Nutrition Master- Inner South Community Health
Nutrition Myth Busters
With the amount of fad diets out there these days, there is a huge amount of incorrect
nutrition advice being spread around. This week’s nutrition master targets some of the
most popular nutrition myths out there.
I need to cut out carbohydrates to lose weight
Fact: We gain weight from eating excess kilojoules, not
just carbohydrates
In the short term, low-carbohydrate diets may cause you
to lose weight because they restrict kilojoules or energy. Also, at the beginning of a lowcarbohydrate diet, the body begins to use its stores of glucose and glycogen (from the liver
and muscles) to replace the carbohydrates it is not getting from food. Around 3 g of water is
needed to release 1 g of glycogen, so the rapid initial weight loss on a low-carbohydrate diet
is mostly water, not body fat.
In the medium and long term, the evidence suggests a low carbohydrate diet does not result
in better maintenance of weight loss, than an energy restricted diet. These diets are also
often inadequate in fibre, calcium, and a range of vitamins and minerals.
Portion control and moderation with all food groups is the key to maintaining a healthy
weight.
Eating late at night causes weight gain
Fact: Food does not become magically ‘fattening’ once the sun sets,
nor are carbohydrates more likely to make you gain weight if you eat
them at night.
It’s the overall amount of food eaten over the whole day that counts,
not just the food eaten at night. The fact is that that many people simply overeat at night.
Much of the snack food eaten at night are not necessarily chosen out of hunger, rather due
to boredom, comfort or habit. The thought of eating a block of chocolate or a bag of chips
while sitting in front of the TV after a tiring day at work can often be very tempting.
I need a bullet style blender to extract nutrients from my food
Fact: You don’t need to blend your food to extract its nutrients.
Although blending and drinking smoothies can be a great way to
boost your fruit and vegetable intake, it’s important to remember
that a normal, functional digestive system is already designed to
break down cell walls in fruit and vegetables to absorb nutrients,
and there is no evidence to suggest blending foods allows a greater
release of nutrients.
Nutrition Master- Inner South Community Health
I need to go on a detox diet to rid my body of toxins
Fact: Our body already has a ‘detox system’ in place
There is no scientific evidence to prove that such diets work
or that they purify your body of toxins from our environment
such as pollution, unhealthy foods, preservatives, alcohol, caffeine etc...
We have to keep in mind that our bodies are perfectly designed to get rid of toxins without
the aid of any miracle detox. This is one of the jobs of our liver, lungs, kidneys and
skin. Along with being completely unnecessary, these diets exclude major food groups, and
are inadequate in fibre, protein and a range of vitamin and minerals.
I need to quit sugar to have a healthy diet or to lose
weight
Fact: It’s more important to look out for added sugar than to
eliminate sugar from the diet altogether.
People don’t often know that there’s a difference between naturally
occurring sugars found in dairy and fruits and the added sugars in
some foods. Limiting added sugar, especially in foods which have
minimal nutritional value such as soft-drinks is something we should
all strive to do for overall health benefits. Cutting out fruits or dairy foods because they
have “too much sugar” is not recommended, especially as these food groups contain
valuable nutrients.
“Gluten free” = “healthy”
Fact: Gluten free foods are only healthier for those with a diagnosed intolerance.
There is no evidence to suggest anyone needs to avoid gluten unless you have been
diagnosed with an intolerance to it. Yet a lot of people are still buying gluten-free foods
simply because they think they are healthier. A gluten-free chocolate-chip biscuit is still a
chocolate -chip biscuit, and is probably a lot more expensive too!
Wheat and products made from whole wheat have great nutritional benefits including fibre,
essential B-vitamins such as folate, thiamine, and vitamin B6, and the minerals zinc,
magnesium, and manganese
Regards
Nutrition Master