Busting eight common nutrition 'myths'

Calgary nutrition experts uncover what’s fact versus fiction

Is your daily egg for breakfast going to cause heart problems? Is eating meals late at night going to cause you to gain weight?

These questions can be a cause for concern and confusion for many health-conscious individuals, according to three Calgary nutrition experts.

“I think the reason that these ideas become myths is that there is some truth to them,” says Samantha Jobin, Peak Health nutritionist.While the cholesterol in eggs can contribute to cholesterol in our system, Tsui says it is more the saturated and trans fat in our diet we get from other processed foods than the cholesterol found in eggs that does more damage.

Photo courtesy of pietroizzo/flickr.com

“At the end of the day, calories are calories, it doesn’t matter when you eat them,” says Jobin, who clarifies whether or not late night eating will make you gain weight.

Jobin says that it is more about what people eat late at night, than the act of eating that could be causing people to gain weight.

Since people are more likely to reach for salty, sugary snacks at night, she recommends eating more fibrous foods like popcorn or drinking tea to fill your stomach instead.

Watch these video excerpts to learn the truth about 8 nutrition myths:

• Late night calories will make you fat
• Cutting carbs will make you skinny
• Fish is dangerously high in mercury
• Grazing on mini meals keeps your metabolism high
• Eggs are bad for your heart
• Lettuce contains no nutrients
• Cooking veggies kills all the nutrients
• Frozen or canned fruits and vegetables aren’t healthy

Jobin, along with registered dieticians Vinncci Tsui and Lori Petryk, tackle eight common nutrition myths in our interactive investigation.

In the case of eggs creating cholesterol problems, Tsui says that people often think that eggs are high in cholesterol and that when they consume them they contribute to clogging your arteries, which in turn is bad for your heart.

While the cholesterol in eggs can contribute to cholesterol in our system, Tsui says it is more the saturated and trans fat in our diet we get from other processed foods than the cholesterol found in eggs that does more damage.Website looking at common nutrition myths.