Myths about healthy eating

A healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition, diets – today, in the era of consumerism, all this has become particularly relevant. Buyers are no longer surprised by the abundance of food on the shelves of supermarkets, so people began to think about a possible alternative to the usual diet, which offers something more than just satisfying hunger. The society has become more progressive, and in everything it seeks benefits for itself and its health. Including in food, especially when the market has something to offer.

The term “healthy nutrition” itself, although it has a standard wording, is actually much more abstract. And the basis of the abstract principle is nothing more than money. In the period of the emergence of developed capitalism, in the era of widespread consumption, ideas about the usefulness of certain products changed. The legislators of this fashion were, of course, corporations that produced these same products. For example, in the mid-twentieth century, fast food semi-finished products were promoted in the United States, including chips and instant coffee. This was due to the development of the post-war production of the food industry, when new mass media technologies were applied to the factories. Needless to say, this subsequently led to overweight problems in a large part of the country’s population. But this is not the worst case of propaganda products. In the same period there was a powerful policy of popularization of smoking. Sponsored by tobacco companies, it included copious cigarette advertising and anesthetization of smoking as part of the business image.

The next historical period is marked by the opposite boom in the popularity of vegetarianism. It all started with pacifist movements in the name of peace and harmony, which included the desire for a natural balance. And despite the fact that in subsequent years, the exclusion of meat from the diet was recognized as harmful to health, in the 60s vegetarianism was very popular and was recognized by some as a standard for good nutrition.

Demonization of vegetable oils

Subsequently, the fashion for yogurts, natural products, organic and other products, which we consider an integral part of a healthy diet, has emerged. Today, products that do not have the image of superfood and finds for losing weight are not very welcome. Under the category of “my God, how do you eat this?” And vegetable fats. Most often, they are accused of having a detrimental effect on the figure, the cardiovascular system, or the content of any substances that are harmful to humans and are capable of undermining their health.

In fact, all these frightening stories about vegetable oils are nothing more than a myth. And if it is supported by what it is, it is rather the incorrect storage or production of the finished product that falls on the shelves of supermarkets, rather than the actual properties of the ingredient. Moreover, it was not without the intervention of food corporations. Hearing about the dangers of vegetable fats was launched in the second half of the twentieth century by American sugar companies, which tried to ward off the accusations of “poisoning” the nation, throwing all the responsibility on the producers of vegetable oils.

Why is palm oil not evil?

Palm oil was also beaten. As a rule, he is accused of “unnaturalness” and is credited with harming the human cardiovascular system. And there is no really proven health threat from using palm oil. Sources of conjectures on this subject are replicated rumors, supported by the pursuit of loud headlines, as well as careless food producers who do not indicate the content of vegetable fats in the product, breaking the law and misleading consumers. Fuel to the fire (in all senses of the word) is added by the fact that in the fight against unfair food production often incorrect formulations are used. Counterfeit is not palm oil. These are products that do not correspond to what is written on the label.

Unlike the harm of palm oil, its usefulness has been proven, as evidenced by many studies on this topic. The Food News Press project on nutrition issues collected scientific publications from the best specialists in the field of biochemistry, food and nutrition, which dispel the negative myths about palm oil and point to its benefits.

Scientists have confirmed that the composition of palm oil has a large number of strong antioxidants, among which tocotrienol is to a large extent present. This substance protects the blood vessels, neutralizing the oxidation of free radicals, which prevents the development of cancer and the complication of the cardiovascular system. In addition, palm oil contains unsaturated fats that interfere with the deposition of cholesterol in the blood, as well as useful for joints and skin.