Food myths debunked

Is 'low fat' always a good thing? Is a cooked breakfast always unhealthy? Test out your food knowledge in our true and false section. There are lots of myths and old wives' tales about food. But if you want to challenge your assumptions, check out the following popular beliefs.

The experts are always changing their minds about what healthy eating really is

False – It might seem as though nutrition experts regularly change their minds and don’t agree with each other. But, in fact, the main messages about healthy eating have stayed the same for some time.

For example, the message to reduce the amount of fat we eat has been the same for over 15 years, and we were being told about the importance of fruit and veg as long ago as the Second World War. Then the advice was to ‘dig for victory’ and grow our own.When we do hear contradictory messages about healthy eating, this is often because new scientific findings tend to be reported in the media before they have been fully researched, and without the findings being put into context.

There are 'good' foods and 'bad' foods

False – There is no such thing as a 'good' food or a 'bad' food. There are only 'good' or 'bad' diets. Eating is all about enjoying what we eat and no foods are 'banned'.

What is important is that we eat a balanced diet. This means we should base our meals on starchy foods such as bread, pasta, rice or potatoes (choosing wholegrain varieties where possible), and include:

plenty of fruit and vegetables moderate amounts of meat, fish, meat alternatives, milk and dairy products only small amounts of food and drink containing fat and/or sugar

Choosing healthy food to eat is very limiting and it's boring too

False – It's true that we shouldn't eat too much of certain foods, or eat them too often, such as those high in fat or sugar, but there are lots of interesting foods we should be eating more of, such as oily fish and fruit and veg.

And eating healthily doesn't mean cutting out all your favourite foods, it's just about getting the balance right.If you add a bit of variety by changing what you usually eat, you'll also get lots of opportunity to experiment. Remember, healthy eating can be tasty, exciting and exotic.

Healthier foods are always far more expensive than other foods

False – Although it's true that some healthier ingredients can be more expensive, often you only need to use them in very small amounts. And sometimes choosing the healthier alternative can actually save you money.

You can make meat go further by cooking it in casseroles or stir-fries with cheaper ingredients such as beans, pulses or seasonal veg. Basing your meals on starchy foods such as rice, pasta or bread is not only a good idea for a healthy balanced diet, but these foods are also good value and can make a meal go further.A good way to save money is to cook batches of dishes such as chilli, curry or stew, and freeze them in handy portion sizes. When you cook a batch or save leftovers, it’s important to cool the food quickly (in one to two hours), then freeze it in sealed containers. And always make sure you reheat food until it's piping hot all the way through.

Having a traditional cooked breakfast in the morning can be a healthy choice

True – If you grill lean bacon, poach the eggs and include baked beans, grilled tomatoes and mushrooms cooked without fat, and serve it all up with thick crusty bread, you'll have yourself a delicious cooked breakfast that is also healthy and balanced.

If the label says 'low fat' or 'reduced fat' then the product will always be a healthy choice

If you want to have the healthier option it's best to choose a vegetarian dish

False – To claim that a product is 'reduced fat' the amount of fat must be at least 25% lower than the standard product. But these types of foods tend to be high in fat and energy in the first place, so the 'reduced fat' version can still have quite high amounts of both.

Foods labelled 'low fat' or 'reduced fat' aren't necessarily low in energy. The fat is replaced by other ingredients, so the product can end up with the same or an even higher energy (calorie) content.Also, if you're tempted to use more of a reduced-fat product than you would of the full-fat version, you might end up having the same, or even more, fat and energy.

Vegetable suet is much better for you than beef suet

False – Some vegetarian dishes contain a lot of fat, especially if they're made with lots of cheese, oil, pastry, nuts or creamy sauces, or if they've been fried. This means they aren't necessarily a healthy option.

In fact, red meat can be low in fat if it's lean and all the visible fat has been removed. Other low-fat options are chicken without the skin, and fish, if they've been cooked without too much fat. But it's always a good idea to have some vegetables with your meal.

Margarine contains less fat than butter

False – It can make a big difference to the fat content of meat if you remove the visible fat. In fact, lean red meat is surprisingly low in fat at 4–8 g per 100 g.

