7 Health Food Myths You Probably Believe

 

We’ve all been advised about healthy food choices, but is everything we’ve heard true? While some of these claims seem reasonable, they are often more myth than fact. Here we look at some of the food and health myths that are perpetuated every single day.

 

Eggs Cause High Cholesterol

While egg yolks do contain cholesterol, it is important to understand that cholesterol is manufactured by the body. When we take in cholesterol via our food, our body simply produces less cholesterol. Eggs contain a host of vitamins, minerals, protein, and healthy fats that are vital for growth, brain function, and healthy eyes, hair, and skin. Don’t shy away from eggs just because you think they might hurt you.

 

Dairy is Best for Your Bones

Dairy products and milk, in general, aren’t the end-all-be-all of calcium. Explore other options. While dairy products do provide the calcium needed to prevent osteoporosis, kale contains even more calcium than milk and spinach comes in at a close second. Dried fruits, tofu, and leafy green vegetables are all excellent calcium sources.

 

Carbs are Bad

We’ve been led to believe that carbs are bad because they make us fat when the truth is that too much of any food can cause us to gain weight. What is important to know is that we need to differentiate between good and bad carbs. White bread and rice are devoid of many of the nutrients and fiber found in their whole grain counterparts. Choosing whole grain bread, oatmeal, and rice contribute to lower cholesterol and a smaller waistline while providing energy and keeping us mentally sharp. Consider healthy whole grain options from Klosterman Baking Company next time you are at the grocery store.

 

Multigrain and Whole Grains are Equal

Whole grains are rich in vitamins, minerals, and the fiber that keep us feeling full longer. Multigrain simply means more than one grain has been used to produce a product. When reaching for a loaf of healthy bread, be sure the label says whole grain.

 

Margarine is Healthier Than Butter

Calorie for calorie, margarine and butter are close. The problem with margarine is that it is often made with the trans-fats that are responsible for contributing to elevated cholesterol levels. While butter has received a bad rap in the past, many nutritionists are once again recommending it over margarine as a healthy option for those at risk.

 

Fat-free and Low-fat Versions are Better for You

When it comes to packaged snack foods, these versions are often much worse than their full-fat counterparts. The reason is that food manufactures make up for the lack of fat by adding more of the unhealthy ingredients like salt and sugar for flavor. You are better off opting for whole foods because these snacks lack the nutrients that causes you to feel full thus creating the desire to over consume.

 

Fresh Veggies are Best

While fresh vegetables are a healthy food choice, there is a common misconception that frozen and canned veggies are subpar when the truth is that while they are often preserved immediately upon harvesting, fresh veggies have spent time traveling and sitting in the supermarket. This causes the release of enzymes that aid in a loss of nutrients.

 

As you can see, we often need to consider the full story before we believe the food claims we hear. Our health might just depend on it.

 

Categories: Dairy, Eggs, Food, Health Food, nutrition

Can Yoghurt Be Connected To Lower Diabetes Risk?

The media is always claiming that certain ingredients can help us to maintain a healthy lifestyle and improve our wellbeing. The latest headlines state that yoghurt is key to beating diabetes; a claim based on a study which associates dairy with the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The study found that the risk of diabetes was significantly lowered by as much as 28 per cent in people who ate large amounts of low-fat yoghurt, compared to people who ate none at all. The results were similar in people who ate more of all low-fat fermented products, including cottage cheese and fromage frais. The study was based on people using food diaries to report their dairy intake around the time of eating, which is one of the best ways to gauge the success of a trial rather than asking people to recall what they’ve eaten throughout the day – it tends to be more accurate. The diaries were only used over a seven-day period (which isn’t a long enough to provide an accurate assessment of whether yoghurt can help with diabetes risks). It’s not currently clear whether fermented low-fat dairy products can help to prevent diabetes, but it is a theory researchers are keen to investigate. There are a number of steps you can take to lower your risk of developing diabetes though, such as regular exercise, eating a balanced healthy diet, quitting smoking and lowering your alcohol intake. It’s also important to note the sugar levels in the foods you eat, as these can contribute towards developing not just diabetes but also obesity. If you’re concerned about your diet or weight, it’s important to seek advice as this can contribute to a number of health concerns, in addition to diabetes, such as heart problems and certain cancers.

