Eating lots of small meals throughout the day helps you lose weight by keeping your metabolism high - Eating 2-3 standard meals has the exact same effect on total calories burned as eating 5-6 smaller meals. Eating frequently may have benefits for some people (like preventing excessive hunger), but it is incorrect to say that this affects the amount of calories we burn.
Some sugars are worse than others - While it may be tempting to believe that some sugars such as agave or honey are easier to absorb than table sugar, the truth is our body processes them in a very similar way. All added sugar is really just extra calories with very little nutritional value. Sorry honey fans…
Cutting carbs is key to losing weight - This one is as old as time and the truth is that people who don’t eat carbs are likely to lose weight initially. However, this is because they are on a calorie controlled diet – fewer calories add up to fewer pounds over time, no matter how many of your calories come from fat, protein, or carbohydrates.
Fat is bad for you - Fat-free versions of your favourite food may be a multimillion pound industry, but the truth is that your body needs fats to function healthily. Healthy fats (aka polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats) are found in things like olive oil, nuts, fish and plant-based foods (hello, avocados), while not-so-good-for-you ones are found in processed foods and animal products like butter.
So what’s the takeaway from all these busted diet myths? It’s simple: Scrap the foodie fads and focus on eating a well-balanced diet and getting plenty of exercise.