(Ecns.cn)—As many of us try to avoid certain foods that we believe are harmful to health, we may sometimes have been wrong about our choices. Below are the ten most common misunderstandings about health and food choices.
1. Eating eggs is dangerous
A typical misunderstanding about eggs is that they contain a lot of cholesterol that will definitely cause harm. However, experts point out that the cholesterol loaded in our blood has nothing to do with that from eggs we consume. The cholesterol in our body is produced from within rather than from food.
It is the trans fat from food that stimulates the human body to produce cholesterol. Eggs however, contain a limited amount of such fat- only 1.5 grams of trans fats in a big egg, which is far less than that in a spoon of butter.
Therefore, it's OK to eat four eggs a day to meet the nutritional values that we need.
2. Salt is always bad
It is often said that the amount of salt, or sodium chloride, that we eat has a direct effect on our health and blood pressure: the more salt we eat the higher our blood pressure. This is only partly true.
Salt can help to preserve the nutrition loss from vegetables during the process of cooking. But, bear this in mind, the salt should be added when the water is boiling.
3. Never say yes to sugar
Because sugar contains a certain amount of calories, many people are suspicious of all sweeteners. But this is another modern misunderstanding because extensive research has not found any significant health concerns.
But is it that bad? Not if you properly use it. A limited amount of sugar providing calories less than 10% of that which you consume everyday is OK. Moreover, it will help to improve the taste of some dishes, including sweet and sour spareribs.
4. All saturated fats cause cholesterol
Saturated fats in general have been said to boost total cholesterol levels by elevating harmful LDL. Like all dietary fat, saturated fat also raises the protective HDL. Thus, they are believed to be 'bad fats.' Research shows that this concept is not all true because there are many types of saturated fats and some of them are 'good fats.'
The stearic acid loaded in cocoa, palm oil, as well as coconut oil for example, is one such 'good fat.' Such fat lowers the bad cholesterol and raises the good; therefore, it's preferable.
