Nutrition Facts That Should Be Common Sense, But Aren’t

Unfortunately, common sense isn’t all that common these days. In the world of health and medicine, several misconceptions are often interpreted as the absolute truth, so we wanted to dedicate this week’s blog to nutrition facts that should be common sense, but unfortunately for a lot of people, aren’t. Read on to see a list of facts that need to be sorted out once and for all!

• Artificial trans fats are dangerous. Several studies directly link artificial trans fats from processed foods to heart disease, increased risk for stroke, and heart attacks. Avoid them!
• Eggs are some of the healthiest foods you can eat. Eggs earned a bad reputation because of their high cholesterol content, but recent studies debunk that! Eggs are rich in fatty acids, proteins, vitamins, and other nutrients that fuel the body.
• Sodas are terrible for your weight. Most sodas are packed with over 100 calories or more, making them a huge obstacle to overcome in maintaining a healthy body weight. Packed with sugar, sodas are empty calories that need to be avoided.
• “Low-fat” doesn’t automatically make it good for you. Just because something is marked as “low-fat” doesn’t mean it isn’t packed with all sorts of other junk that isn’t good for you such as artificial and processed ingredients put there to earn it the “low-fat” title.
• Take care of your gut. The bacteria living in your stomach are responsible for a variety of important bodily functions. If the balance of your gut is disrupted, it can lead to digestive issues, gum disease, and even obesity. Take care of your gut by choosing a high quality probiotic to make those lovely bacteria happy!
• BMI isn’t the only indicator of health. Body Mass Index (BMI) has long been a standard for indicating how healthy someone is. However, several studies have proven that a person within a normal weight range for their height may still be metabolically unhealthy, and someone who has a higher weight for their height may just be packed with muscle. If you’re unsure if your weight is within a healthy range for your height, age, and body composition, speak to your doctor, not the BMI chart.
• Junk food is actually addictive. Today’s highly processed junk food not only contains empty calories, but it also causes a release of dopamine, the hormone responsible for happiness. When you eat a lot of junk food, the brain is trained to release dopamine, causing you to go back to that junk over and over again even when you know it’s bad for you.

What are some other nutrition facts that should be common sense, but aren’t? Share in the comments below!