and vegetables.
12. Sweet Potatoes Are Healthier Than White Potatoes!
The humble white potato gets the short stick but shouldn't.
People demonize potatoes over sweet potatoes, but the nutrient composition is quite similar.
Sweet potatoes have more vitamin A and an additional gram of fiber, but white potatoes have more potassium essential for helping regulate blood sugar.