When the lean and fat components of meat are blended together in mince or meat products, this can make the fat content much higher. Meat products, whether they've been made from red meat or poultry, can also be high in fat because of the other high fat ingredients they contain, such as the pastry in a meat pie or pasty.Skinned poultry meat only contains about 1–3 g fat per 100 g, and white meat contains less fat than darker meat. But if the skin and fatty deposits beneath it aren't removed, the fat content will be much higher.So try to go for leaner cuts, always remove the visible fat, and remove the skin from poultry.

Red meat is always very high in fat and poultry is always low in fat

False – It can make a big difference to the fat content of meat if you remove the visible fat. In fact, lean red meat is surprisingly low in fat at 4–8 g per 100 g.

When the lean and fat components of meat are blended together in mince or meat products, this can make the fat content much higher. Meat products, whether they've been made from red meat or poultry, can also be high in fat because of the other high fat ingredients they contain, such as the pastry in a meat pie or pasty.Skinned poultry meat only contains about 1–3 g fat per 100 g, and white meat contains less fat than darker meat. But if the skin and fatty deposits beneath it aren't removed, the fat content will be much higher.So try to go for leaner cuts, always remove the visible fat, and remove the skin from poultry.

Sweets are a good source of vitamins

False - Sweets contain high amounts of sugar and are not a good source of vitamins and minerals. Eating sweets regularly between meals will lead to tooth decay. For snacks that are rich in vitamins and minerals, eat a variety of fruit (fresh or dried) instead.

Drinking ice-cold water uses up more calories and helps you lose weight

It's OK to skip breakfast

False – As part of a healthy balanced diet we are recommended to eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and veg each day, whether they are fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced (but fruit juice only counts as a maximum of one portion a day). Dried fruit such as currants, sultanas, raisins, dates and figs provide energy in the form of sugar and are a good source of fibre. They also contain other vitamins and minerals, but not vitamin C, which is found in fresh fruit. A portion of dried fruit is one tablespoon. This is less than a portion of fresh fruit because it’s based on the equivalent weight of fresh fruit.

Dried fruit are not as healthy as fresh fruit

If a child refuses to eat fruit or veg, then it's best not to serve them again

False - It’s better to show children a new food a few times before you give it to them to try. Offer new food to children as often as possible. If they refuse the food, wait a few days then try again. Fruit and vegetables (fresh, frozen, canned, dried or a daily glass of juice) are an important part of a healthy balanced diet for both children and adults.
If a child seems reluctant to eat certain fruit and vegetables, try different types instead, or mix them with foods they already like such as yoghurt, rice or mashed potato. You could also encourage children to help prepare new foods – research suggests they will be more likely to try them. Try not to get into confrontations about food because this will make matters worse. Instead, try to offer your child a variety of foods.

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Fruits, Veggies Don't Stop Cancer Return

Tuesday, July 17, 2007
By CARLA K. JOHNSON, Associated Press Writer

CHICAGO —
Hopes that a diet low in fat and chock-full of fruits and vegetables could prevent the return of breast cancer were dashed Tuesday by a large, seven-year experiment in more than 3,000 women.

The government study found no benefit from a mega-veggies-and-fruit diet over the U.S. recommended servings of five fruits and vegetables a day _ more than most Americans get.

Researchers noted that none of the breast cancer survivors lost weight on either diet. That led some experts to suggest that weight loss and exercise should be the next frontier for cancer prevention research. The study appears in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.

"It sends us back to the drawing board," said Susan Gapstur of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, who wasn't involved in the new study but co-wrote an accompanying editorial in the journal.

"Should we really have focused on dietary components like fruits, vegetables and fat?" Gapstur asked. "Or should we be focusing, in addition to diet, on lifestyle factors including physical activity and weight?"

For now, the message for the 2.4 million breast cancer survivors in the United States is that they don't need to go overboard on veggies, researchers said.

"This should really lift some of the guilt if women are feeling, 'I'm just not doing enough,'" said study co-author Marcia Stefanick of Stanford University.

The research was kicked off by a $5 million grant from the late Wal-Mart heir John Walton and got an additional $30 million in support from the National Cancer Institute.

