5 Food Myths: TRUE or FALSE…Don’t eat after 7pm, nuts are fattening & more!
- tidbitsfromemily
- Dec 15, 2014
- 3 min read
These days, it seems like anything we hear and/or read regarding food and health through the media, online, magazines, or even our peers must be true, especially when it comes down to the daily decisions about what to put into our bodies… People are often ravenous for quick and easy ways to get healthy and lean without much work.
Today we will be deciphering a few nutrition myths—food myths are that created from outdated science, old tales and such—and see whether they are, in fact, true or not. But before we dive into it, let’s have you take a mini quiz by answering the following 5 statements on whether they are TRUE or FALSE!
Decaf coffee has no caffeine.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are more nutritious than frozen fruits and vegetables.
Nuts are fattening.
Brown eggs are more nutritious and healthier than white eggs.
Don’t eat after 7pm or else you’re bound to gain weight.
Let’s see how you did!
Decaf coffee has no caffeine – FALSE!
Decaf coffee ranges from 8 to 32 milligrams of caffeine, depending on the cup size (versus a generic 8 oz cup of regular coffee which ranges 100-150 or more milligrams of caffeine). So if you’re caffeine-sensitive, be aware! This could possibly be contributing to your insomnia… perhaps you can try sticking with caffeine-free herbal tea in the late afternoons.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are always more nutritious than frozen fruits and vegetables – FALSE!
Frozen fruits and vegetables are actually sometimes more nutritious than “fresh” produce. How can this be?! Well, before produce is brought to and sold at a grocery store, it has to be harvested, sorted, packaged, and shipped, often overseas! During this process, outside variables such as temperature and light can alter nutrients in produce, such as folate and vitamin C.
On the other hand, frozen produce tends to be chosen and frozen at their most ripe—when they are most nutrient-packed. That being said, when produce is in-season, that’s when they are fresh and ripe and most nutrient-packed…and it’s more than likely that, that produce sold at your local grocery store was not shipped from overseas! Hence, that is a great time to opt for fresh produce.When it’s “off-season,” however, frozen items tend to be a better choice. Try looking for packages marked USDA “U.S. Fancy” versus lower grades “U.S. No 1” or “U.S. No 2.” The USDA “U.S. Fancy” shield holds a more nutrient-rich standard in regards to a produce’s size, shape, and color.
Nuts are fattening – TRUE & FALSE.
While nuts do, in fact, contain fat, there’s no need to avoid them like the plague. Most nuts have monounsaturated fats—HEALTHY fats—which are found to promote heart health and even maintain stable blood sugar levels. Of course, if you eat too many nuts (or too much of any food), that will most likely not be great for your waistline and your health. Try opting for about a handful of nuts a day or about 1.5 oz!
Brown eggs are more nutritious and healthier than white eggs – FALSE.
The ONLY difference between these two eggs is the color of the feathers of the chicken that hatched the egg. So, a white-feathered chicken hatches white eggs while a brown-feathered chicken hatches brown eggs. The nutritional value of their eggs is the same so whatever eggs you choose at the grocery store, look for those with a carton date that is as far as possible from the purchase date.
Don’t eat after 7pm or else you’re bound to gain weight – FALSE.
The time or when you eat has little to do with gaining weight. Rather, how much (portion-wise) and what you are eating, does! A calorie is a calorie, regardless of what time you eat it. If you eat more calories than you burn, you will gain weight, and if you eat fewer calories than you burn, you will lose weight.
Note: All of these images were found online using the Google search engine. Please click on images for source.
Disclaimer: This is post contains knowledge I’ve learned from my nutrition classes at my university, as well as information researched online and from my textbooks. While I am not a dietitian or nutritionist, I am currently majoring in applied nutrition at a university. This information is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting your pediatrician or family doctor. Please consult a doctor with any questions or concerns you might have regarding your or your child’s condition.
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