10 Nutrition Myths Experts Wish Would Die - The New York Times

Soy beverage tin rise the hazard of bosom cancer. Fat-free foods are healthier than high-fat foods. Vegans and vegetarians are deficient successful protein. Some mendacious ideas astir nutrition look to linger successful American civilization similar a unspeakable opus stuck successful your head.

So to acceptable the grounds straight, we asked 10 of the apical nutrition experts successful the United States a elemental question: What is 1 nutrition story you privation would spell distant — and why? Here’s what they said.

Myth No. 1: Fresh fruits and vegetables are ever healthier than canned, frozen oregon dried varieties.

Despite the enduring content that “fresh is best,” research has recovered that frozen, canned and dried fruits and vegetables tin beryllium conscionable arsenic nutritious arsenic their caller counterparts.

“They tin besides beryllium a wealth saver and an casual mode to marque definite determination are ever fruits and vegetables disposable astatine home,” said Sara Bleich, the outgoing manager of nutrition information and wellness equity astatine the U.S. Department of Agriculture and a prof of nationalist wellness argumentation astatine the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. One caveat: Some canned, frozen and dried varieties incorporate sneaky ingredients similar added sugars, saturated fats and sodium, Dr. Bleich said, truthful beryllium definite to work nutrition labels and opt for products that support those ingredients to a minimum.

Myth No. 2: All abdominous is bad.

When studies published successful the precocious 1940s recovered correlations betwixt high-fat diets and precocious levels of cholesterol, experts reasoned that if you reduced the magnitude of full fats successful your diet, your hazard for bosom illness would spell down. By the 1980s, doctors, national wellness experts, the nutrient manufacture and the quality media were reporting that a low-fat fare could payment everyone, adjacent though determination was nary coagulated grounds that doing truthful would forestall issues similar bosom illness oregon overweight and obesity.

Dr. Vijaya Surampudi, an adjunct prof of medicine astatine the University of California, Los Angeles, Center for Human Nutrition, said that arsenic a result, the vilification of fats led galore radical — and nutrient manufacturers — to regenerate calories from abdominous with calories from refined carbohydrates similar achromatic flour and added sugar. (Remember SnackWell’s?) “Instead of helping the state enactment slim, the rates of overweight and obesity went up significantly,” she said.

In reality, Dr. Surampudi added, not each fats are bad. While definite types of fats, including saturated and trans fats, tin summation your hazard for conditions similar bosom illness oregon stroke, steadfast fats — similar monounsaturated fats (found successful olive and different works oils, avocados and definite nuts and seeds) and polyunsaturated fats (found successful sunflower and different works oils, walnuts, food and flaxseeds) — really assistance trim your risk. Good fats are besides important for supplying energy, producing important hormones, supporting compartment relation and aiding successful the absorption of immoderate nutrients.

If you spot a merchandise labeled “fat-free,” don’t automatically presume it is healthy, Dr. Surampudi said. Instead, prioritize products with elemental ingredients and nary added sugars.

Myth No. 3: ‘Calories in, calories out’ is the astir important origin for semipermanent value gain.

It’s existent that if you devour much calories than you burn, you volition astir apt summation weight. And if you pain much calories than you consume, you volition astir apt suffer value — astatine slightest for the abbreviated term.

But the probe does not suggest that eating much volition origin sustained value summation that results successful becoming overweight oregon obese. “Rather, it’s the types of foods we devour that whitethorn beryllium the semipermanent drivers” of those conditions, said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a prof of nutrition and medicine astatine the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy astatine Tufts University. Ultraprocessed foods — specified arsenic refined starchy snacks, cereals, crackers, vigor bars, baked goods, sodas and sweets — tin beryllium peculiarly harmful for value gain, arsenic they are rapidly digested and flood the bloodstream with glucose, fructose and amino acids, which are converted to abdominous by the liver. Instead, what’s needed for maintaining a steadfast value is simply a displacement from counting calories to prioritizing steadfast eating wide — prime implicit quantity.

Myth No. 4: People with Type 2 diabetes shouldn’t devour fruit.

This story stems from conflating effect juices — which tin rise humor sweetener levels due to the fact that of their precocious sweetener and debased fibre contented — with full fruits.

But probe has recovered that this isn’t the case. Some studies show, for instance, that those who devour 1 serving of full effect per time — peculiarly blueberries, grapes and apples — person a little hazard of processing Type 2 diabetes. And other probe suggests that if you already person Type 2 diabetes, eating full fruits tin assistance power your humor sugar.

It’s clip to bust this myth, said Dr. Linda Shiue, an internist and the manager of culinary medicine and manner medicine astatine Kaiser Permanente San Francisco, adding that everyone — including those with Type 2 diabetes — tin payment from the health-promoting nutrients successful effect similar fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Myth No. 5: Plant beverage is healthier than dairy milk.

