Each day we are exposed to challenges around food and our dietary habits. To eat and what not to eat!
Generally, we trust information that’s linked to our health without making an effort to find the fact behind it. It doesn’t matter what is the source of our information, we just believe it, this is human nature, creating myths.
Many myths can be attributed to legacy----our great grandparents shared the secret with our grandparents, who in turn conveyed these to our parents and then these were diligently passed to us.
These myths or realities form habits based on practices followed in the past but without knowing the actual fact, we blindly follow them.
Some of the common myths are
• Apple contains iron – this is true, may be in small amounts, the browning is just a reaction not a sudden emergence of iron layer on the surface of an apple when cut!
• Banana contains calcium, well; banana is not even a good source of calcium but a good source of energy, so if you have been loading yourself with bananas assuming you would be getting good calcium you may have just added some weight to your body!
• You can’t lose weight because have slow metabolism rate - How would you decide what’s your metabolism, your body works the way you treat it... slow metabolism is just in the mind not in the body…….nothing comes easy
• You can spot reduce fat……we would all have fabulous bodies if we could spot reduce , unfortunately not ,we lose overall body weight.
• Avoid combining carbs and protein if you want to lose weight ….or fruit must be eaten by itself not after a meal, or the body becomes too acidic …..its not the combination ..its the portion that you eat………..our bodies are well designed to digest carbs , protein or fruit differently and effectively.
• Eating high cholesterol foods can increase cholesterol levels - It's actually a diet high in saturated fats that, over time, increases your blood cholesterol. If you have normal cholesterol levels, consuming foods in balanced portion that contain cholesterol, is highly unlikely to have an impact.
• More protein can build muscles, unfortunately that’s not true. Exercise builds muscle, and no amount of protein supplements will do it for you, if you don’t move your muscles.
• Don’t drink water with or straight after your meals – drinking moderate amount of fluids have no impact, however in young children any fluid can fill their small stomachs and affect their appetite which could result in nutritional deficiencies.
With the advent of internet, information is available in abundance; however it is important that we identify the substance in the content and the scientific evidences attached with the information. Understand your action has an impact on your long term health and therefore one must be very careful when adapting or following practices.
It is always essential that you consult a health professional before adopting any practices, as they can have a long term impact, sometimes harmful too. Till next time be healthy, live healthy and eat healthy.
This article is a general guideline ONLY. Please see a health professional for individual conditions and needs.
Varsha Asrani is a New Zealand Registered Dietitian. For personal consultations she can be contacted on 0210524353. For any questions, suggestions or views please email her on info@varshaasrani.com.