Diet Myths

So I am Changing my email address, that's a lot a work! I have so much saved on my old email I want to keep so I am having to clean out and forward a lot. But I have a file simply labels "Good stuff to keep" which has stuff from order recipts, those funny jokes I get (I keep the ones I really like) to Diet Tips I find online!

Of course the file is to big and a pain to sort through so do I read the diet tips? Of course not! Bu I plan to move them where they are easy to find and read them more often. But I thought I could share with you too! So as I find them I will post them for you!

Here are the first...


Top Diet Myths ExposedPosted Mon, Feb 25, 2008, 10:47 am PST

Myth 1: Potatoes and bread are fattening.
Actually: It's just the opposite. Starchy vegetables and bread (whole-grain bread, that is) are quality carbs needed to fuel every part of you, from your brain to your muscles. Where you can get into trouble is how you eat them: Smear butter on a slice of whole wheat bread or deep-fry potatoes and you can double, triple, or quadruple their calories.

Myth 2: Drinking a glass of water before a meal curbs appetite.
Actually: Yes and no. Water tames appetite if it's incorporated into food, such as soup or a thick drink (think V8 juice). Apparently, when water is bound to food, digestion is slower, explains Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of 10 Habits That Mess Up a Woman's Diet. That's why in one study women found chicken-rice soup more satisfying than chicken-rice casserole and a glass of water--even though the soup had 27% fewer calories! One exception to this rule: Because it's easy to confuse hunger and thirst, if you find yourself craving something--but what?--drink a big glass of water and wait a few minutes. You may find that's what you really wanted.

Myth 3: Shellfish is high in cholesterol.
Actually: On one hand it's true, just three ounces of shrimp deliver more than a third of your daily cholesterol, but there's a surprising flip side to this story: Shrimp are low in saturated fat--the kind that becomes artery-clogging bad cholesterol--and they have a smidgeon of heart-healthy omega-3s. In fact, University of Southern California researchers discovered eating shellfish, such as shrimp, every week reduced heart attack risk by 59%!

Myth 4: The occasional burger and fries won't kill you.
Actually: If "occasional" means every Friday night, then no. But if it means every few months, and you're fit, and you've got good "numbers" (weight, waist size, cholesterol, blood pressure) AND you're chowing down on vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and other nutritious fare most other days, hey, you'll live. But few of us are that perfect. If you do occasionally indulge? Offset the effects of a fat fiesta with a brisk, 90-minute walk afterward.

Myth 5: Women naturally gain weight after menopause.
Actually: While you can blame a lot of things on hormones (from acne to PMS), in this case slowing down physically is far more likely at fault. Study after study has found that older women who exercise regularly and vigorously maintain their girlish figures. What about those charts that say as you get older, you need to eat fewer calories to simply maintain your weight? Same story. The research doesn't show that age (instead of inactivity) accounts for the drop.

Myth 6: Diet soda is worse than the real thing.
Actually: Soft drinks now outrank coffee as America's favorite beverage, but we all would be better off switching to water, diluted juice, and green tea than drinking either diet or regular soda. Both increase kidney and heart disease risk, plus they contain acids that erode tooth enamel, inviting cavities.

Final fact (this one's no myth): Maintaining your weight and body mass index at a desirable level can make your RealAge as much as 6 years younger.


Fat Chances

These four factors could be effecting with your figure

Your friends, your cold, your spending habits--science can blame just about everything for filling our jeans to overflowing. But how much extra poundage are these surprising factors really responsible for? We dug through the research to find out.The risk: Your Flabby Friends - 2 lbsPalling around with a tubby crowd could be worse than having Rosie O'Donnell as your diet coach.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at the social networks of 12,067 people over 32 years and found that for every 10 pounds a person gained, close friends of the same height gained an average of one to two pounds.Improve your odds Instead of making plans to go out for drinks and dinner, catch up with your buds as you sweat on side-by-side elliptical machines, play racquetball, or cruise town on your bikes. Don't take no for an answer!The risk: Credit Cards - 5 lbsYour plastic may be affecting more than just your credit score.

Visa conducted a study of 100,000 fast-food restaurant transactions and found that people who pay for their food with a credit card spend 30 percent more than those who pay with cash. Opt to swipe and you could end up with a double quarter-pounder with cheese and a large Coke instead of a quarter-pounder with cheese and medium drink.

For the average woman, who visits a fast-food restaurant once a week, that adds an extra 17,160 calories, or 4.9 pounds, per year. Improve your odds If you must hit the drive-thru, pay cash. You're likely to spend less. Better yet: Go home and make a sandwich. It'll be better for your body and your wallet.The risk: The Sniffles - 40 lbsForget feeding a cold--a 2007 review in Advances in Food and Nutrition Research found that in animal studies, critters infected with adenovirus-36--one of about 50 human viruses that cause upper-­respiratory infections--gained up to four times as much weight as those without it.

Scientists speculate that the bug increases the number of fat cells in the body and that it could leave humans lugging around an extra 40 pounds. Improve your odds Believe it or not, a vaccine to fight the fat culprit is in the works. And adenovirus-36 has already been deactivated in lab studies (there are no human tests yet). Until then, wash your hands often, as adenoviruses typically are transmitted through direct contact.The risk: Your Meds - 45 lbsPopping pills for allergies, birth control, depression, or diabetes could be an Rx for a wider rear. According to a report in Pharmacist's Letter, side effects of drugs such as the antidepressant Nardil and the allergy medication Zyrtec can stimulate appetite; that can leave you eating more and gaining up to 45 pounds.

Improve your odds If you suspect a scrip is to blame for your suddenly bloated belly, talk to your M.D. about alternative options for the drug you're prescribed. Just make sure you don't stop your current meds without your doctor's say-so.A 2004 study in General Hospital Psychiatry revealed that 5 percent of patients surveyed would never take meds that caused weight gain--even if they had a life-threatening condition.