Common Sense Nutrition Facts
By Sara Butler
Nutrition is a complicated topic, but there's a lot of information out there that, when you really think about it, is common sense. The problem is that there are many misconceptions and myths circulating around about nutrition. Things that may seem as if they're common sense to some people may not be to others. In order to help you in your pursuit of staying healthy through nutrition, here are a few nutrition facts that should be common sense but aren't.
Trans Fats Are Unsuitable for Consumption
There is no amount of trans fats that are safe for people to eat. Period.
Trans fats are liquid vegetable oils that, through a process of high heat, pressure, and exposure to gas, are made into a substance that can stay solid at room temperature. Food manufacturers like this to help make products stable on the shelf, but studies have proven even small amounts of trans fats to be unhealthy. In fact, they've been linked to a number of chronic illnesses such as heart disease.
The Food and Drug Administration banned trans fats in 2018, but products distributed before the ban may still be on store shelves -- and could remain there until 2020 or even 2021. Plus, any food that has less than a half of a gram of trans fat can label itself as containing zero grams of trans fats, so be on the lookout and always read nutrition labels!
Eggs are Really Healthy
Eggs may just be the perfect food. They went down a bumpy road for a while as some people claimed that the yolk was too high in cholesterol to be healthy. Since that time, it's been proven that the cholesterol in eggs doesn't raise blood cholesterol in most people and that the cholesterol has no impact on heart disease rates in healthy people. So, go ahead, have the whole egg and know you're doing it for your health.
Fruit Juice is on Par with Soda
When it comes to your health, having a fruit juice drink isn't much different than reaching for a can of your favorite sugary soda. Fruit juices have a reputation of being healthy because they're made of fruit. But just because the fruit is healthy for you doesn't mean fruit juice is.
The reason fruit juice isn't the same as a piece of fruit is that when the fruit is juiced it loses way less fiber and has a lot more concentrated sugar. Just one cup of orange juice has the same amount of sugar as eating two whole oranges. And the oranges would be a lot more filling.
If you're trying to avoid sugar, then it's important to avoid fruit juice as well as soda in your diet.
Nutrition information is always changing, so it's important to constantly keep up on what is good and what isn't when it comes to your diet.
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Albuquerque, N.M.