5 Top Biggest Nutrition Myths

Scrolling through social media, reading your favorite magazine, or visiting popular websites exposes you to endless information about nutrition and health — most of which is incorrect.

Even qualified health professionals, including doctors and dietitians, are to blame for spreading misinformation about nutrition to the public, adding to the confusion.

Here are 20 of the biggest myths related to nutrition, and why these antiquated beliefs need to be put to rest. 

1. ‘Calories in, calories out’ is all that matters when it comes to weight loss: The “calories in, calories out” theory doesn’t account for several variables that may prevent someone from losing weight. Many factors, such as genetics, medical conditions, and metabolic adaptations, make weight loss much harder for some.

2. High-fat foods are unhealthy: Many high-fat foods are extremely nutritious and can help you maintain a healthy weight. 

3. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day:  Eating breakfast is not necessary for everyone. Health benefits are associated with both eating breakfast and skipping it

4. You need to eat small, frequent meals for optimal health: Eating frequent meals throughout the day is not the best way to promote weight loss. Research shows that a regular meal pattern may be best for health.

5. Non-nutritive sweeteners are healthy: Non-nutritive sweeteners may lead to adverse health outcomes, such as an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and negative changes to gut bacteria.