Nutrition blunders 6 - 10
6. Using margarine instead of butter to ward off heart disease
Sure, margarine is made from vegetable oil. But if it's hydrogenated vegetable oil, it is actually worse for your heart than animal fat. Hydrogenated oils contain trans fatty acids that raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol and lower your HDL (good) cholesterol. You're much better off using a little bit of butter than a hydrogenated margarine. And contrary to popular belief, margarine does not have fewer calories than butter.
7. Munching on fat-free snacks in an effort to lose weight
True, those pretzels are healthier than deep-fried potato chips. But calorie-wise, many low-fat products are about the same as their full-fat counterparts. Consider that a one-ounce (28 g) serving of pretzels weighs in at 110 calories, about the same as a similar serving of chips. What's more, research shows that we actually eat larger portions of foods that are labelled low fat. The bottom line -- calories count!
8. Avoiding between-meal snacks for fear of weight gain
Instead of devouring three big meals, successful dieters eat more often. Spreading out your food keeps your stomach always partly full and prevents overeating at any one time. Healthy snacks include yogurt, fruit, low-fat lattes, veggies and hummus, or nuts and dried fruit.
9. Eating a bowl of bran flakes to get your daily fibre fix
This is a good start, but you're only partway there. One serving typically gives you about 5 grams of fibre - only 20 per cent of a woman's daily requirement (25 g) and 10 per cent of a man's (38 g). You must still add high-fibre foods like beans, whole grains, vegetables and fruit to your remaining meals and snacks. If you want to make a big dent in your fibre intake at breakfast, reach for a cereal that provides at least 10 grams of fibre per serving.
10. Being a slave to the "study du jour"
Oat bran is out, the next day it's back. Nutrition flip-flops can exhaust even the most conscientious of eaters. Good science unfolds slowly and for every positive study, there is usually a negative study. The key is not to react to every single news report. Stick to the tried and true - a low-fat diet with plenty of whole grains, vegetables and fruit has decades of research to support its health benefits.
Leslie Beck is a registered dietitian and author of Leslie Beck's 10 Steps to Healthy Eating (Viking Canada, 2002). Visit her Web site at www.lesliebeck.com.
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