More and more people are setting strict dietary rules for themselves. Restraint is not wrong, but it's a mistake to get the scale and direction wrong before you start. Otherwise, after suffering from the misery of these rules, you won't get the health you've been striving for. Isn't that just tormenting yourself for nothing? The truth itself is not scary; what's scary is the lies you firmly believe.
1. Fresh vegetables are healthier than refrigerated ones: This statement is perfectly true if the vegetables are freshly picked from the field. But in reality, most of the vegetables we eat are not that fresh; they have usually been stored for several days, and vitamins are gradually lost during storage. On the contrary, ultra-low-temperature quick-frozen vegetables can retain more vitamins because they are frozen immediately after picking, which effectively prevents the loss of vitamins.
2. You can absolutely drink mineral water without worry: Many people say 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). Dutch scientists analyzed 68 different brands of bottled mineral water from 16 countries and 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 stimulate brain cells and has an invigorating effect. If you feel sleepy and groggy after waking up in the morning, drink a cup of coffee, and your mind will immediately clear up. As long as you don't overindulge or become addicted, and you add milk when you drink it, coffee will not harm your health.
4. Brown bread is whole wheat bread: Health-conscious people are often misled by the color of food. Brown bread is considered a healthier and more nutritious food, but what they don't realize is that it's just food coloring added by bakers to make it more appealing to buy. Therefore, brown bread is not the same as whole wheat bread. When buying whole wheat bread, it's best to check the label.
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 what seemed like a healthier option: bread. But to make the bread taste better, many people spread butter on it. In fact, compared to french fries, the fat content of buttered bread is extremely small, and their starch, protein, and mineral contents are almost identical. Moreover, french fries are relatively richer in vitamin C, so buttered bread is not necessarily healthier than french fries.
6. A breakfast of assorted cereal is more filling than bread: Assorted cereal contains diced fruit, walnuts, raisins, etc., and is often served with milk, appearing more substantial. However, in terms of calories, it is about the same as bread with jam. But people who eat assorted cereal usually have lower blood sugar levels, and the higher the sugar content in the cereal, the less hungry it makes you feel. Therefore, bread with jam is actually more filling.
7. Glucose can keep a person in an excellent state: Although the "flash energy" provided by glucose can make a person mentally alert and energetic for a short time, this energy is quickly depleted, and a person may even feel hungrier than before.
8. Fruits not sprayed with pesticides don't need to be washed: Even organic fruits should be washed carefully with water before eating. The insect eggs on the peel of fruits (like strawberries and apples) are invisible. If you eat unwashed fruit, you are easily susceptible to bacterial infection.
9. Sweeteners help with weight loss: Many people know that eating sugar can lead to weight gain, so they use sweeteners instead of sugar to help them lose weight. However, studies have shown that all sweeteners (especially saccharin) accelerate insulin secretion, which results in making you more dependent on sugar.
10. Salad is extremely beneficial to human health: This is probably because salad is low in calories, so it is favored by many people. Salad contains up to 80% water, but the nutrients the human body absorbs from it are actually very low. Moreover, most women should not eat too much salad. Because the constitution of women is generally on the cold side, eating too much salad can lead to poor metabolism, poor blood circulation, dull skin, and even wrinkles. In addition, many vegetables have high nitrate content, which mainly comes from fertilizers used in their cultivation.
11. Eating at night will ruin your figure: If this view were 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 don't consume excessive calories at night, you won't have a problem with being overweight. However, be aware that eating too late or having a 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 regular butter, but their content of unsaturated fatty acids is higher, which更容易 leads to an increase in cholesterol levels in the body!
13. Dark-colored eggs are more nutritious than light-colored ones: Dark color is often synonymous with health and high nutritional value, but the color of an 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 it is given daily.
14. Enzymes in tropical fruits help with weight loss: If that were true, it would be great; we could just eat pineapple and papaya to lose weight. But in fact, the enzymes in tropical fruits aid in protein digestion, allowing food to be better absorbed by the body, but body fat is not burned. Therefore, you cannot rely on enzymes for weight loss.
15. Honey is low in calories and helps with weight loss: If you pin your hopes on honey for weight loss, you will likely be disappointed. 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, honey is more nutritious than sugar.
16. Eating potatoes easily leads to weight gain: Many people consider potatoes 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%, with the actual starch content being only about 20%. They also contain dietary fiber that produces a feeling of fullness. Therefore, using them as a staple food not only makes it difficult to gain weight but can also have a weight-loss effect! The reason potatoes are seen as a fattening food 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 hundred calories, but when made into french fries, its calorie content can exceed 200 kcal. It's not the potato itself that makes you fat, but the oil it absorbs. Anyone who has cooked beef and potatoes knows that potatoes have a strong ability to absorb oil.
17. Brown sugar is more beneficial than white sugar: Both brown sugar and white sugar are 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 cellulose, 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 white sugar. Moreover, brown sugar is not as sweet as white sugar, so people naturally add more of it when drinking tea or coffee, so sometimes brown sugar can 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. But raw vegetables are not suitable for all types. 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 enough vitamin A from them when consumed with fat.
19. Drinking alcohol can warm the body: Although a person may feel warm all over after drinking a glass of alcohol, this is just an illusion. In fact, the body temperature does not rise but falls. This is because the tiny blood vessels under the skin dilate rapidly due to drinking, and the blood cools faster due to the increased surface area, causing the body temperature to drop.