Gluten

The myth: As more and more of your friends go gluten-free, you may wonder: Is there something to this latest diet craze? Is gluten intolerance a thing? Is it getting more common?

Why it's bogus: Only about 1% of people worldwide have celiac disease, the rare genetic disorder that makes people intolerant to gluten, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation.

Eggs

The myth: The massive amounts of cholesterol in eggs will translate to a massive amount of cholesterol in your veins.

Why it's bogus: Even though eggs are high in cholesterol (a single egg packs roughly 185 mg), eating them likely won't translate into higher blood cholesterol for you.

Caffeine

The myth: Caffeine stunts your growth and messes with your health.

Why it's bogus: The average adult can safely consume up to 400 mg of caffeine daily. Most standard cups of coffee contain between 90 and 120 mg. So if you're limiting yourself to under four cups of joe a day, you should be relatively in the clear.

Carbonated water

The myth: Fizzy water is all the rage these days, showing up in grocery-store aisles in flavors like coconut or watermelon. But many people worry the bubbles cause kidney stones, leach calcium from your bones, and even strip the enamel from your teeth.

Why it's bogus: The bubbly stuff is just as good for you as plain water, Jennifer McDaniel, a registered dietitian and certified specialist in sports dietetics, told my colleague Dina Spector.

Fatty foods

The myth: Fatty foods like avocados and olive oil will make you fat.

Why it's bogus: Although it makes intuitive sense, this myth is not borne by scientific research. A recent look at the studies behind the dietary guidelines that suggested we cut back on fat found that there wasn't evidence to support those rules in the first place.

Cheese

The myth: Some news outlets have reported that cheese "is like crack" because it's "as addictive as drugs."

Why it's bogus: Since pizza, a cheesy food, ranked high on both lists, people speculated that cheese was the culprit, going as far to suggest something about the way one of its proteins breaks down in the body is addictive.

Artificial sweeteners

The myth: Artificial sweeteners like Splenda and Equal have been found to cause cancer.

Why it's bogus: The Food and Drug Administration has evaluated hundreds of studies on sucralose (Splenda), aspartame (Equal), saccharin (Sweet'N Low) and more. So far, it has deemed all of them safe.

GMOs

The myth: Genetically modified organisms cause cancer and wreak havoc on the environment.

Why it's bogus: GMO crops, which have been around since the 1980s, have been studied at length, and a recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine found that they aren't posing any greater risk to the environment than regular crops.

Salt

The myth: Salt causes heart problems and weight gain.

Why it's bogus: A 2011 meta-analysis of seven studies involving more than 6,000 people published in the American Journal of Hypertension found no strong evidence that reducing salt decreased people's risk of heart attack, stroke, or death — even in those who had high blood pressure.

All carbs

The myth: Carbohydrates — including rice, bread, cereal, and potatoes — contribute to weight gain.

Why it's bogus: While it's a good idea to limit your intake of processed carbs like white bread, white rice, and white pasta, not all carbs are bad for you. Some are healthy and a great source of energy.

Fish

The myth: Fish is high in mercury and will make you sick.

Why it's bogus: While mercury can build up in larger, older predator fish like marlin and shark, it's not generally a problem in smaller fish.
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