Worried whether you have been following incorrect health tips? Don’t worry, chek out few diet myths!
Fat free is not necessarily calorie free
Some people binge on fat free foods such as chips, biscuits and drinks, without realizing that these food items might contain an equal calories. “It’s very important to read the calorie chart that comes along with these food items, as per the serving size and number of calories per serving. One has to realise that no food item comes sans calories, or fat. I have had clients who binged on low calorie diet cornflakes and didn’t see any results. They had never bothered about the serving size, secondly, they used to add extra sugar to make the product taste better. No wonder that the results were missing,” says dietician Pinky Sharma.
No vegetable oil is cholesterol free
Some people use oils labelled ‘cholesterol free,’ thinking that they have escaped the ‘cholesterol’ evil. Dietician Honey Shah breaks the myth, “All these ads are just marketing gimmicks. No oil is cholesterol free. It’s the amount of oil intake that matters and not the cholesterol. One should see that they take a combination of oils- refined oil, desi ghee or olive oil, in moderation.”
Calorie is not the evil
Many people blame calories which are actually not the real culprit. Had that been the case, sugar would have never been considered fattening since it contains only 15-20 calories per teaspoon. Says dietician Honey Shah, “Going by the calorie count of sugar, people having sweets should never be fat. So it’s not the calorie count, but the ingredients present in the food (carbohydrates, fat, protein etc) that really matters.”
Milk is not a great health food
Milk is an over hyped food item. It contains proteins, calciums and fats and is definitely not a complete food. Health consultant Shikha Sharma states, “Milk is not a great health food as it is perceived to be. Adults don’t really need much milk, but our society has a fixation with milk, that too about the regular intake of milk. They think that if you don’t want to eat a meal, have milk and it will substitute as a complete meal. Some people thus go on endless fasts relying on milk and fruits alone. But this will ultimately lead to nutritional deficiency.”
Fruit juices are not a healthy option
One can easily consume loads of sugar per day just from what you drink? Fruit juices are just one such form of high calorie diet. They are full of calories and add a lot of sugar to the body. Whole fruits are any day better than fruit juices. Also, juices should be consumed in moderation. “Some people believe when they are dieting they can drink all the fruit juices they want because it's healthy and natural. Little do they realise that these contain a lot of sugar which can result in weight gain. But if you are religiously working out, then you can be less worried about that,” says dietician Pinky Khanna.
Nuts and seeds are healthy foods
Nuts and seeds are natural oils in natural form. They are digested best by the body. “But if you are taking 8-9 almonds daily, you must know that it’s also an oil provider and so accordingly you should cut out on your oil intake,” explains dietician Aishwarya Sodhi.
Mangoes and rice are good for diabetics
Diabetics are strictly made to give up on bananas, mangoes and rice. In reality, one should first check the sugar content in the body and accordingly make food decisions. Says dietician Honey, “Agreed, diabetics should monitor their food intake, but it is important not to remove these from your diet completely. Moderation is the key.”