There’s a cognition that plant-based milks, specified arsenic those made from oats, almonds, atom and hemp, are much nutritious than cow’s milk. “It’s conscionable not true,” said Kathleen Merrigan, a prof of sustainable nutrient systems astatine Arizona State University and a erstwhile U.S. lawman caput of agriculture. Consider protein: Typically, cow’s beverage has astir 8 grams of macromolecule per cup, whereas almond beverage typically has astir 1 oregon 2 grams per cup, and oat beverage usually has astir 2 oregon 3 grams per cup. While the nutrition of plant-based beverages tin vary, Dr. Merrigan said, galore person much added ingredients — similar sodium and added sugars, which tin lend to mediocre wellness — than cow’s milk.

Myth No. 6: White potatoes are atrocious for you.

Potatoes person often been vilified successful the nutrition assemblage due to the fact that of their precocious glycemic scale — which means they incorporate rapidly digestible carbohydrates that tin spike your humor sugar. However, potatoes tin really beryllium beneficial for health, said Daphene Altema-Johnson, a programme serviceman of nutrient communities and nationalist wellness astatine the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. They are affluent successful vitamin C, potassium, fibre and different nutrients, particularly erstwhile consumed with the skin. They are besides inexpensive and recovered year-round successful market stores, making them much accessible. Healthier mentation methods see roasting, baking, boiling and aerial frying.

Myth No. 7: You should ne'er provender peanut products to your children wrong their archetypal fewer years of life.

For years, experts told caller parents that the champion mode to forestall their children from processing nutrient allergies was to debar feeding them communal allergenic foods, similar peanuts oregon eggs, during their archetypal fewer years of life. But now, allergy experts say, it’s amended to present peanut products to your kid aboriginal on.

If your babe does not person terrible eczema oregon a known nutrient allergy, you tin commencement introducing peanut products (such arsenic watered-down peanut butter, peanut puffs oregon peanut powders, but not full peanuts) astatine astir 4 to 6 months, erstwhile your babe is acceptable for solids. Start with 2 teaspoons of creaseless peanut food mixed with water, bosom beverage oregon formula, 2 to 3 times a week, said Dr. Ruchi Gupta, a prof of pediatrics and the manager of the Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research astatine the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine. If your babe has terrible eczema, archetypal inquire your pediatrician oregon an allergist astir starting peanut products astir 4 months. “It is besides important to provender your babe a divers fare successful their archetypal twelvemonth of beingness to forestall nutrient allergies,” Dr. Gupta said.

Myth No. 8: The macromolecule successful plants is incomplete.

“‘Where bash you get your protein?’ is the No. 1 question vegetarians get asked,” said Christopher Gardner, a nutrition idiosyncratic and prof of medicine astatine Stanford University. “The story is that plants are wholly missing immoderate amino acids,” besides known arsenic the gathering blocks of proteins, helium said. But successful reality, each plant-based foods incorporate each 20 amino acids, including each 9 indispensable amino acids, Dr. Gardner said; the quality is that the proportionality of these amino acids isn’t arsenic perfect arsenic the proportionality of amino acids successful animal-based foods. So, to get an capable mix, you simply request to devour a assortment of plant-based foods passim the time — specified arsenic beans, grains and nuts — and devour capable full protein. Luckily, astir Americans get much than capable macromolecule each day. “It’s easier than astir radical think,” Dr. Gardner said.

Myth No. 9: Eating soy-based foods tin summation the hazard of bosom cancer.

High doses of works estrogens successful soy called isoflavones person been recovered to stimulate bosom tumor compartment maturation successful carnal studies. “However, this narration has not been substantiated successful quality studies,” said Dr. Frank B. Hu, a prof and the seat of the section of nutrition astatine the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. So far, the subject does not bespeak a nexus betwixt soy intake and bosom crab hazard successful humans. Instead, consuming soy-based foods and drinks — similar tofu, tempeh, edamame, miso and soy beverage — whitethorn adjacent person a protective effect toward bosom crab hazard and survival. “Soy foods are besides a powerhouse of beneficial nutrients related to reduced bosom illness risk, specified arsenic high-quality protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals,” Dr. Hu said. The probe is clear: Feel assured incorporating soy foods into your diet.

Myth No. 10: Fundamental nutrition proposal keeps changing — a lot.

This is not the case, said Dr. Marion Nestle, a prof emerita of nutrition, nutrient studies and nationalist wellness astatine New York University. “In the 1950s, the archetypal dietary recommendations for prevention of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, bosom illness and the similar advised balancing calories and minimizing foods precocious successful saturated fat, brackish and sugar. The existent U.S. Dietary Guidelines impulse the same.” Yes, subject evolves, but the bottom-line dietary guidance remains consistent. As writer Michael Pollan distilled to 7 elemental words: “Eat food. Not excessively much. Mostly plants.” That proposal worked 70 years ago, and it inactive does today, Dr. Nestle said. And it leaves plentifulness of country for eating foods you love.