Top 5 Health Myths People Believe Are True:

 These are the top 5 I talk to my patients about regularly:

1.)    Antioxidant rich foods dramatically reduce free radicals and protect the body from damage.  Although it is true that they do help, their effects are not dramatic. Foods rich in antioxidants are: blueberries, black berries, turmeric, green tea, broccoli, pistachios, oregano, etc. These foods contain direct free radicals and fight free radicals at a ratio of 1:1 meaning one antioxidant takes out one free radical. Unfortunately we produce 130, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000 free radicals daily! Indirect free radicals that turn on your body’s own enzymes from the inside are much more effective!

2.)    Foods rich in fats are bad for your health and make you fat, damage your heart, and cause high cholesterol. Diets that have emphasis on low fat actually contain much higher contents of sugar. Americans are deficient in good fats like Omega 3’s which are found in cold water fish, nuts, dark leafy greens, and oils  have a surplus of Omega 6’s which are found in grains. Low fat diets do not make healthier people. Diets that are balanced and have emphasis on good fats that feed the brain and help provide nutrients to protect the heart and eyes make healthy people. Oils like olive oil and flax seed oil have a good source of Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids have actually been shown to reduce cholesterol.

3.)    Milk does a body good. The latest research based on Harvard’s assessment that “…high intake can increase the risk of prostate cancer and possibly ovarian cancer.”  The Harvard experts also referred to the high levels of saturated fat in most dairy products and suggested that collards, bok choy, fortified soy milk, and baked beans are safer choices than dairy for obtaining calcium rrather than milk. Harvard’s research suggests that our Food Guide Pyramid needs some tweaking but found some controversy from lobbyist as the dairy and farming industry is a big business in America. Take your health into your own hands and don’t rely on the business world to tell you how to eat.

4.)    Vegetarian diets are healthy and skinny people are on them. Many people who claim to be vegetarian and carbatarians- people who eat mostly or only carbs. This is not a well-balanced diet or a healthy diet. Vegetarians have to put a lot of thought into the foods they eat to get enough protein rich foods in their diet daily. It is not an easy diet if done correctly. A person who eats no meat but a diet rich in French fries, white rice, and breads will not be skinny or healthy and is not a true vegetarian just because they consume no meat. The word vegetarian has emphasis on the word vegetable. Meat is not an unhealthy food.

5.)    You can lose weight by drinking diet drinks. Diet drinks contain harmful chemicals that have been shown in research to cause cancer in lab rats. New research has shown that the sugary, calorie free chemicals added in to replace the sugar also make the consumers crave carbs and sugary foods even more therefore making them consume even more unhealthy foods in larger quantities and gaining more weight. It is also linked to the increase in fibromyalgia diagnoses in recent years. Sugar is best done in its natural form and in moderation and diet drinks are best avoided. Stevia is a great natural, calorie free substitute. If you are drinking a diet drink or an energy drink as a part of a healthy lifestyle plan, there is a ton of irony in that. If your diet and lifestyle are in line with healthy guidelines, you shouldn't need an energy drink to get through the day.