Get the Real Deal on Your Meal: Part 4

For the fourth and final week of myth busting for Nutrition Month I'm going to take time to solve some the oldest, yet still very popular misconceptions around food. Eating in the evening can pack on the pounds. Everyone needs eight glasses of water a day. Certain foods like grapefruit and celery can actually burn fat. If by reading any of these and nodded your head yes, then you'll certainly want to read on to learn why believing some of these could actually do more harm than good.

We all have a favorite evening snack that we'll pair with that favorite nighttime show, right? Not mentioning any names, but let's use the example of chocolate covered almonds and Republic of Doyle. When it comes to late night snacking, it can lead to weight gain, but it isn't necessarily due to the time on the clock like a lot of people think. There isn't any complex science which has our bodies burning calories less efficiently, i.e. A slower metabolism, in the evening. The answer to why people gain weight with evening eating is actually quite simple. It has to do with the choice of food we consume and what we're doing while we're eating it. Re-read that above scenario. It's usually high calorie, nutrient devoid food with a mindless (but entertaining none the less) activity. Next time you're looking  for something to munch on in the evening try whole grain cereal with milk, a piece of fruit, or plain air popped popcorn. It's sure to be lower in calories, just don't forget to proportion it out. 

Another big myth is that everyone needs eight glasses of water a day. We do need this much or sometimes more of fluid throughout the day, but it doesn't have to always be water. Other fluids can count and be just as hydrating. Milk, juice, tea and coffee all count too. Yes I did mention tea and coffee. The common notion that tea and coffee are too dehydrating is because of caffeine, and that's another nutrition myth. But when it comes to alcohol being dehydrating and not included in that eight or more glasses a fluid a day, well that's a fact, so be sure to have it in moderation. The amount of fluid a person needs a day can vary based on a number different factors.

The cabbage soup diet, lemonade diet and grapefruit diet. What do all of these have in common?  They're all based on eating mass quantities of one particular food. So eating things like cabbage soup, celery and  grapefruit are good because eating these foods can burn fat, right? Well yes it is true they are good for us, but there is no food that can burn fat or make you lost weight more quickly. I think if that was the case the grocery store shelves would be wiped clean! Weight loss diets that focus on single foods are restrictive and lack the nutrients needed for good health. It's true when you eat only one type of food you might actually eat less and take in few calories than you require, ultimately losing weight. However, at the end of the day these diets are super boring, don't help us create healthy habits, and no one ends up sticking with them in the long run.

If it's low fat it must be healthy right? The thing to remember is just because there is a claim like low fat, low sugar, no added sugar, etc it doesn't necessarily mean it's healthy. We need to read between the lines. When it comes to low fat foods, a lot of them can actually be unhealthy. Candy, pop, low fat cookies, fat free frozen treats, and the list goes on. Be sure to choose your foods wisely. Read food labels and consider the overall content of a food, before making a judgement on a claim alone.

As seen in The Telegram March 26, 2012

Get the Real Deal on Your Meal: Part 3

Sugar- it's something that often gets bad rep. Partly because of frequent overconsumption (that would be justified), but also due to the many nutrition misconceptions out there about it. Truth is it's not actually as bad as it's sometimes played out to be. We know that is contributes to the vital energy needed by our bodies, and it creates that delicious taste to many of our traditional desserts and sweets we know and love. So what's the real deal on sugar? Is there any difference between honey, white or brown sugar? Should sugar be eaten with other food? Can it cause diabetes? And what about artificial sweeteners. Are they safe? They are all questions that Mary, Cathy and Peter had, as I'm sure other people do too. So let's read on as this week in Part 3 of our Nutrition Month reader submitted segment I'll give you the 'sweet' on all things just that.

Our reader question, “I usually choose honey or agave syrup because they are more natural forms of sugar. Is there any benefit to this?” So when it comes to different sources of sugar, including honey, brown sugar, or agave syrup, one might think because a source appears more natural then it must be a better choice. Nutritionally speaking, they are all pretty much the same thing. Regardless of whether it's naturally occurring or processed sugar and syrup, our bodies actually process it the exact same way. We know that sugar is found in healthful foods, such as fruit and milk but also things we should be having less of, like treats and sweets, fruit drinks and sodas. So what's the difference?  Foods like fruit have naturally occurring sugar but it's also full of vitamins, minerals and fibre, which we know are important for good health. Choosing these types of food give us much more than just calories in the form of sugar, they can help us maintain our weight and reduce or risk of chronic disease too. Candies, cookies, chocolate treats and sweetened soft drinks just are the opposite to this. High in added sugars plus low in nutrients, equals tighter clothes and down the road an increased disease risk.

Another reader question, “I read somewhere that you shouldn't eat fruit after a meal because it sits on top of the other food and rots before it can be digested. Is that true?” The truth is this wouldn't be possible and for two main reasons. Think of your stomach like a  mixing bowl. We can add different foods from a meal one after the other, but they get continually mixed together with other things. In the churning of the stomach, acid helps to kill any bacteria or bugs in our food (interestingly enough the majority of our immune system is located right in the digestive system) so due to this alone rotting isn't possible because the environmental conditions just aren't there.  Food also stays in our stomach for only about 20 minutes. It then moves into the intestine to get to be broken down and absorbed, so it's really not sitting around long enough this to happen.

 

“Artificial sweeteners seem so unnatural to me. They appear to have so many chemicals. I'd prefer to stick with my regular pop than switch to diet.” When it comes to artificial sweeteners, a common myth is that they have too many chemicals to be healthy. One of the more popular artificial sweeteners out there, sucralose (Splenda) is almost just about chemically identical to sugar, and actually made from it. The bottom line here is like almost anything, in moderation sweeteners can be a part of healthy eating. Health Canada approves all sweeteners for safety before they can be sold in Canada, and strict guidelines are developed for how food producers can use a sweeteners, as well as how much is safe to have each day.

Lastly let's address a myth around a condition which makes the body less effective at processing sugar. Diabetes. It's something you'll often hear referred to as 'sugar diabetes'. This sometimes gives people a false perception however, as you won't get diabetes just from eating too much sugar, contrary to popular belief. You can be at a higher risk however if you consume too many of any type of calorie and pack on extra pounds (especially if it's around the mid section).  

As seen in The Telegram March 19, 2012