Many people have heard plenty of falsehoods and mistruths about food, but what’s the real story? I wrote this because so many people believe these that I decided to show the truth once and for all, and relegate these myths to the bin...

1. Frozen foods are less nutritious than fresh foods.
Due to today’s climate, the “fresh” foods in your local supermarket could already be days or even weeks old. However, most vegetables are “flash frozen” within a few hours of being picked so tend to hold more nutrients than some supposedly fresher ones. Not only are frozen vegetables more economical, they’re also cheaper, easier to store and tend to go further than fresh (especially if you have a family).

2. Give up all your favourites to lose weight.
No-one could keep this one up for long. What would be the point of a varied, healthy diet if we weren’t allowed to eat our favourite foods? The truth is that it is possible, and with a little bit of food knowledge, moderation and portion control in mind, even bangers and mash shouldn’t be off the menu. This way, you won’t be afraid of falling off the diet wagon because you won’t even be on one!

3. All packaged or processed foods are bad for you.
While it’s true that many different packaged foods are high in calories, fat and additives, it’s also true that some are available that might help you keep up with your busy lifestyle. Pre-packaged fruit and vegetables, low-fat yogurt, frozen fruit and vegetables, and packaged brown rice can all help as long as you keep to your portion sizes and go for those low in sodium and low in additives.

4. If you don’t eat enough healthy food, supplements will “top up” your nutrients.
Any poor diet that’s propped up with supplements is still a poor diet, and to date there has never been any evidence that supplements actually work to enhance health. It’s better to spend your money on those foods than can keep you healthy and fit, such as lean red meat and poultry, wholegrains and unrefined brown rice, nuts, seeds, oily fish, and plenty of different fruit and vegetables.

5. All packaged foods are high in sodium and salt.
Not true! The changing face of consumerism is leading to more and more companies producing foods with lower sodium levels, or even with no sodium at all (if the whole salt/sodium thing confuses you, look at a food label and read the sodium level. Multiply this by 2.5 to find the amount of salt contained within it – and you might be very surprised). Where you can, buy the low-sodium or no-sodium varieties, rinse all tinned vegetables through before using them, and don’t add salt to your food unless you’re making it from scratch (and use plenty of herbs and spices for taste, don’t just rely on salt).

6. Certain foods are “good”, others are “bad”.
There is no such thing as a good or bad food, only the amount of it you actually eat – even fast food can apply here! The key in this is moderation, and it’s true that too much of a good thing is detrimental. In any decent well-balanced, healthy diet, no foods should be excluded as this just sets up a psychological craving for the so-called “forbidden” foods. Instead, include all foods from all groups and eat small amounts of them (or if it’s fast food, treat yourself once a week to a couple of slices of pizza or a burger, just make sure you don’t overdo it or you’ll be looking at weight gain).

7. White potatoes should be avoided.
The low-carb fads of the 90’s still lingers with us in the form of this one. Just because they’re white doesn’t mean they’re bad for you because unlike white bread or white rice, they’re actually very nutritious, containing plenty of fibre, B complex vitamins, and vitamin C. The key is to only eat the right portion size for you (the same size as your loosely-clenched fist), cook them in a healthy way and don’t cover them in butter or other fatty toppings.

8. You need eight cups of water a day to stay healthy.
No-one is actually sure where this one came from but a very old 1945 study recommended people drink at least 2.5 litres of water a day so it may even be as old as this! Water is an essential part of any healthy balanced diet as it is needed for every single process your body does, so there is nothing wrong with drinking eight glasses a day or even more than that as long as you are getting enough (it’s easy to see...when you go to the toilet, pay attention to the colour. If it’s a very pale yellow, you’re drinking enough. If it’s darker yellow or a little bit smelly, you’re not drinking enough).

9. Fat-free or reduced-fat are best for weight loss.
Just because something is labelled fat-free or reduced fat doesn’t mean it actually is better for you or for your weight loss. These foods are usually bulked out with cheaper ingredients or more sugar, so overall they don’t offer anything you can’t get from anywhere else, and probably for far less calories too. For weight loss, it’s reducing overall calories, not just the calories gained from fat, so don’t buy these products just because you think they’ll help you because they won’t.

10. It doesn’t matter what foods you eat as long as it isn’t too many calories.
It isn’t just the calories you should pay attention to, but the kinds of foods they’re in. For example, 100 calories is a small amount but you can pile your plate high with plenty of different-coloured salad vegetables full of fibre, vitamins and minerals and various phenolic compounds to support your body’s health, or you can have one slice of dry bread. Foods can be nutritionally high but calorifically low (meaning they have a high amount of nutrients but a low amount of calories) or nutritionally low but calorifically high (which is the reverse and means they have a low amount of nutrients but a high amount of calories), but ideally you should be getting more of the nutritionally dense foods as these are just far better for you.

11. Bananas are so high in sugar they make you fat.
Bananas contain only a few grams more sugar than other fruit so why they’re seen as fattening is a bit of a mystery. That doesn’t mean you should go overboard on them, just that as a post-workout or mid-morning snack, they’re pretty much second-to-none.

12. It doesn’t matter how fast you eat a meal as long as you don’t overeat.
Definitely false! The speed you eat your food at will often lead to overeating, as it takes some time for the message from the stomach to acknowledge its full to reach the brain – and this can take 20 minutes! So eat slowly, enjoy it, and try not to rush it. The instant you feel full, push your plate away and if you really want a good strategy for eating, always eat your veggies first, then your protein, then finish up on your carbs. That way, if you feel full before your plate is clear, it will be the carbohydrates you’ll miss out on and it might help you to lose weight.

13. When dining at a restaurant, the best option is always a salad.
Definitely not true! Due to the way they’re prepared and the salad dressing usually heaped on top of them, a restaurant salad can contain as much fat and calories as a double cheeseburger! Try sticking to grilled protein sources, avoid salad dressings and avoid deep-fried food if you want to eat healthily while eating out, or just read the article here on how to eat out healthily.

14. Certain foods like celery have “negative” calories.
According to popular belief, foods like celery or cucumber contain “negative calories”, which is to say that they apparently use more calories to digest them than they actually contain. Unfortunately, this is just not true. All foods contain calories, but no matter what you eat, the digestion of foods will only account for about 10% of the actual calories you consume. If you eat 1600 calories, only 160 of these will be burnt off by digestion!

15. The only way to eat healthier is to spend more time in the kitchen.
In an ideal world, we’d all be able to grow our food in our own gardens, make every meal from scratch and know exactly how our food was prepared if we dined out. It may be ideal but is it realistic? No way! However, you can still manage to eat healthier without spending hours in the kitchen by relying on quick and simple recipes (such as stir-fries using quality protein and fresh vegetables), or by using a slow cooker and other food items that can save you time in the kitchen. Tinned foods are pre-cooked, frozen veggies are great in a pinch and pre-sliced meat, cheese or fruit can save you a lot of preparation time.