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Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2004
Location: montreal,qc
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health myths exposed
canadianliving.com has an article about health myths. i just copied the ones that seemed relevent to food and exercise. if you want to see the rest try their web-site
25 health myths exposed
We deliver the straight goods on medical malarkey.
By Kristin Jenkins
2. You're guaranteed to lose weight on a low-fat diet.
Although you're wise to cut your fat intake, low-fat is not necessarily low-calorie. Once upon a time, a low-fat diet was one that consisted of a lot of fruits, vegetables and fibre-rich foods. It was easy to lose weight then because these foods not only are low-calorie but also fill you up. However, things have changed and supermarket shelves are now flooded with low-fat products, such as cookies and muffins, that are often high in calories from sugar. Low-fat processed foods don't contain the nutrients and fibre found in low-fat whole foods. As a result, you may feel hungry soon after eating them. To lose weight, you need to cut calories and increase your physical activity as well as cut your fat intake.
4. Herbs are harmless because they're natural.
While many herbs have been around for centuries, it's only recently that some of the problems associated with their use have come to light; for instance, kava — popular for its ability to reduce anxiety — has now been shown to be toxic to the liver. Ginkgo leaf extracts, promoted to improve mental clarity and treat dementia and peripheral vascular disease, are known to cause headaches, nausea and diarrhea. Echinacea, St. John's wort, German chamomile and ginkgo biloba have been reported to cause allergic reactions. It's a good idea to tell your family physician about any "natural" products or supplements you're taking — or considering taking — to find out whether they're compatible with your health needs and other medications you may already be taking.
12. Vegetarians don't get adequate protein in their diets.
You don't necessarily have to eat meat to get adequate amounts of dietary protein. But to get enough protein, vegetarians do need to eat a wide variety of foods, including legumes, dried peas, beans, chickpeas, kidney beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds and soy products. Whether you're a lacto-ovo vegetarian (who eats dairy products and eggs), lacto vegetarian (who eats dairy products) or vegan (who eats no animal products), you may wish to consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist for an eating plan that ensures you're also getting enough calcium, iron, vitamins B12 and D, and zinc.
13. It's impossible to drink too many fluids while exercising.
You may think it's safe to drink as much water as you want when you're sweating, but studies of athletes show that drinking more than 500 millilitres of water per hour can lead to hyponatremia, or water intoxication. This condition — though rare — can occur when blood becomes so diluted that it doesn't contain enough salt for adequate brain, heart and muscle function. In a worst-case scenario, water intoxication can result in coma and even death. Some people with water intoxication have no symptoms; others have symptoms similar to those of dehydration (apathy, confusion, nausea, fatigue). However, water intoxication is usually associated with long-distance running and cycling. It's important to drink a lot when you're exercising in the heat, but instead of drinking a lot of water all at once, drink smaller amounts — say 125 to 175 millilitres at a time. And while sports drinks that contain sugar and calories are OK if you're exercising for four hours or more (such as in a marathon or cycling event) or working out in a hot environment, water is generally the best choice. Whether it's bottled or comes from a tap is up to you.
15. Fresh fruits and vegetables are always more nutritious than frozen or canned.
It depends. If fresh fruits and vegetables have been languishing in the fridge for a week, some of the vitamins may have been lost — just as they can leach out into cooking water. In that case, fresh produce may not have the same nutritional value as canned or frozen fruits and vegetables. Similarly, if you leave cut-up fruits or vegetables on a kitchen counter for more than 20 minutes, exposure to air may rob them of some of their vitamins. Generally speaking, however, frozen or canned fruits and vegetables are just as vitamin-rich as fresh.
