Guest Column

Debunking Common Food-Related Myths; Carbs Are Essential

By
Satyanarayan Mohapatra

There are several misconceptions about different food items – whether they are harmful for us. Let us look at some common food-related myths:

Myth 1: Diet soda is bad as it contains artificial sugar, consuming it may cause cancer

Debunked: Are there any statistics to show that people have contracted cancer by consuming diet soda? It is because your intake of calories is more and obesity may be the cause of cancer. Just pop your diet soda with care. Too much may lead to loss of appetite, which is bad.

Myth 2: Healthy fats don’t make you fat

Debunked: The body cannot detect where the calories come from. Check the micronutrients – ‘Omega 3’ fatty acids, from healthy fats, are good. Have them in moderation as healthy fats are essential for the body, especially for grey matter.

Myth 3: Eating brown and multigrain bread do not make you fat

Debunked: On an average, white bread has 77 calories and brown/multigrain bread 75 calories. Thus control it by weight and slices… for 2 calories why have a bad aftertaste? The argument does not stand on the glycemic index or complex carbs. Just control the intake.

Myth 4: Avoid fruits as they contain fructose and it’s harmful to the body

Debunked: Is there any data to prove that obesity is due to eating apples and oranges? Take care of having dense fruits in moderation, count the calories and the equation of calories in and calories out.

Myth 5: Weight management cannot be done due to insulin and thyroid

Debunked: Food intake has to be managed scientifically, along with workout, to lose weight. Weight gain happens when you are not burning a good amount of calories or eating too much.

Myth 6: Having whole-grain foods and organic food does not make you obese

Debunked: Body only knows what amount of calories you take and how it is utilized; it cannot detect whether it is a whole food or processed food.

Myth 7: Intermediate fasting is a sure way to lose weight

Debunked: Have nutritious food within the calorie intake limits, pace it out within the day. This will help in maintaining weight or if you have less calorie intake then you will lose weight.

Myth 8: Carbohydrates make you fat

Debunked: It is not your enemy but supplies energy and fuel to the body. This energy is important or the body will suck it up from the protein, which is bad. Does it ring a bell regarding the Keto diet?

Satyanarayan Mohapatra

Nutritionist & Food Safety Consultant

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