Fat vs fiction: Break the health myths

Ready to embark on that latest diet fad but unsure of the fat myths that plague any dieters food diary?
 
The tall tales like the one about mangoes and their negative calories, or the so-called proven ‘starvation diet’ plan have all gained as much notoriety as any an urban legend.
 
Of course when quizzed about the origins of these pearls of wisdom, the answers are usually as baffling as the legend itself.
 
Says Ruchi Tanna, a self-proclaimed health fanatic who regularly visits a nutritionist: “It is very common in a place like Dubai, when people from different cultures and environments have their own little theories on what food is good or bad for your body.
 
“The most important thing to remember is there is no such thing as bad food. The bad thing is the way we eat it and the amount we consume.”
 
A lesser-known fact is that essential fatty acids are vital for our body to function normally, and as our body can’t manufacture them internally, we have to obtain them from the food we eat.
 
“The quality and quantity of fat are the most important factors to consider when adopting your healthy eating plan,” says nutritionist Dr Asha Suri.
 
“A plate of hummus sounds great to eat, and it’s only olive oil, but even that is very bad for you if you eat that every single day.”
 
Spilling the beans on what really works and what’s just a silly gooseberry, Emirates 24|7 tells you what’s the real fat behind the fiction. 
   
Myth: Low-fat and non-fat foods are great for losing weight.

Fact: The biggest and most misleading myth of all is the ‘low-fat’ brigade.
 
“Do you know that even if a product is low in fat it could well be higher in calories than the regular ones,” says health freak, Robin Mathias.
 
She adds: “This is because a lot of the companies remove the fat content but put in more sugar to retain the taste. This is especially true for chocolates.”
 
The best way to see the difference is by comparing the low-fat item with the original for both calories and fat. And don’t forget to compare the sugar content also.
 
Myth: Margarine is a better alternative to butter.
Fact: False. One tablespoon of butter has approximately 100 calories and 11 grams of fat content. Margarine (the regular kind) is still 100 calories, but 13 grams of fat.
 
While low-fat margarine is lesser in fat grams, Dr Suri recommends using butter sprays that are readily available in the market, which have hardly any fat or calories but taste just as good.
 
Myth: A no-carb diet (like the Atkins) is only a temporary weight loss programme.

Fact: “It’s partially true,” she says. “Atkins never held any clinical trials to show the effect of this diet on a large number of people. The only comparison was between people who ate normally and those who went on a low or no carbohydrate diet for one year.”
 
The result was that both groups lost almost the same weight, but at a later stage – when the two groups returned to their normal diets – the people on the Atkins gained most of their weight back while the other group hardly regained weight.
 
“You should not go against nature,” she says. “The body is designed to handle every food group because each attribute has a vital role to perform. 
 
“Carbs give you energy. And when that’s mixed with proteins and fat, it satisfies your hunger cravings and it doesn’t raise your blood sugar.”
 
Myth: Olive oil is the best oil to use and reduces fat intake.

Fact: Agreed that olive oil is a better option than most cooking oils, but the difference is not measured in calories or fat, but in terms of health.
 
As olive oil is higher in unsaturated fats, it does not clog your arteries the way saturated fats do. But all oils are fatty!
 
Myth: Carbohydrates and protein should not be eaten together, as the body cannot digest both at one time.

Fact: “This is total nonsense,” says Tanna. “The body is a very complex system and every single enzyme is secreted at just the right moment, so everything can be digested in due time.”
 
She adds that legumes are high in carbohydrates and proteins, and if you can eat that, why can’t you eat a mix of the two?
 
Myth: Eating a late dinner makes you fat.

Fact: Many diets tell you not to eat after a certain time in the evening in the belief that the body will store more fat because it is not burned off with any activity. However, a study at the Dunn Nutrition Centre in Cambridge suggests otherwise.
 
Volunteers were placed in a whole body calorimeter (which measures calories burned and stored) and were fed with a large lunch and small evening meal for one test period, then a small lunch and large evening meal during a second test period.
 
The results revealed the large meal eaten late at night did not make the body store more fat – it’s the total amount eaten in a 24-hour period that’s important.
 
Says Walsh: “The reason why people say that late night meals are bad is due to the lack of physical activity after dinner. To avoid this pitfall, it’s best to eat five-six small meals on the course of day.”
 
Myth: You should never have two carbs such as rice and bread/naan together.

Fact: “That’s simply not true,” she says. “The body will not differentiate between two starches, so whether it’s Afghan, Arabic or Indian bread mixed with rice, you will still end up with same level of carbs. It’s the quantity you eat at one time is what’s important.”
 
Myth: The fastest way to lose weight is to skip meals.

Fact: Probably the worst and most common mistake made by people on a diet is skipping meals.
 
Said health expert Josh Walsh: “A lot of times people skip meals during the day, then eat loads in the evening. They are more likely to be overweight than those who eat regularly throughout the day because eating regular meals helps people regulate their appetite and overall food intake.”
 
Also, skipping regular meals altogether usually result in making you ill, both physically and emotionally. “And a lot of times the hunger gets to a point that people’s control snaps and they start bingeing on food; this can have even worse results.”
 
For those who are looking to lose weight the healthy way, switch to snacking in between meals. Not only does it result in eating less at one time, but the breakdown of your meal in your body is much faster.
 
Myth: Drinking water during meals causes water retention.

Fact: “If someone is thirsty between their meal, it would be silly to deprive yourself of water. A few glasses of water will hurt no one,” states Dr Suri.

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