While nutrition is one of the most discussed matters in personal healthcare, there is plenty of misinformation making rounds in the rumour mill that needs to be busted. Dr Rebecca Kuriyan Raj, Professor and Head, Division of Nutrition, St John’s Research Institute gave a talk at Happiest Health’s The Edge of Nutrition Summit on 12 July highlighting the need to go back to the basics of nutrition. Dr Rebecca, stressed the need to create awareness on choosing the right foods for a healthy body.
Here she debunks some of the most common myths on diet and nutrition, countering misinformation with knowledge:
Myth 1: Egg yolk increases cholesterol levels
Fact: Egg yolk is high in cholesterol. But it does not mean that eating egg yolk alone increases cholesterol. The whole diet matters.
Myth 2: Pregnant women should eat for two
Fact: No. It’s not the amount or volume of food that a pregnant woman eats. It is the various nutrients that contribute to a healthy pregnancy and that is more important. She should eat a diet that is varied and gives her the nutrients.
Myth 3: Athletes should consume a lot of protein
Fact: Athletes should have a high requirement of proteins, but those proteins are of no use unless they do enough exercise.
Myth 4: Only intense workouts can make you lose weight
Fact: No, a good balance of what we eat and how much exercise we do can definitely make you lose weight.
Myth 5: You need a pre- and post-workout snack
Fact: Yes, if one wants to build muscles through workout, there are snacks that can give you enough energy that helps you build and preserve muscles.
Myth 6: People with kidney problems can’t eat bananas
Fact: People with kidney problems can eat bananas, but overall one must keep a close eye on the potassium content of the whole diet rather than only bananas.
