For health, you adhere to various maxims about diet. But did you know? Many of the diet maxims you have always firmly believed are actually full of one-sided lies! Now, it's time to give you a clear truth.
When it comes to sugar, salt, and fat, people invariably say: "Avoid them, because they are harmful to human health." But is this really the case? In fact, everything has a degree; as long as you master this degree, you will not be harmed by them.
1. Fresh vegetables are healthier than refrigerated vegetables
If you mean fresh vegetables just picked from the field, this statement is unquestionable. But in fact, most of the vegetables we eat are not that fresh; they are usually stored for several days, and their vitamins are gradually lost during the storage process. On the contrary, ultra-low temperature quick-frozen vegetables can retain more vitamins because they are frozen immediately after picking, which can effectively prevent the loss of vitamins.
2. Drinking mineral water is absolutely safe
Many people say that mineral water is rich in minerals and is more beneficial to the human body.
However, mineral water can also be contaminated by harmful substances in the soil (such as mercury and cadmium). Recently, Dutch scientists analyzed 68 different brands of bottled mineral water from 16 countries, and the results found that mineral water is more susceptible to contamination by dangerous microorganisms and bacteria, containing far more pathogenic microorganisms than one might imagine. Although these bacteria may not pose a great threat to healthy people, for those with weaker immune systems, the bacteria in bottled mineral water can be quite dangerous.
3. Drinking coffee is harmful to human health
Coffee can easily lead to the loss of calcium in the body, but this deficiency can be compensated by adding milk to the coffee. In fact, coffee is beneficial to the human body; it can excite brain cells and has the effect of refreshing the mind. If you feel sleepy and groggy after getting up in the morning, drink a cup of coffee, and your mind will immediately become clear. As long as you don't overdo it or get addicted, and drink it with milk, coffee will not harm your health.
4. Brown bread is whole wheat bread
People who pay attention to a healthy diet are often misled by the color of food: brown bread is regarded as a healthier and more nutritious food. What they don't realize is that this is just the food coloring added by the baker when baking the bread, making the brown bread more attractive to buy. Therefore, brown bread is not the same as whole wheat bread. When buying whole wheat bread, it is best to check the label clearly.
5. Buttered bread is healthier than french fries
At one time, everyone knew that french fries in fast food are high in calories, so they turned to the seemingly healthier bread slices. But to make the bread taste better, many people spread butter on it when they eat it. In fact, compared to french fries, the fat content in buttered bread is extremely small, and their starch, protein, and mineral content are almost identical. Moreover, french fries contain more vitamin C, so buttered bread is not necessarily healthier than french fries.
6. Breakfast with mixed cereal is more filling than bread slices
Mixed cereal contains diced fruit, walnuts, raisins, etc., and is added with milk, which seems more abundant, but in fact, its calorie content is similar to that of bread slices with jam. However, people who eat mixed cereal usually have lower blood sugar levels, and the higher the sugar content in the cereal, the less likely it is to make people feel hungry. Therefore, eating jam bread slices is actually more filling.
7. Glucose can keep a person in an excellent state
Although the "lightning energy" provided by glucose can make a person clear-headed and energetic in a short time, this energy is quickly consumed, and a person may even feel hungrier than before.
8. Fruits without pesticides do not need to be washed
Even green fruits must be washed carefully with water before eating. The insect eggs on the fruit peel (such as strawberries, apples) are invisible. If fruits are not washed before eating, it is easy to get infected with bacteria.
9. Sweeteners help with weight loss
Many people know that eating sugar can easily lead to weight gain, so using sweeteners to replace sugar can help us lose weight. However, studies have shown that all sweeteners (especially saccharin) will accelerate the secretion of insulin, which in turn makes you more dependent on sugar.
