The Myths and Legends About Nutrition
By Stephen R. Farris
No matter your age, you've probably heard numerous wives' tales about nutrition and getting healthy. You know some of the ones. For instance, when I was growing up the cartoon Popeye was still popular on television. He was the wiry little sailor man with a girlfriend named Olive Oyl. His nemesis was a brute named Brutus. Brutus would try to pick fights with Popeye all the time, but when the little sailor had enough, he'd miraculously reach into his back pocket and "pulls out a can of spinach," scarf it down, and just like that he became strong as an ox and would defeat the much bigger opponent.
Sounds a little far-fetched, don't you think? So back to my point; my mother would serve spinach as a side dish sometimes for dinner. She would tell me that if I wanted to grow up and have strong muscles, I'd better eat all my spinach. Well, turns out that I do like the green leafy veggie and have eaten it for years. However, I'm still waiting for those muscles to appear from nowhere every time I eat it. But I probably should start working out more, because it turns out that Mother was right.
This myth does have a bit of truth to it. Spinach contains nutrients like calcium and iron, but has never really been proven it actually helps build strong muscles -- that is, until now. Researchers have been able to link it as a nutrient source for doing just that. There are other myths out there that tend to scare us away from some of the healthy foods some of us enjoy, so let's take a look at a couple or so.
The Older You Get, the Less Dairy You Should Consume
The truth, as long as your digestive system can handle dairy products, is you should have no problem continuing to use dairy for consumption. But if you begin to develop bloating or gassing after drinking or eating dairy products, then you might want to back off of them.
Milk is the Only Source for Calcium
Definitely not true, especially since we learned earlier that spinach contains calcium. Bok choy, white beans, salmon and sardines all have calcium, so you see, dairy products aren't the only ones to have calcium.
When Dieting, Low-Carb, High-Protein Is Best
There are numerous diets out there that you can try. And the above mentioned is good too, but in order to get the needed nutrients and minerals your body needs, it's best to use a well-balanced diet with fresh fruits and vegetables, along with lean cuts of meat.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Savannah, Ga.