Truth: Carbohydrates are essential to a healthy diet, providing energy for your whole body. But it’s best to get carbs from healthy, minimally processed foods, like fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains and dairy. We Americans tend to eat more refined grains and sugar than we should — sources of carbohydrates that aren’t good for you.

— Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D.

Truth: It can be, but it depends on what you’re eating.

Eating a plant-powered diet can have incredible health benefits, ranging from lower rates of heart disease and diabetes to some types of cancer. However, omitting meat doesn't give you a "get out of jail free" card in terms of nutrition. You can be vegan and eat nothing but Skittles and fries. It's as much about the foods you eat as it is the ones you don't.

— Rachel Meltzer Warren, M.S., RDN, author of The Smart Girl's Guide to Going Vegetarian

Truth: The yolk is where a lot of the nutrition is!

Most people don't know that the yolk actually contains over 40 percent of the protein — and more than 90 percent of the calcium, iron and B vitamins — in a whole egg. It also contains all of the egg's healthy fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K). Plus, that extra fat will help to keep you full and satisfied for longer than you would be with just the whites!

— Anne Mauney, MPH, R.D., registered dietitian and blogger at fANNEtasticfood.com

Truth: There’s a difference between processed ramen noodles and processed ready-to-serve brown rice.

Who has the luxury of preparing all of our foods from scratch? If we ate no processed foods, we’d have to grind our own wheat berries before baking our own bread. Instead of swearing off all things processed, pick your processed foods discriminatingly. I love ready-to-eat steamed beets in my salads, and cans of black beans. I choose my kale prewashed and packaged in plastic bags. Frozen and canned foods provide a quick, healthy way to eat more fruits and vegetables. Choose fruits, vegetables, tuna and other fish, and beans. Pick up packaged quick-cooking whole grains, like brown rice, barley and farro. Read labels to limit added sugars and sodium and excess fats. — Jill Weisenberger, M.S., RDN, CDE, FAND, author of The Overworked Person’s Guide to Better Nutrition