The wealth of dietary advice we face can seem baffling. One minute we’re being told to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, the next we’re told to ignore that because they might not be as effective at lowering cancer risks as previously thought. Don’t eat eggs because they’re high in cholesterol, but actually do eat them because they’re a rich source of protein. Keep your diet free from bad fats, although you need some good ones on a daily basis. And make sure you’re eating plenty of superfoods, such as seaweed, quinoa, cantaloupes, garlic and pomegranates.
Who’s right and who’s wrong? It’s a recipe for confusion, not a healthy, balanced diet. So to try and clear up the queries, in this first of a two-part series, we presented a selection of nutritional conundrums to two nutritionists – Laura Holland and Marcela Manon. Here, they give us their take on some common food myths.
Is dark chocolate good for you?
All chocolate is derived from cacao. But with commercial chocolate, bars are made from heating it up and adding in milk or sugar in varying quantities depending on whether it’s milk, dark or white. And when the chocolate’s heated you destroy the nutrition quality of the cacao. You’re still going to get some goodness from dark chocolate, but the trick is to buy raw chocolate or raw cacao. Then you’re truly eating one of the highest anti-oxidant concentration foods in the world, as well as one of the top sources of magnesium, iron and chromium. Conscious Chocolate bars are good, you can find them in the Organic Foods and Cafes. They’re raw and sweetened with things like gold, cinnamon and goji berries so they taste rich and indulgent. If I have them in my cupboard they don’t stay there for long.
Do avocados make you fat?
I say to my clients, have you ever seen anybody that’s got fat from eating avocado? The answer is no. Avocados have got about 14 different minerals in them, and Omega 3 which is another of those fats that increases your metabolism and allows fat to be unlocked from the cells where you’re storing it to move to an area where you can actually burn it off. They’ve also got great quantities of Vitamin E in them, which is excellent for skin and balancing hormones.
Are organic foods worth their price?
There are certain organic foods which are worth buying if you can find them. Basically, things like peaches, apples, bell peppers and lettuce which are heavily sprayed with pesticides. You could justify the organic price of these, and again they’re definitely worth buying for children. Foods that generally aren’t affected even if they’re sprayed are ones with thick skins like pineapples, avocados and onions. Meat is worth stretching to organic as well, if possible. Pasture-fed, organic meat means you’re avoiding growth-hormones, antibiotics and chemicals in general. This applies to milk too.
How much water should you actually drink?
Adults are 50 per cent water, children are 80 per cent so they need different amounts. And it depends on levels or exercise, body temperature and pregnancy too. Diet as well. Remember that a lot of fluids we take in count as water anyway, like juices, which is worth bearing in mind with regards to kids as it’s so difficult to get them to drink water. The general measure is that adults need 1.5 to 1.74 oz of water per pound per day. It’s not necessarily true, saying that if you’re thirsty you’re already dehydrated. I think dehydration should remain a medical term for people who have very little water in their blood. Basically, if you’re thirsty it just means your body needs to balance itself with more fluid intake. A person that’s thirsty cannot be compared to a person that’s dehydrated. The body just has different ways of balancing itself, like when you’re hot or cold.
Does spinach make you stronger like Popeye?
No! This is just because it’s a leafy green vegetable that contains a lot of nutrients per gram and is rich with iron. But we should be eating it anyway, like all green leafy vegetables. Spinach is fibrous and contains 13 different flavanoids which are cancer-fighting, and a range of other chemicals which do various things for us - such as reduce blood pressure, help prevent osteoporosis, top up our Vitamin C and E levels. It’s generally good brain-food and highly nutritious.
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