lose weight<\/a>\u00a0might make another person feel terrible. Your age, activity level, health conditions, and even your genes all play a role in how your body responds to different foods.\u2019<\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/100530565-14929535-image-a-9_1753198966474.jpg\")
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So are there any long-term diets we should be buying into? \u2018Instead of following the latest fad or believing everything you see on social media,\u2019 Murphy says, \u2018focus on the basics that never go out of style: eat plenty of vegetables, choose whole foods over processed ones most of the time, and pay attention to how different foods make you feel.\u2019<\/p>\n
With this in mind, Murphy has revealed the seven most common (and incorrect) food myths she sees among clients and social media users, so you know how to debunk (or ignore) them next time someone tries to \u2018advise\u2019 you. Prepare to be un-brainwashed.<\/p>\n
All fats are bad<\/p>\n
So many people had it drilled into them for decades that all fats are bad and you need to slash your intake to lose weight. But as Murphy points out, fats are actually hugely important both for keeping your body healthy and helping you stay fuller for longer, which should minimise snacking and help you slim down.<\/p>\n
\u2018Avoiding all fats is one of the worst things you can do for your health,\u2019 Murphy advises. \u2018Good fats from sources like avocados, nuts, and olive oil are essential. They provide more energy than carbs and proteins, encourage optimal brain function and, particularly in women, help the healthy production of hormones.<\/p>\n
It’s the processed trans fats and excessive saturated fats you want to limit \u2013 foods like pastries, cakes and chips. They\u2019re the ones that raise \u2018bad\u2019 cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart disease and strokes.\u2019<\/p>\n
Thinking gluten-free means healthier<\/p>\n
We all know the type of person who insists on buying everything gluten-free or vegan because it\u2019s supposedly \u2018healthier\u2019. However, Murphy says they\u2019re often getting it completely wrong. Gluten-free foods are often worse for you than their \u2018normal\u2019 alternatives \u2013 and can even lead to you putting on more weight.<\/p>\n
\u2018Unless you have coeliac disease or genuine gluten sensitivity, gluten-free products aren’t automatically better for you,\u2019 Murphy says. \u2018Gluten-free alternatives are often higher in sugar, calories, and additives to compensate for taste and texture.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018I see people switching to gluten-free biscuits thinking they’re making a healthy choice, but they’re often getting more calories and less nutrition than the regular version. Stick to the normal ones where you can \u2013 it\u2019s better for your body and your waistline.\u2019<\/p>\n
Juices help detox your body ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/100530567-14929535-image-a-10_1753198980213.jpg\")
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Ever treated yourself to a fruit juice and justified it as a detox? Us too. Yet Murphy says it\u2019s a rookie error. \u2018Your liver and kidneys already do an excellent job of detoxing your body,\u2019 she says, \u2018so you don’t need expensive juice cleanses to help them along.<\/p>\n
More importantly, juicing removes all the beneficial fibre from fruits and vegetables while concentrating the sugar content. \u2018When you juice an apple, you’re essentially drinking apple-flavoured sugar water without any of the fibre that would normally slow down sugar absorption,\u2019 says Murphy.<\/p>\n
\u2018This can cause a huge blood sugar spike, which over time increases the risk of diabetes and heart disease.\u2019<\/p>\n
Carbohydrates make you fat<\/p>\n
How many times have you heard someone on a diet say they can\u2019t eat bread or pasta because they have \u2018too many carbs\u2019? Well, it turns out they\u2019re needlessly denying themselves, Murphy reveals.<\/p>\n
\u2018Carbohydrates aren’t the enemy,\u2019 she says. \u2018Weight gain happens when you eat more calories than you burn, regardless of whether those calories come from carbs, protein, or fat. Your body needs carbohydrates for energy, especially if you’re upping your physical activity to try and shift a few pounds.<\/p>\n
\u2018The problem isn’t the carbs themselves, but the type and amount people eat. Choosing wholegrains over refined carbs \u2013 brown pasta and bread over white \u2013 and watching portion sizes means you get all the fibre, digestive and cholesterol benefits carbs deliver, without the nasties that come with refined treats.\u2019<\/p>\n
Natural sugars are always better than processed<\/p>\n
When you point out that fruit has sugar in it, there\u2019s always one person who says: \u2018Yes, but it\u2019s natural so it\u2019s good sugar.\u2019 According to Murphy, however, that logic simply isn\u2019t true.<\/p>\n
\u2018While natural sources of sugar often come with additional nutrients and fibre, your body processes sugar similarly regardless of its source,\u2019 she says. \u2018Honey, agave and even apples still spike your blood glucose just like the sugar you find in biscuits.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018People think they can eat unlimited amounts of \u2018natural\u2019 sweeteners, but your body doesn’t distinguish between honey and white sugar once it’s digested,\u2019 she advises. \u2018Both come with the same health risks if you gorge on too much.\u2019<\/p>\n
You need to eat \u2018little and often\u2019 to improve your metabolism ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/100530563-14929535-image-a-11_1753199013199.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Ever been told you need a mid-afternoon snack because it\u2019ll help your metabolism keep working? Sorry to say it\u2019s fake news.<\/p>\n
\u2018The idea that frequent small meals \u2018stoke your metabolic fire\u2019 has been thoroughly debunked,\u2019 Murphy says. \u2018Your metabolism doesn’t slow down significantly between meals, and some people do better with fewer, larger meals.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018Honestly, you\u2019re perfectly capable of going several hours between meals without your metabolism grinding to a halt. Focus on eating when you’re genuinely hungry and enjoying a full, balanced meal, rather than endlessly grazing every few hours.\u2019<\/p>\n
Low-fat foods are automatically healthy<\/p>\n
Rather like the gluten-free logic, Murphy points out that removing the fat content from something means it has to be replaced with something else. \u2018When manufacturers remove fat from products,\u2019 she advises, \u2018they often replace it with sugar, salt, or artificial additives to maintain taste.<\/p>\n
\u2018This can make low-fat versions less healthy than their full-fat counterparts. A low-fat yoghurt packed with added sugar isn’t doing you any favours compared to full-fat Greek yoghurt with no added sweeteners.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We\u2019ve all been there: you\u2019re speaking to a friend, family member or colleague about food and they hit…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18761,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[64,63,100,137,191,532,7776],"class_list":{"0":"post-18760","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-dailymail","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-home","13":"tag-nutrition","14":"tag-you"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18760\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}