The tendency to gain weight is evolutionally determined because, for thousands of years, homo sapiens had to survive in a time when there was a limited amount of food resources. We had to hunt for food and store it, and those who were good at it were ahead of the others. Modern life is different but people are still wired to gain weight. That’s why many people end up starving themselves while believing myths about healthy dieting that we want to debunk in this article.

When a person’s body mass index (BMI) is normal, they have a good chance of living a long life. That’s why trying to lose excess weight is definitely worth it. However, you should be careful when battling stubborn pounds. Bright Side found out which advice it’s better to avoid and why.

Myth #1: Brown sugar is better.

Almost all diets and healthy dieting rules claim that vegetables are good for you and you should consume as many as you can. But there are pitfalls here too. We rarely think about where those vegetables we buy and eat were grown. Many of them contain pesticides and nitrate. You can read our article about choosing fresh and tasty vegetables and fruits here.

Some vegetables can have a negative influence on the blood sugar level in your body. It depends on the individual features of one’s body. For some, it’s potatoes, for others — tomatoes. You should be careful with vegetables but it’s pretty pointless to deny all the beneficial effects of eating them.

Myth #4: Coffee keeps you energized all day long.

In fact, calories consumed with a candy bar and those contained in Brussel sprouts are totally different as they go along different metabolic ways. They also have a direct impact on the fat burning process, hormones, and the centers of the brain that are responsible for your appetite.

For example, a high protein diet can boost the metabolic rate up to 80-100 calories a day and decrease the feeling of hunger. That means calories do differ.

Myth #9: It’s bad to eat at night.

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In fact, it’s not. The time that you consume calories doesn’t matter to your body; what matters is the quality and the amount. Scientists from the US proved this using monkeys in their survey. They found out that monkeys that consumed food at night didn’t gain more weight than those who rarely ate at night.

Again, the “burn more than you consume” principle works for everyone who doesn’t suffer from serious health problems.

Myth #10: There are diets that don’t work.

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A regular diet means a cut in calories intake. It doesn’t really matter what foods you eat to reach that goal: some doesn’t eat fats while others don’t eat proteins and carbs and some people simply cut back on food entirely. Anyway, if you strictly follow your diet, you will definitely lose weight. However, if you go back to your regular eating habits, your excess weight will return, as well.

It’s not fair to claim that diets don’t work. The truth is they are all effective in their own ways, but to keep the result you reached, you’ll have to cut back on your favorite foods for a long time. Experts believe we shouldn’t follow various diets but should stick to a balanced eating plan that is good for you.

Do you know any myths about healthy dieting? Share them with us in the comments.

Please note: This article was updated in June 2022 to correct source material and factual inaccuracies.