Sure, it's good for you, but the ranking of kale as our greatest green is just one of many word-of-mouth myths that drive our nutritional decision-making, often in the wrong direction.Much of what we believe about food is really just hearsay, a game of nutritional telephone handed down from science journals to newspapers to television to your aunt to your mom and then to you, with marketers in between.Learn how to separate fact from fiction and you might finally shed the habits that are silently sabotaging your weight loss efforts.In fact, simple spinach and even Romaine lettuce beat the alleged supergreen, as did parsley and chives.HFCS's real sin is that it's super cheap, and as a result, it's added to everything from cereal to ketchup to salad dressing.Everyday table salt comes from a mine and contains roughly 2,300 milligrams of sodium per teaspoon.Advocates point to the fact that sea salt also contains other compounds like magnesium and iron, but in truth, these minerals exist in trace amounts.What's more, traditional table salt is regularly fortified with iodine, which plays an important role in regulating the hormones in your body.What's more, a University of Maryland study found energy drinks to be 11 percent more corrosive to your teeth than regular soda.The obesity-research community is becoming increasingly aware that the artificial sweeteners used in diet soda lead to hard-to-control food urges later in the day.Researchers have also linked regular diet soda consumption with decreased response to artificial sweeteners and a decreased link between sweet tastes and energy value, meaning their bodies may grow to disassociate sweetness with satiety cues, making it easier to overeat and, therefore, gain weight.As it applies to food marketing, the term "low fat" is synonymous with "loaded with salt and cheap carbohydrates.".A 2008 study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that over a 2-year span, people on low-carb diets lost 62 percent more body weight than those trying to cut fat.But here's the deal: Due to an inextricable link to heart disease, the World Health Organization advises people to keep trans fat intake as low as possible, maxing out at about 1 gram per 2,000 calories consumed.If your cupboard's full of foods with almost half a gram per serving, you might be blowing past that number every single day.The American Journal of Health Promotion recently published an article urging the FDA to rethink its lax regulations, but until that happens, you should avoid all foods with "partially hydrogenated oil" (meaning, trans fats) on their ingredients statements.Case in point: 7UP boasts that it's made with "100% Natural Flavors" when, in fact, the soda is sweetened with a decidedly un-natural dose of high fructose corn syrup.Unfortunately, a half-hour trot on the treadmill isn't going to help you lose weight if you reward yourself by downing a few slices of cake and an order of French fries.The bottom line: It's near impossible to out-exercise a bad diet unless you plan to spend half your day in the gym.What's worse, fasted workouts can cause low blood sugar and lightheadedness, which can be dangerous when you're breaking a sweat.To reap the weight-loss benefits of the Paleo diet—without paying for it later—nix the processed junk and oils as the diet suggests, but keep the protein in check.In addition to boosting satiety, protein also has a high thermogenic effect compared to fats and carbs.In fact, "eating the right type of bedtime snack actually boosts metabolism and aids weight loss—not the opposite!".On the flip side, eating the right snack can help keep blood sugars stable so the fat-burning hormone glucagon can do its job.".Apple slices and almond butter, berries with heavy cream, and carrots with guacamole all fit the bill.Avocados, oatmeal, nuts, and their creamy, delicious butters are indeed healthy, but low in calories they are not.If you find that you have trouble sticking to reasonable portion sizes for some of the more caloric healthy foods in your diet, look for portion-controlled packages.Buying mini sizes in lieu of bigger tubs of food helps keep calories in check and teaches you what a proper serving looks like.Although packaged protein products can be a part of an all-around healthy diet, they aren't any better than a sit-down meal comprised of similar nutrients.A number of the pumped-up foods also use artificial sweeteners in lieu of sugar, which can increase cravings for sweet treats and cause weight gain over time.Our advice: If you want to include bars and shakes in your diet, opt for one of our Best Nutrition Bars for Weight Loss and whip up your own protein shakes at home using fresh fruits, veggies, milk or water, and a low-sugar vegan protein powder."Drinking water does not guarantee weight loss—especially if you're still eating an unhealthy, high-calorie diet," says Lisa Moskovitz, R.D., founder of Manhattan-based private practice, The NY Nutrition Group."Staying hydrated throughout the day is a great habit to maintain for good health, it's just not the only change you'll need to make for permanent weight loss," Moskovitz adds."In fact, the FDA recently announced they are reevaluating the term 'healthy' as it applies to foods with good-for-you fats, like pistachios," Newgent continues.In a 2014 study in the journal Health Psychology, aptly titled "The Myth of Comfort Food," researchers showed participants depressing films to "induce a negative effect.".Most peanut butters are highly processed and loaded with sugars and trans-fatty oils, and contain less of the healthy monounsaturated fats that you truly need.Once the proud spud stud of the American dinner plate, potatoes have been downgraded in recent years to a status not seen since the Irish blight.You haven't heard of them because they were previously believed to exist only in Chinese medicinal plants, but they have been shown to lower blood pressure by decreasing free-radical damage and inflammation