 

The study was carried out by the University of Cambridge, as part of a larger study funded by the Medical Research Council and Cancer Research UK. Researchers discovered that people who ate the most low-fat fermented products were 24 per cent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who ate the least. The total dairy, high fat dairy, milk and cheese were not associated to the development of diabetes, nor was low-fat dairy. There are several limitations to this study which have led researchers to question whether or not yoghurt can actually help lower the risk of diabetes. Firstly, people’s reported dairy intake was only collected once, at baseline, over a seven-day period, so it’s possible that people’s diets didn’t stay the same during the 11 year follow-up period. Furthermore, the information was self-reported which could affect the reliability. Lastly, researchers didn’t take into account the dairy products included in cooking composite dishes. While there were attempts to take account of other factors, it is always possible that measured and unmeasured factors had an influence on the results. Further studies need to take place in order to know for certain whether fermented products can help to lower the risk of diabetes. The results do suggest that switching sugary snacks and meals for low-fat dairy products could help your overall health, as well as improving your diabetes prospects. Just be sure to choose low sugar varieties and to balance your diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, grains and lean protein to ensure your body is getting all the nutrients it needs to stay healthy.

Categories: Dairy, dairy intake, dairy products, day period, Diabetes, fermented products, new study, people, products, study, yoghurt

Six Everyday Ways to Give Yourself a Better Complexion

Your skin makes up an important part of your anti-ageing wellness, but how do you keep it looking young and fresh? We’ve rounded up a few wellness experts to share their top tips for improving your complexion:

 

1. Consider Your Water: According to Susan H. Weinkle, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the University of South Florida, ‘Soft water doesn’t remove soap well, so it can leave a residue on your skin.’ Therefore, if you live in an area with soft water, you should only use a small amount of face and body cleansers. If you live in an area with hard water, on the other hand, Chicago-based dermatologist Carolyn Jacob recommends that you use gentle, non-soap formulas that aren’t meant to lather. This is because hard water prompts you to use even more cleanser, which can cause dryness.

 

2. Drink Green Tea: Florida-based dermatologist Andrea Cambio points out, ‘If your complexion is red or blotchy, this tea’s anti-inflammatory properties can be soothing. Iced is best because hot beverages can worsen redness and other symptoms of rosacea.’ Wellness expert Stacy Colino explains, ‘The epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) in green tea may help prevent the collagen destruction that leads to wrinkles as well as sun-induced DNA damage in the skin (think lines and discoloration).’

 

3. Keep Stress Under Control: Colino details, ‘In a study conducted at Stanford University, researchers found that during exam time, students who felt stressed had more severe acne breakouts than did those under less pressure. That’s because stress increases the body’s production of hormones such as cortisol, which can make skin oilier and decrease its ability to fight off acne-causing bacteria.’ To help you keep that frazzled feeling in check, Lisa Donofrio, an associate clinical professor of dermatology at the Yale University School of Medicine, advises that you regularly practice stress-management techniques, like yoga, deep breathing, and meditation. She notes that this ‘can help conditions such as acne, psoriasis, rosacea, and seborrhoea.’

 

4. Improve Your Air Quality: ‘Just being around smoke can lead to the release of free radicals that damage skin and hasten ageing,’ says Diane S. Berson, an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, in New York City. Colino adds, ‘Change the air filter in your furnace regularly, and if you cook with oil, use the fan over your range. Also keep in mind that dry indoor air can dehydrate skin and make fine lines more noticeable. Run a humidifier in your bedroom to minimise these problems.’

 

5. Watch Sun Exposure Indoors: ‘UV rays (in particular UVA rays) can penetrate the windows in your home and office and cause wrinkling and brown spots,’ Colino warns. ‘The same goes for car windows: Studies have found higher rates of skin cancers on the left side of the face and upper body than on the right, since that side is more exposed when you’re driving.’

 

6. Watch Your Dairy Intake: Colino outlines, ‘Research from the Harvard School of Public Health found that teenage girls who consume a lot of milk are almost 30% more likely to have acne than those who drink less, and experts believe the same holds true for adult women prone to serious breakouts. Surprisingly, skimmed milk seems to be a worse offender than whole milk. Scientists don’t understand exactly why milk products can lead to acne, but some surmise that the natural hormones present in dairy may be to blame…While cutting back on dairy won’t solve a pimple problem single-handedly, it may make a difference for those who suffer severe breakouts.’

Categories: air quality, assistant clinical, based dermatologist, clinical professor, colino, Dairy, green tea, hard water, nbsp, skin, soft water

Could Drinking More Milk Help You to Lose More Weight?

Everyone knows that milk is good for your wellness – it’s packed full of calcium and other nutrients. What you may not know, however, is that it can do more good to your weight-loss regime than any fitness programme.

 

Recent research seems to confirm that as well as being good for your wellbeing, dairy products can really help you to lose weight. Of course, you have to make sure that you only consume the low fat versions of these products, and you also have to make sure that you reduce your daily calorie intake and take plenty of exercise.

