Striving to make healthy choices should be easy but in reality, making decisions to benefit health is complicated. There are always rumours and ‘facts’ spouted on social media about the foods that can boost wellness and those that won’t, which means that sorting fact from fiction has become a minefield.
From a nutritionist perspective, some of the biggest so-called demon foods actually deserve a health hero whilst there are others that surprisingly come with a red flag. Here’s how to get the most from your diet.
Myth: Coffee is bad for you
Truth: Coffee has been blamed for increasing anxiety levels, heightening stress and causing hormonal dysfunction, but the truth is your morning flat white can be considered a superfood on so many levels. Firstly, as health guru and self-professed coffee lover Tim Spector will tell you, coffee is good for microbiome health. Interestingly, according to research, coffee drinkers enjoy higher numbers of a specific gut bacteria strain called lawsonibacter which has been associated with lower blood pressure and stable blood sugar levels.
On the downside, coffee can be a problem when drank on an empty stomach because it is rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream which can bring on jitters. There is a way around this. If you like to kickstart your day with a cup of coffee, the best thing to do is to eat something fibre-rich such as a banana or a handful of nuts and then delay your caffeine intake until around an hour after waking up. Doing this small change, helps to work with your natural cortisol levels which reach their peak and then subsequently drop and consequently helps to avoid an energy crash.
Myth: Bread will cause weight gain
Truth: The humble loaf has been labelled as a diet demon, guilty of stimulating weight gain, but it’s best not to pigeonhole all bread. Of course, we all know that white bread is not the healthiest choice. White bread is stripped of its inherent vitamins and minerals due to the refining process which triggers blood sugar spikes and energy crashes, and this means that white slices, bagels and croissants are the ones to steer clear of.
On the flip side seeded and wholegrain varieties are rich in fibre which helps to nourish gut health so as long as you choose your slices wisely by reading food labels and making sure to avoid brands with a long list of additives you will be able to reap the health rewards. The key is to look for brands that contain around 5-6g of fibre per 100g.
But did you know, there’s a trick to make bread healthier? If you store your loaf in the freeze rather than the bread bin, the glucose molecules in the slices turn into resistance starch which acts like fibre - causing less of a blood sugar spike which means fewer energy crashes and cravings.
Myth: Eating late at night makes you gain weight
Truth: We’ve been told that what we eat is as important as when we eat, and there is some truth in this. Frequent late night binges could lead to extra calorie intake which may increase weight gain over time, but the odd evening splurge won’t affect the number on the bathroom scales. And in some instances, eating after dark can be beneficial.
If you struggle to fall asleep, a small snack around an hour or so before bed could actually aid sleep, and won’t cause weight gain. Foods rich in the amino acid tryptophan like dairy products banana, oats and eggs are needed to create the sleep hormone melatonin, so small portions of these foods are the best choices for after dark nibbles.
If you struggle to fall asleep, a late-night snack of banana, oats or even an egg can help create the sleep hormone melatonin
Myth: All plants are good for your health
Truth: Vegetables are the gold standard of any diet and one of the staple ingredients of the Mediterranean diet - lauded the best diet in the world by health experts. Rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, increasing vegetable consumption has been linked to a lower risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type two diabetes, but this is where it gets a little complicated. On face value, all plant-based foods should theoretically help to boost wellbeing, but from a nutritional perspective, certain categories of people might not fare well with specific types of vegetables.
Studies show that nightshade vegetables, (a family of plants that includes aubergines, tomatoes and peppers), may increase inflammation because due to a chemical compound called alkaloids which are commonly found in nightshades.
Before you shun tomatoes from your shopping trolley, it’s important to note that this is only a side effect in people with existing inflammatory conditions (examples of which include arthritis, and other joint problems), so most people won’t suffer any negative effects.
Myth: detox juices are healthy
Green juices claim to be a cure-all elixir, but Insta-worthy looking juices aren’t always all they they’re cracked up to be. There are a few concerns - firstly the ratio of fruit to veg. Including more fruit than veg turns your detox juice into a liquidised sugar bomb that will play havoc with blood sugar levels. This can zap energy and increase cravings, and secondly, the process of liquidising juices reduces the nutrient content as it removes the fibrous pulp from the liquid.
Including more fruit than veg in your smoothie or juice turns your detox juice into a liquidised sugar bomb
There is a way around these drawbacks. Switch to detox smoothies instead of juices as blending keeps all the fibre in tact, and make sure you’re using more veg than fruit. A good cleansing combo is cucumber, avocado, spinach, berries, plant milk and protein powder.
Myth: Intermittent fasting improves health
Truth: Intermittent fasting has long been touted as the ultimate diet, particularly if you're striving to shed any extra pounds. While it can achieve good results for some, researchers have found that it doesn't work for everyone, because inherently, we all have a unique health blueprint which means that what might work for one person might not work for the next. One intermittent fasting study, which restricted participants to intersperse daily caloric restriction with unrestricted eating actually found that participants ended up eating more on the unrestricted days in anticipation of having to fast the following day, and furthermore, they also ended up exercising less. A more relaxed version of intermittent fasting, which revolves around timings as opposed to calorie counting might be more achievable for most people. Keeping your food consumption within a 10 hour timeframe which means eating dinner slightly earlier and pushing breakfast to mid-morning has been shown to improve cholesterol levels, reduce weight and lower blood pressure in scientific studies.
