Three Nutrition Lies We Tell Ourselves

Lets make a list of lies we tell ourselves about eating -- basically how we stretch the truth about certain beneficial foods to justify our over-indulgences, even when we have the best of intentions. Here are three that I can think of:

1. If a little olive oil is good, a lot is better, so you can eat more.
   Olive oil is good for your heart because it's rich in monounsaturated fatty acids called oleic acids. When you replace some of your saturated fat intake with monounsaturated fats, you're doing your heart a favor. But here's what makes it tricky. First, you need to reduce some of those saturated fats, not just pour the olive oil on top of your regular saturated fat intake (if it's high). Also, all fats are high in calories, coming in at 9 calories per gram, so consuming a lot of olive oil can add too many calories, which leads to weight gain. Which can be bad for your heart when you become obese.
2. Chocolate is a health food, so you can eat more.
   Cocoa contains polyphenols that could have health benefits. The problem is that we rarely consume plain cocoa (although I'm waiting for a shipping of ground cocoa beans as I write this). Chocolate is a combination of cocoa, sugar and fat, usually a tropical fat, that melts at body temperature so we get that fabulous mouth feel as it melts in the mouth. So, while the sugar and fat make chocolate delicious, they pretty much overtake any heart-health benefit.
3. Frozen yogurt is better than ice cream, so you can eat more.
   Yogurt is good for you because it's low in fat and an excellent source of calcium, protein and probiotics that help keep your digestive system healthy. Frozen yogurt is probably better than regular ice cream because it's so low in fat, but it still has lots of sugar, so you still need to watch your serving size. It might not have as much of the beneficial bacteria either. The best way to enjoy yogurt is to stick with plain yogurt and add some berries or maybe a little honey.

You may notice I didn't include any of the controversial stuff about artificial sweeteners or fad diet idea because one side's lie is always the other sides' truth. Any more food lies we tell to ourselves?