HealthyU Students

Today we are going to spend some time Mythbusting!

Is 8 cups of water necessary? recommended?

NO and NO

Water is used by your body for many different processes and we constantly lose water via urine, bowel movements, perspiring and breathing. These losses need to be replaced. Your individual needs will greatly vary and may be even MORE than this amount! For example if you are working outside or exercising your perspiration amounts might increase, and therefore your water needs would as well. The 8 glasses of water was part of an ‘8x8’ health promotion campaign (8 glasses of 8 ounces of water) that was partially funded by bottled water distributors!!

This brings us to the idea of: why does your water intake have to be actual water!? There is water in many of the foods we eat; potatoes are almost 75% water by weight!. And there are many liquid sources that should be counted in your water intake as well.

So how much water should you drink? Let thirst dictate your water needs. If you are thirsty drink something!

Will I lose weight on a low carbohydrate diet? Is it safe?

The short answer to this is: YES and maybe.

We don’t talk about diets a lot in HealthyU because we prefer to think of what you put in your body as something that appeals to you and is something that is safe for your body. We emphasize the ‘U’! We do realise though that there are lots of different diets and ideas about how you ‘should’ go about pursuing your own health goals.

There is evidence that weight loss can occur as a result of low-carb diets. There are also many other diets where weight loss AND maintenance (i.e maintaining the original weight loss) are successful.

Most of these diets vary the amounts of the macronutrients that are taken in. Macronutrients include protein, fats, and carbohydrates. But these should not be confused with essential nutrients which are particular fatty acids and proteins that are absolutely required that the body cannot make for itself.

The answer to ‘safety’ concerns have to do with your individual body. Our body’s ability to tolerate a change in diet is very specific to YOUR body. You should speak to your health care provider before making large shifts in your diet to determine if your particular needs will be met when you change what you are eating.

Does eating late at night make you fat?

There is no simple answer to this. The most firm answer is: maybe J

So most of us know that there is a number of calories we need to function optimally. Calculate yours here: http://www.mayoclinic.org/calorie-calculator/itt-20084939 

This is partly dictated on how active we are on a daily basis. If you eat more than the number of calories needed for your body, there is tendency to have those energy units saved in your body as fat.

We have all had the experience when we are out socially and someone suggests grabbing a bite to eat late at night (for reference to social eating on our blog: ) Often these calories are things we didn’t plan for and are outside of the norm for us, So these are calories that are not usually needed. They may also be eaten out of boredom (and adhering to social norms/peer influence). Thus by their very nature these calories are ‘extra’.

There is very little research done on whether calories eaten at night make you gain weight simply because they are consumed at night. There is a theory that the difference in insulin response at night and in early morning will effect how the calories in your system are used and processed. Insulin is a hormone that has a complicated physiological response: one of these responses has to do with the conversion of calories into fat.

If you are trying to keep from gaining weight it might be a good idea to restrict ANY extra calories – not just the ones consumed late at night.

There’s lots of buzz about gluten. Is gluten bad for my body? Should I go on a gluten free diet?

NO! and maybe?

Gluten is a protein which is found most often in grains like wheat, rye and barley. It is found in most pasta, baked goods, breads, and cereals. There have been many celebrities, trainers etc that suggest gluten-free foods aid in weight loss. There is NO EVIDENCE that a gluten-free diet will aid in weight loss.

All diets by their nature impose restrictions on foods consumed. Gluten-free diets are even more restrictive because of the large amount of foods that have gluten in them – and many restaurants have few items that are gluten-free on the menu. This means that you are automatically restricted a great deal in the types of food that you can eat – and the convenience of getting them. This often becomes restrictive to the point of determining your meals in a very regimented manner. This could result in weight loss simply because of the restrictive nature of the diet..

References

Cbc. (2015). 8 glasses of water a day 'an urban myth'. Retrieved 14 March 2015, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/8-glasses-of-water-a-day-an-urban-myth-1.1196386

Harvard School of Public Health (2015). Low-Carbohydrate Diets | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Retrieved 14 March 2015, from http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/carbohydrates/low-carbohydrate-diets/

Mayo clinic. (2015). Water: How much should you drink every day? - Mayo Clinic. Retrieved 14 March 2015, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256

Science Daily. (2015). That Late-night Snack: Worse Than You Think. Retrieved 14 March 2015, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090903110800.htm