Our panel of experts bust some of the most common nutritional myths
MYTH: Low fat automatically means it’s healthy
TRUTH: People usually turn to low fat diets because they need to follow a strict diet for a medical condition, or to lose weight. Those doing it for a medical condition will have been provided with sound dietetic advice and need to follow this, but those doing it for weight loss will typically be buying products labelled as low-fat or fat-free.
Low fat products do not automatically mean healthier. To compensate for the removal of fats, low-fat or fat-free products can actually contain more sugar, and calorie content can be around the same as the ‘normal’ product options. Sugar is typically added to give the products more flavour and make it tastier.
Following a low-fat eating plan for weight loss inevitably also means that vitamins and minerals that help us maintain good health are cut from the diet. If you are following a low-fat diet, it is worth re-evaluating what you are eating to ensure you’re getting enough nutrients.
I would recommend reading product labels carefully and look closely at the ingredients and fat content for low-fat, fat-free and ‘normal’ products to compare the difference.
~ Dr Emma Derbyshire
MYTH: Eating carbs will make me fat
TRUTH: Eating large quantities of any food will increase calorie intake and thus cause weight gain. Carbs, or carbohydrates, tend to be the most associated with weight gain – or restriction if trying to lose a few pounds.
Popular phrases such as ‘no carbs before Marbs’ haven’t done anything to dispel this myth, and pasta and bread are often the two food sources people will avoid in order to lose weight.
However, carbohydrates have many health benefits and should be a key source of energy in your diet. Carbohydrates high in fibre, such as potatoes, release glucose into the blood slowly which fills us up for longer. So, this is a good thing for weight management as it helps stop us searching for that sugary hit.
The other thing to remember is that people think of carbs as bread and pasta, but in fact, carbohydrates are found in vegetables and fruit and these provide us with important nutrients we need to fuel and maintain our health.
Eliminating fruit and vegetables from your diet isn’t a good idea. Research shows that we are already failing to meet the recommended five-a-day of fruit and vegetables. We should be aiming to obtain all our nutrient needs from our diet. Howev
