MYTH: Low-fat foods help you lose weight But not only are they likely to be stuffed full of sugar, carbs and synthetic sweeteners, they could also have just as many calories as the ‘high-fat’ alternative.
‘Particularly with sweeter low-fat foods, the extra sugar used means it might have a similar calorie content to the regular option,’ says Angela. ‘It might be better to just have a smaller serving of the standard dish, with more fat but less sugar.’
MYTH: Eating at night makes you fat
Calories are calories, whether eaten during the morning, noon or night. Studies using monkeys found the animals stayed the same weight whether they had six per cent of their food at night or 65 per cent – the body burns them off at the same rate during sleep.
But avoiding food in the evenings may still help you lose weight. Angela says:
‘People tend to snack all evening in front of the TV, especially if they have eaten very little all day.’
MYTH: Coffee dehydrates your body
We all know that coffee can make us dehydrated, right? Wrong.
A whopping 50 per cent of Britons limit their intake, believing it’s a diuretic (a substance which causes the body to lose fluid by making the kidneys produce more urine).
But, in fact, it has no such effect on regular drinkers. Nutritionist Angela Dowden says: ‘New converts could be taking more trips to the loo. But your body gets used to it and coffee counts towards your daily fluid intake.’
MYTH: Always keep fruit and veg in the fridge
You probably don’t give a second thought before sticking fruit and veg in the fridge. But by keeping things cool, you may be losing out.
Scientists in Oklahoma in the U.S discovered that a watermelon left at room temperature had double the levels of beta-carotene and 20 per cent more lycopene – both antioxidants – after two weeks than one stored in the fridge.
Bananas and peaches are also more nutritious at 20 degrees.
MYTH: Your body needs eight glasses of water a day
If you’ve been drinking two litres of water a day, it turns out you might have been wasting your time.
When doctors at the University of Pennsylvania in the U.S. examined the benefits of drinking this much water, they found no evidence that it led to clearer skin, boosted weight loss or helped the body to detox.
Angela says: ‘The amount of water a person needs varies – thirst is the best indicator. Check the shade of your urine – if it’s straw-coloured or paler you are probably drinking enough.’
MYTH: White meat is lower in fat than red meat
Often dieters eat chicken as a healthy choice, but it could be fattier than a lean cut of red meat.
‘The myth probably dates back to when butchers’ cuts were fattier,’ says Angela. ‘Now, the fat content is virtually the same.’
A lean sirloin steak has as little as 5g of fat per 100g, while chicken thighs may have up to 9g per 100g.
Post published in: Analysis