Spreading "wisdom" that you must ignore

It's the twenty-first century, and never before have we had better access to information about our health. Science and medicine continue to improve, and our constant contact with the media means that we are often bombarded with articles, programs, advertisements, and many gurus telling us how to stay healthy, along with their list of do's and don'ts. A lot of this information spread around around nutrition is not true at all. Below you will find a list of some of the worst diet advice ever.

Throw out egg yolks (or avoid eggs altogether)

For some reason, eggs are often the target of would-be nutritionists or those trying to sell various diet products. However, if you ask those who are in the right place in their field, they usually don't give eggs a miss. They're great for your health, and they tend to be touted as a superfood. So why have they become a target? It's because of the simple fact that they contain a lot of cholesterol. It is for this reason that you may come across the opinion that you should only eat egg whites. Not only do whole eggs and the yolk taste better, it is also already proven that eggs have no negative effect on your cholesterol levels.

A study published in 2012 in the British Medical Journal says: " Higher egg consumption is not associated with an increased risk of heart disease or stroke."

Later research from the University of Connecticut found different results in people who ate three eggs a day for a month. In some people, cholesterol increased, but only the good kind, HDL. The researchers concluded that an increase in these levels did not lead to an increased risk of heart disease. Eggs contain lots of good quality protein, healthy fats, minerals and antioxidants. If you're trying to lose weight, they'll help keep you full for longer.

Tip: Eat eggs for breakfast. They'll fill you up and enrich your overall nutrient intake. A healthy and balanced diet should consist of nutrient-dense foods, and eggs are a superfood in this regard.

Reduce fat, add carbohydrates

A low-fat diet sounds good, after all, we're destroying fat, right? We tell ourselves that we should avoid fat because it makes us fat, doesn't it? No. Have you ever wondered why people still don't lose weight despite all the low-fat alternatives filling the supermarkets? Fat is not the enemy. Low-fat diets can sometimes be appropriate, depending on your state of health. But if you are obese or have type 2 diabetes, you should avoid them. That's because low-fat diets depend on increased carbohydrate levels, and higher carbohydrate levels raise blood sugar.

A two-year study by the Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment in which sixteen thousand studies were reviewed up to 2013 concluded that a low-carbohydrate, higher-fat diet is the best for most people.

This recommendation, which resulted in a change to Sweden's official government dietary recommendation, suggests that a low-carbohydrate diet can improve good cholesterol and lead to improved glucose levels in those struggling with obesity or diabetes.

Another US study looking at the effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on mood and hunger found that over six months, participants on the low-carbohydrate diet lost almost twice as much weight compared to the low-fat group. They also had less hunger.

While carbs make you feel good in the short term, you'll probably get hungry again soon. So if you are hungry, learn to reach for something that will keep you full for longer instead of carbs. It's not just about losing weight. A diet reduced in carbohydrates and higher in fat and protein is also good for your heart. The trick is knowing which healthy fats and proteins to reach for.

A 20-year study of more than 80,000 women found that those on a low-carbohydrate diet and higher in fat and protein generally had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease. However, this was only true for women who replaced carbohydrates with healthy plant fats and protein. However, if the diet was too high in animal fats and protein, the benefits were negligible.

Tip: Low-carbohydrate, higher-fat diets may serve you better than the often-recommended low-fat ones. If you have diabetes or are obese, consider just reducing carbohydrates for weight loss (after consulting your doctor, of course). Make sure you are replacing carbohydrates with HEALTHY fats. Focus on the quality of your food more than just the quantity.

Calories as calories

Calorie counting is all around us these days. Even fast food chains often inform us of the calorie content of their meals. It is good to be informed about how many calories what contains, but focusing only on calories leads to the fatal mistake mentioned above, not focusing on the quality of the food.

The problem with constantly counting calories is that it makes every calorie sound the same. However, you are surely aware that this is not the case. Let's look at an example. If you spend ten minutes with your friend on the phone or watching TV, that's not exactly what you would call "quality time". If you sit down together, have a coffee, or take a walk, time spent like that is much more important to you. Just as time spent can be quality time or not, calories can be used to measure the amount of food that is healthy or the amount that is not.

Thirty M&Ms have a total of two hundred calories, but so do one hundred and fifty grams of hard-boiled eggs. Obviously one of these options is healthier in terms of macro and micronutrients. If we only focus on calorie counting, we tend to base every food decision we make on what has how many calories, not how beneficial those calories are to us. While the food you make at home may have more calories than a Big Mac, the food you prepare will have less processed fats, hormones and preservatives.

Feeling full? Have you ever eaten something and still felt hungry? You eat a lot of sweets, chips and alcohol at parties and still don't feel full. These calories are sometimes referred to as empty calories. If you are satiated for a longer period of time, it is also easier for you to eat healthy. Foods like eggs, potatoes and meat will keep you full for a much longer time than sweets or ice cream. Plus, if you consume enough protein in a day, you'll speed up your metabolism and reduce cravings and hunger.

One study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association looked at three groups of people who consumed the same amount of calories in different food combinations. The group that consumed less fat burned three hundred fewer calories per day than those on the low-carbohydrate diet. This difference was attributed to a possible slowing of metabolism that occurs when a person does not ingest enough fat.

While a person can lose weight even while on a low-fat diet, the weight is usually gained back after they start eating normally. His metabolism is slowed down and the body wants to compensate for this change.

Tip: Not all calories are at the same level. Focus on the quality of the food instead of just counting calories. Avoid empty calories in alcohol and other unhealthy foods that don't give your body what it needs.