17 food facts set straight

Clinical nutritionist Dr Nupur Krishnan debunks some common myths regarding everyday diet

 For all those times you wondered about nutrition facts but weren't sure who to ask, here's something that will clear your doubts... 
Myth: Water is fattening. Truth: Water has no calories and so cannot be fattening. 
Myth: Toast is less fattening. 
Truth: Bread has exactly the same number of calories whether toasted or not — it does not alter its caloric value. 
Myth: Honey is less fattening than sugar. 
Truth: Honey is a concentrated food. One teaspoon of honey contains 21 calories. 
Myth: Fruit juices are not fattening. 
Truth: Most fruit juices are high in calories and usually have added sugar. 
Myth: Heart diseases make weight reduction dangerous. 
Truth: Weight reduction is essential to heart patients who are obese. 
Myth: 'Everything turns to fat' for some. 
Truth: An obese person may not eat more than a slim one but is usually less active. Frequent snacking and large proteins are often overlooked as contributory factors to excess weight. 
Myth: Skipping meals is a good way to lose weight. 
Truth: A dieter usually eats more at other meals when a meal is skipped. 
Myth: Rice and dals should be washed until the water used for washing them appears clear. 
Truth: Wash with minimum wsater. If washed too many times, considerable quantity of minerals and vitamins are leached away. 
Myth: Vegetables must be cut into small pieces to facilitate cooking. Truth: No. Nutrients are lost when they are cut into smaller pieces. 
Myth: Water used for cooking vegetables, dals and rice must be thrown. 
Truth: No. This water is rich in minerals and vitamins, so scan be used in soups, dals or curries. 
Myth: Citrus fruits can aggravate common cold. 
Truth: Citrus fruits contain a high content of vitamin C, which is known to have a beneficial effect in the treatment of common cold. 
Myth: Preferably consume the day's quota of fat at any one meal and avoid consumption of fat at all other meals thereafter. 
Truth: Small amounts of fat consumed several times a day are not as harmful as a larger amount of fat consumed at one sitting. 
Myth: Slim is a sign of good health 
Truth: This the biggest misconception about health. Very lean and slim persons carry as muchhealth risk as an obese person. Eating less than your body re q u i re m e n t s deprives vital organs of nutrients, which may lead to complications in the future. 
Myth: To lose weight I will eat less 
Truth: Without reducing the quantity of food you can still lose almost five kgs a month. With regular exercise you can lose upto nine kg per month. 
Myth: I can follow standard diet plans available in newspapers and Internet. 
Truth: Avoid that. One person's food is other person's poison. Your diet plan should be according to your body metabolism and body requirements. Random diet plans might lead to many irreversible health disorders. 
Myth: Fat is dangerous to health. 
Truth: Fat is essential for proper functioning of the body and to absorb certain vitamins. 
Myth: Drinking too much of water is good for health 
Truth: No. Though water is essential, you should drink only according to your body requirements. Too much water will put pressure on your kidneys and other organs to extract excess water from your body, which can lead to complications.

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Dr Nupur Krishnan