Nine nutritional myths

Chocolate makes you fat! Eliminating carbs makes you thin! No-fat foods are best!

With all the nutritional information--and misinformation-being bantered about nowadays, how can you separate fact from fiction? The answer lies not in the hype surrounding the latest well-publicized bestseller or the high-energy hoopla of late night infomercials, but in you--in your very own mind and body.

The old adage "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is" is just as relevant in the nutritional world as it is in business, real estate, and gold futures. Simply put, a healthy diet makes sense any way you look at it; no hype, no outlandish promises (other than long-term good health), no over-the-top claims. Proper nutrition is nothing more than providing your body with what it was designed to eat (according to the Creator, that would be a plant-based diet), when it was designed to eat it (during those times when you want energy to operate at full capacity), and in the amounts it needs to function properly without excess. Moving beyond these guidelines opens the door to the latest fad.

Consider high-protein diets. While thousands claim that restricting carbs has helped them lose weight, these strict plans may end up doing more harm than good. A recent four-nation study found that the thinnest people are the ones who eat the most carbohydrates! The study of 4,000 men and women, presented at the American Heart Association's annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease, Epidemiology, and Prevention in March 2004, followed subjects ages 40 to 59 in the United States, England, Japan, and China. According to researchers, with out exception, a high complex carbohydrate, high vegetable-protein diet was associated with low body mass. High-protein diets were associated with higher body weight.

" When consumers cut out the carbs, they are not only jeopardizing their long-term health, they also are missing out on many of the benefits carbohydrate-rich foods can offer," says Judi Adams, president of the Wheat Foods Council. "Grain foods, for example, provide a variety of nutrients essential not only for creating and fueling healthy bodies and minds, but also for losing and managing weight."

Research also shows that following a low-carb diet may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, liver and kidney damage, some cancers, and osteoporosis, as well as headaches, constipation, and bad breath.

Have you fallen prey to any food myths lately? Would you like to know some of the untold truths behind several of the most popular ones?

MYTH 1: Chocolate makes you fat.

Reality check: Eat pounds and pounds of chocolate--or any food--and, yes, you'll gainweight But no one food should be demonized. Every food, including chocolate, can be a part of a healthy diet. "Nobody got fat from a handful of peanut M&Ms or two chocolate chip cookies," says nutritionist Joy Baum; author of The 90/10 Weight Loss Plan (Renaissance Media, 2001). "If chocolate is your thing, it's a great food for the soul as long as it's in moderation and doesn't get out of hand."

If you tend to go overboard, Bauer suggests doling out small portions, keeping your favorite "feel-good" food from becoming a "feel-bad" choice.

MYTH 2: Margarine is better for you than butter.

Reality check: Margarine was created as a substitute for butter because of the concern over the saturated fat found in the latter, says registered dietitian Joan Carter of Houston, Texas--a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. However, to make margarine, vegetable oil must be hydrogenated, which results in "trans fat" being created--and these appear to be just as bad for your heart as saturated fat. The smartest choice is to either use small amounts of butter or margarine or, better yet, opt for mono-saturated fats such as those found in olive, safflower, and other vegetable oils. They're still high in calories, but they're better for your heart.

MYTH 3: Fasting is a good way to give your body's digestive system a break or trigger weight loss.

Reality check: This myth appears to gain momentum with the popularity of "juice diets" that claim dramatic weight loss. First, the body's digestive system doesn't require "breaks," although it certainly benefits from daily "rest" periods between well-spaced meals. It was designed to be on the job 24/7. Second, your body cant tell t e difference between total fasting (eating nothing) and starving. When you launch this type of fast, your body starts trying to conserve its resources (i.e., calories). "Starvation lowers the body's ability to efficiently burn fat, and it lowers the metabolic rate," states Bauer. "The other thing is that you feel awful and move less so you burn fewer calories because you're more sluggish." Instead of stressing your system with a total fast, watch portion sizes instead.

MYTH 4: No-fat foods are better than regular versions.

