Healthy Magazine Holidays Issue 2018

Health Gaffes People
Make Without a Clue
From gluten to weightlifting to Tylenol, you might be headed for a bewildered demise
WRITTEN BY TAYLOR SMITH
6THERE COME TIMES IN ALL
OUR LIVES WHEN WE MUST
TAKE AN INVENTORY OF
OUR HABITS. Making that mental,
or sometimes literal, list of things we need
to improve upon is an important part of
living a healthy lifestyle. Whether it’s our
workout routine, our eating habits, or more
generally our lifestyle, we sometimes do
unhealthy things without fully considering
the ramifications, or because we actually
think they’re beneficial. The following are six
myths that might reveal a disparity between
what you believe and what is actually true.
1 2
“GLUTEN IS
“SUGAR IS
THE DEVIL IN
THE DEVIL IN
DISGUISE”
DISGUISE”
Gluten has taken quite the bad
rap lately. It’s not all for nothing,
especially as we learn more
about Celiac disease. Many
people are cutting gluten out
of their diet and claiming they
feel better than ever, and even
though I’m not one to burst
anyone’s bubble (especially
when it comes to trying to live
a healthy lifestyle), there are
some risks in needlessly cutting
gluten out of your diet.
“The major risk is that by
cutting out gluten you’re
also depriving yourself
of a primary source of
folate, which can lead
to an increased risk of
heart attack and pre-natal
problems for pregnant
mothers. Additionally,
folate deficiencies can
result in weakness, loss
of appetite, headaches,
heart palpitations, or even
anemia.”
I could say, “return to point
1” and that would almost be
enough. There are, however, a
few things that need to be said
about sugar. First of all, I’m not
trying to redeem the health
value of sugar because that
wouldn’t end well for me. On
the contrary, I’m simply trying
to make a larger point about
nutrition—it’s all about balance
and moderation. We might (and
probably do) consume too much
sugar. But cutting sugar out of
our diet entirely to reach our
nutrition goals might not be
necessary. Calories from sugar
are no different than calories
from fats and proteins. When
it comes to weight loss or good
nutrition it doesn’t have to be a
miserable journey of self-denial,
a veritable life in the wilderness
living off of vegetables and little
else. In the end it’s all about
calorie input vs. calorie output.
If you can watch how much
you snack and try to limit the
treats, your weight loss and
general nutrition goals are still
very achievable. Simply put,
sugar can have a place in a
healthy diet, as long as it’s in
moderation.
NUTRITION MYTHS
56 HEALTHY MAGAZINE 2018 Healthy-Magazines.com