4 food myths a dietitian would love to debunk
If you ask us, we’ll always say: eat everything! In moderation! (Except, of course, meat and fish if you’re vegetarian). We’re not trained in nutrition, but we’re happy to share where you can get the tastiest chicken sandwich, how to conveniently prepare a batch of cocktails, or what you can do with used tea bags. But if you talk to a dietitian about food, you shouldn’t come out with these widely believed food myths…
Because she worries that, with so many facts and fiction about food circulating, people will start believing things that can have a major effect on their eating habits. And not in a good way. That’s why Lottie Savage, who has a bachelor’s degree in dietetics, lists a number of nonsensical assumptions for the BBC, so that we can approach food in a more sensible way.
‘Carbohydrates are bad’
Savage distinguishes between three types of carbohydrates: sugar, starch, and fiber. Everything about them is different, from how they interact with your body to how they are converted into sugars and other nutrients. In short, it’s very strange to avoid bread while drinking an AA drink. You need carbohydrates because they are your main source of energy, but it is important to choose them in forms that also provide other nutrients and fiber. Such as whole-wheat bread and pasta and brown rice, and of course fruit and vegetables.
‘All calories are the same anyway’
She hears this more often: ‘whether I eat a banana or a small piece of chocolate – I still consume the same number of calories’. Sigh… Yes, it’s true that in both cases you consume around ninety calories. But with the piece of chocolate, you also get a load of saturated fat that raises your cholesterol and a heap of sugar that causes a crash after the initial sugar spike, leaving you hungry again. By comparison, the banana will release its sugars more slowly because of the fiber it contains, meaning your blood sugar rises and falls less sharply and you’ll feel full for longer. On top of that, the banana also contains important vitamins and minerals. She also recommends thinking in terms of nutrients rather than calories, so that your relationship with food is influenced less negatively.
‘Natural sugars are good for you’
Agave syrup, maple syrup and honey are often mistakenly viewed as healthy, Savage says. Granted, some of these natural alternatives to refined beet sugar may contain slightly more micronutrients, but those amounts are negligible. Honey is often used in generous quantities in breakfast bars and snacks, which are therefore also mistakenly considered healthy. As our own Martijn Katan (biochemist and professor of nutrition) also said in De Volkskrant: your intestines don’t have eyes. Sugar is sugar.
‘Puntjepuntjevrije products are healthier’
Some people think a gluten-free cookie is healthier for them than a penny wafer. But if you have no diagnosed food intolerance or allergy, there’s really nothing for you in the supermarket aisle with diet and ‘special’ products. A penny wafer is of course not good for you either, but make no mistake: many of the products in the ‘gluten-free’ or ‘lactose-free’ aisle are highly processed. It’s better to eat as few processed products as possible.
Read also:
- Suddenly it hits you: I’m heading for the lockdown weight gain
- Strange but true: this diet is what will really make you happy
- Why do we eat one animal and cuddle another?
Source: BBC
