Nutrition is a minefield of myths—Some have been passed down through generations, while others spread like wildfire on social media. You’ve probably heard that eating fruit after 6 p.m. is bad or that dessert fruit ferments in your stomach. Sounds wild, right? But these myths persist because nutrition advice is often a mix of science, marketing, and old wives’ tales. With so much misinformation, it’s hard to separate fact from fiction. So, let’s get to it: debunking some of the most persistent health myths.

1. Eating Right For Your Blood Type is Important 

There’s no delicate way to put this: there is zero scientific evidence to support diets based on blood type. While personalized nutrition is a growing field, current research shows no connection between blood type and how your body processes food.

2. Detox Diets “Cleanse” Your Body

The liver, kidneys, lungs, and skin already detox your body 24/7 without the help of overpriced juice cleanses. Detox diets are a marketing gimmick designed to sell you overpriced juices and teas. These diets not only fail to deliver on their promises—they can also deprive your body of essential nutrients. While you might lose water weight, as soon as you return to normal eating,in many cases, it bounces right back. Plus extreme detoxes can be dangerous, depriving your body of essential nutrients. Your body doesn’t need a detox—what it needs is a balanced diet. 

3. Fruit Ferments in The Stomach if Paired With a Meal 

This one is just bizarre. If fruit were fermenting in your stomach, you’d have bigger problems than diet myths. Food gets digested in the stomach, absorbed in the small intestine, and never turns into some batch of alcohol inside you. The stomach is so acidic that almost no microorganism can survive in it, so food doesn’t just sit there and ferment. Plus, our digestive enzymes work together efficiently, and mixing different foods does not disrupt digestion. In fact, that’s exactly what they’re built for. After all, meals are a mix of all kinds of foods. 

This myth is just another relic of diet culture, designed to make people restrict their intake unnecessarily under the guise of pseudo-science. 

4. Drinking Lemon Water in the Morning Burns Fat

If fat came out in urine, we’d all be leaving oil slicks in the toilet. That’s not how fat loss works. Fat is broken down through a process called lipolysis, where it’s converted into energy. 

5. Eating Carbs at Night Makes You Gain Weight

Carbs don’t know what time it is. The idea that eating them at night leads to weight gain is not true. Your body continues to burn calories while you sleep, maintaining essential functions like breathing and cell repair. While the timing of your meals matters, the real issue issue is mindless late-night snacking. If you’re eating out of boredom rather than hunger, that can contribute to weight gain. 

6. The Paleo Diet is the Best Diet Because Early Humans Ate That Way

The Paleo Diet romanticizes a version of history that has evolved. 

The idea that we should eat like our Paleolithic ancestors is flawed. First, early humans had drastically different diets depending on their environment. Second, modern food—even natural produce—has evolved significantly. Third, eliminating whole grains, dairy, and legumes can deprive your body of essential nutrients. While some people thrive on a Paleo diet, it’s not inherently superior.

More importantly, all healthy food should be enjoyable. Restrictive diets are hard to sustain, and research shows that when people include foods they love, they’re more likely to maintain healthy eating habits. So unless you’re hunting your own dinner with a spear, let’s stop pretending we’re cavemen.

7. You Shouldn’t Eat After 6 P.M

There’s no universal cut-off time for eating. Different cultures eat at different hours, and late dinners don’t automatically cause weight gain. What matters more is how you eat—if you’re mindlessly snacking in front of the TV, that’s a habit worth adjusting. 

8. Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day

Breakfast is just another meal. If you wake up hungry, eat. If you don’t, skipping it won’t ruin your metabolism (but skipping breakfast because in hopes to lose weight can hinder weight loss). The key is focusing on the quality of your meals, not forcing yourself to eat when you’re not hungry.

The quality of your breakfast matters more than just having one for the sake of it.