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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Everyone loves to talk about food and give advice. That’s great because you can learn a lot of good information. Sadly, some of this information isn’t grounded in fact. Food and nutrition myths abound – let’s bust a few of them and get to the facts.
Myth: Using non-stick cooking sprays contribute no fat or calories to foods.
A 1/3 second spray of non-stick cooking spray is calorie free. But it takes at least 3 to 5 seconds to coat the bottom of a pan. Each second of spraying = 5 calories, far less than a tablespoon of oil at 120 calories. But seconds count!
Myth: The “freshman 15” happens to most that leave home for the first time.
A study published in the Journal of American College Health found that more than one-third of college freshman lost weight during their first year away from home. Those that gained weight averaged 4.6 pounds, a far cry from the legendary 15.
Myth: If you are allergic to mold you need to avoid foods with mold.
False, as long as you distinguish between good mold and bad mold. Good mold is used to make cheeses like blue, gorgonzola, camembert, brie, and stilton. Bad mold is the fuzzy gray, black or green stuff that grows on foods forgotten in the fridge.
Myth: Eating calories at night increases weight gain.
Anytime you eat more calories than you use up through activity, you gain weight. Contrary to popular belief, what time the calories are consumed doesn’t matter. What does matter is how many calories you eat in a day.
Myth: Eating too much sugar causes diabetes.
Foods high in sugar aren’t the best choices but sugar and sugary foods do not cause diabetes in healthy people. Making poor food choices, not being active, and gaining too much weight are the major risk factors for type 2 diabetes.
Myth: Salt water fish have more salt (sodium) than fresh water fish.
Both types of fish are low salt choices. There is little difference in the sodium (salt) level between the two because the cells of living organisms have a narrow range of tolerance for salt. Salt water fish have gill cells that excrete excess salt back into the sea and freshwater fish use gill cells to take up salt from fresh water.
Myth: Water is the only fluid that truly hydrates your body.
According to the International Center for Sports Nutrition, juice, milk, soft drinks, coffee and other beverages count too. Though plain water is the best choice, research has shown that the dehydrating effect of caffeine-containing coffee and soda has been exaggerated. An average 12-ounce can of caffeine-containing soda results in the loss of just 1 ounce more fluid through urine than would normally occur. Aim for 8 to 12 glasses of fluid a day. Keep water as the number 1 pick.
Myth: Fiber has no calories.
Fiber is the woody or gummy portion of plants that is harder for the body to break down. It provides fewer calories than starch and sugar, which are easily broken down, but fiber is not calorie free. One gram of fiber has 1.5 to 2.5 calories; one gram or starch or sugar has 4.
Myth: Peanut butter is loaded with undesirable trans fat.
Recurring rumors that peanut butter contains trans fat – which increases the risk for heart disease – are totally wrong. A very small amount of hydrogenated (hardened) vegetable oil is added to most peanut butter to stop the oil from separating. A study showed that this hydrogenated fat had anywhere from 0 to a trace amount of trans fat making peanut butter “trans-free”. The good news is that peanut butter is an excellent source of protein and high in a good-for-you fat, similar to olive oil, which promotes heart health.
Myth: Most of us never get enough calcium.
With the ever-growing number of calcium-fortified foods – including Total cereal with 1,000 milligrams per serving – it is becoming all too easy to get too much. Regularly consuming 2,500 milligrams a day of calcium may cause kidney stones, kidney damage and block the absorption of other important nutrients. Too much of a good thing may not be good for you.
Myth: Eating eggs raises cholesterol.
Research has shown no connection between eating up to 1 egg a day and heart disease. High blood cholesterol is more likely caused by diets high in saturated fats and low in fiber than diets that include a moderate amount of eggs.
© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of the nutrition counter series for Pocket Books with 12 current titles and sales in excess of 7 million books. The books are widely available at your local or on-line bookseller.
Current titles include:
The Complete Food Counter, 3rd ed., 2009
The Fat Counter, 7th ed., 2009
The Healthy Wholefoods Counter, 2008
The Cholesterol Counter, 7th Ed., 2008
The Diabetes Carbohydrate and Calorie Counter, 3rd Ed., 2007
The Calorie Counter, 4th Ed., 2007
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to The Nutrition Experts
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