Nutrition Myths
Low-fat or no-fat diets are good for you.
We sometimes believe that food labelled as ‘fat free’ or ‘low fat’ are better for you and to think we need a low-fat diet to lose weight, but we should still have a third of our calories coming from fat.'
While it is true that eating less fat (especially the saturated kind) is good for us, many of these so called ‘low fat’ options can do so by increasing the sugars and/or proteins . Some foods labelled as low fat do seem to be genuinely healthier, managing to keep fat content, calories and sugar levels low. Just don’t get taken in by the marketing - make sure you read the label to ensure your fat isn’t being substituted for heaps of sugar.
The body needs fat for energy, tissue repair and to transport fat soluble vitamins around the body.
There is no need to follow a fat-free diet. Cutting down on saturated fats and eating unsaturated fats, found in foods like olive oil and avocados, will help.
Crash dieting or fasting makes you lose weight.
This may be true in the short term, but ultimately it can hinder weight loss.
According to the Medical Research Council (MRC) at Human Nutrition Research Centre in Cambridge: 'Losing weight over a long term period burns off fat. Crash dieting or fasting not only removes fat but also lean muscle and tissue.' The loss of lean muscle causes a fall in your basal metabolic rate - the amount of calories your body needs on a daily basis.
This means your body will need fewer calories than it did previously, making weight gain more likely once you stop dieting. It's also why exercise is recommended in any weight-loss plan to build muscle and maintain your metabolic rate.
Fasting can also make you feel dizzy or weak so it's much better to try long-term weight loss.
Low-fat milk has less calcium than full-fat milk.
Skimmed and semi-skimmed milk actually have more calcium because the calcium is in the watery part, not the creamy part.
'If you're trying to lose weight and cut fat from your diet, skimmed milk is your best bet because it is lower in fat and has 10mg more calcium per 200ml glass of milk than full fat.
'Semi-skimmed is best for maintaining a healthy lifestyle if you're not dieting.
'Full-fat milk is best for children and adults who are underweight.'
Cholesterol is bad for you.
Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is made mostly by the liver.
It can be bad for us, because it forms deposits that line and clog our arteries. Clogged arteries contribute to heart disease. But we all need some blood cholesterol because it's used to build cells and make vital hormones. There's good and bad cholesterol, 'Saturated fats found in food like meat, cheese, cream, butter and processed pastries tend to raise bad Cholesterol known as low density lipoprotein (LDL) which clogs the arteries. The good Cholesterol known as 'High density lipoprotein (HDL), transports cholesterol away from the arteries, back to the liver.'
Foods that increase HDL are such as Olive oil, beans and legumes, whole grains, high fibre fruits ( prunes, apples and pears) fatty fish, flax seeds and oils, nuts, chia seeds, avocados and Soy. So always aim for unsaturated fats like vegetable oils, nuts and seeds.
Banana are fattening.
Many people believe bananas are fattening. Bananas are low in fat and are packed with potassium. There is only 0.5g fat and 95 calories in a banana.
Bananas are among the world’s most commonly consumed fruits.
They are primarily composed of carbs, and contain decent amounts of several vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Potassium, vitamin C, catechin, and resistant starch are among the healthy nutrients in bananas.
These may contribute to improved heart and digestive health when consumed regularly as a part of a healthy lifestyle.
Fast food salads are the “healthy option”
It is all too common to see dieters ordering salads or other “healthy choices” from fast food outlets – but what they usually don’t realize is that the salads can be as bad as the regular food and they would be more content if they just eat a fast food burger.
If you go for a salad, watch out for added ingredients with saturated fats like bacon (if so, trim the fat off), and the dressings that can add extra calories and saturated fats (e.g. salad cream).
Fresh fruit and vegetables are better than dried, frozen or tinned.
This myth is true in only if you are looking for vitamin ‘c’, then fresh is best, but other than that, dried fruit and vegetables contain just as many nutrients for energy as fresh fruit. If you follow the recommendations of eating 5 portions of fruit and vegetables (between both) a day, then, for example in the case of dried fruit, you only need one tablespoon of dried fruit per portion. The same is true of canned or frozen fruit. Fruit juice is also able to be used as a daily fruit portion but only one per day should be made up of juice.
For years, frozen foods have been thought of as second class. When you walk into a supermarket you usually see a lot of brightly coloured fresh fruit and veg. The frozen aisles tends to be hidden right at the back.
When something is fresh, we automatically think it is better, but this is not always the case. Nutrient levels start dropping from the moment something is harvested and time ticks away as food sits in transportation and on the shelf. Not to mention the time it spends sitting in the bottom of the fridge.
Frozen food tends to be frozen within hours of being picked to retain their nutrients. Some food companies even claim that their garden peas are frozen within two and a half hours to lock in all the goodness.
Of course, fresh fruit and veg are a brilliant source of nutrients, specially when they are in season, and can taste fantastic, but don’t rule out frozen fruit and veg because they happen to be in the freezer.
Decaffeinated coffee contains no caffeine.
International standards require decaf to be 99.9% caffeine free. The process of removing caffeine is a long one and it also means that many other chemicals (up to 400 in fact) that are essential the taste of coffee are lost. If you have an allergy to caffeine, you should probably keep away from all forms of coffee – decaf included. But for those who can cope with caffeine – unless you really can’t stand the slight “high” produced by it, you will have a nicer tasting drink if you just opt for regular coffee.
Going vegetarian is automatically a healthy choice. A vegetarian diet can lead to higher saturated fat intake where meat and fish are replaced with only cheese and might not provide adequate iron and vitamin B12. However, the increase in fibre fruit, veg and wholegrains can clearly be healthier choices, so make sure you top up any lacking nutrients with other foods or supplements. Cooking from scratch and reducing ready made/processed foods can lead to a healthier vegetarian diet.
‘Superfoods’ are always super
The term ‘superfood’ has exploded onto the scene in recent years and certain foods elevated to God-like status. It began with the blueberry and soon spinach, broccoli and even Goji berries followed suit.
Nobody can deny that these foods are good for you, but by allocating the term ‘super’, people suddenly expect them to work miracles.
The term ‘superfood’, branding it meaningless and misleading. Breaking a food down into its different components is pointless. The effect of the whole food may be quite different from the sum of its parts and it is impossible to predict the reactions of individual metabolisms to specific foods.
The EU seemed to agree when they banned the use of the term unless backed up by an authorised health claim.
What do you think? Are a lot of claims made by the food industry just a load of hot air, or are you still inclined to believe them?
