Top 11 Health Myths Busted!

Old wives’ tales and bare-faced lies are often quite popular but where your health is concerned, things could get dangerous.

- Faye Remedios

It must be a very small percentage of the population over the age of five that actually believes an apple a day can keep you healthy forever. Or that sandwiches are better with the crust on because that’s where all the vitamins are. But when it comes to the bigger, more popular myths, which ones do you swallow and which do you spit out? The human body is a complex mechanism and a lot of the popular and seemingly logical theories about it are actually baseless. We set the record straight on some of these.

MYTH: SUPER FOODS HAVE SUPERPOWERS

THE VERDICT: They have their benefits but they aren’t miracle foods. Tripti Gupta, dietician, wellness consultant and founder of iPink The Color Of Health, explains, “A superfood is simply a nutrient dense food that offers a little more nourishment than others but you can’t gorge on it. It all boils down to balance, portion control and respecting your body’s needs.”

MYTH: WHEY PROTEIN IS FOR YOUNG BODYBUILDERS

THE VERDICT: Whey protein is highly misunderstood — it’s simply a muscle building, quick-absorbing, simplified form of amino acid, which is effective in muscle repair. Gupta says, “A basic whey supplement is not necessarily used to build muscles but to help you meet your protein requirements, especially since Indian meals are largely carb-based. As you get older, your protein requirement increases and muscle wastage speeds up. It’s more important for senior citizens to incorporate suitable whey protein supplements into their diet to help them repair muscle, gain strength and maintain stamina. It’s not necessarily a post-workout consumption and can be taken with any meal to meet your protein quota for the day.”