Busting the top 5 nutrition myths

These days there is so much noise around nutrition – what we should or shouldn’t be eating. In a world full of social media, health trends and fad diets sometimes it can feel overwhelming and hard to know what information we can trust. To make things easier for you, we’ve decided to bust the top 5 biggest nutrition myths on the internet!

Myth 1: Carbs are bad for us  
One of the most persistent nutrition myths on the internet is that carbohydrates are bad for us. In reality, including low GI and unprocessed carbohydrates will improve our health. Carbohydrates are our body’s preferred fuel source, which means they provide important energy to our body and organs, including our brain. Carbohydrates also contain fibre for a healthy digestive system, as well as important vitamins and minerals. In fact, the Australian Dietary Guidelines recommends that approximately 45-65% of our diet should come from carbohydrates.
So, what sorts of carbohydrates should we be eating? Try opting for less processed, every-day carbohydrates such as wholegrains, starchy vegetables (potato, beans, corn), legumes (chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils) and fruit.  

Myth 2: Fresh fruits and vegetables are more nutritious
‘Fresh is best’ is what many people believe when it comes to frozen fruits and veggies, but this isn’t always the case. Actually, frozen produce is very nutritionally similar to that of fresh produce, some research has even shown that frozen fruits and vegetables contain a higher number of antioxidants than the fresh varieties. Frozen produce is usually picked when they’re the ripest, which is also the time that they are most nutritious. Once they’re picked, they’re snap frozen soon after, and snap frozen with them are their nutrients. The bottom-line is frozen produce can be a cost-effective and convenient way to get in our extra fruits and vegetables and are just as good for us.  

Myth 3: Gluten free foods are healthier  
It may be helpful to bust this myth by first talking about what gluten is. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, oats and rye. Gluten-free diets are an important treatment for people with diagnosed coeliac disease (a gluten allergy), but for most of us, gluten-free diets are not necessary. Gluten-free products can be very expensive and are often lower in essential nutrients such as B vitamins and fibre. This is because regular grains which we use to make flour, cereals, breads and pasta are fortified with these vitamins and are naturally higher in fibre. Overall, unless recommended by a doctor or a registered dietitian, there is no evidence to show that gluten-free diets will improve our health or prevent diseases.  

Myth 4: ‘Detox’ diets help remove toxins from our bodies
We’ve all seen celebrities and social media influencers endorse their favourite ‘detox juices’ and ‘detox teas’. These expensive detox products are often just hidden laxatives! Some detox products are not considered safe and have even been shown to worsen health. Unless we are very unwell, our own bodies are actually experts at ridding themselves of toxins. Our lungs, kidneys, liver and even our skin are always working to get rid of substances that our bodies don’t want. The safest and most effective way to keep our own detox system healthy is physical activity, water and a well-balanced diet.  

Myth 5: Coconut oil is healthier  
Coconut oil has been one of the most popular health trends of recent years, with many people raving about its benefits and believing it to be healthier to eat and cook with than other oils. Although it is derived from a fruit, coconut oil is high in saturated fats, and has been shown to raise our total cholesterol. The heart foundation recommends using coconut in small amounts and swapping out saturated fats to unsaturated or healthy fats. These types of fats include olive oil, avocado, and nut butters, and are all linked to having heart healthy benefits.