 

The recommended amount of dairy to help you lose weight is three servings or 24 ounces. Doctors and health professionals are now backing this idea, and say that dairy promotes weight loss around the middle of the body, which is a particularly tricky area to lose weight from. Drinking milk can also help you to build muscles, and having muscles can help you to exercise, as well as boosting your metabolism.

 

Another benefit to drinking milk and eating dairy products is that they fill you up quicker than other types of food, which means you are able to eat less of them. The proteins contained in dairy products also take a lot longer for our bodies to suggest because they contain water, and this makes us seem fuller faster and for longer.

 

This theory is not without critics, however, as some studies also seem to indicate that an increased intake of dairy products actually causes weight gain not weight loss.

 

For this reason, although the Dairy Council recommends that people should eat three servings of dairy per day, they also recommend that people should not exceed this quota, and should eat no more than three servings, to avoid counteracting the effects of the calcium with the effects of the included fat.

Categories: calcium, Dairy, dairy products, drinking milk, Lose weight, milk, nbsp, products, weight, Weight Loss

How to Cut Out Dairy and Lose Weight Sensibly

When it comes to losing weight, we seem to love a good rule. Whether it’s “don’t touch carbs” or “only drink papaya juice for a week”, give us something simple to follow and, for at least 45 minutes, we can manage it before we move on to the next “simple” rule! Recently, there’s been a big trend in cutting out dairy, and with more and more dairy-free alternatives appearing on supermarket shelves, doing it is easier that ever before. But does cutting dairy do anything for your wellness, and does it help you to lose weight?

If you avoid all things creamy and cheesy because of food sensitivities, the first thing you need to remember is that lactose intolerance does not equal a need to avoid all dairy. Unfortunately, you will find lactose in most of the dairy products out there, but there are a few which don’t contain the high levels of lactose that affect your wellbeing with digestive troubles – and some don’t contain any lactose at all. There are many cheeses that have almost negligible amounts of lactose in them, while live active cultures help yoghurt to break down some of the lactose that is present, which further enhances digestion. You may even be able to tolerate some full fat milk, as the fat causes the lactose to break down.

So that’s good for people who have a lactose intolerance, but will eating all that extra dairy now suddenly make you fat? You might want to stick with rice milk as you believe it’s healthier than cow’s, but this isn’t the case. Rice based milk is very low in protein and does not contain all the micro-nutrients you find in cow’s milk, but, aside from this, it is not ideal for anyone who wants to lose weight. Instead, go for lactose-free cow’s milk (Liddells), A2 milk, soy milk and almond milk, as all of these have a low GI and are richer in some form of beneficial nutrient, like almond milk is rich in vitamin E and lactose free milk can provide calcium, phosphorous, vitamin B-complex and potassium.

Categories: Dairy, lactose, rice milk

New Dairy Products Could Provide Omega-3 for Non-Fish Fans

If you can’t bear to include fish in your diet, it can be hard to get your wellness-boosting and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which many health studies recommend should be in the region of 500 milligrams per day. There are a growing number of omega-3 enriched foods, but milk has so far eluded joining the burgeoning club. However, food science researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, also known as Virginia Tech, may have managed to make milk even more beneficial to your wellbeing by incorporating fish oil into the mix.

 

For the study, researchers tested four different ratios of butter oil to fish oil in the production of pasteurized, fatty acid-fortified beverages. They proved it is possible to include sufficient amounts of Omega-3 to promote heart health, with 432 milligrams of heart-healthy fatty acids per cup, without ruining the taste of the product, limiting its lifespan, or, indeed, creating an unpleasant odour.

 

Susan E. Duncan, a professor of food science and technology in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, stated ‘We couldn’t find any aroma differences’ when 25 volunteers sniffed and compared one-ounce cups of standard 2% fat milk alongside samples of skim milk containing 78 parts butter oil to 22 parts fish oil under study conditions. Duncan continued ‘We were concerned the fish oil would undergo a chemical process called oxidation, which would shorten the milk’s shelf life, or the milk would acquire a cardboard or paint flavour by reacting with the fish oil. It appears we have a product that is stable, with no chemical taste or smell issues.’

 

Research has shown the positive wellness benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, such as preventing coronary disease, reducing inflammation, assisting infant brain development and maintaining brain function and decreasing triglyceride levels, the growth of atherosclerotic plaque, blood pressure and the risk of potentially fatal heart arrhythmias.

 

Duncan urged the dairy industry to take the study results and put them into practise: ‘I would like to help people who love milk, yogurt, and dairy, which have intrinsic nutritional value, address an additional need in their diets, especially if they don’t like to eat fish or can’t afford it. One of these dairy servings a day apparently is enough to sustain enough continuous omega-3 to benefit heart health.’

 

New Dairy Products Could Provide Omega-3 for Non-Fish Fans

Categories: Dairy, News, Omega-3