WELLNESS: Food Falsehoods

Everyone has ideas about food dos and donts. These stem from things we were fed on as children (literally and figuratively), our memories and also from the knowledge we have picked up along the way. Unfortunately some widely held beliefs are wrong. Holding on to these can lead to poor choices in the way we eat which can, in turn, take us away from our wellness goals.

Here are some popular myths about nutrition that may affect your quest for wellness:

1. Sugar causes piles (hemorrhoids) – The actual causes of hemorrhoids include prolonged sitting, hypertension, constipation and diarrhoea, pregnancy and obesity. Eating sugar does not lead to hemorrhoids.

2. Sugar causes diabetes – If you are not diabetic, then ingesting sugar does not make you diabetic. Obesity can cause insulin resistance and reducing weight to normal helps to manage this condition.

3. Honey is better for you than sugar - Not if you want to eat fewer calories. Honey is almost chemically indistinguishable from sugar.

4. Eating late at night or before sleep promotes weight gain - A calorie is a calorie no matter what time you eat it. However, mindless munching in front of the TV at night can increase your calorie intake.

5. All fats are bad for you – saturated fats from animal products, trans-fats and partially hydrogenated oils should be used very sparingly. Unsaturated fats like Omega-3s found in fish and monounsaturated fats found in olive oil, nuts and avocados can aid good health. However, they do have high calorie content.

6. Carbohydrates cause weight gain – If you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. The calories can be from carbohydrates, fats or protein. Studies actually show that people who successfully maintain weight loss do so by watching their total calorie intake while eating diets that are higher in carbohydrates and lower in fat. However, staying on a diet that is too high in carbohydrates and low in fats and protein may cause you to feel hungry sooner and possibly overeat. Balance is best.

7. Skipping meals can help you lose weight – When a body is hungry it goes into starvation mode and the metabolism slows down, lowering the rate at which it burns calories. The brain also sends out signals that make you want to eat foods that are high in calories and fat.

8. Eating fat-free or low-calorie foods mean you will not gain weight – Again, a calorie is a calorie and fat-free does not mean calorie-free. Check food labels for the serving size and number of calories per serving. Low-fat or no-fat foods may still contain a lot of calories. To make such foods taste better, extra sugar, flour, or starch thickeners (more calories) are usually added. It is better to eat a balanced meal while counting calories.

9. All “natural” or “herbal” foods and supplements are safe - Not necessarily. Little or no testing has to be done by law on these products. Some herbs can react with medications that are being taken for legitimate reasons. Check with a doctor before taking these products. Find out about new “all natural” products before you use them.

10. Snacking causes you to be fat – If you choose healthy snacks, you can actually stay fuller for longer, you are less likely to binge and will probably eat less at regular meal times and thus lose weight. Some of these snacks include sandwiches made from 100% whole wheat bread (peanut-butter sandwiches are especially good), fresh fruit, low-fat yogurt, 100% fruit and vegetable juices, low-fat milk, popcorn.

11. Caffeine is an appetite stimulant – there is no evidence to support this.

12. Diet drinks help you lose weight – Diet drinks will do nothing unless you reduce your total calorie intake and/or burn up more calories by increasing your activities.

13. Grapefruit helps you burn calories - No food helps you burn up calories. Some foods are just easier to digest and some have fewer calories than others.

14. Becoming a vegetarian will help you lose weight – Sweets and chips are still allowed on a vegetarian diet. Even as a vegetarian, you lose weight only when you make healthy food choices. Again, count those calories.

15. You should never eat cookies, candy or cake while on a diet – Everyone needs a treat once in a while. Extreme diets are difficult to keep up for any length of time. You find you crave your old favourites and then binge on them when you do have them. Eat what you like occasionally and in small amounts if they are not too unhealthy. Retrain yourself to like healthy foods.

16. Exercise makes you eat more – this one is used to justify not exercising. Research has actually shown that after 20 minutes of exercise, people ate no more than those who had done nothing. The only difference was that those who had exercised thought the food tasted better.

And one last one that has to do with children:

17. All babies need to be fed with formula or they are not full - Infant milk formula has only been around for a short period in our history. Most mothers are actually able to adequately breast feed their babies. A slim baby is not necessarily an underfed baby.

Dr. Stella Ejiofoh-Alli is the medical director of Art of Living Nigeria, a health and wellness company which specialises in helping its clients plan and live healthy lifestyles, and provides stress management courses and training on first aid and basic life support.