In today’s article, we take on the role of dietary ‘Mythbusters’ and dispel false nutritional stereotypes once and for all. How many calories maximum should an effective diet have? What is the deal with light products? Is a chubby child really a healthy child? Have a read!

The Internet has opened up a world of previously unavailable possibilities, but it has also become a very fertile breeding ground for false information, including the reproduction of nutritional myths. While some of them are harmless, such as the one that, God forbid, should be combined with tea and lemon, unfortunately it is becoming increasingly difficult to verify those that can seriously harm us. We asked our nutritionists for help and today we are verifying some of the most popular diet myths!

Do not eat after 6 pm

We will start with one of the most sympathetic myths, often repeated by…our mothers 🙂 Eating after 6pm supposedly leads to fat accumulation and poorer quality sleep.

But what is it really like? Certainly, eating a heavy and calorific meal just before going to bed can have a negative impact on the quality of your sleep – in short, it’s a rather bad idea. However, there’s no real reason to stick rigidly to the mythical 6 p.m. To be fair, the time of your last meal is highly individual and should be tailored to your schedule.

We heartily recommend following this scheme:

• the first meal (breakfast), to be taken within an hour of waking up,
• consecutive meals should be taken at regular intervals, every 3-4 hours,
• The last meal should be eaten about 2-3 hours before bedtime.

As you can see, it may happen that in your case the mythical 6 p.m. will still mean the last visit in the kitchen, but let’s not treat it as a rule 🙂

Light products have fewer calories and are healthier

In an ideal world, this would be the case. Unfortunately, the truth is that manufacturers usually hide under the ‘light’ label only reduced fat content or the replacement of sugar with sweeteners. EU standards do stipulate that ‘light’ products should also be 30% lower in calories than their conventional counterparts, but this often leads to consumers falling into the trap of indulging in much larger portions.

Another trap set by highly creative manufacturers is alternative nomenclature associated with health. Thus, for years now, more and more products have been appearing on shop shelves with the slogans “slim”, “fit”, “sport”, “fitness” or “zero”, which are no longer subject to any EU standards.

But coming back to “light” products – the reduced calorie value is undoubtedly an advantage, but along with it usually also falls the amount of important nutrients. Reducing the amount of fat also reduces the content of soluble substances, including vitamins A, D, E and K. In order to maintain similar properties, many chemical substances are added to improve the taste, colour and structure of the product.

It is therefore difficult to admit that “light” products are healthy. To avoid falling into this trap, we recommend looking at each of them individually, and a great article by Amanda will certainly help you: https://www.fitatu.com/blog/en/7-tips-on-how-to-read-labels-and-not-be-fooled/

A weight loss diet should have a maximum of 1000 calories

This myth is one of the most dangerous. Firstly, and we will come back to this at every possible opportunity, 1000 kcal for most people is a calorie below the basic daily requirement (precisely below PPM – basal metabolism).

When calculating energy intake for ourselves, we take into account age, gender, body weight, height, physical activity and preferred rate of weight loss. This allows us to estimate how many calories we need to consume daily to provide our body with the right energy supply to function properly. We can also use the calculator in Fitatu application.

Starvation diets, as we are talking about in the case of calories at the level of 1000 kcal and less, lead not only to lowering of the metabolic rate. It may also cause abdominal pains, tiring, persistent hunger, difficulties with concentration, mood disorders or the yoyo effect. Vitamin and ingredient deficiencies can also lead to numerous health complications, with decreased immunity, hair loss, brittle nails, skin problems, loss of muscle mass, risk of syncope and ketoacidosis being just a few.

Bread, pasta and potatoes are fattening

Of course, this is not true – we get fat from excess calorie intake, not from eating specific foods. Love pasta and find it an essential part of your menu? You can eat it every day as long as you stick to the right amount of calories per day.

What about potatoes? Over 80% of the potato is water, it contains B vitamins and vitamin C, and it is fat-free and low in calories – two medium-sized tubers are only 60-70 kcal. Their calorific value is usually increased by sauces, dressing or fat after frying. It is best to simply eat these steamed or cooked classically. The same goes for bread and rice – choose sensible amounts and healthier alternatives. Wholemeal bread and brown rice are not only better in terms of nutritional value, but are often tastier too.

This myth of fattening potatoes came about primarily because of the demonisation of the presence of carbohydrates in an effective reduction diet. However, good, complex carbohydrates are the basis of a balanced diet (such as we propose on Vitalia) and play an important role in the proper functioning of our body. They contain a lot of fibre and the most important ingredients to support metabolism, and they allow us to maintain glucose levels at a constant level.

A chubby baby is a healthy baby

This myth, which has been repeated in Polish homes for generations, may even seem a little ridiculous, but with the current scourge of obesity among pre-school and school-age children, it clearly needs to be verified. We suspect that it originally concerned very young children, in whom a plumper shape is actually natural and usually really testifies to the good condition of the toddler.

Unfortunately, in the context of older children, the statistics are frightening. In 2019, as many as 14 million children in the European Union were overweight, of which 3 million were obese. These numbers are growing at an alarming rate, according to the Supreme Chamber of Control in Poland as much as 22% of schoolchildren weigh too much, and this number has increased by 5% in just the last 4 years.

Children are generally not obese for “natural” or genetic reasons, or because they are “on medication”. The cause of increased body weight is most often a positive energy balance, associated with excessive eating and lack of physical activity.

Have you come across any of these myths before? Be sure to let us know if you like this formula and suggest other myths that in your opinion should be verified 😉

If you want to take a look at your diet and check if you are eating as needed, use the Fitatu application. More information about Fitatu can be found at: https://www.fitatu.com