10 Things You Thought Were Healthy
As a nutritionist, my clients are constantly sharing health “facts” that they learned from the internet, friends, or TV. With so much information available, sometimes random or outdated statements end up as common knowledge. Often, these “facts” don’t support optimal health and can even be harmful.
MELT practitioner, Edya Kalev and I decided it was time collaborate and break down some common health myths. Here are our top 10….
Avoiding Eggs
Quality is the key to heart-healthy eggs. Eggs from factory farms lack the nutrition value of organic and pasture raised eggs. Quality eggs contain substantial amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids which are indeed beneficial for heart health. Also, the egg yolk actually contains lecithin which is a beneficial fatty acid that helps cholesterol move through the blood.
Drinking Smoothies
When fruit is eaten whole it’s usually one apple or a handful of berries. However, smoothies contain several pieces of fruit which causes a rapid spike in blood sugar levels. Many also use poor quality protein powders containing isolates. These highly processed shakes can be quite hard for the body to process. The healthiest smoothies will contain minimal fruit and quality protein from nuts, seeds, brown rice, hemp, or whole gluten free grains.
Eating Veggie Chicken or Seitan
In the last 100 years humans began altering the food supply through farming practices with an intentional increase of the gluten content of wheat through hybridization. Partly due to wheat subsidies, gluten is now used as a filler, flavoring, and emulsifier in many processed foods, including “fake” meat-like foods such as Seitan. The body can easily become over-saturated with gluten, which leads people to develop allergies and health issues. If giving up gluten completely seems too overwhelming, then start with Wheatless Wednesdays.
Eating an Apple a Day
Apples are now the worst when it comes to pesticides. For the first time, they are number one on the list known as the Dirty Dozen which are the fruits and veggies containing the highest level of pesticides as tested by the Environmental Working Group. So, if you are going to eat an apple, make sure it is an organic one!
Wearing Sunscreen
Sunscreen is one arena where labeling is often a far cry from the truth, since the FDA has just begun to regulate the industry’s claims about the level of sun protection or the safety of certain chemical ingredients. Oxybenzone is a potential hormone disruptor, while retinyl palmitate may even increase the risk of some cancers. To make sure that your sunscreen is not one of the offenders, go to the Skin Deep Website.
Wearing Arch Supports
Arch supports are like crutches…great for the short term to ease the pain and strain of specific conditions, but not something you want to depend on forever. Instead, go to a qualified Physical Therapist to help strengthen your arches, or follow along with this Youtube video. Just use MELT balls instead of the tennis ball and you’ll get a great workout for your footsies.
Eating Hijiki Seaweed Salad
Seaweed pulls nutrients from seawater, which is why it is nutritionally dense. It is also why there is a greater risk of contamination. One kind in particular, hijiki, is especially high in inorganic arsenic and is best avoided. Go for the arame, nori, or other sea vegetables instead.
Pressing a Yoga Block into your belly
Some yoga teachers advocate lying face down on yoga blocks or rolled up towels, to “release the organs.” However, it is never a good idea to press all your body weight directly into your organs. Organs are delicate, and you can unintentionally rupture something. If you want to address an organ directly, go to a visceral manipulation specialist to be safe (and more comfortable.)
Pic by: ontheflyrecipes
Dee responded on 05 Jul 2011 at 12:26 pm #
Makes one think!
Jim Black responded on 05 Jul 2011 at 12:50 pm #
I have to take issue with your assertions about sunscreen. The fact is, any risk from sunscreen is hypothetical and unporven, whereas the risk of skin cancer from excess sun exposure is quite real and definite.
The EWG’s findings about retinyl palmate have been disproven in an independent study, and likewise claims about oxybenzone remain just that – claims without evidence.
http://www.aad.org/stories-and-news/news-releases/analysis-finds-sunscreens-containing-retinyl-palmitate-do-not-cause-skin-cancer
http://www.cancer.ca/Canada-wide/Prevention/Whats%20being%20studied/Sunscreen%20and%20cancer.aspx?sc_lang=en
I find it irresponsible of you to frighten people off sunscreen based on imaginary risks while saying nothing of the very real risks of skin cancer, which is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in North America and which will kill over 900 people in Canada this year alone.