10. Salad is extremely beneficial to human health
This is probably because salads are low in calories, so they are favored by many people. Salad contains up to 80% water, but in fact, the nutrients absorbed by the human body from salad are also very low. Moreover, most women should not eat too much salad. Because the constitution of most women is on the cold side, eating too much salad can easily lead to poor metabolism, poor blood circulation, irregular menstruation, dull skin, and even wrinkles. In addition, the nitrate content in many vegetables is also relatively high, which mainly comes from the fertilizers used to grow vegetables, and its potential danger cannot be ignored.
11. Eating at night will ruin your good figure
If this view is correct, then 99% of people on earth would be overweight. In fact, you only gain weight when you eat too much and too full at night. If you do not consume too many calories at night, you will not have the problem of being overweight. However, note that eating too late or having the habit of having a midnight snack can indeed burden the stomach and easily lead to sleep disorders.
12. Butter has more calories than margarine
The calorie content of butter and margarine is the same. In fact, the calorie content of some margarine products is not only not lower than that of ordinary butter, but their unsaturated fatty acid content is higher, which is more likely to lead to an increase in cholesterol levels in the body!
13. Dark-colored eggs are more nutritious than light-colored eggs
Dark color is often a synonym for health and high nutritional value, but the color of the eggshell is only related to the breed of the hen. The nutritional value of an egg depends entirely on the health of the hen and the quality of the feed fed daily.
14. Enzymes in tropical fruits help with weight loss
How wonderful it would be if this were true; we could just eat pineapple and papaya to lose weight. But in fact, the enzymes in tropical fruits have the function of supporting protein digestion, making food better absorbed by the body, but body fat will not be burned. Therefore, weight loss cannot be achieved by enzymes.
15. Honey is low in calories and helps with weight loss?
If you pin your hopes on honey for weight loss, your hopes are often dashed. In fact, 100 grams of honey contains 303 calories, while 100 grams of sugar contains 399 calories. The former's calorie content is only slightly lower than the latter. However, in terms of potassium, zinc, and copper content, the nutritional value of honey is higher than that of sugar.
16. Eating potatoes can easily lead to weight gain
Many people consider potatoes to be a food that easily causes weight gain, but this is not the case. Potatoes contain starch, but their water content is as high as over 70%, and the actual starch content is only about 20%. They also contain dietary fiber that can produce a feeling of fullness. Therefore, replacing staple foods with potatoes is not only easy to gain weight but can also have a weight loss effect! The reason why potatoes are seen as a food that easily causes weight gain is entirely due to improper traditional cooking methods, turning perfectly good potatoes into french fries and potato chips. A medium-sized baked potato without oil contains only a few thousand calories, while when made into french fries, its calorie content can be as high as 200 kcal or more. What makes people fat is not the potato itself, but the oil it absorbs. Those who have cooked potatoes with beef know that potatoes have a strong oil-absorbing ability.
17. Brown sugar is more beneficial than white sugar
Brown sugar and white sugar are both extracted from sugarcane or sugar beets. The production process of brown sugar is slightly simpler than that of white sugar, and it contains more glucose and fiber, and it releases energy faster and has a higher absorption and utilization rate. However, the sugar content and calories of brown sugar are almost the same as those of white sugar. Moreover, the taste of brown sugar is not as sweet as white sugar, so people naturally add more when drinking tea and coffee. Therefore, brown sugar can sometimes be more dangerous than white sugar.
18. Raw vegetables are healthier
Many vegetables are indeed healthier when eaten raw because that best preserves their nutrients. However, raw eating is not suitable for all vegetables. For example: potatoes, beans, and eggplant contain toxic substances and must be cooked thoroughly before eating; carrots are rich in vitamin A, but the human body can only absorb sufficient vitamin A from carrots when consuming fat at the same time.
19. Drinking alcohol can warm the body
Although a person feels warm all over after drinking a glass of alcohol, this is just an illusion. In fact, the body temperature does not rise but drops. Because the tiny blood vessels under the skin dilate rapidly due to drinking, the blood cools faster due to the increased surface area, and the body temperature thus drops.