Walton wanted to support a scientific study so cancer survivors wouldn't have to "rely on folklore," said John Pierce, head of cancer prevention at University of California, San Diego, who led the research.

Earlier research on whether a healthy diet prevents breast cancer has shown mixed results. The new study was designed to be more rigorous.

In this experiment, all the women had been successfully treated for early stage breast cancer. Their average age was 53 when the study began.

A group of 1,537 women were randomly assigned to a daily diet that included five vegetable servings, three fruit servings, 16 ounces of vegetable juice and 30 grams of fiber. In most cases, a serving equaled a half-cup. French fries and iceberg lettuce couldn't be counted as vegetables.

The women were allowed to eat meat, but were told to get no more than 15 percent to 20 percent of their calories from fat, a goal they ultimately were unable to achieve.

"That's a tough diet," said Pierce, who ate that way himself along with his staff and the women in the study.

As a comparison, another 1,551 women were assigned to get educational materials about the importance of eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.

The women in both groups kept food diaries regularly, but not daily, through the course of the study.

During the next seven years, the cancer returned in about the same proportion of women in both groups: 256 women (16.7 percent) of the women on the special diet and 262 women (16.9 percent) in the comparison group. About 10 percent of both groups died during that time, most of them from breast cancer.

It didn't matter whether the breast cancer was the most common type _ fueled by hormones _ or not; the special diet didn't prevent the cancer from coming back. Those results run counter to a previous study by different researchers that suggested low-fat diets may help prevent the return of the type of breast cancer that is not linked to hormones.

In the mega-veggies group, the women changed their eating habits substantially, mostly by increasing fruits and vegetables to as much as 11 servings a day. They failed to meet the fat target, but did eat 13 percent less in fat calories than did the comparison group.

After one year, women on the high-vegetable diet had 73 percent higher blood levels of carotenoids (pigments found in fruits and vegetables) than the other women. That indicates they were truthful about how many fruits and vegetables they ate, Pierce said.

But they may not have been so honest about the calories they ate. The super-veggie group gained 1.3 pounds and the comparison group gained 0.88 pound, on average.

"There's no question they were underreporting on calories, especially the heavier women," Pierce said, or they would have lost weight.__

On the Net:

JAMA: JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association

FOXNews.com - Fruits, Veggies Don't Stop Cancer Return - Health News | Current Health News | Medical News

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Sugar Causes Diabetes

The most common nutrition myth is probably the misconception that sugar causes diabetes. If you have diabetes, you do need to watch your sugar and carbohydrate intake, with the help of your Registered Dietitian, to properly manage your blood sugar level. However, if you do not have diabetes, sugar intake will not cause diabetes. So far, a diet high in calories, being overweight and an inactive lifestyle are the main risk factors for Type 2 diabetes.

For more details, read Does Sugar cause Diabetes?
Sugar does not cause Diabetes!


All Fats are bad

The fact is we all need fats. Fats help nutrient absorption, nerve transmission and maintain cell membrane integrity just to name a few functions. However, when consumed in excessive amounts, fats contribute to weight gain, heart disease and certain types of cancers. Not all fats are created equal. Some fats promote our health positively while some increase our risk for heart disease. It is a long-held nutrition myth that all fats are bad. The key is to replace bad fats (saturated fats and trans fats) with good fats (monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats) in our diet.

For more details, read Fats 101: Bad Fats vs Good Fats

Fats 101: How to tell Good Fats and Bad Fats

Brown Sugar is better than White Sugar

The brown sugar sold at the stores is actually white granulated sugar with added molasses. Yes, brown sugar contains minute amounts of minerals. But unless you eat a gigantic portion of brown sugar everyday - the mineral content difference between brown sugar and white sugar is absolutely insignificant. The idea that brown and white sugar have big differences is another common nutrition myth.


Brown Eggs are more nutritious than White Eggs

Contrary to a widely believed nutrition myth, eggshell color can vary but it has nothing to do with the quality, flavor, nutritive value, cooking characteristics or shell thickness of an egg. The eggshell color only depends upon the breed of the hen. According to the Egg Nutrition Council, "white shelled eggs are produced by hens with white feathers and white ear lobes and brown shelled eggs are produced by hens with red feathers and red ear lobes. There is no difference in taste or nutrition content between white and brown colored eggs".

