You have probably seen weight loss advertisements pop up while you were on Facebook or seen celebrity fad diets while browsing the web. It would be much wiser to ignore them but the reality is that some are easily convinced and actually try these fad diets and weight loss pills which prove to do more harm than good. This happens in this day and age where there are innumerable toll free numbers you can call for the sole purpose of learning more about health, such as the ones found on this website. You’ve probably heard that “you are what you eat” so here are some common foods and their associated benefits for us to see if the rumors are true.
Fish makes you Cleverer
This is true. You have probably heard that fish is “brain food” and believe it or not, it is. According to Dr. Victor Marchione, fish is of the most potent brain boosting food especially if you eat the fatty kind. Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna are high in omega oils which help stimulate brain power. There is evidence to show that these fats are essential for proper brain function. Fish oil aids in breaking down the vitamins that boosts body organs such as the heart and the brain. Vitamins such as Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin D and Vitamin K are all fat soluble.
Eating Carrots makes you see in the Dark
This is false because carrots are not magical. They may not be able to let you see in the dark but carrots are high in Vitamin A which is essential for maintaining healthy eyes. A lack of Vitamin A could lead to glaucoma, night blindness, and shortsightedness.
Cholesterol Free means Fat Free
This could not be any more false. A product labeled Cholesterol Free may still contain hundreds of other types of fat. Cholesterol free pertains to food and other products that have no cholesterol but does not necessarily mean have absolutely no fat as well. Cholesterol is derived from the fats in most animal-based food like dairy, eggs, and meat. If you really are serious about shunning cholesterol, you should just stick to fruits and vegetables as they are totally devoid of the stuff. On that note, products that are labeled Fat Free are not always good for you either. You will find that sugar and salt are added to the food to improve the taste. For example, fat free yogurt may not contain fat but they found to have much more artificial sweeteners and sugar than regular yogurt.
Organic Food is Healthier
They may contain less chemicals but it doesn’t mean the food has higher levels of vitamins. Washing your fruits and vegetables should get rid of pesticides and dirt so there’s no real need for organic products. “When it comes to their nutritional quality, vegetables vary enormously, and that’s true whether they are organic or conventional. One carrot in the grocery store, for instance, may have two or three times more beta carotene (which gives us vitamin A) than its neighbor. That’s due to all kinds of things: differences in the genetic makeup of different varieties, the ripeness of the produce when it was picked, even the weather. So there really are vegetables that are more nutritious than others, but the dividing line between them isn’t whether or not they are organic.” (Allison Aubrey)
