Myths About Food & Dieting
REMEMBER: Some "healthy" foods that are good to eat while trying to maintain your weight are NOT NECESSARILY the best foods to eat when you are trying to lose weight.
Below are some of the common Myths about food & dieting:
1. "Skipping meals will help" me lose weight faster. Not necessarily. Your body requires proteins to help increase its metabolism. Skipping meals also makes one much hungrier later in the day and many people will then often rationalize why it is okay to eat the wrong foods at night. Don't skip breakfast!
2. "Vodka has zero calories." Wrong. Vodka and all types of alcohol have tons of wasted calories that are a poison to a dieter. If you must have a drink, then mix a 1/2 glass of wine with seltzer to minimize the quantity of alcohol you consume.
3. "Excess exercise helps shed more pounds." Not necessarily. 40-60 minutes of aerobics and light weight training is great. More than this while dieting may actually increase your hunger and encourage you to eat more calories than you actually burn off.
4. "Milk is good for you." Not exactly. Calcium(from vitamins/supplements) is very important; however, most people do not need to drink milk to get it. If you must have an occasional glass of milk, make sure it is skim milk.
5. "Veggieburgers are good weight-loss foods." No. Avoid veggieburgers that are filled with starchy corn and potatoes. Consider turkey burgers instead.
6. "Oatmeal/Special K/Cheerios are great to lose weight". Wrong. ALL cereal are grains = bread. These are healthier choices for those trying to MAINTAIN weight, but NOT ideal for weight loss. If you must eat a measured 1/2 cup, then consider this serving to be your carbohydrate for the day (no other rice, pasta, corn, potatoes dishes later in the day).
7. "Gatorade/Powerade/Red Bull/Vitamin-water give me energy when on a diet." HORRIBLE choice. These are full of SUGAR and corn syrup and you may gain 10 pounds in a year if you drink a bottle a day.
8. "Fruit and Juice are natural and must be great dieting food choices." NOT FOR A DIETER. Fruit is full of sugar; and juice is simply concentrated sugar. Yes, it is natural and the juice may be freshly squeezed....but it is natural SUGAR. You should sparingly eat fruit while on a diet and AVOID all juice. Fruit is a healthy alternative when you are trying to MAINTAIN your weight.
9. "Brown Rice is good". Not ideal to lose weight. Brown rice is still a grain = bread. Brown rice has enriched grains and fiber, and thus, is a better choice than white rice when trying to MAINTAIN weight.
10. "Multigrain bread is good." Healthy but not great in large quantities when dieting. What counts while on a diet is the total calories per serving. You want to look for the 'light' wheat bread that is 40 calories a slice.
11. "Variety of Food is good." Not necessarily true. People who eat the same foods every day often lose more quickly than those who vary diets daily. If you are eating the right foods, then you do not need to change your choices day to day.
12. "Nuts/Raisins are great snacks." Not really for weight loss ... Nuts, while a protein, are FULL of fat and most people can't just eat a few. If you must eat nuts, then select out 6 or 7 for the entire day, and place them in a separate bag (portion control). Never eat directly from the full container because no one that I know can eat just a few. Raisins are full of sugar...same thing applies: take out 6 or 7 and place them into a separate bag.
13. "Olive oil is healthy." Well, olive oil is a better oil than other types. BUT, it still is a fat with lots of calories...so be careful not to put too much on your salads. Better to use just vinegar/balsamic vinegar (not vinaigrette) and use spray oil for cooking, if needed.
