Just when you thought you were doing it right and living the perfect healthy life, London-based nutrition consultant Rob Hobson busted a few food and nutrition principles everyone lives by for sure. But Hobson said it is important to set some myths straight and face the truth that not all popular hypes are real.
Top on Hobson's list as reported by Healthista is the all-time well known foodies' commandment (and definitely a MYTH):
1. Thou shalt not eat carbs.
Yes, we often hear our friends, "Don't eat that, it's carbs." According to Hobson, this statement is partially true and false. Nutritionally, complex carbs with low glycemic index (GI) are not fattening. Examples of these complex carbs are oats, wholegrain rice or pasta-all of which contain 4 calories per gram (just like protein). When eaten in appropriate serving sizes (which everyone really should to be healthy), these foods provide nutrients such as fibre and Vitamin B to the body. But of course, one must be thoughtful of what he eats with these basic foods as it will contribute to the meal's calorie count and may mean extra pounds for you. On the other hand, fibre-rich carbs with low GI like sugar will fill you quicker and may set off insulin spikes-this is the instance that carbs may really encourage the storage of fat.
So if you are opting to consume some carbs while staying away from weight gain, Hobson suggests going for low GI varieties and matching them up with protein. Remember, there are healthy carbs and not-so-healthy carbs.
2. Thou shalt not eat after 7PM.
Everyone believes food is stored as fat when it is consumed after 7PM. Hobson doesn't think that our bodies by design make a decision to convert food eaten after 7PM into fat. Although it's true that our metabolism slows down as we sleep, it continues to digest any food in the gut. At the end of the day it's the excess amount of calories that determines how much fat our bodies get.
3. Thou shalt not eat bread.
Bread has always been the suspect for bloating. Bloating is a condition wherein the abdomen feels uncomfortably jam-packed and gaseous. While wheat may cause bloating, there is no scientific study for wheat sensitivity and treatment that includes an exclusion diet. In fact, research has found that bread causes less cases of bloating than pasta. Other factors may also be blamed instead such as skipping meals, constipation, lack of good bacteria and consumption of foods with highly fermentable carbohydrates such as leeks and artichokes. Dietary fibre eating can be done gradually to avoid bloating.