FIVE HEALTHY FOOD MYTHBUSTERS

By SPUD.ca

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  1. Natural Sweeteners

  **Myth**: Natural syrups and sugars like agave nectar, coconut sugar, and cane juice etc. are substantially healthier than regular sugar.

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  **Truth**:  While these natural sweeteners do have some health benefits, they still behave very similarly to regular sugar. Whether it’s fructose or glucose, too much sugar in any form can force your body to develop insulin resistance, triggering an array of health issues: obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer.

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  2. Juice Cleansing

  **Myth**: Periodic detoxification or juice cleansing is vital for your body.

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  **Truth**: Yes, juice cleanses are all the craze, but no, you do not need juice cleansing or detoxifying. Your body is a detoxifying system—it’s the lungs, the liver, the kidneys, the colon, and the skin. While juicing contains valuable nutrients, there’s no scientific research that backs up the essentiality of juice cleansing. But there's also no harm, so if you feel good about them, go for it!

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  3. The Gluten-Free Fad

  **Myth**: The gluten-free diet is healthy and for everyone.

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  **Truth**: The gluten-free diet has become a serious consumer fad even though it’s probably not for you. Gluten isn’t at all bad for your body unless you have a gluten intolerance, allergy, or you have celiac disease. Because the gluten-free diet has gained so much momentum, marketers will label a product gluten free just to make it seem healthier. Bottom line is, don’t go gluten-free just because.

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  4. Fats

  **Myth**: All fats are fattening.

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  **Truth**: Not only has research actually shown that fat is no more fattening than protein or carbohydrates, fats are actually an essential nutrient that you body needs in order to survive. Many vitamins including vitamin A, D, E, and K are all fat-soluble, which means your body needs fat to use these nutrients! There are many healthy fat foods, such as avocados, fish, and olive oil.

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  5. Cholesterols

  **Myth**: Eggs have cholesterol. Cholesterol is bad. Avoid eggs!

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  **Truth**: It seems like eggs get beaten up all the time—get it? Okay no, but seriously, eggs aren’t bad for you, and neither is cholesterol. At least not every type of cholesterol. Every cell in your body requires cholesterol in order to function properly. Just like fats, if you didn’t have any cholesterol, you would die. As long as you are picking foods with good cholesterol, like almonds, avocados, beans, and oats, you are on the right path.