The Quick Start Guide to Healthy Eating. Gretchen Scalpi RD, CDN, CDE
can increase a child’s risk of a milk allergy by feeding them cow’s milk at an early age. The same holds true for other foods for which infants are not physiologically ready to eat. Early feeding of cow’s milk and other foods may predispose that individual to an allergy as they're growing up. Infants do not need a wide range of foods until they are at least 4 to 6 months old, at which time other foods can be introduced. They do very well on breast milk or formula for the first 4 to 6 months of life.
Honey, maple syrup, and brown sugar are more healthy than table sugar
That is a common belief, but is not entirely true. Honey, maple syrup and brown sugar are sugars that have not been processed or are minimally processed. They are in a more natural form than table sugar; however there are no significant health benefits to using them instead of regular table sugar.
These forms of sugar may contain slightly more vitamins or minerals, but the amount is not significant enough to create a specific health benefit. If you like the taste of them, then go ahead and use them. The bottom line is that they are all still forms of sugar. Even though they may be natural or unprocessed, they still have caloric value. If you are using too much of any form of sugar it could have a negative effect; i.e. weight gain or increased blood sugar.
Taking vitamins or supplements gives you more energy
A lot of people believe that this is true. They go out and buy over-the-counter vitamins and believe it gives them more energy. Energy comes from calories. A calorie is a unit of energy that is used by the body, and it’s found in food. You don't get calories by taking vitamin or mineral supplements. What vitamins can do (B vitamins in particular) is help the body release the energy from the food that you eat. For example, if you eat a carbohydrate food, certain vitamins can help release the energy from the food so your body can use it.
If people feel more energetic when they're taking vitamins, it might be because of other things. For example, they may be taking vitamins as part of adapting a healthier lifestyle. They may start going to the gym, or being more particular about what they eat. Those lifestyle changes can contribute to having an improved feeling of wellness and energy.
However, the mere act of taking a supplement is not going to give you more energy. Have you noticed the “energy shots” that are found near the cash register at convenience stores? Energy shots are liquid vitamins and minerals with most including a good shot of caffeine. The jolt that people claim that they feel is probably coming from the caffeine, not the vitamins or minerals.
Drink plenty of fruit juice because it's good for you
This is a common misperception, especially among people who are trying to do the right thing for themselves or their children. They may restrict the amount of soft drinks that the kids are drinking and give them juice instead. Juice, of course, is made from fruit, so it does have nutritional value. Fruit juice provides vitamins and mineral, but you have to keep in mind that it is a processed food, and it's a liquid. Therefore, it is easy to drink too much. If you drink juice throughout the day, it would add up to a lot of calories. In fact, the number of calories in juice is pretty close, ounce for ounce, to the number of calories found in soft drinks. And, it is high in sugar! Large amounts of juice means consumption of extra calories and possibly weight gain.
Some people like to use juicers. These are popular appliances and a lot of people are buying them right now. Juicers are nice to have, but if you're adding six or seven pieces of fruit in order to make a large glass of juice every morning, realize that your juice contains a large amount of fruit sugar taken all at one time. Many juicers remove all of the fiber in the fruit (the fiber is found in the pulp). If you are using a juicer, I would recommend using one piece of fruit and make the rest up with vegetables. Also, select a juicer that retains the pulp from the fruit or vegetables that you’re juicing, as this will allow you to use the pulp for other purposes.
Sugar is toxic
The word toxic is a very strong word to use. If sugar were toxic, it would follow that you would have to cut out all sugar as well as anything that would convert to sugar in your body. That's a lot of food that you would have to remove from your diet. The correct message, I believe, is that you should aim to reduce added sugar.
This goes back to our earlier discussion about natural versus added sugar. Foods such as milk or fruit have natural sugar, but this does not make them toxic. On the other hand, processed foods, such as soft drinks and certain snack foods, have a lot of added sugar. Many people already consume too many highly processed foods.
So, instead of trying to completely eliminate all sugar, it would be better to look at whether it is in added form or is naturally occurring. If we were to limit the added form and focus on eating fresh foods in their natural state we would be much better off.
It is good to use sweeteners instead of sugar
When it comes to artificial sweeteners, I believe it comes down to a personal choice. There are some pros and cons to using sugar substitutes. The artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, sucralose, or stevia are considered non-nutritive sweeteners. This means they don't have any significant caloric value. Artificial sweeteners can be useful for someone who is concerned about calories or needs to watch their blood sugar. Artificial sweeteners do not cause an increase in blood sugar, and they do not contribute to dental problems or cavities.
But they are not a magic bullet, either. When someone is counting his calories and buying products that are sugar-free, they have to keep in mind that “sugar-free” does not always mean “calorie free”. There may be no sugar in a sugar-free dessert, for example, but that doesn't mean that you can eat unlimited amounts. You may end up consuming a lot of calories from other ingredients in the sugar-free product. You have to consider all of those things.
Some people have health concerns regarding artificial sweeteners in general. This first became a concern when saccharin consumption was linked to bladder cancer in rats. There have not been any studies that have linked artificial sweeteners to cancer in humans, but many people don't want to take that chance. If you are not comfortable using artificial sweeteners, then choose not to use them.
The FDA and other public health organizations maintain that artificial sweeteners are safe. If you want to use them, as with anything else, you should do so in moderation. For example, using a bit of artificial sweetener in your coffee would be moderate use, but consumption of many cans of diet soda every day would be considered excessive.
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