15.03.2010
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Eating after 6pm does NOT make you "fat"...and 14 other health myths debunked
If you think that low-fat foods are the path to a slim new you, and carbs, red meat and eggs are the enemy, we've got news for you. So much of what we "know" about healthy eating contradicts itself, so we thought we'd set some of the most common health rumours straight, once and for all. The good news? Chocolate's on the menu.
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15. Chocolate is bad. Not true! Dark chocolate contains antioxidants and has been proven to thin the blood, so it won’t increase cholesterol. The important thing is enjoying chocolate in moderation. Eating an entire family block will provide a female with three quarters of her daily kilojoule requirement and requires over two hours of running or eight hours of walking to burn it off! -
14. Vegetarians miss out on nutrients. It’s actually not as hard as you might think! Vegetarian diets vary considerably, but food alone can supply all the nutrients you need. Make sure you east a wide variety of veggies, whole grains, and fruits. Supplementation of iron and vitamin B12 might be required in some cases, but make sure you check with your doctor. -
13. Sweet tooth syndrome. It’s easy to blame our overindulgent chocolate session on a “sweet tooth”, but having sweet foods encourages you to eat more sweet foods due to the roller-coaster effect they have on blood sugar – and they can also increase your fat intake. Foods like boiled lollies, jelly, and watermelon are all sweet but have barely any fat. Try eating these sweet treats for a week when you get the urge, and see if it satisfies your cravings. If not, you might be getting more kilojoules than you think. Try to cut back – cutting back on processed foods is an important step to improving your health. -
12. Pasta and bread is fattening. Many women think carbohydrates are the devil incarnated, but the fact is that this is only true if your portion sizes are very high, and your activity levels are very low. Carbs are easy to over consume because they’re so low in fibre. Make sure you’re getting plenty of exercise, and try introducing unrefined wholegrain carbohydrates into your diet, such as multigrain bread, brown pasta and rice. -
11. Ignore food cravings. If you’re experiencing hunger pangs – you need food. It’s as simple as that. Ignoring food cravings can lead to overeating later, and instead of preparing a healthy meal you’re more likely to eat something high in sugar to give you an energy boost. To keep the hunger cravings at bay, keep some celery and carrots nearby. -
10. Chicken vs. cow. Most of us steer towards chicken as a healthier, leaner option than red meat – but the fat content is virtually the same! A lean sirloin steak has around 5g of fat per 100g, while chicken thighs may have up to 9g per 100g – a good reason to check content labels. -
9. Margarine is bad for you. This one used to be true, however recent years have seen hydrogenated fats replaced with poly and mono-unsaturated fats, which means less chance of diabetes and heart disease. If you’re still not sure what to buy next time you’re in a supermarket aisle, just look for the Heart Foundation Tick. -
8. Raw veggies are better. Raw food diets maintain that the more you cook your greens, the more nutrients they lose. Celebs such as Uma Thurman are on the raw veggie bandwagon, but not all foods lose their goodness. When carrots are cooked, three times as much betacarotene is released - an anti-oxidant thought to help protect skin. -
7. “Colour” diets work. Christina Aguilera swears by her “colour diet”, which consists of eating different foods of the same colour. It’s been widely circulated that pale veggies have less nutrients, but they shouldn’t be excluded from your diet. White cabbage is full of vitamins, as is white cauliflower. -
6. Drink eight glasses of water a day. Doctors from the University of Pennsylvania found no evidence that drinking eight glasses a day leads to clear skin or weight loss. The best way to find if you’re drinking enough? Check the shade of your urine - if it's straw-coloured or paler you are probably drinking enough. -
5. Decaf coffee is better than regular coffee. Wrong. Decaffeinated coffee contains 5mg of caffeine compared with 90mg from a regular coffee. But research has shown that decaf might make you sleepier than if you had none at all! A study from North Umbria University found that 10mg or less caffeine in a coffee actually made people feel more tired, with weaker memory skills. One long black, please! -
4. Coffee is bad for you. Unless you’ve taken to snorting lines of ground coffee beans at your work desk, a cappuccino here and there isn’t going to harm you. Contrary to popular belief, coffee doesn’t dehydrate your body, and isn’t a diuretic either. -
3. Eggs raise your cholesterol. Eggs do contain cholesterol, but because our body varies the amount it produces, it simply makes less if we eat an egg. Not only are they low in calories, but they contain vitamin D, B-12, and other nutrients. -
2. Eating after 6pm makes you fat. Everyone balked when Kelly Osbourne attributed her new svelte figure to late night snacking, but studies have shown that the body burns calories off at the same rate during sleep. Don’t feel guilty if you have a late dinner, but make sure you have a balanced diet. If you’ve barely eaten throughout the day, it’s pretty inevitable that you’ll pig out on unhealthy snacks in front of the TV that night. -
1. Low-fat foods help you lose weight. When it comes to sweeter low-fat foods, the extra sugar (not to mention carbs or synthetic sweeteners) can sometimes have just as many similar calories as the regular option. Check the nutrition label on the back of the product - sometimes all you need to do is cut down your portion size.
15. Chocolate is bad. Not true! Dark chocolate contains antioxidants and has been proven to thin the blood, so it won’t increase cholesterol. The important thing is enjoying chocolate in moderation. Eating an entire family block will provide a female with three quarters of her daily kilojoule requirement and requires over two hours of running or eight hours of walking to burn it off!
