4 Myths of Healthy Eating

We all have a pretty good idea of what’s healthy for us and what’s not: salad = healthy, french fries = not. But what if I told you there was a whole slew of information out there that you’ll probably never hear about that could make a big impact on your overall health? Below you’ll find 4 common myths related to healthy consumption that might just change the way you look at food.

1. Coffee is bad for you

Not necessarily! Coffee can assist in reducing the risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. In one study (Eskelinen & Kivipelto, 2010) that followed people over two decades, researchers found that people who consumed 3-5 cups of coffee a day had a 65% decrease in their risk for dementia, compared to those who didn’t. Drinking coffee causes blood vessels to expand providing increased blood flow to the brain. As long as the highs and lows of caffeine consumption aren’t affecting your mood it’s safe and beneficial to drink your morning Joe.

2. Raw vegetables are more nutritious than cooked ones.

It depends on what vegetable you’re eating. The process of cooking vegetables sometimes adds to the overall nutritional value. Onions and carrots, for example, are far more nutritious cooked than they are raw. Cooking carrots has been found to increase beta carotene absorption by three-fold and studies show that baking, sautéing, roasting, or frying onions actually increases one of it’s most beneficial phytonutirents, quercetin (Ioku, 2001). This applies to some fruits and berries too. Blueberries, for example, have greater antioxidant levels when cooked than raw. The heat rearranges the structure of the phytonutrients and also makes them more bioavailable. Other berries have a similar response. You know what that means - as long as you aren’t adding an abundance of sugar, berry tarts, pies, and cobblers do have some health benefits!

3. Fresh squeezed orange juice is healthier than store bought

Freshly squeezed orange juice is the best but it needs to be consumed within 24 hours, otherwise it loses much of it’s nutrient value. In a study done at Texas A&M University, (Vanamala, et al, 2006) researchers analyzed 26 brands of store-bought orange juice. They found that, on average, the juice that was made from concentrate, had 45% more flavonoids than juice that had never been concentrated. And guess what? Some of the cheapest juices in the study had more antioxidants and better flavor than their more expensive counterparts. So you don’t need to reach for the juice with the highest price tag to get the best juice. And while you’re at it, make sure to purchase OJ with lots of pulp. Pulp contains a number of phytonutrients that have antioxidant, antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties.

4. Salad is healthier without dressing

We all know a green salad with lots of leafy vegetables is good for us but what about dressing? While dieters might skip the dressing to save on calories, studies show that we can’t absorb some of the most important nutrients in salad greens unless they are consumed with some type of fat. According to a 2012 study out of Purdue University, (Goltz, Shellen R., et al.) olive oil does the best job of aiding in this. (It takes almost 7 times more soybean oil, which is the most common oil in commercial salad dressing, to get the same results). So make your own dressing at home with olive oil and check out my blog post on 20 Habits for a Healthier You for an easy homemade recipe idea.

In health and wellness,

Eskelinen MH, Kivipelto M. (2010) Caffeine as a protective factor in dementia and Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. 20 Suppl 1:S167-74. doi: 10.3233/JAD-2010-1404.

Goltz, Shellen R., et al. (2012) Meal Triacylglycerol Profile Modulates Postprandial Absorption of Carotenoids in Humans. Molecular Nutrition & Food Research 56 (6): 866-77.

Hornero-Méndez, Dámaso, and Maria Isabel Minguez Mosquera (2007) Bioaccessibility of Carotenes from Carrots: Effects of Cooking and Addition of Oil. Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies 8:407-12.

Ioku, K., et al. (2001) Various Cooking Methods and the Flavonoid Content in Onion. Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology 47 (1): 78-83.

Vanamala, J., Reddivari, L., Yoo, K., Pike, L., and Patil, B. (2006) Variation in the Content of Bioactive Flavonoids in Different Brands of Orange and Grapefruit Juices. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 19:157-166.