Food Myths Demystified
Some food myths just don’t go away. The more I talk to people, the more I hear the same questions over and over. Here are 3 myths that are still at the top of my “most asked” list.
Myth: Cutting out gluten is the pathway to weight loss and good health.
Fact: A gluten free diet is necessary for people with celiac disease or a non-celiac gluten sensitivity, but it’s not necessary for everybody else. Often times, when people cut out large groups of foods, in this case, many breads, grains and cereals, you lose weight and often feel better because you are eating less. But, there’s no evidence that following a gluten free diet will promote weight loss or offer health benefits beyond helping those with the problem.
Myth: As long as you exercise, you can eat anything you want.
Fact: It may work on Dancing With The Stars, but exercise alone is seldom enough to significantly move the numbers on the scale. While exercise is a helpful partner in a weight loss program, you have to do a lot of it to actually lose a pound or two. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds and you do 30 minutes of aerobics, you’ll burn about 200 calories. Cutting calories is a much better way to lose pounds but the combination of diet and exercise is really the best formula.
Myth: Fresh is always better than frozen
Fact: In the summer/fall, when so much fresh local produce is available, its certainly my first choice. But, as we get into the winter months, most fresh produce is not freshly just off the tree. It has been picked far way, transported a distance before it gets to the grocery store and may be there even longer before you get it home. Frozen vegetables, on the other hand, are harvested at their peak of goodness, frozen quickly and retain much of their nutritional content and may be even more nutritious than their fresh counterpart.