HealthDay - MONDAY, July 14 (HealthDay News) -- Men and women with early-stageAlzheimer's disease who were more physically fit also had larger brainscompared to their counterparts in less stellar shape.

Staying healthy is the most discussed topic of all these days. In spite of the increased awareness about healthy eating habits, quick weight loss tips, body sculpting programs, low cal foods, and custom eating plans, there are many nutrition related myths that are part of our daily eating habits. People believe in some of the nutrition and weight loss myths so strongly that they're surprised when they uncover the truth. One might think that these myths are innocuous but they can be detrimental to one's health in the long run. Let's have a look at some of the common myths about nutrition and safe weight loss, and find the facts about them so that you can avoid them buy bulk octacosanol powder better health.

Nutrition Myth #1: The best way to quick weight loss is to skip meals.

Fact: Many women often skip meals in the hope of losing weight fast. But, the fact is that when you don't take a meal, especially breakfast, your body slows down your metabolism rate and by the next meal you feel hungrier and tend to eat more. This results in more harm than good to your weight loss goals. When you eat more in a single sitting your calorie intake increases and it has a net negative effect. One should have a balanced diet with four to five low-calorie, small portion meals consumed over the day. The key to weight loss is following a customized diet plan formulated by experts and increasing physical activity.

Nutrition Myth #2: Eating at night should be avoided as it can lead to weight gain.

Fact: You can eat anytime and stay healthy and fit provided you eat low fat, healthy food in small quantities. At the same time you must take care that your daily routine includes some physical activity, such as walking, jogging or swimming. Less physical work and more calorie intake is surely going to increase your weight, so avoid overeating.

Nutrition Myth #3: Nuts and dairy products are high in calories and unhealthy too.

Fact: Both nuts and dairy products are full of nutrients that are good for your health. Milk contains calcium for strengthening bones and proteins for building muscles, and fats in nuts are healthy and do not block arteries. If you are following a weight loss regime, you can go for low-fat dairy products that have fewer calories and avoid eating butter that is very high in fat. Also target lactose-free dairy products that are suitable for those who cannot digest lactose (a type of sugar contained in dairy products).

Nutrition Myth #4: Diabetes is caused by sugar.

Fact: When you intake sugar, a hormone called insulin breaks down the sugar to normalize the blood sugar levels. Hence, the lack of insulin in the body leads to diabetes, not the excess of sugar. The risk of diabetes increases when a person is over-weight and has a sedentary lifestyle. In case you have diabetes you need to consult your dietician for a custom diet plan to regulate your blood sugar levels.

Nutrition Myth #5: A vegetarian diet is healthier than a non-vegetarian diet.

Fact: Vegetarian diet is believed to be a healthy diet because it contains less saturated fats and cholesterol, but vegetarians very often make some unhealthy food choices. Eating vegetarian junk food that has no nutritional value or eating high fat vegetarian food can have a negative effect on health in the long term. The bottom-line is that an unbalanced vegetarian diet can be unhealthier than a wisely planned non-vegetarian diet. So, you must select your food wisely, be it vegetarian or non-vegetarian. A healthy vegetarian diet should contain grains/cereals, legumes, fruits, vegetables, dairy and soy products.

Brian Jenkins is a senior health and weight loss writer and expert in natural weight loss.