Top 10 Food myths debunked!

When I was in college, I steered clear of chocolate. It was because I had read that it consumes fat and that chocolate caused acne. Years later I realized that studies had unequivocally shown there was no connection between chocolate and skin problems and some type of chocolate may even good for us.

Behind most of food and nutrition myths, there is a kernel of truth; we separate the science from the silliness.

Myth #1: Fat free food is calorie free

This is a very common myth – so common that food manufacturers market to it. The misconception that fat free is better is the reason that so many products are labeled “fat free,” “low in fat,” “fat reduced,” etc. So many people who want to lose weight will chow down on all of these “low fat” foods thinking they are going to lose weight – even worse; they often tend to eat more of the low fat food than they would have if it were full fat. What really matters when trying to reduce weight is calories – eat fewer calories than you burn and you will lose weight. When fat is removed from food a lot of the flavor is removed as well – consequently extra sugars and chemicals are often added to give back the flavor – fat free food can therefore be far worse and fattening for us than regular full fat food.

Myth#2: Skipping breakfast will help us lose weight

While it may seem logical that skipping a meal and therefore eating less food, will help with weight management, this is not so where breakfast is concerned. Research has shown that people who skip breakfast tend to have higher body weights than those who regularly eat breakfast. This may be because breakfast skippers are less efficient at burning up the energy from the food they eat during the day and they are actually more likely to snack and overeat later in the day, usually on foods that are less nutritious and have far more kilojoules than a simple bowl of cereal.

Myth#3: Fast food salads are the “Healthy option”

It is all too common to see dieters who crave a little something naughty, ordering salad or other “healthy choices” from fast food joints – 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 ate a Big Mac. For the sake of comparison, I looked it up: 1 Big Mac has 540 calories and 1,040 mg of salt; 1 premium southwest salad with crispy chicken and dressing has 530 calories and 1,260 mg of salt. The Mac is healthier.

Myth#4: Milk increases mucus production

While some people believe that milk and other dairy products increase mucus production and so tend to avoid these foods, particularly when they have a cold or flu, research has not been able to confirm this belief. What we do know is that if we believe milk increases mucus production, we may be more likely to report changes to mucus secretions after drinking milk. Increased mucus formation has been found in healthy adults after consumption of both cow's milk and a non-milk beverage with properties similar to milk. So, this is definitely an area where more research is needed.

Myth#5: Fresh fruit is better than dried fruit

This myth is true in only one regard: if we are looking for vitamin ‘c’, then fresh fruit is best, but other than that, dried fruit contains just as many nutrients and sugar for energy as fresh fruit. If you subscribe to the notion that we should eat 5 fruits a day, then we only need one tablespoon of dried fruit per portion – so five tablespoons of dried fruit fulfills our daily need. 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 only.

Myth#6: We need to eat meat to get enough protein

Eating a variety of protein-rich plant foods each day will give our body all the protein it needs for good health. Nuts, seeds, legumes and grains are all good sources of protein - and the key is to simply eat a variety of these foods every day to make sure you get the best balance of essential amino acids. Soy protein is a particularly high quality plant protein that provides all of the essential amino acids we need in the one food. And compared to meat, plant protein foods offer the additional benefits of thousands of phytochemicals that protect against disease.

Myth #7: It is better to eat six small meals during the day instead of three larger meals

First off, this can be okay – but only if we are extremely good at controlling our portion sizes; it is all too easy to turn six small meals into six large meals. This myth again comes down to the whole “calories per day” rule. If our three large meals contain as many calories as your six small meals, there is no difference at all. For the majority of people it is easier to put the time aside for three meals – so this is still the best choice for most.

Myth#8: Excess salt increases our blood pressure

This is a myth that originated in the 1940s when a professor used salt-reduction to treat people with high blood pressure. Science has since found out that there is no reason for a person with normal blood pressure to restrict their salt intake. However, if we already have high blood pressure, we may become salt-sensitive in which case we should reduce salt or increase our potassium intake as it is the balance of the two that really matters. Furthermore, people who suffer from hypertension should be careful with salt as it can have an impact there. Ultimately, eating more potassium is probably more important than reducing salt. Potassium rich foods are spinach, broccoli, bananas, white potatoes and most types of beans.

Myth#9: Fast food is bad for us

A very wise man once said: “all things in moderation”. This ancient phrase applies to most things in life – including fast food. A moderate amount of fast food is no worse for us than a moderate amount of home-cooked meat and vegetables. A constant diet of nothing but fast food may not be the healthiest choice we can make, but then again, eating macaroni and cheese every night is not very healthy either. Variety and moderation are the keys to good eating and health. If we feel like a cheeseburger, eat one.

Myth#10: Calories eaten at night are more fattening than those eaten early in the day

Calories are calories, and it doesn’t matter what time we eat them. What matters are the total calories we take in. There’s no truth to this long held and safeguarded food myth. Calories don’t know how to tell time. It’s the total amount of food you are eating, not the time of day or night that determines weight gain.

If eating late at night makes you fat, the French certainly hadn’t gotten the message. Here they were eating late night after night looking slim and trim.