Doctors Bust Medical Myths and Lies

MYTH: Frozen fruits and veggies are never as good as their fresh counterparts.

By Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, LD, Wellness Mgr, Lifestyle 180 Program, Cleveland Clinics

FACT: Frozen fruit and veggies are frozen at peak ripeness so it all depends on when you are purchasing and what season we are in. For example, in northeast Ohio in the summer, we can easily get blackberries locally, but in the winter, our options if we eat fresh are to purchase berries that have traveled from far away to reach us. Each day of traveling means loss of nutrients. In the summer, fresh blackberries are the best, but in the winter, frozen rules. You’ll get more nutrients from the frozen versions.

MYTH: Eating at night will make you gain weight.

FACT: While eating later in the day means you don’t have as much time to burn off excess calories, what dieters really want to do is focus on how many calories are consumed throughout the entire day. Eating 3500 more calories per week than what you can burn will cause you to gain 1 pound and it really does not matter when these calories enter your body during the day.

MYTH: Twelve-grain breads or multigrain breads are the best bread options for fiber and healthfulness.

FACT: Just because the label says it has lots of grains does not mean they are all 100% whole. Whenever shopping for bread, you want to make sure that all ingredients constitute a whole grain source. That will provide the best bang for your nutritional buck when it comes to fiber intake and lowering your risk for metabolic syndrome. Look for a percentage of 100% on the bread label and find breads that provide ideally 3 grams of fiber per serving.