In honor of �% Fad-Free” Nutrition Month, it's time to sort out some popular nutrition myths from science-based nutrition information.
€ Calories eaten at night are more fattening.
False. You will only gain weight from eating at night if you eat more calories than you burn in the whole day. Be aware that foods eaten as snacks in the evening tend to be higher calorie, which can contribute to excess calories for the day.
€ Skipping breakfast helps you lose weight
False. Studies show that people who eat breakfast are more likely to lose weight and keep it off. Skipping breakfast tends to make you hungrier later in the day.
€ Shrimp can be included in a cholesterol-lowering diet.
True. Shrimp is high in dietary cholesterol but is very low in saturated fat, which has a much greater effect on blood cholesterol level. Eating shrimp occasionally, if it is not fried, is acceptable in a heart healthy diet.
€ Grapefruit, cabbage soup and celery burn fat.
False. There are no fat-burning foods. Moderate physical activity is the best way to burn fat.
€ Frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh vegetables.
True. Flash-freezing vegetables right after picking prevents vitamins from being destroyed. To preserve the vitamins when you cook vegetables, microwave or steam them.
€ The “Raw Food Diet” is healthier than eating cooked foods because you need the enzymes in raw foods to digest and absorb nutrients from food.
False. Because your body makes all the enzymes needed to digest and absorb nutrients, you do not need to get enzymes from food. The “Raw Food Diet,” which includes recommendations to cook foods at a temperature below 160 degrees and to eat raw sprouts, actually increases your risk for foodborne illness.
€ “All natural” on a food label means that the product is safe and pure.
False. The Food and Drug Administration does not define or regulate the use of the words “all natural” on food labels. Any food can claim it is all natural.
As you make your way through the maze of nutrition information, consider the source of the information you are reading or hearing. Popular beliefs often are not based on good scientific information. For reliable nutrition information, talk to a registered dietitian or visit the American Dietetic Association Web site at www.eatright.org.
For more nutrition information and easy recipes, visit www.cce.cornell.edu/cayuga.
Christine Gutelius, MA, RD, CDN, is a nutrition resource educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County
False. You will only gain weight from eating at night if you eat more calories than you burn in the whole day. Be aware that foods eaten as snacks in the evening tend to be higher calorie, which can contribute to excess calories for the day.
€ Skipping breakfast helps you lose weight
False. Studies show that people who eat breakfast are more likely to lose weight and keep it off. Skipping breakfast tends to make you hungrier later in the day.
€ Shrimp can be included in a cholesterol-lowering diet.
True. Shrimp is high in dietary cholesterol but is very low in saturated fat, which has a much greater effect on blood cholesterol level. Eating shrimp occasionally, if it is not fried, is acceptable in a heart healthy diet.
€ Grapefruit, cabbage soup and celery burn fat.
False. There are no fat-burning foods. Moderate physical activity is the best way to burn fat.
€ Frozen vegetables are just as nutritious as fresh vegetables.
True. Flash-freezing vegetables right after picking prevents vitamins from being destroyed. To preserve the vitamins when you cook vegetables, microwave or steam them.
€ The “Raw Food Diet” is healthier than eating cooked foods because you need the enzymes in raw foods to digest and absorb nutrients from food.
False. Because your body makes all the enzymes needed to digest and absorb nutrients, you do not need to get enzymes from food. The “Raw Food Diet,” which includes recommendations to cook foods at a temperature below 160 degrees and to eat raw sprouts, actually increases your risk for foodborne illness.
€ “All natural” on a food label means that the product is safe and pure.
False. The Food and Drug Administration does not define or regulate the use of the words “all natural” on food labels. Any food can claim it is all natural.
As you make your way through the maze of nutrition information, consider the source of the information you are reading or hearing. Popular beliefs often are not based on good scientific information. For reliable nutrition information, talk to a registered dietitian or visit the American Dietetic Association Web site at www.eatright.org.
For more nutrition information and easy recipes, visit www.cce.cornell.edu/cayuga.
Christine Gutelius, MA, RD, CDN, is a nutrition resource educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Cayuga County
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