This was an interesting short read. I knew most of the myths as I still hear them (like fruit being bad for Type II diabetes - spoiler alert - it’s not). I would have guessed incorrectly on plant milk vs cow milk though. (gifted article, so open for all to read if interested)
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I’m proud of myself for knowing the truth about each of the myths. The plant milk vs cow’s milk is my most recently learned … GD had trouble digesting cow’s milk, so D did a lot of research before settling on an alternative (and more research to find the brand with the least sugar). I am extremely careful about limiting my sodium intake, and the plant based meat alternatives just don’t make the grade for me. My propensity for forming kidney stones makes me take a second & third look at ingredients.
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Seems like the obvious choice in plant milks is unsweetened soy milk if protein is a concern (there are also some niche products fortified with pea protein).
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D ended up with pea milk - not the kind marketed for kids, which has too much sugar. GD only drank it for a short time. Like everyone in our family, she wasn’t interested in “milk” once she was able to chew well. She eats plenty of foods that provide what she needs - she is the healthiest eater I know!
Thanks for gifting this.
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I disagree with number 3. Calorie balance primarily determines weight gain is not a myth.
It’s true that people consuming ultra-processed fruits do tend to gain more weight than persons consuming unprocessed natural foods. However, this primarily relates to having a larger calorie balance. Ultra-processed foods tend to be more calorie dense and less filling than natural foods, so persons eating ultra-processed foods tend to consume more calories. While it’s certainly good to consume less ultra-processed foods, that doesn’t mean calorie balance is irrelevant.
The first study that came up in a Google search was Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake - PubMed , which comes to a similar conclusion .
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See:
“The Atwater system uses the average values of 4 Kcal/g for protein, 4 Kcal/g for carbohydrate, and 9 Kcal/g for fat. Alcohol is calculated at 7 Kcal/g. (These numbers were originally determined by burning and then averaging.)”
There’s still one problem. Our bodies are not furnaces. 
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The previously linked study as well as countless others (can list others if helpful) have found that weight gain is well correlated with calorie balance, even if Atwater system calorie estimates of n Kcal/g are not precise. I’d expect the bigger issue in estimating calorie consumption is human error, particularly in estimating quantity consumed of non-packaged foods. Estimating calorie burned in activity is often even more challenging.
In any case, being challenging to estimate calorie balance does not mean that calorie balance being a primary factor in weight gain is a myth. However, this can have implications on the best way to maintain weight. For example, weighing all foods on a scale and keeping detailed record of calories consumed isn’t going to solve all of a person’s problems about maintaining weight. However, being aware of which foods are higher/lower calories and a general idea of calories consumed is often useful, as can avoiding ultra-processed foods like the article mentions.
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Have you ever looked at a dead raccoon on the side of the freeway and wondered what it would take to resurrect it? I mean a totaled car can be rebuilt from parts, but we still can’t rebuild a live being. That is the manifestation of how complex living systems are! So yes, calories in is not the whole story.
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I agree - in the same way that some of us are predisposed to Type II diabetes and others aren’t.
Living creatures are complex. One answer isn’t the same for all.
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Nobody said calorie balance was the whole story. What I disagree with is saying calorie balance is a “nutrition myth.” Specifically the article implies that it’s not the calories consumed that is important for weight gain/loss, but rather than the types of foods that are consumed. I disagree with this.
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Calories consumed (as calculated by the nutrition labels) =/= calories digested and burned/stored by the body. Even the time of day (circadian rhythms) is important for how our bodies process nutrients, apparently.
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I’m guessing the quoted professor was referenced because of his paper at https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/nejmoa1014296 , which has thousands of citations. In the paper, he makes statements like below. I agree completely with this line of reasoning, which is very different from saying that calorie balance is not important for weight gain/loss.
"Some foods — vegetables, nuts, fruits, and whole grains — were associated with less weight gain when consumption was actually increased. Obviously, such foods provide calories and cannot violate thermodynamic laws. Their inverse associations with weight gain suggest that the increase in their consumption reduced the intake of other foods to a greater (caloric) extent, decreasing the overall amount of energy consumed. Higher fiber content and slower digestion of these foods would augment satiety, and their increased consumption would also displace other, more highly processed foods in the diet, providing plausible biologic mechanisms whereby persons who eat more fruits, nuts, vegetables, and whole grains would gain less weight over time.
…
Overall, our analysis showed divergent relationships between specific foods or beverages and long-term weight gain, suggesting that dietary quality (the types of foods and beverages consumed) influences dietary quantity (total calories).
"
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Calorie balance is usually defined to include things like TEF (Thermal Effect of Food, including calories used to digest and store food) and REE (Resting Energy Expenditure), which vary from person to person and can vary over time/environment. Calorie balance is not a simple calculation like if calories listed on package is more than calories burned during exercise, you will gain weight.
In some people, these values can vary wildly. For example, I once had a nodule on my thyroid, which induced severe hyperthyroidism. While I had hyperthyroidism, I could go outside in winter while wearing shorts and short sleeves and still be overheated. My weight loss was like something out of the Stephen King movie/book Thinner. Even while trying to consume as much calories as possible, I was still still losing 5lb per week.
However, variability in TEF/REE or difficulty in accurately estimating calories does not mean that calorie balance doesn’t matter for weight loss/gain and instead types of foods consumed matter, as implied by the article.
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Actually some fruits are pretty fast acting in terms of raising blood sugars. My kid has type 1. She avoids fruit in the morning because she is more insulin-resistant then, and type 2’s are insulin resistant, period. She does insulin to cover fruit, but needs to do more in the morning, which results in lows while walking to work.
Is this a myth ? Visited a friend in Phoenix last week. They take Weider Red yeast rice plus pills bought on Costco.com.
Says has lowered their cholesterol. Most reviews concur. I take Trader Joe’s non odor fish pill. Has done nothing that I can tell.
I’m asking the Dr. But myth or not that Red Yeast Rice works to help keep cholesterol in check ?? Til 5 days ago I had never heard of it.
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Agree completely. My husband, a physician, is very interested in nutrition and has been focused recently on a high satiety diet, which seems to be what they are describing. He, too, believes that calories matter 
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Red Yeast Rice is less regulated than traditional cholesterol lowering drugs but may contain the same compounds. They say “may” because it’s less regulated so different brands and different batches from the same brand may vary unlike FDA regulated medications. Red yeast rice - Mayo Clinic
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The fungus in the red yeast rice contains a naturally occurring statin, though amounts may be more variable.
I was unaware that guidance around introducing peanuts had changed since my kids were little.
I am also clinging (somewhat) to the idea that there could be a causal relationship between soy and breast cancer. My H’s mother and sister both had bc—given that family history, my daughters limit or avoid soy consumption out of an abundance of caution.