Nutrition Myths Busted

In the anti carb revolution, potatoes have faired badly. However potatoes alone won’t make you gain weight; it is more likely the cooking methods that would.

If you eat lots of fried chips or roasted potatoes heavy in oil, you may gain weight. However a baked potato for dinner won’t add extra kilos. Potatoes are a good source of energy, vitamin C and potassium. They are also a source of B vitamins and in particular B6, thiamin and niacin.

Leave the skin on when you cook potatoes as most of the antioxidants and fibre are found just under the skin. The potato is ok to include as a part of a balanced diet.

 

In general, no. This rumour came about because in early days, margarine was high in trans fats. Trans fats are formed in the hydrogenation of oils – the process used to make margarine. Hydrogenation involves adding hydrogen to the fatty acids to change their shape, so they form a solid rather than a liquid.
 

Trans fats are the most harmful of the fat types. They raise LDL-cholesterol (the bad one), and decrease HDL-cholesterol (the good one you want to have).

So in the past, yes butter probably was healthier than margarine. However once manufacturers were aware of the negative health effects of trans fats, they reformulated margarines to have much lower levels.
 

Now the majority of spreads contain less than 1% trans fats. Accept no more than that - some of the cheaper brands are higher. The majority of margarines today contain the heart healthy mono and polyunsaturated fats. Butter is high in saturated fat which can raise blood cholesterol levels – a risk for heart disease. Chose margarine with less than 1% trans fats and then margarine is a healthier option than butter.

 

No. There is no evidence that eating carbohydrates after a certain point of time will cause weight gain. Weight gain will only occur if you consume more energy than you expend.

What about weight loss? Will cutting carbs after 5pm make you lose weight? Theoretically – yes, it could help if you don’t add anything else to replace it. This would reduce your total energy intake, thus contribute to weight loss. However, this change in eating pattern is too restrictive for most people, and for those that really enjoy their nightly carbohydrates, could cause a binge on carbohydrate foods later.
 

Rather than cutting out carbs, it would be better to reduce portion sizes throughout the day to ensure a good mix of foods from all food groups.
 

To sum that all up, It is not the time of day that foods are eaten, but a combination of the total amount of food eaten, the food composition, the amount of activity done and general health that will cause weight gain. Maintaining a balance between the foods you eat and the energy expended through activity/exercise will keep your body weight stable.

 

Remember; don’t believe everything people tell you, as often there is more than meets the eye. Check out all the facts before you make a decision on what you eat and what you don’t.