Reality check: Take a look at your supermarket shelves. You'll find reduced-fat and fat-free versions of nearly every cookie and snack food available, as well as reduced-fat versions of yogurt and even ice cream. Problem is, no-fat doesn't mean no-calorie. "A lot of the no-fat foods just pump in extra sugar, which is basically extra carbohydrates to make up the calorie difference," says Bauer. "And, we tend to cat more [of them] because we tend to feel like we have carte blanche when something says low-fat or fat-free." Studies prove that women eat more of the "fat-free" and "reduced-fat" foods, lf you like these food versions, fine. Just don't consider it a license to eat the whole box of cookies or carton of ice cream.

MYTH 5: Eating breakfast makes you hungrier all day.

Reality check: This prevalent myth seems especially popular among frequent dieters. Studies show that those who eat breakfast actually eat less on average than those who skip meals. I think a lot of people think that it makes them hungrier because they're used to the mentality of saving calories and not using them up in the early part of the day," states Bauer. "They just sort of live on a Diet Coke and coffee in the morning, and then they first eat something at noon or 1:00 p.m." However, this habit often leads to overeating later in the day or snacking late at night. When they wake up, they're not hungry, which leads to forgoing breakfast once again.

If you've been a breakfast-skipper, start by cutting back on the food you ingest the evening before and start with something small like fruit and yogurt in the morning. Remember, it's a good sign when you start waking up hungry. It means your metabolism is picking up and that you didn't overeat the night before, Bauer says.

MYTH 6: To lose weight, you should cut as many calories as possible.

Reality check: At first blush, this seems logical. If you burn more calories than you take in, you'll lose weight, right? So slash the amount you're eating, and the pounds will drop off fast! But it's not that easy. Worse yet, this mind-set often backfires. Depriving yourself usually leads to bingeing and over eating.

It's better to make smaller changes and cut 300 to 400 calories from your usual daily intake instead of trying to get by on the bare minimum. Sure, it'll take longer to lose the weight, but you're much more likely to see results. "It's consistency that gets you to your goal, and it doesn't necessarily mean perfection," reminds Bauer. "It just means in the long run collectively eating less and burning more."

MYTH 7: Exercise is more important than diet for Weight loss.

Reality check: Actually, diet appears to have a bigger influence on weight loss than exercise--which means that you can work out for hours, but if you live on pizza and junk food, you may never see those numbers on the scale go down. In fact, nine times out of 10, simply exercising isn't enough to produce weight loss, says Bauer. The most effective strategy is to do both--cut calories and increase the amount and intensity of your exercise. When it comes to keeping weight off, though, exercise plays a critical role. According to the National Weight Control Registry, people who lose weight and maintain the loss burn about 2,800 calories a week--the equivalent of walking 28 miles--through physical activity.

MYTH 8: Juice is a good substitute for fruits and vegetables.

Reality check: Yes and no. Sure, fruit juice is a better choice over something like soda. But it doesn't offer as many benefits as eating whole fruit or vegetables. Juice boasts very little fiber--which is important for digestion and helps you feel full--and most of us drink far more juice than we realize. A serving is only eight ounces. A large glass can contain twice that amount. Because fruit juice packs a lot of calories in a small space, if you're watching your weight it's smarter to grab a piece of fruit instead. When it comes to fruit juice, less is better.

MYTH 9: Eating at night makes you gain weight.

Reality check: We've all heard the "don't eat after 8 p.m." or "any calories you consume after 10 p.m. turns to fat" cry. There's no "witching hour" where calories start, magically, turning to fat. Studies show that the amount of calories you take in rather than the timing of those calories affects whether you'll gain weight, says dietitian Carter. "The problem is the type of food that people tend to eat before they go to bed--it's the cake and the icing, not the orange." That means your body is less likely to burn off late-night ice cream and chips.

The best choice is to make sure you're eating enough throughout the day so that you're not ravenous after dinner.

Simple, down-to-earth, reasonable; that's commonsense nutrition. No confusing hype. Just feel-great health. And that's no myth.

Kelly James-Enger writes about health issues from Downers Grove, Illinois.

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