Debunking Those Rules of Health Myths

For how many years have we been following ideas we thought were "healthy?"  It seems that every so often, some new piece of information comes out to tell us all what we should be doing to stay healthy.  Then later we find out that what we thought was truth is fabrication.  For example, how long have we heard that sugar makes children hyper?  The idea spread like wildfire, but it's not true.

Sure, you don't want kids to overindulge on sugar because it can cause tooth decay, make them overweight and possibly promote diabetes, but there's no proof whatsoever that sugar makes kids hyper.  Twelve studies have been done so far that tried and failed to prove that there's any link at all between sugar and hyperactivity.  So was this falsehood started because parents were looking for something to blame their kids' misbehaviors on besides themselves?  Have so many people accepted this idea because they wanted a scapegoat?

Here's another one...drinking eight glasses of water per day keeps you hydrated.  This idea sprung forth from scientific research in 1945!  However, there's no clinical research to support this.  Drinking water is a good thing, and if you get thirsty or if you want to casually sip on water, go ahead, but you don't have to drink a certain amount of water to stay hydrated.  The condition of hydration depends on variables, such as what your body needs, your activity level, your environment, etc.  Throw the eight glasses idea out the window and into the flowerbed.

One more for you.  While dark chocolate does have a higher concentration of oxidant-rich cocoa than milk chocolate, you don't have to eat dark chocolate to get it.  Milk chocolate has it, too, so buy the kind you like and don't worry about it!

Remember how they devised the food pyramid many years ago?  And how many times has it changed?  That's an example of how "what's good" for you changes throughout the years.  Personally, I believe the most important health idea is to eat a balanced diet and to listen to your body.  But that's just me and I'm not an "expert."