National Nutrition Week: Busting Common Myths Regarding Nutrition

National Nutrition Week is celebrated in India from September 1 to September 7. This week is all about creating awareness of the importance of nutrition in the body and understanding how it is responsible for preventing diseases and malnutrition.

A lot of people are well versed in nutrition, but with a huge amount of information come several myths too. In this blog, we'll discuss the three most common myths regarding nutrients. But before, let us discuss National Nutrition Week in brief.

Why is the National Nutrition Week Celebrated?

National Nutrition Week was initially celebrated in the March of 1973 by the Members of the American Dietetic Association to deliver the message of nutrition to the netzines. The campaign received a warm response.

The Global Hunger Health Index report of 2021 ranked India at 101 among 116 countries. It simply indicates how serious the level of hunger is in India. On the other hand, there is a large population in India that's obese.

Keeping the above in mind, The National Nutrition week was then recognized by the Central Government of India in 1982 with the main motto of educating people about the importance of a nutrition-rich diet and urging them to maintain a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.

Now, let us talk about the myths when it comes to nutrition.

Myths Regarding Nutrition

Detox diets cleanses the body of toxins

Detox diets are absolutely unnecessary! Most so-called ‘detox diets’ like fasting detoxes and juice ‘cleanses’ are restrictive, nutritionally-unbalanced and extreme.

Unless you are severely unwell the body does a great job of detoxifying itself, using our kidneys, liver, lungs, gut and skin to remove waste and toxins. For example, the liver processes and removes toxins from alcohol or drugs, the kidneys remove waste products like urea in urine and the gut removes harmful substances from the body in vomit or diarrhoea.

Dairy alone Is the best source of calcium

Milk or dairy alone is not the sole or only source of Calcium.

Calcium is widely available in many foods, not just milk and other dairy foods. Fruits, leafy greens, beans, nuts, and some starchy vegetables are good sources. Plant foods like leafy greens contain less calcium overall but have a higher bioavailability than dairy

If you are lactose intolerant, vegan or not fond of milk. In that case, you can meet your daily calcium requirements from other sources like ragi and soybean. In addition, green leafy vegetables like spinach, dill leaves and broccoli can be your alternate sources of calcium whenever your palette demands a break from dairy products.

Carbs Lead to Weight Gain and Are Not Healthy

Well, that's not true at all. You must understand that almost all types of food if consumed in excess, can lead to weight gain. Therefore, make sure that you consume foods rich in carbs in a limited amount.

Coming to the health part, carbohydrates bring numerous benefits. For instance, high-fiber or unrefined carbohydrates, like fruits, legumes, etc., can help prevent chronic diseases. Most carbs are full of several vitamins and minerals. Also, high-fiber foods will keep you fuller, which means you are likely to eat less.

Thus, carbs are not fattening and their being unhealthy is just a myth.

No Fat or Low-Fat Foods Are Good for The Body

If you are skipping fat in your diet, your body is missing the essential fatty acids. When planning your diet, you must consider the quality and quantity of nutrients. Fat is essential for absorption of fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin A, D, E & K.

Low-fat diets may not always work the way you want for your body. Most of these foods have high sugar and sodium content for better taste and texture, which can lead to mineral imbalance.

Therefore, if you wish to lose weight, balance the macros like moderate amount of complex carbohydrates, high protein, low saturated and trans fat. Opt for foods like fruits and vegetables, lentils, nuts, dry fruits, etc., that are naturally high in fiber that increases satiety, provide adequate protein, low in fat and healthy.

All you need to focus on is the right type of fats like MUFA – Monounsaturated fatty acids , PUFA - Polyunsaturated fatty acids and the foods that are rich in them.

Food Nutrients Are Enough

It's a common misconception that nutrients in foods are better than the ones found in supplements, and one should prefer foods only. However, this statement does not hold the entire truth.

That is because certain nutrients are better absorbed as supplements than foods.

For example, curcumin is good for your body. But your body can't absorb it well on its own when taken in the form of food. However, when consumed as a supplement with a black pepper extract or pipeline, you will experience its effects in a better way as its bioavailability will increase.

