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Seven Myths About Good Eating Habits

By: Sheila Ffloyd In many ways, our bodies are like precision machines. They have thousands of intricate parts that work together as a team to make an amazing whole. But like any machine, our bodies need regular fuel and maintenance.

Your body needs to be fueled with the right nutrients in order to run at its maximum capacity. Following good eating habits is important to your overall health, but you also need to be able to sift through the layers of poor information.

Below, you'll find some myth busters on good eating habits:

1. "You should work out on an empty stomach." This is definitely a myth. The rumbling in your stomach is trying to tell you something, and it's not that you need to dash to the gym. Ignore those tummy rumbles and you're forcing your body's engine to run on empty. Always be sure that you have a light snack, such as a piece of fruit, before any physical activity.

2. "Energy bars and drinks are good meal replacements." Wrong again. While these can be fine on the fly or in a pinch, meal replacement bars and drinks are no match for a properly balanced diet. In order to get the antioxidants you need, reach for fruits and vegetables for a boost of vitamins, fiber, minerals and fluid.

3. "Breakfast is not that important." Mom was right about this, as breakfast is the most important meal of each day. Eat a healthy breakfast to give your body the charge it needs to meet your busy schedule. If you skip breakfast, your low fuel start will leave you feeling sluggish and hungry throughout the day.

4. "Low-carb diets offer all the nutrients you need." While low-carb diets can be beneficial for weight loss, they are not great for all-around good health. Your body needs carbohydrates to store energy and develop muscle tissue.

5. "Eat what you want, when you want." If only life were that easy. Just because you're making some good food choices and exercising regularly, doesn't necessarily give you license to eat everything you want. Balance is the key. You can't eat only cheese and no fruit or vegetables and expect to lead a healthy life.

6. "Chop as many calories as you can." Cutting calories is part of losing weight, but running too low on fuel can harm you, too. Trim those calories gently, aiming for a weight loss of about 1-2 pounds per week. Much more loss than that means you should add some more food to your diet.

7. "Skip alcohol and soda." Yes! Not a myth. Good drinking habits are part of good eating. Soda pop really is just colored sugar water with chemical flavor. Why add to the profits of those companies, when you can drink tap water, juice, or milk? Drink regularly throughout the day. (Though it should be noted that the eight glass a day "rule" is not actually based on scientific research, but is itself a frequently repeated myth.) Don't let yourself get dehydrated.

A solid understanding of a healthy diet will lead you to make good eating habit choices. It is not that complicated, and when you change what you eat, you will have made a big step toward overall wellness enhancement. Fuel up with good food, and keep that motor running for smooth performance down the road.

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

Sheila Ffloyd is a columnist for several popular web sites, on health education and alternative health care topics.
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