16. Children with asthma shouldn't play sports.
Parents and doctors used to counsel children with asthma to stay away from all sports. Physical activity, the thinking went, increases breathing rate and could trigger asthma, a disease of the respiratory system characterized by coughing, wheezing, tightness in the chest and shortness of breath. We now know that exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, can actually improve the lung power of a person with asthma. Studies show that when people with asthma exercise, they have fewer attacks, use less medication and miss less time at school. For this reason, children whose asthma is well controlled by medication and avoidance of triggers should be encouraged to take part in most sports and other physical activities — even if they have exercise-induced asthma (EIA). While activities that are more intense and sustained, such as long periods of running, should be avoided, there are many sports that are less likely to trigger EIA; they include walking, cycling, swimming and sports that require short bursts of energy, such as baseball, softball, volleyball, tennis, football, wrestling, golf, gymnastics and short-distance track-and-field events.
17. Becoming a vegetarian will ensure that you'll lose weight and be healthier.
While a vegetarian diet can be nutritious, your food choices — not whether you choose to eat meat — will determine whether you'll lose weight. If you order the dressing-soaked Caesar salad and french fries rather than grilled chicken breast and a lightly dressed green salad at a fast-food restaurant, you could be eating a meal that's actually higher in fat and calories than a meat-based one. Also, if you don't know how to eat to stave off hunger on a vegetarian diet, you may end up actually eating more. It's all about balance.
22. Beef will raise your blood cholesterol level higher than poultry or seafood.
Not necessarily. It isn't just how much cholesterol a particular food contains but also the kind of fat the food contains and how this fat affects blood cholesterol levels when eaten. For instance, saturated fat has more of an impact on boosting blood cholesterol levels than the actual cholesterol content of foods, so if the beef is lean and well trimmed, it could contain less cholesterol-boosting saturated fat than a chicken drumstick (dark meat)
with the skin on it. And some seafood, such as shrimp, may be high in cholesterol but may also contain heart-healthy polyunsaturated fat, which can help lower blood fats.
23. All fibre helps prevent heart disease.
There are two types of dietary fibre, and one of them is thought to promote heart health: it's called soluble dietary fibre and it can be found in oat products, such as oat bran and oatmeal; legumes, such as dried beans, peas and lentils; and pectin-rich fruits, such as apples, strawberries and citrus fruits. Soluble fibre seems to help stabilize blood sugar levels and lower blood cholesterol, especially when it is high. On the other hand, insoluble fibre, found in wheat bran and wheat bran cereals, whole grain foods, fruits and vegetables, hasn't been directly linked to boosting heart health by itself; however, it may help prevent certain cancers, including colon cancer.
24. All vegetable oils are heart healthy.
Some are, some aren't. Coconut, palm and palm kernel oils — often used in cookies, crackers and cakes — are sources of saturated fats, which can raise blood cholesterol levels and be detrimental to heart health. When vegetable oils are hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated (the kinds found in hard margarines, cookies, crackers and commercially baked products), they can raise blood cholesterol levels. Read the nutrition information on the label and look for "partially hydrogenated" to indicate the presence of unhealthy trans-fatty acids. Instead, choose extra-virgin olive, canola and peanut oils, which contain monounsaturated fats that can also help lower blood cholesterol. Similarly, safflower, sunflower and corn oils contain polyunsaturated fats, which can help lower blood cholesterol.
25. Eating after 8 p.m. causes weight gain.
It's probably wise to space your calories out throughout the day to coincide with your activity levels, but there's no magical moment weightwise that happens at eight o'clock at night. However, during the evening, you may be more apt to wind down in front of the TV, and if you sit eating high-calorie snacks like chips, you may pack on the pounds. Eating these snacks at night may be a sign that you haven't eaten enough during the day. If you eat several small and nutritionally balanced meals every three to four hours throughout the day, you won't get the munchies later on.
Experts consulted include Dr. Harold Dion, president of the Quebec College of Family Physicians; Dr. Anthony Graham, spokesperson for the Heart and Stroke Foundation and director of ambulatory care at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto; Dr. Robert Reid, a professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Queens University in Kingston, Ont.; Rosie Schwartz, a nutritionist and registered dietitian; Dr. Joey Shulman, a nutritionist; and Dr. Barbara Whylie, executive director of the Canadian Cancer Society.
ok well this was long but i hope it was informative
gen
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