Dr. Manny’s Notes: Busting Diet Myths
Because there is so much conflicting health information in the media, you may have your own stigmas associated with certain foods. Below are some myth busters to address some common misconceptions about nutrition.
MYTH: Fruit juices are high in carbs and low in fiber.
Juices do, in fact, have redeeming qualities for your health, and there are times when juice is uniquely beneficial. After a workout, for example, it helps replace fluids and blood sugar and provides nutrients. Juice also comes in handy when eating is simply not convenient – when you’re driving, say, or traveling, but still want something with nutritional value. Be sure to drink 100% juice, with no added sweeteners, or no sugar added. But be careful; the calories quickly add up!
MYTH: Ketosis is good for you.
This is definitely misleading. Ketosis is a sign that the blood is becoming too acidic. To combat this, the body takes calcium from the bones, which raises the risk of osteoporosis. In fact, the Nurses’ Health Study showed that women on higher-protein diets had a higher risk of bone fractures. Ketosis can also damage the kidneys, cause bad breath, and trigger irregular heart rhythms that can cause sudden death.
MYTH: Eggs are bad for you.
A study published in 1999 that followed 38,000 men and 80,000 women found that an egg a day had no impact on the risk of heart disease or stroke in healthy men and women. Eggs eaten in moderation, about 3 or 4 a week, are fine for most people. Health professionals advise people who already have high blood cholesterol to carefully watch their saturated fat intake and lose weight if they are overweight.
MYTH: Taking vitamins replaces the need for healthy foods.
So-called whole foods like veggies and whole grains contain fiber and a host of other important nutrients that can’t be adequately delivered through pills. In fact, scientists are still finding new “trace elements” in whole foods that may someday be labeled essential to health – but aren’t found in any pill. Many experts will tell you that taking vitamins doesn’t compensate for a healthy diet.
Tags: diet, Dr. Manny Alvarez, ketosis, myths, The Hot Latin Diet, viatmins
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A lot of people are confused by the term “ketosis.” You may read that it is a “dangerous state” for the body, and it does sound abnormal to be “in ketosis.” But ketosis merely means that our bodies are using fat for energy. Ketones (also called ketone bodies) are molecules generated during fat metabolism, whether from the fat in the guacamole you just ate or fat you were carrying around your middle. When our bodies are breaking down fat for energy, most of the it gets converted more or less directly to ATP. (Remember high school biology? This is the “energy molecule.”) But ketones are also produced as part of the process.
Critics of low carbohydrate diets, however, attempt to instill fear among those not familiar with basic biochemistry by likening dietary-induced ketosis with ketoacidosis. The latter occurs when diabetics produce high levels of ketones in the presence of elevated blood sugar levels. Insufficient insulin means this elevated blood sugar cannot be delivered to the cells for energy. Consequently, ketones must be formed as an alternate energy source.
Ketone bodies are slightly acidic, and excessive levels can decrease the blood’s pH. Under normal circumstances the body can efficiently buffer against any decrease in pH, but in diabetics the body is often unable to efficiently cope with the increased acid load and ketoacidosis occurs, increasing the acidity of the blood. Needless to say, this complication of diabetes–a condition most often induced by high consumption of refined carbohydrates–has nothing to do with the benign ketosis induced by very low-carbohydrate diets.
Those righteous and shrill dieticians and nutritionists have all been very quiet after their bad science teachings based on poor logic (eating fat goes directly to your fat – so unscientific!) that the low carb diet with no calorie restrictions would increase weight and cholesterol and bring on heart attacks has been proven to be better for yhou than a low-fat diet on all counts.
Nice that real science has proven those bad university program teachings to be all wrong.
Dear Dr. Manny, thank you for your article. Concerning the fruit juice, I try to stay away from sugary drinks and sodas. For many years I drank Gatorade anytime, even with meals sometimes. My husband says Gatorade is not good for you, so I stopped buying it. The other day I bought vitamin water to try to have a change from plain water. The label says zero sugar, zero fat, zero carbo, zero everything. But after a few days I started feeling a burning in my stomach.
On the other hand, my husband has recently being diagnosed with pre-diabetes and needed to lose weight. Our diet now consists of eggs once a week fried in olive oil, we no longer use butter, we have abundance of vegetables, chicken and fish and sometimes pork, and jelly for when he craves some sweet. It is very close to the Mediterranean Diet. Oh, yes, and he walks now 30 minutes morning and evening. In 3 weeks he has lost 9 lbs and his blood pressure is as low as he can remember (he has high blood pressure as well). My point is: there seems to be no reason to starve yourself, as long as you stay away from fat food and sugar you can pretty much eat anything else in moderation.
Myth 1 states: “MYTH: Fruit juices are high in carbs and low in fiber.” However, the follow up does little to “bust” that myth. In fact, the explanation doesn’t address why that myth is incorrect at all. The explanation neither mentions carb content nor fiber content.
It amazes me how wrong all of the “scientific” information has been for the past two decades. The food pyramid is horrible! I’ve been ignoring it ever since it came out. I just try to eat a balanced diet with a low GI carb emphasis. I also make sure to offer the same kinds of foods in my gift basket business. If the food makers and restaurants would wake up, we could save this nation billions in health care costs!
I am 55, at age 14 I notetest my chest is lg. next to my boby size,
mybe in my head , I thought putting on the pounds , I be just right.
I eat meat, love veg, not so much frits or drinks / water at all ,
but coffee, two three a day,Is it the coffee ? or do I need to get off something,
eat something ?my chest is still bigger then me, and I am fat. so slow and tired.
I am even to big for a braest exsam. what do you think, can you help poeple like me
and teens coming into this.
Thank you oh so Much
Nancy Beavers P.A.
Thanks Manny. Gives me even more confidence in sticking to my balanced diet with exercise. And as a clinical hypnotherapist, I think it’s just as important to work on your psychological approach to food. It would be interesting to read your opinions on the connection between emotions and overeating. Keep up the good work.
good