Food For Thought

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to make the right nutritional choices – there’s so much conflicting and confusing information out there! Here are some commonly held misconceptions about food. True or false? Read on and find out. Text by Tracy Van Blerk

Margarine Is Just As Unhealthy As Butter
Facts: Margarine does less damage to your heart than butter. Soft margarine contains less saturated fat (the important thing to avoid) than hard, brick-type margarines, so it’s a good idea to switch over to using soft margarines. There is no doubt that margarine is the way to go, but if you really love butter and can’t go without it, there is no reason to deprive yourself, provided you eat it in small quantities, say dieticians.

Vitamin Supplements Are Unnecessary And Will Just Reward You With Expensive Urine
Facts: Vitamins are needed for our bodies to live and grow and a deficiency in a particular vitamin can lead to specific vitamin deficiency diseases. So generally, vitamin and mineral supplements are beneficial. It is important to remember though, that a vitamin supplement may not be adequate to meet your nutritional needs. The RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) doesn’t take into consideration environmental and lifestyle factors such as smoking, drinking, air pollution, tainted water, toxic chemicals and stress. However, the RDA can be used as a guideline.

Being A Vegetarian Is Always Healthier Than Eating Meat
Facts: Being a vegetarian can be healthy, but it is not necessarily healthier than if you eat meat. If you are a vegetarian, it is very important that you obtain adequate protein in your diet. Soya is a good substitute for the protein lost by not eating meat, but an even better option is to take spirulina capsules. Spirulina contains the same amount of protein as meat, but has almost twice the amount of iron per gram that liver contains.

Sugar Is Bad For You And Will Make You Fat
Facts: Sugar is simply a pleasant-tasting carbohydrate and can play a positive role in a healthy, low-fat lifestyle. In spite of the deep-rooted view that the consumption of starchy foods and sugar equals obesity, no reliable evidence exists to support this. However, the key is moderation and having too much sugar can cause obesity and result in many trips to the dentist.

Your Choice Of Foods Can Increase Or Decrease Your Risk Of Contracting Various Cancers
Facts: Researchers believe that choosing the right foods, much like choosing whether or not to smoke cigarettes, will have an effect on whether or not we contract cancer. In fact, they assert that diet may be a major factor causing up to 30 per cent of cancer deaths. It’s generally agreed that eating a low-fat, high-fibre diet will significantly reduce the risk of contracting cancer.

Chocolate Is Nothing More Than Fattening Junk Food
Facts: We’ve all heard the horror stories: “Chocolate will make you fat”, “Chocolate will give you acne”, Chocolate will rot your teeth”. Granted, chocolate is high in both sugar and fat, which means that if excessive quantities are consumed, both your waistline and your teeth will be in danger. But did you know that chocolate is actually healthy too? It contains cocoa butter, which means it’s a good source of energy, and caffeine which is a stimulant. In traditional South American communities chocolate is even used to treat coughs, burns, dry eyes, malaria and as a remedy for listlessness.