Food Myths and Facts

Myth: Processed foods are not as nutritious as fresh foods.
Fact: Many processed foods are just as nutritious or in some cases even more nutritious than fresh foods depending on the manner in which they are processed. For example, frozen vegetables are usually processed within hours of harvest. There is little nutrient loss in the freezing process so they retain their high vitamin and mineral content. In contrast, fresh vegetables are picked and transported to market. It can take days or even weeks before they reach the dinner table and vitamins are gradually lost over time.

Myth: Eating most of your calories in the evening promotes weight gain.
Fact: Irregardless of when the food is being eaten, weight will be gained when one eats more calories than one burns off.

Myth: Fat free is calorie free.
Fact: Never indulge in extra large servings of fat-free foods without realizing that these foods may contain the same amount or even more calories than regular versions. Do check the food labels and get the facts on fat free products. In order to make such foods taste better, extra sugar, floor or starch thickeners may be added, which will result in high calories and eventually lead to weight gain.

Myth: Carbohydrates cause weight gain.
Fact: Carbohydrates do not cause weight gain unless they contrinute to excess calorie intake. The same holds true for protein and fat. Some people who eat a diet that is extremely high in carbohydrates and low in protein and fat will get hungry faster, which may trigger overeating.

Myth: Yoghurt is the perfect diet food.
Fact: Yoghurt is good for people of all ages and are important for those wanting to lose weight. It is naturally rich in calcium and research does shows that calcium helps reduce weight gain. Avoid yoghurt that contains added sugars or sweetened fruit.

Myth: High protein diets cause ketosis, which reduces hunger.
Fact: Ketosis occurs when fat is used as an energy source instead of carbohydrate during a high protein diet. Ketone bodies do not reduce appetite, however, eating sufficient protein for your body type can help reduce hunger and support weight loss. However, most of these weight loss would constitute water weight and lean muscle weight instead of fat. The best way to lose weight and keep it off without harming your body is by following a reduced calorie diet that is well balanced between carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

Myth: Excercise makes you eat more.
Fact: Research has shown that after 20 minutes of excercise, people ate no more than those who had nothing.

Myth: Extra protein makes you strong.
Fact: The body has tremendous reserves and is very adaptive. There is no need to starve yourself to lose weight. When we are active, our body uses its own fat and carbohydrate for fuel. High protein diet often lack key nutrients found in carhobydrate foods. We need every kind of food. Avoiding any kind of food is just as wrong as ingesting food supplements.

Myth: Lettuce makes your figure slim
Fact: Lettuce leaves practically do not contain calories. A tablespoon of butter has the same number of calories as 10 cups of leaf lettuce. Generally, lettuces are not eaten alone and most lettuce sauces are high in fat.

Myth: Fat can be burned if we eat certain foods, like grapefruit and cabbage soup.
Fact: The grapefruit diet require one to eat half a grapefruit before every meal to reap the benefits of the fruit's so called fat burning enzymes. Grapefruit has no fat, is low in calories and sodium and is packed with vitamin C. Similarly, the cabbage soup diet could make one feel light headed and weak because the diet is too low in protein, vitamins and complex carbohydrates. Weight may be lost. The best way to lose weight is to reduce the number of calories you eat and increase your physical activities.