Fewer calories does NOT equal weight loss!

Over the past year or so I have learned a lot about what a healthy diet truly means.  That is, what the common misconceptions are and why we should avoid them.  So what I don't quite understand is that if I can "see the light" when it comes to a healthy diet then why can't the medical and nutritionist communities?  It's headlines like this one in today's health news US obesity mystery... that boggles my mind.

So if you are as confused as the "experts" when it comes to obesity, rest assured you are not alone.  But there is something you can do.  Familiarize yourself with 4 of the most common dietary misconceptions, and then do the opposite! 

1. Fewer calories equals weight loss. 
1. This common misconception is one of the major reasons many of the fad diets on the market do not work.  All calories are NOT created equal!  Sugar (fructose consumption) in the form of High Fructose Corn Syrup is metabolized totally differently than glucose, with much of it being turned into fat rather than utilized by the body as a quick energy boost.  And to make matters worse it has been documented that HF corn syrup interferes with the receptors in your brain that would normally tell the body that it has been satisfied.  And for all those hooked on the so called "zero calorie" foods, keep in mind your body isn't fooled.  The body is designed to expect calories to follow sugar intake, and when this caloric intake is not fulfilled the body will continue to crave calories until it is satisfied ultimately causing you to consume more calories!   And one important side note Aspartame, the most common sugar substitute on the market today, is VERY toxic due to the way the human body metabolizes menthol, converting it into formaldehyde. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/11/07/aspartame-causes-blood-cancer.aspx
2. Eating fat makes you fat.
1. This is another big dietary misconception, and has proven to be one of the most deadly!  The move from diets high in healthy saturated fat (organic pastured meats, eggs, organic coconut, etc.) to diets high in unhealthy vegetable oils which become toxic when heated up during cooking due to their weak molecular bonds, has led to a dramatic increase (not decrease) in cases of coronary heart disease then was present in this country a decade or so ago.  The fact is a healthy diet should consist of 50% or more of healthy saturated fat.  Humans were designed by nature to be "Fat burning machines".  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/05/31/coconut-oil-for-healthy-heart.aspx
3. A high cholesterol diet will cause heart disease.
1. This all too common and all too deadly misconception ties directly into the "fat = fat" misconception.  What's important to remember here is that cholesterol is utilized by nearly every cell in the body, making it probably the most important nutrient that you can consume.  And a number of new studies have pointed to the American push for a "heart healthy low cholesterol diet" as well as the excessive use of  cholesterol lowering drugs, as the leading causes of many of the diseases plaguing our society today.  This is in major contrast to what most all nutritional and medical experts will lead you to believe.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/01/16/cholesterol-regulates-cell-signaling.aspx
4. Whole grains are part of a heart healthy diet
1. Grains, especially those containing gluten which are extremely hard to digest, simply put are nothing more than glucose to the body.  That's sugar in Layamon's terms!  And this point cannot be stressed enough; sugar interferes with the body's natural insulin response, causes inflammation, and in excess (which is the case for most American's) is the root cause of most if not all of the major chronic diseases that affect modern society.  http://cookingallergyfree.blogspot.com/2012/11/dont-believe-heart-healthy-advertising.html