Cardiologist dispels myths about nutrition, diets
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A pediatric cardiologist says the best way to “diet” is to keep it simple, focusing on straightforward, long-term lifestyle changes.
Dr. David Stone with Corewell Health sat down with News 8 to dispel some common myths about nutrition.
Statement #1: “Diets are just fads.”
Stone says diets work, but you may need to reframe the way you think about them.
“The problem is, when I hear the word diet, I hear ‘temporary,'” he explained. “We’ve had tremendous success here at our clinic changing the terminology and focus to nutrition as a lifestyle for long-term health.”
Stone says there’s nothing wrong with taking on temporary challenges, but it’s important to make sustainable changes.
Statement #2: “Low-carb diets are bad for your health.”
“Low-carb diets are extremely healthy, not just for your heart but for your entire body,” Stone said.
He recommends a diet that includes healthy proteins, like meat, fish and eggs; healthy fats, like avocados and nuts; and healthy carbs, like most vegetables and blueberries.
Cardiologist: 80% of cardiovascular disease is preventable
Statement #3: “If you eat fat, you’ll be fat.”
This is not true, according to Stone.
“One of the biggest misnomers that we have is that eating fat leads to the storage of fat,” he said.
Stone says the human body either wants to store fat or burn it.
“It’s actually the unhealthy carbohydrates, sugar, fructose that lead to fat storage, and not actually fat intake,” he explained. “However, it is important to emphasize it must be healthy fats that we’re consuming.”
Statement #4: “Diets can be simple.”
“Not only can they be simple, they should be simple,” Stone said. “One of the most common reasons why diets don’t work: They’re too complex, too much counting, too much calculating.”
Instead, he recommends a straightforward approach.
“Counting calories isn’t necessary. It’s the type of calorie that we’re consuming,” he said, explaining that a calorie of broccoli and a calorie of donut will work differently in the body.
Stone suggests a few simple rules for nutrition.
“If you’re hungry, eat. If you’re not hungry, don’t eat,” he said. “Think of food as fuel. Think of food as energy. Think of fuel as medicine.”
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.
