Diet & Fitness 

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10 diet lessons to unlearn

If your nutrition and weight-loss education comes mostly by way of fad diet books and magazine articles, there's probably at least a smidgeon of misinformation guiding your choices

Since dieting and weight-loss are surrounded with old wives' tales and even outright lies, we've decided to clear up some of the confusion. Unlearn these ten lessons and you'll be on your way to making wiser dietary decisions.

1. Hot and spicy speeds up fat-burning

The rumour going around about hot foods, like chillies, is that they raise your metabolism, helping you burn fat faster. But most researchers think the difference is too miniscule to matter, so if you don't enjoy the spice, don't bother.

One idea behind chilli does make sense: when food is more tasty, it tends to be more satisfying, which means you'll feel satiated and stop eating sooner. If that's true for you, go ahead and pile on those peppers.

2. Your metabolism is slower at night

Contrary to popular belief, your metabolism doesn't slow down after a certain time. This legend probably stems from the fact that many of us eat a larger proportion of calories in the evening, for example, snacking in front of the TV.

If that's you, making a general rule about not eating after a certain time may be effective. Just be clear about one thing: the bag of crisps you eat at 3pm will do the same amount of damage as the one you have at 9pm. It's the calories, not the time of day, that matters.

3. Grapefruit has negative calories

If you've tried many of the fad diets that have been around for decades, you're likely to have run across terms like fat-burning foods or negative-calorie foods. The idea is that you burn more calories to digest them than they actually provide. But the fact is, there is no such thing as a negative calorie food.

While some fruits and vegetables are extremely low in calories, none actually burn fat. Eat them to fill up on fewer calories, but make no mistake: they will not reverse the calories from the chocolate cake you eat in the same day.

4. Carbohydrates cause weight gain

This is perhaps the most common diet misconception out there, thanks to several high-protein fad diets on the market. But talk to just about any nutritionist, and he or she will tell you carbohydrates are your body's first source of fuel.

The key is the type of carbs you eat. In other words, replace sugary foods (simple carbs) like biscuits and sweets with complex carbs, such as fruits, vegetables and whole-grain breads and cereals. There's no reason to ban this very important food group from your healthy diet.

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