Thursday, November 10, 2011

Nutrition Myths.

 Remember when I told you Clint did laundry? Three fatalities.
 Haha he learned not to wash a red dress with light colors-especially not on warm!
I had only worn this shirt once! Oh well, at least I only paid $3.75 for it at Old Navy :)
He felt so bad but I just laughed.
Hooray for newlywed adventures!

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People seriously crack me up.
As soon as they find out I'm a nutrition major, they want to share their newest knowledge with me. Let me tell ya, I have heard some crazy stuff. I just think it's so funny when someone who read an article from somewhere online or heard something from someone who heard it from someone argues with me. I'm on my fourth year of studying this business. I'm not professing to be an expert, but there are some things I know.
Let's talk about some of my favorite nutrition myths I've heard.
Don't worry, I'll keep it simple!

#1: Sea salt is good for you, table salt is bad for you. No, they're both fine in moderation. Sea salt and table salt both contain sodium. Sodium whether it comes from the ocean or not will do the same reactions in your body. It will still need to be regulated by your kidneys, and it will still raise your blood pressure. FYI, you should be getting around 1500mg of salt, while the typical American gets 3000-5000mg. Hello high blood pressure! Your blood pressure typically becomes more sensitive as you age.

And did you know we iodize our salt to prevent things like this:

(goiters)

#2: You're not a cow, you shouldn't drink milk or have any dairy products. Two points for being able to identify that I am not a cow! That part is true! I'm not going to say that you absolutely should or should not have milk, but I will tell you why a lot of people have problems with it. Your body produces a digestive enzyme called lactase to digest lactose. [There's lots of other digestive enzymes you produce. Every heard of intrinsic factor, protease, hydrochloric acid? Same thing.] As you get older, the amount your body produces goes down or some people don't produce it (lactose intolerance). That's why a lot of people can have stomach problems when they eat dairy products. Your body literally can't digest it. However, they're an excellent source of calcium and protein. You can decide where you'll get those nutrients from.

#3: Cholesterol free stickers! Do you guys remember when everything and their mom would advertise when something was cholesterol free? Bananas, bread, everything. Well, those things never had cholesterol. Cholesterol is produced in the liver. Bananas don't have livers. They can't produce cholesterol to begin with! That's like me wearing a shirt that says Now with ten toes!  [I've always had ten toes] By the way, did you know that our liver also produces cholesterol (big surprise) and some of it (with the help of the sun) is converted into the active form of vitamin D! Also, vitamin D research is showing it can help fight off colds! I just did a boatload of research on it. Supplement or spend time in the sun this Winter! Your serum levels go to HALF in the winter because people don't get enough sun. 

#4: A vegetable/fruit is a vegetable/fruit, it doesn't matter how it's prepared or packaged. Have you heard the word antioxidant? You know what anti means, now oxi sounds like oxygen right? That means antioxidants, the same nutrients that provide healing power in your body (along with a bazillion other things), also react with the oxygen. Vitamins A, E, C and D are all antioxidants. You can assume that the more these items are prepared, or the more they're exposed to oxygen, the less of these antioxidants they will have. I would reccommend eating your fruits and veggies as natural as possible and eating them quickly. By this I mean don't slice them up, leave them, and eat them hours later. Did you know that a lot of juices, by the time they reach you, have absolutely no vitamin C in them? A lot of the time it's basically like drinking sugar! Hope it's yummy :) Also, canned vegetables are likely to have a good amount of sodium in them because it is a preservative. Go fresh as much as possible.

#5: You know all those people with fat bellies? It's because they have food in their stomach that's not digesting. SAY WHAT! Okay, this is probably the worst thing I've ever heard. This is probably worse that thinking as a kid that gum would get stuck in your stomach! Your stomach empties into your intestines. Food does not just accumulate there and it absolutely doesn't rot and cause infections and cause you to be obese. That's ridiculous. The food your body isn't able to break up still travels through your system and causes gas, bloating, and diarhhea to get rid of the food. The only thing that's remotley close is if you get diverticulitis? diverticulosis? (something like that- I don't want to look it up!) and can get some feces stuck in pouches of your intestines and cause inflammation. The reason America is fat is not because of undigested food! Seriously could you imagine that?!

The media shows so much false nutrition information I hate it. You have an endless supply of information at your fingertips. The bad thing is that 90% (that's an Alexis number) is 90% bull puckey. Did you know that anyone can call themselves a nutritionist? It's not a certification. If someone is a registered dietitian or has RD after their name, it means they have had proper nutritional training. You really have to be careful with what you believe.

Okay, this is probably boring, no? I could go on for ages, but I'm gonna stop now that I've put you all to sleep. Any questions?
 Peace and blessins!
That car is TOW-UP! Tow-up!
I hope he like my hur because I died it wit some kool-aide.
It's dramatic but less ghetto.
These crusty-crusts!

14 comments:

Gentri said...

First- I love that video but I always forget what it's called! Hilarious. :)

Second- I loved this post! Do more like this! Educate us please! :D

Marli said...

haha! the clothes incedent looks like something that would happen at our house. ;D it happens to everybody...:)

thanks for the interesting nutrition facts. i am taking a nutrition class in college right now and am loving it!

megan danielle said...

that is like my most favorite youtube video ever!!!!!

Unknown said...

Whaterr. whaterr. haha such good memories with this video!

Carlie said...

hahahah that video was hilarious!

Courtney B said...

Yes for ruining laundry! That has happened more than once in our house :)
I wish people shared their awesome knowledge about hair with me!.... NOT :)

Courtney B said...

p.s. This video is my FAVORITE! Seriously, I die every time :)

Amy said...

per the comment on my blog: THE FEELING IS MUTUAL. I love love love love your blog. Especially your writing style and sense of humor. And I'm so glad I discovered it!

I feel like we could be kindred spirits... hahaha :)

Katie said...

ahaha so funny.

also, love the nutrition facts. i get a good laugh about stuff like that, too...and let me tell you, in psychology, there are a lot of super odd myths, too. haha oh gullibility.

Emma Frances said...

People believe some crazy things! And I love this video. HILARIOUS!

Vivian said...

First as far as the laundry goes, try having three kids and forgetting to empty their pockets full of bugs, lipstick, food, etc. And there goes the reason I spend so much in clothing..it's live I never learn. And as far as the nutrition goes..great points. I majored in Health Education and I laugh when people not minding their own business tell me what I should be eating (or not) and how to feed my children. I'm with you!

Shay said...

If that girl smacks her lips ONE MORE TIME...ha. So funny. Does Kool-aide really work? I think I could rock that red;-)

I LOVE the nutrition facts-right up my alley. Keep em' comin!

Kndbbdjk said...

Wow neat nutrition facts! Waay neat! Hilarious video too! Sorry about your shirt!

Megan said...

Loved this post!! Such great myths revealed. Haha. And I died laughing at the laundry thing. Oh men.