Diet Health Myths and Facts

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be overly complicated. If you feel overwhelmed by all the conflicting nutrition and diet advice out there, you ’ re not alone. It seems that for every expert who tells you a certain food is good for you, you’ll find another saying exactly the opposite. The truth is that while some specific foods or nutrients have been shown to have a beneficial effect on mood, it’s your overall dietary pattern that is most important. The cornerstone of a healthy diet should be to replace processed food with real food whenever possible. That being said, here are a few facts and myths about diet health

By Myrna G. Phillips Nutritionist

Consumption Of Olive Oil Can Prevent Heart Disease

Fact: Olive oil has antioxidants that reduce the risk of heart diseases and cancers. These antioxidants are more predominant in virgin or extra virgin olive oil. Ordinary olive oil while useful for cooking, has quite likely been subject to heavy processing which robs it of its antioxidant quality

Consuming Too Much Soda-Drinks Can Cause Diabetes

Fact: Sodas or soft-drinks are sugar laden drinks Research conducted in 2004, indicated that people who drink one or more sodas per day increased their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 83 percent when compared to people who drank less sodas monthly

Eating Too Much Nuts Causes Weight Gain

Myth: Although most nuts consist of a large percentage of fat, it's not eating the nuts that cause weight gain, but rather the quantity of nuts eaten. Nuts have healthy fats but should be eaten in moderation. Nuts are also a very useful source of protein and fiber. Nuts like walnut, almond, and pistachios, are good for countering diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease. Seeds like papaya and sunflower seeds also good for health and are particularly useful for cleansing the colon

Running Is A More Effective Exercise Than Walking

Myth: Effective exercise is not how hard one exercises, but rather how long one exercises. Someone who walks for say 30 minutes a day, may have the same results as one who runs a quarter mile in 2 minutes. Studies have shown that walking at a moderate pace and running produces similar health benefits

Fruit Juice Is A Good Substitute For Raw Fruits

Myth: Although drinking unprocessed fruit juice is better than not consuming any fruit at all, consuming raw fruits provides the body with more calories and nutrition than fruit juices. When fruits are juiced, they have to be peeled, and sometimes the pulp removed. This process removes very important ingredients, like fiber, calcium and Vitamin C, found in the raw fruit. While fruit juice will provide the body with needed calories, for a body to be healthy, significant consumption of fiber and calcium is also crucial

On the other hand, consuming blended concoction of fresh fruits, and where possible unpeeled, is helpful for those whose lived is so rushed they haven't to time to consume sufficient quantities of raw fruit daily

White Bread Is Not A Source Of Good Health

Myth: It's that not all white bread is unhealthy. However, nutritionists encourage people to eat more bread made from whole grain or wheat as they provide more fiber than plain white bread. But not all so-called “Brown Bread” is healthy, as some of these breads are brown not because of the grain/wheat content, but because of coloring. It's best to consume bread consisting of five or more multiple grains

Consuming Too Many Eggs Promotes High Cholesterol Levels

Myth: While the yolk of eggs are a definite source of cholesterol, this does not contribute to bad cholesterol (LDL) High cholesterol levels are more attributed to saturated fat found, for example, in processed foods than natural foods like eggs

Drinking Too Much Water Is Unhealthy

Myth: Water is the most important fluid one consumes It's needed to flush the liver and mobilize waste through the colon regularly. The more water one drinks, the healthier one is. However, there is a limit to how much water one should drink. More than eight pints of water daily can dilute the concentration of sodium in the blood. People who work in the heat or play energy consuming games like basketball and soccer, usually demand much water. It's recommended they drink fluids with electrolytes, as too much water can lead to nausea, confusion and seizures

It's also a myth that tap water is unsafe. While bottled water is very convenient to travel around with, once tap water comes from a safe public water supply properly treated for contaminants, it is good to drink several times daily

Food Should Not Be Heated In Plastic Containers In The Microwave

Myth Fact: And Cheap plastic containers tend to melt and can taint the food in them when placed in the microwave to heat. However, it's safe to heat food in containers labeled "microwave safe " This label meets standards tested by the U S Food and Drug Administration. It is not safe to microwave foods in the container in which they are packaged as usually these containers are not microwave safe

Disorder (ASD) is often described as resulting from a neurological disorder that has an effect on normal brain function, during the first three years of a child This often affects development of the child's communication and social interaction skills Children with autism generally have problems with a wide range of social interaction, and communication, is restricted by restricted and repetitive behavior and being involved in group activities like games Children with ASD prefer to adhere to specific behavior patterns and stubbornly resist any change in their daily activities They tend to response to change in behavior when they know well in advance that changes are coming Symptoms of autism are usually noticed first by parents and other caregivers sometime during the child's first 3 years Although autism is present at birth (congenital), signs of the disorder can be difficult to identify or diagnose during infancy Parents often become concerned when their toddler does not like to be held; does not seem interested in playing certain games, such as peekaboo; and does not begin to talk Sometimes, a child with autism will start to talk at the same time as other children the same age, then lose his or her language skills Parents also may be confused about their child's hearing abilities It often seems that a child with autism does not hear, yet at other times, he or she may appear to hear a distant background noise, such as the whistle of a train

With early and intensive treatment, most children improve their ability to relate to others, communicate, and help themselves as they grow older Contrary to popular myths about children with autism, very few are completely socially isolated or "live in a world of their own ” As early as infancy, a baby may be unresponsive to people or focus intently on one item while excluding to others for long periods of time A child with ASD may appear to develop normally and then withdraw and become indifferent to social engagement

Children with an ASD may fail to respond to their names and often avoid eye contact with other people They have difficulty interpreting what others are feeling because they can't understand social cues, such as tone of voice or facial expressions, and don't watch other people's faces for clues about appropriate behavior

Many children with an ASD engage in repetitive movements twirling, or in self-abusive behavior such as biting or head-banging They also tend to start speaking later than other children and may refer to themselves by name instead of “I” or “ me ” Children with an ASD may not understand how to play interactively with other children, and sometimes Have scant regard for the interests of the person to whom they are speaking

The more blatant signs of autism include

Problems Socializing

It's hard for children with autism to talk with other people and express themselves using words, and when they do they can seem unmannerly or offensive Kids with more serious autism problems tend to keep to themselves, not socializing, unable to communicate without special help, and are described as shy Some children express frustration on wanting to express themselves verbally and partake in social activities, but lack the skills to do so Some children also have problems understanding words expressed by others

The worse the autistic affliction is the more difficult it is for the child to speak Some autistic children keeps on repeating words and phrases they hear from others

Some autistic children also dislike being hugged or touched, as this makes them feel uncomfortable, another example of the withdrawal syndrome

Intolerance to Sounds

A prominent symptom among some autism sufferers is intolerance to sounds Loud sounds make them want to retreat from social contact and stay in quiet rooms alone Also some children react negatively to brightly lit places, and certain scents

Slow Physical Development

In the more serious cases autistic children may display problems in the coordination of their movements and have difficulties in physical sports Some either have effective motor skills, but are slow in speech and social interaction skills Others may be effective in their language and learning skills, but have problems with their mobility skills, reluctant to partake in physical activities

Limited interests in activities or play.

Children with Autism ten to have an unusual focus on pieces Younger children with autism often focus on parts of toys, such as the wheels on a car, rather than playing with the entire toy

These kids also have a need for sameness and routines

A child with autism, for example, may always need to eat bread before salad, insist on driving the same route every day to school, or will have a set time to do specific activities