For more details, read Eggs and Cholesterol

Eggs and Cholesterol: Are some eggs healthier than others?

Avoid seafood to lower blood cholesterol

I can't believe that I heard this nutrition myth from my own doctor when he told his patient newly diagnosed with high blood cholesterol to avoid seafood. In fact, cholesterol found in seafood and other meats has little effect on blood cholesterol in most people. Saturated fats and trans fatty acids are the most important factors that raise blood cholesterol, not dietary cholesterol! Saturated fats are usually found in meat products and packaged foods. Trans fatty acids, on the other hand, are also found in packaged snack foods, deep-fried foods or firm margarine containing hydrogenated oil.

For more details, read The Myths of Cholesterol

Myth of Cholesterol: Seafood?

Avoid carbohydrate to lose weight

The key message that many low carb diets convey is that carbohydrates promote insulin production, which in turn results in weight gain. Therefore by reducing carbohydrate intake, we will lose weight. This is a nutrition myth, however. Many low-carb diets actually do not provide sufficient carbohydrates to your body for daily maintenance. Therefore your body will begin to burn stored carbohydrates (glycogen) for energy. When your body starts burning glycogen, water is released. Therefore the drastic initial drop of weight at the beginning is mostly the water that you lose as a result of burning glycogen. The truth is that, in addition to losing water drastically at the beginning, these low-carb diets are often calorie-restricted! Followers only eat an average of 1000 - 1400 calories daily; compared to an average intake of 1800 - 2200 calories. To lose 1 pound a week, you only need to eat 500 less calories per day in your normal diet. Therefore, it doesn't matter if you eat a high or low carb diet, you will lose weight if you decrease your caloric intake to less than that is needed to maintain your weight.

For more details, read Low Carb Diets - do they work?
and A High Carb Diet won't make you fat

Low Carb Diets - Do they work?

Avoid nuts as they are fattening

Yes, it's true that nuts are quite calorically dense; 15 cashews, for instance, deliver 180 kilocaleries! On top of that, it is very tough not to overeat these tasty snacks. If you can restrain yourself from overeating them, nuts can be a part of a healthy diet. It's a nutrition myth that nuts should be avoided. In fact, nuts are high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (the good fats) as well as plant sterols which have all been shown to lower LDL cholesterol. In 2003, the FDA approved a health claim for seven kinds of nuts stating that "scientific evidence suggests but does not prove that eating 1.5 ounces (45 grams) per day of most nuts as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease." Instead of simply adding nuts to your diet, the best approach is to eat them in replacement of foods high in saturated fats.

For more details, read Health Benefits of Nuts
Health Benefits of Nuts

Eating for 2 is necessary during pregnancy

Energy requirement varies among individuals. Unfortunately, the idea that pregnancy is an ice-cream-free-for-all is a nutrition myth. It is generally recommended that pregnant women increase their daily intake by 100 kcal in the first trimester and 300 kcal in the second and third trimester. For instance, an extra snack before bedtime consisting of a fruit, a serving of milk or yogurt and a few biscuits is often enough. In addition, a daily prenatal multivitamin supplement is often recommended during pregnancy.

For more details, read Healthy Weight Gain during Pregnancy

Healthy Weight Gain during Pregnancy

Red meat is bad for health
I often hear people saying that they do not eat red meat. When asked why they don't and what do they consider to be red meat, the answers vary dramatically. It is true that some studies linked red meat with increased risk of heart disease partly due to the saturated fat content. In fact, even chicken can contain as much saturated fat as lean cuts of beef or pork. For instance, a serving of sirloin beef or pork tenderloin has less saturated fats than a same serving size of chicken thigh with skin. It is true that poultry such as chicken and turkey is naturally lower in saturated fats - it is only true IF you do not eat the skin. It is a nutrition myth, however, that red meat is altogether bad for your health. Instead of excluding red meats, choose leaner cuts of beef and pork. For beef, choose eye of round, top round roast, top sirloin and flank; for pork, choose tenderloin and loin chops.

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