Foodisms: Don’t Believe Everything You Hear

Photo: Simon Doggett

Fat-free always means healthy. The worst time of the day to eat is right before bed. Frequent, smaller meals are better than three square meals.

These foodisms seem like they should be true, partially because they seem logical and partially because we repeat these things to each other so often and if they weren't true, somebody would have stopped the cycle by now.

But according to Heather Mangieri, a registered dietitian and nutrition expert for the American Dietetic Association, and Lynn Grieger, a registered dietitian and personal fitness coach, none of these things are necessarily true.

A few months ago, they addressed the above mentioned foodisms and more in a story that is apparently syndicated (my local paper just ran it yesterday). Other foodisms addressed: eating salsa burns fat (fact) and blotting pizza removes most of the fat (fiction).

As somebody who is trying to log laps on a local walking track and doing what I can to make healthier food choices, the article makes for interesting reading and it’s a good reminder to not always believe what you hear or read about nutrition (or anything, for that matter).