Get the most from your diet
The majority of us struggle to really understand what's nitrionally best for ourselves, according to new research by Centrum.
Since we may not be getting what we need from our diets, new Centrum Men and Women, multivitamins tailored to each gender, are good ways to help provide nutritional support.
With the help of Fiona Hunter, expert nutritionist, we bust the myths regarding nutrition and help you get the best that you can from your diet.
#1: Eating carrots will help you see better
Reality: This tale may have started during WW2 when British Intelligence spread a rumour that their pilots had remarkable night vision because they ate lots of carrots - they didn’t want the Germans to know they were using radar. Carrots and many other orange vegetables contain a phytochemical called Beta-Carotene which is converted into vitamin A. This is important for healthy eyes but eating more that the recommended daily allowance won’t improve vision
#2: Brown eggs are more nutritious than white
Reality: The colour of the shell has nothing to do with the egg’s quality, flavour or nutritional value. The colour of the shell is determined by the breed of the hen
#3: You should feed a cold, starve a fever
Reality: There’s no evidence to suggest that either will help you get better quicker – the best advice is to be guided by your appetite. The one thing that you must do if you have a fever which is causing you to sweat is to increase your fluid intake as there’s a risk you’ll become dehydrated
#4: Cutting out bread, pasta and potatoes is the best way to lose weight
Reality: Some people think carbohydrates like bread and potatoes are fattening but gram for gram they contain fewer than half the calories of fat. Low carb diets are no more likely to help you lose weight than a regular calorie controlled diet. Bread, rice and pasta are an important part of a healthy balanced diet and provide several important vitamin and minerals including B group vitamins along with dietary fibre
#5: Spinach is rich in iron
Reality: Although spinach is indeed rich in iron it also contains a substance called phytic acid which binds to the iron making it difficult for the body to absorb. Spinach is however a good source of several other vitamins and minerals especially calcium, magnesium and folic acid – folic acid is particularly important for women as it plays a crucial role in early foetal development, a reminder that sometimes men and women require different levels of vitamins and minerals to ensure their specific nutritional needs are met
#6: Raw vegetables are more nutritious than cooked
Reality: While it’s true that raw vegetables usually contain more vitamin C and B vitamins than cooked, cooking vegetables like carrots, tomatoes and sweet corn actually increases the release of some of the phytochemicals like Beta-Carotene making it easier for the body to absorb them
#7: Red meat is bad for you
Reality: Recent research by Centrum shows that meaty dishes like steak are overwhelmingly seen as ‘manly’ but red meat is a great source of iron, especially for women whose specific nutritional needs differ to those of men. In the UK, around 40 percent of women aged 19 to 34 years have iron intakes below the minimum amount needed to stay healthy. Lean red meat is also a rich source of Vitamin B1 which is vital for normal heart function & energy production.
#8: Cooking vegetables in the microwave destroys vitamins and minerals
Reality: When vegetables are boiled in a pan of water some of Vitamin C and B Vitamins are leached into the cooking water, which is usually thrown away. Cooking vegetables in the microwave needs only a very small amount of water which means that more vitamins are retained in the vegetables
#9: Frozen vegetables are not as nutritious as fresh
Reality: Frozen vegetables are convenient, quick and easy to use - ideal for busy people & as they’re processed at the height of their ripeness they often contain higher levels of vitamins than fresh
#10: Skimmed milk contains less calcium than full fat milk
Reality: Skimmed milk actually contains slightly more calcium than full fat milk, because when the fat is removed the calcium is concentrated.
Femalefirst Taryn Davies