Don’t Let Diet Myths Confuse Your Food Choice

Health and diet myths, no matter how innocent they sound, may become dangerous for the dieters. They are most likely to become innocent victims of such well-intentioned misinformation. These dieters may even suffer from lunch/ dinner plate panic and would rather starve themselves than having the so-called “unhealthy” foods. But before discussing about these myths, let’s see what is considered as “healthy food”.



A proper diet plan includes well-balanced meals, rich in various essential nutrients such as protein, fiber, fat, and carbohydrate. These meals must be potion controlled and low calorie, and at the same time must be able to boost your metabolism. Diet myths, on the other hand, usually confuse food choices and will only make your weight-loss harder, not to mention making your meals less enjoyable.

Most common diet myths are around chocolates and chocolate bars. They are considered as the source of empty calories and thus, must be avoided. However, many fail to understand that researchers consider dark chocolate as a health food; it is rich in cocoa, which includes a heart-healthy compound called flavonoids, also found in green tea and red wine. The most potent form of flavonoids is found in dark chocolate. In a recent study conducted by the Greek researchers, it was found that having dark chocolate that contain 100 mg of flavonoids can relax your blood vessels and improve blood flow to your heart.

Tip: Replace your taste for milk chocolates with dark chocolates, as the later is rich in flavonoids.

Many believe that too much of protein can hurt the kidneys. This too is nothing but myth; most of the poewerlifters and strength athletes follow high protein diet at it helps in burning fats and building muscles. In 1983, researchers found that high protein food increases the amount of blood that the kidneys filter per minute. A number of scientists immediately jump off to a conclusion that high-protein diets place the kidneys under greater stress. However, these scientists were proven wrong soon after. Studies later found that though high protein diets increase blood flow to your kidneys, they do not affect the overall kidney function adversely.

Tips: Include more lean protein in your diet and opt for baked, grilled or boiled meat and fish.