Twice a month, Exsalus Health & Wellness Center will list a "Fact on the Go" addressing everything from nutrition to mainstream dieting and the medical industry to physiology and exercise. These facts are designed to be short and easy to recall. Some of the facts may surprise you, which demonstrates just how much confusion and misinformation is out there. Learning these facts will help you become your own health expert. Also, check out our Fact and Fiction page, an initial guide to breaking down some of the more common health myths and misconceptions.
Fact:
Applesauce can be easily substituted for oil in baking.
Although different oils may have different effects on cholesterol numbers, all oils support atherosclerosis (plaque formation) in the blood vessels, which is what leads to heart attacks and deaths.
Studies show that adding dairy to our diet at best makes no significant difference in our weight and at worst causes us to actually gain weight.
Olive oil consists mostly of non-essential fats - meaning fats we do not need to get from our diet. (75% mono-unsaturated and 15% saturated with only 10% essential fatty acids or poly-unsaturated omega 3 and omega 6)
The average American eats less than 1 serving of whole grains per day. In fact, the majority of their carbohydrates are consumed in the form of “empty calories” from high fructose corn syrup and white sugar.
Americans are getting fatter and sicker with 66% (2/3) being overweight and of those 33% (1/3) being obese. This is also spreading to our children with childhood obesity tripling over the last 30 years!
Chicken is not a better choice. Compare: Beef is 60% fat by calorie and chicken is 51%. Beef has 32 mg of cholesterol and chicken has 37mg of cholesterol per 100 calories.
A great way to beat the winter blues is to soak in a little sunshine. Check to see when the sun might be poking its head out in your neighborhood and take a time-out to immerse yourselves in its rays – it just might help to turn that frown upside down!
Fat is the primary reason for insulin resistance (decreased ability of the cells to respond to insulin) and therefore a major contributor of Diabetes. Think of insulin’s job as opening the door for glucose (sugar) to get into the cell. But the American diet, full of fat, greases up the doorknob making it too slippery for insulin to open. As a result, insulin is unable to let glucose into the cell. This leaves glucose in the blood stream and thereby raises our blood sugars. Lowering sugar/glucose intake, as many diabetics do, may help a little bit but clearly does not address the true problem, which is the fatty American diet. (see Question of the Week 2/9 for more details)
It is a myth to believe that most of us must rely on fortified foods to get our Vit D. In actuality, the best source of Vit D is that which we make in our skin from sunlight exposure. To learn more read “Vitamin D - How Important is it Really?”.
Sugar is NOT a main contributor of obesity. In fact, unlike in cows and pigs, in humans De Novo Lipogenesis (the process of converting sugar into fat) is very difficult and costly, metabolically speaking. As a result, humans do not convert glucose (the primary carbohydrate found in foods like potatoes, corn, rice, wheat, oats, etc.) into fat very efficiently. Contrary to popular belief, in humans, excess calories from glucose are burned off as heat and NOT stored as fat! In contrast, humans are very good at storing excess calories from fat (oil being the major culprit). So, the reality is that FAT is the main contributor to FAT! Fat has more than 2x the calories per same size serving of carbohydrates (sugar is a carbohydrate), it is more easily stored, and it is less effective at satisfying the appetite.
The actual amount of omega 3 we require is 1.1 grams per day for women and 1.6 grams per day for men which comes out to between 1/3 to ¼ of a teaspoon. Also, because it is stored in our fat, we do not need to eat it every day.
Fruits are healthy whole foods that, when consumed unprocessed provide a balanced mix of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, fiber, water, etc. and can be part of a very healthy diet. When possible, minimize or avoid the processed versions (sweetened fruit juice, dried fruit, etc.) as these are often devoid of the nutrients abundant in whole fruits.
Coconut oil is over 90% saturated fat which is the most dangerous type of fat out there. Furthermore, it is a poor dietary choice as it is deficient in any vitamins or other nutrients. In fact, coconut oil has fewer nutrients than sugar and we consider that pure junk food. For more info please read “Coconut Oil – Health or Hazard?” (November’s Heath Insight)
A common concern is that athletes need to consume extra protein so they especially need to eat meat to get enough. The truth is that athletes burn more energy than non-athletes and as a result get hungrier. They increase consumption of foods that naturally contain protein, which results in an increase in their total protein consumption appropriately for their activity level. As for needing meat, this is a myth. Athletes, like everyone else, when consuming the necessary calories will get enough protein on a plant based diet. For more information please read our Question of the Week 11/17.
It is a common misconception that we need to eat meat to get enough iron. In reality, iron is a mineral originally found in the ground, absorbed by plants, that is then consumed by animals. Plants offer more than adequate amounts of iron without all of the saturated fat and cholesterol. Furthermore, we absorb the necessary amounts of iron from foods based on need not based on the amount in the particular food. When our body has adequate stores of iron we may only absorb about 5% of the iron ingested compared to as much as 20% when our bodies are iron deficient. What’s more, plants are high in vitamin C which actually aids iron absorption whereas animal products are devoid of vitamin C. Finally, there is no cause for concern for vegetarians as long-term study shows that vegetarians do not develop iron deficiency from their high fiber plant foods. Vegetarians have comparable hemoglobin levels (one measure of iron deficiency) to meat-eaters and in fact, iron deficiency is less common in vegetarians.
Many people believe that the only problems with fat in the diet are weight gain and heart disease. On the contrary, in addition to weight gain and heart disease, fats suppress the immune system, causing cancer and other illnesses. They also result in oily hair and acne and some oils even increase our risk of serious bleeding.
Fish is contaminated with mercury, which causes memory loss, learning disabilities, depression, and heart attacks among other things. Fish has 2x the amount of cholesterol as beef, chicken, or pork per calorie. Although fish does have some essential fatty acids (Omega 3) it has a lot of saturated fat too. Half the fat in salmon is saturated which is the really bad type that is linked to many diseases including heart attacks, strokes, and cancer. Fish has too much protein which stresses the kidneys and promotes osteoporosis. Fish has no carbohydrates so it provides little fuel for the brain and muscles which makes us feel drained of energy all day.
Many people believe that carbohydrates are simply empty calories. Although some carbohydrates constitute empty calories (high fructose corn syrup, white sugar, etc.) most carbohydrates (vegetables and starches) are rich in protein, essential fats, fibers, vitamins, and minerals and are the preferred energy source for vital organs like our brain!
The American Heart Association recommends daily fat intake be less than 7% saturated fat (with optimal intake at less than 5%). The average American gets 2% of their daily calories from trans fat and 13% from saturated fat.
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