5 Busted Food Myths

By Nutritionist, Portia Wong.

1. “Carbs Make You Fat” Carbs do not make you fat if eaten at suitable quantities. In fact, it supports our metabolism to keep us energized for the day. Clean sources of carbs, like oats, fruits, and potatoes, also contain fibre and essential micronutrients. What you would want to consume less of are refined carbs as they are processed and stripped of their nutrients. White rice, pasta, sweets, and pastries are some examples of simple refined carbs. They spike up your blood sugar level and give you an instant feeling of satiety. As refined carbs are digested quickly, you’d be feeling hungry in no time again!
   

2. “Fats Are Bad For You” Trans fat is the culprit behind the bad reputation of fats. Trans fat is formed from the processing of vegetable oils in order to increase shelf life. Foods like chips, baked goods and margarine are examples of trans fat. Consumption of trans fat is often associated with obesity and heart disease. However, similar to carbs, fat is a crucial macronutrient that is needed for our body to function properly. Not all fats are bad for you, but you need to be wise in identifying the good ones. Healthy fats, also known as unsaturated fats, can be found in whole foods like fishes, nuts, and avocados. They help increase good cholesterol levels in blood, thereby lowering the risk of heart diseases.
   

3. “All Processed Foods Are Bad” Sure, processed carbs and fats are bad for you, but not all processed food is bad. Processing is a broad term that refers to food being changed after harvesting, where the change could be physical (e.g. chopping), chemical (e.g. sweetening), thermal (e.g. roasting) or transformative (e.g. combination of ingredients to make a meal). Most foods in your kitchen are probably “processed”. Some processing methods could actually preserve and activate nutrients in the foods, while others could degrade nutritional value. What we want to aim for are minimally processed whole foods. Needless to say, canned meats, frozen pizzas, and instant noodles are a definite no-no, because they contain a significant amount of salt, sugar and trans fat. On the other hand, flash-freezing vegetables can prevent nutrient loss after harvest. Soaking corn in alkaline solution also makes absorption of vitamin B3 easier. Just be aware!
   

4. “Natural And Organic Food Is Better” Saying ‘no’ to highly processed foods, natural and organic foods seemed to be the way to go! Busting this myth, natural does not equate organic. There is no legal supervision on ‘natural’ products, they simply contain less preservatives and additives. As for organic foods, sure, ‘organic’ means that no synthetic fertilizer or pesticides are used during farming. However, there are actually no proven difference in their nutritional values. What you want to pay attention to here are the ingredients used as some organic products could have added sugar and salt, or be high in calories. Don’t be blinded with the word, “organic”!
   

5. “Gluten-free Is The Way To Health” It seems to be all the rage. However, going gluten-free does not really have additional benefits. Unless, of course, if you’re allergic to gluten or suffer from celiac disease, where body cells attack each other when gluten is intook. It’s a common belief that gluten-free equals weight loss, but that’s not true. What’s important is that correct changes are made in your diet. For example, potato chips and chocolate bars are gluten-free, but if you binge on these, weight gain would be probable. The simple best advice is to read the ingredients and nutrition labels. Avoid high fat, high sugar, and high calorie products!