The same goes for a lot of Vitamins like vitamin K1 or Vitamin B9. Sometimes vitamins have to be taken in the form of multivitamin supplements. Multivitamins can increase your immunity and provide several other benefits that normal food items might not help you with.

Hence, food nutrients might not always be enough for your body, and you might need multivitamins and organic supplements as you grow.

Your Way to Wholefood Nutrition

Now that you know how supplements help your body get the necessary nutrients that might not be available through your diet let us discuss some supplements that are great for the overall health of your body. Wellbeing Nutrition comprises of powerful whole-food ingredients and full spectrum herbal blends that work synergistically to enhance your daily wellbeing. You can add these to your daily diet to reap maximum benefits.

Wellbeing Nutrition Melts Multivitamins

The fast acting and 100% plant-based Melts Multivitamins consist of all the essential nutrients and are great for increasing energy, improving metabolism, memory, and promoting cognitive health.

Each Melts strip delivers 100% RDA of multivitamins that fill the nutritional gaps and encourage a healthy and active lifestyle. These delicious melts also protect your body against infections, boost RBC production, and might help in improving vision.

Wellbeing Nutrition Slow Virgin Omega 3

Virgin Omega-3 is a scientifically developed supplement formed with the most powerful neuroscience with fast-1absorbing fish oil and slow-release Curcumin beadlets that provides the body with nutritional support.

The supplement is clinically studied to support the brain, eyes, heart, and joint health. It supports muscle recovery after workouts and even reduces muscle soreness. The capsules are enhanced with mint to avoid a bad aftertaste, are sugar-free, and offer 100% bioavailability.

Wellbeing Nutrition Superfood Plant Protein

The Superfood Plant Protein is an ultimate vegan protein, scientifically developed to give you complete nutrition and health and will also enhance your daily workout. Each consists of superb ingredients like: -

• 22 grams of superior protein sourced from Brown rice protein isolate, Chia seeds, and European Pea Protein Isolate
• Superfoods like Moringa, Spirulina, Chlorella
• Digestive enzyme blend of Protease, Papain, and Bromelain from Pineapples and Papayas
• Bilberry, Cranberry, Goji berry, and Acerola Cherry extracts

All these ingredients help boost metabolism, repair damaged tissue, provide energy, help with muscle gain, fat loss and accelerate recovery.

Wrapping Up

It is difficult to find the wrong and right amid the myths regarding nutrition. Therefore, it is important to educate yourself in the right way, especially when it comes to nutrition health.

Nutrition plays a significant role in healthy growth, brain functioning, metabolism, immunity, and much more. So, start your journey towards a healthy lifestyle this National Nutrition Week by adding healthy food items and organic supplements from Wellbeing Nutrition.

References

National Research Council (US) Committee on Diet and Health. Diet and Health: Implications for Reducing Chronic Disease Risk. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1989. 10, Dietary Fiber. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK218764/

Bhandari P, Sapra A. Low Fat Diet. [Updated 2022 Feb 10]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553097/

Zhang FF, Barr SI, McNulty H, Li D, Blumberg JB. Health effects of vitamin and mineral supplements. BMJ. 2020 Jun 29;369:m2511. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m2511. PMID: 32601065; PMCID: PMC7322674. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7322674/

Saunders J, Smith T. Malnutrition: causes and consequences. Clin Med (Lond). 2010 Dec;10(6):624-7. doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.10-6-624. PMID: 21413492; PMCID: PMC4951875. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4951875/

Slavin J, Carlson J. Carbohydrates. Adv Nutr. 2014 Nov 14;5(6):760-1. doi: 10.3945/an.114.006163. PMID: 25398736; PMCID: PMC4224210. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4224210/

Nguyen PK, Lin S, Heidenreich P. A systematic comparison of sugar content in low-fat vs regular versions of food. Nutr Diabetes. 2016 Jan 25;6(1):e193. doi: 10.1038/nutd.2015.43. PMID: 26807511; PMCID: PMC4742721. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4742721/