The EWG is not a good source of unbiased scientific information and their findings should not be used to make health decisions.
India responded on 08 Jul 2011 at 11:11 am #
Their are performance foods that you can eat that can help you lose weight. When it comes to eating right you have to make the right choices. Some times finding the right foods to eat can be a hassle. Well i was looking at this one site called pikimal and it really helped me out alot.
sho responded on 08 Jul 2011 at 12:21 pm #
The article does not say don’t use sunscreen it says use the natural kind! and all chemicals put onto the skin are absorbed by the liver and the body has to process.
http://www.ewg.org/analysis/toxicsunscreen This study is from the CDC! definitely not hypothetical. Also, within the article are links to many other studies.
Again, this article NEVER said avoid sunscreen! We are recommending the use of zinc based formulas. ZInc is a mineral and is not toxic when applied to the skin.
Edya responded on 08 Jul 2011 at 9:34 pm #
We were not suggesting that people stop wearing sunscreen any more than we were suggesting that people stop eating apples, just that people inform themselves about the products they use and not take the manufacturers word for it. The FDA is cracking down on false or inflated claims in this industry for a reason.
However, thanks for including those links to further information, so now readers can decide for themselves.
Ross responded on 31 Aug 2011 at 5:08 am #
This is an interesting article to start with. I do agree with number one about avoiding eggs and number two, that healthier smoothies are lesser fruits and more on veggies.
Steve Billig responded on 06 Sep 2011 at 11:32 am #
Lecithin is not a fatty acid. It is a phospholipid, which contains as part of the molecule two fatty acid molecules.
I didn’t feel like cooking « you are what you eat responded on 16 Sep 2011 at 8:35 pm #
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Nutrition Diets responded on 17 Sep 2011 at 12:57 pm #
Nice blog post! People are confused about it, really.We see several people avoiding eggs due to bad cholesterol, but they are forgetting eggs are excellent source of protein, too! We need know how to eat better, not only eat less!
Katie Reid responded on 23 Sep 2011 at 8:44 pm #
good health myths to address. Organic foods and natural products all the way! My favorite health myth that I have heard spewed my so many building management personnel is that the “deodorizers” in bathrooms that dispense petrochemicals in the air in the bathrooms are necessary to sanitize. Ha! They do nothing but pollute the air.
shane responded on 30 Nov 2011 at 11:03 pm #
I rarely ever eat out but when I do I enjoy sushi. All the seaweed is great for you and I always enjoyed seaweed salad…until I read what was in it!!!! It is loaded with sugars, vinegar and dyes. Not healthy at all even though I thought for sure it was. Its crazy that even the things you think are good for you might not be. I try covering things like this in my new blog as well. Great post, I would love to do a guest blog sometime if you would have me.
Tom Corson-Knowles responded on 07 Dec 2011 at 4:43 pm #
You’re right about sunscreen, and the gentleman who says there’s no proof that sunscreens is dead wrong. There are hundreds of chemicals put into sunscreens (and other skincare products) that are known carcinogens and toxins. In addition to the ones you mentioned in the article, some common toxic ingredients in sunscreens include:
Benzophenones (dixoybenzone, oxybenzone)
PABA and PABA esters (ethyl dihydroxy propyl PAB, glyceryl PABA, p-aminobenzoic acid, padimate-O or octyl dimethyl PABA)
Cinnamates (cinoxate, ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamate, octocrylene, octyl methoxycinnamate)
Salicylates (ethylhexyl salicylate, homosalate, octyl salicylate)
Digalloyl trioleate
Menthyl anthranilate
Avobenzone
Why put known toxic chemicals in your body?
LML // Justine responded on 27 Feb 2012 at 12:08 am #
In regards to the smoothie misconception- if too much fruit is used to make smoothies, how do you feel about raw juice diets for those who potentially need a gluten-free or whole food diet? Thanks in advance for the response!! =)
LML // Justine responded on 27 Feb 2012 at 12:13 am #
sorry meant raw juice drinks (not diets)
Nutrition Forum Fred responded on 15 Apr 2012 at 4:30 pm #
Thanks for the myth-busting,
so much information these days on the itnernet that it can be really hard to plough the mess.
It’s important to get your info from people who actualy know what they’re talking about