by We are inundated with diet and nutrition advice. It comes from friends and family, social media, blogs, news reports, magazines, fitness trainers, health professionals and other sources.
With everyone acting as a nutrition expert, incorrect, misleading and scientifically unsupported information is subject to emerging – and sticking to it.
Here are five persistent nutrition myths and what you should know about them:
1. Avoid fruit as it is loaded with sugar
It has been said that eating fruit will prevent you from losing weight or, even worse, gaining weight. Or that you can’t eat fruit if you have diabetes.
Fruit gets an unfair bad rap because of its sugar content. That’s especially true of bananas, although one medium-sized banana contains only slightly more sugar than a similar apple or pear.
Whole fruits contain naturally occurring sugar along with vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and fiber, which slows the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.
A 2021 study found that compared to eating little or no fruit, higher fruit intake protected against type 2 diabetes (including bananas!). And, if you have diabetes, research suggests that adding fruit to your diet can help improve blood glucose control.
It is true that some people may need to limit their fruit intake. Still, there’s no need to avoid whole fruits. I’m sure many of us could stand to eat more fruit.
2. Eat protein immediately after a workout
To optimize muscle building, you may have been told that it is essential to consume protein within 30 minutes of completing a strength workout.
Doing so within this “anabolic window” is said to allow your muscles to repair and recover more efficiently than if you wait longer for your post-workout nutrition.
However, a review of 43 randomized controlled trials, published in 2013, showed that consuming protein within 60 minutes after exercise had little effect on muscle building. However, a strong predictor of muscle gain was the ability to consume total daily protein requirements.
No time to grab a protein shake right after a training session? Don’t stress.
However, make sure that there is sufficient protein in your daily diet to support your fitness goals. And distribute that protein over three or four meals.
3. Soy increases the risk of breast cancer
This notion is related to soy isoflavones, natural plant compounds that have a very weak estrogenic effect.
A woman’s risk of breast cancer is related to the estrogen produced by her ovaries.
Soy isoflavones are structurally different from human estrogen. When consumed, soy isoflavones do not interfere with the body’s natural estrogen.
No studies in humans have found that soy consumption increases the risk of breast cancer. In fact, some studies suggest that soy may protect against breast cancer and breast cancer recurrence.
As part of a healthy diet, moderate intake (one to two servings per day) of whole soy foods does not increase the risk of breast cancer. Traditional soy foods such as tofu, tempeh, edamame and soy milk are good sources of protein, fiber and other nutrients.
4. Dairy foods are inflammatory
Persistent low-grade inflammation is associated with a number of chronic illnesses including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
An eating pattern high in refined carbohydrates, added sugars, red meat and saturated fats and low in fruit, vegetables, whole grains and omega-3 fats is considered inflammatory.
It is common to hear that dairy (milk, yogurt, cheese) is inflammatory. That may be because dairy contains saturated fat, which can increase inflammation.
But the evidence does not support a link between dairy and inflammation. Some studies have associated dairy, especially fermented dairy (yoghurt, aged cheese, kefir), with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
A 2021 review of 27 randomized controlled trials found that dairy products had a neutral or beneficial effect on blood markers of inflammation in adults who did not have a serious inflammatory disorder. Studies suggest that fermented dairy has weak anti-inflammatory effects.
If you don’t have a milk allergy, there’s no reason your anti-inflammatory diet shouldn’t include dairy. The Mediterranean, DASH and Nordic diets certainly do.
5. eating nuts leads to weight gain
Eating a handful of nuts each day is thought to help protect against heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Nuts are also a key ingredient in a blood pressure and blood cholesterol lowering diet.
However, many people avoid eating nuts for fear of gaining weight.
Nuts are high in calories because of their heart-healthy unsaturated fats. However, there is no evidence that eating nuts regularly causes weight gain.
Instead, plenty of studies have found that eating nuts is associated with less weight gain and a lower risk of overweight and obesity.
The protein, fiber and fat in nuts promote satiety and reduce appetite. Nut eaters have also been shown to eat fewer calories at later meals.
And thanks to its fibrous cell wall, it is thought that our body does not absorb between 20 and 25 percent of the calories in nuts.
Leslie Beck, a private practice dietitian based in Toronto, is the director of food and nutrition at Medcan. Follow her on X @LeslieBeckRD
